Digital shoreline analysis system techniques for stability detection: An applied case study on Port Said, Egypt

Abstract

This study aims to assess shoreline change rates at al-Gamil Beach, west of Port Said City on the northeastern Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The study area is characterized by two main tidal inlets connected Lake EL-Manzala by the sea and other coastal protection structures. Given that the al-Gamil coastline shall be monitored to explore erosion and sedimentation changes along the shoreline, multi-temporal satellite images and an ArcGIS-based DSAS model application were utilized to identify and measure changes to the coastline. Five Landsat images covering the study area were used to identify patterns of coastline accretion and erosion. These images were corrected geometrically and radiometrically to help the investigation process of coastline change rates. The three DSAS statistical models: Linear Regression Rate, End Point Rate, and Net Shoreline Movement were used to assess the shoreline change rate. Based on these findings, the shoreline has alternate exposure to accretion and erosion at varying rates, where the average rate of accretion is nearly +9 m/year, while the maximum rate of erosion is about −27 m/year.