The Nile Delta is one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable delta systems and is of critical importance to Egypt’s economy and livelihoods. Ongoing coastal erosion and flooding threaten agricultural land and infrastructure, driven primarily by reduced fluvial sediment supply due to upstream dam construction, with sea level rise expected to increase these impacts. Along the Nile Delta coast, groynes have historically been implemented as shoreline protection measures, yet their long-term effectiveness, particularly under rising relative sea levels, remains uncertain.
This project focuses on a 15 km coastal section east of the Kitchener Drain in the Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, where a feasibility study is being conducted for the Egyptian Shore Protection Authority (SPA) (Figure 1). The research combines a case-study analysis with numerical modelling to assess the performance of existing and alternative groyne designs under present and future sea level conditions.
Figure 1. Project area ‘Kitchener Drain’ at the Nile Delta in Egypt.
The main objective of the project is to develop a thorough understanding of groyne effectiveness under relative sea level rise, particularly as groynes become increasingly submerged. Secondary objectives include evaluating the performance of existing groyne fields in the study area, simulating shoreline evolution under multiple scenarios using XBeach and ShorelineS models, and conceptually assessing the combined effectiveness of groynes and nourishments under future sea level rise. The outcomes aim to support more sustainable and climate-adaptive shoreline protection strategies for the Nile Delta and similar coastlines worldwide.
