Israel: Coastal Hazards
The Mediterranean beaches in Israel have undergone many changes in the past twenty years as a result of; the construction of ports, anchorages, marinas, and breakwaters that have interrupted the supply of sand and created coastal circulation accompanied by dangerous currents and water conditions.
According to Zavit.org, the sea level has been rising more than 7 cm in the last 25 years, forcing coastal settlements to build defenses and retreat to higher ground which will force the construction of coastal defenses, such as breakwaters and submerged breakwaters. The Israeli coast will experience more flooding, disappearing beaches, and intensifying coastal erosion.
Due to the obstruction of sand from its northward migration (Nile delta), beaches are disappearing. The development of coastal cities has resulted in sand piling on the south of coastal construction sites.
In 2015, artificial breakwaters were approved in the coastal cities of Netanya, Herzliya, and Ashkelon to mitigate the impact of winter storms on their coastal sandstone cliffs. In 2019, a submerged geotube was approved for installation off the north coast of Tel Aviv.
Although these developments aim to lessen coastal erosion, unfortunately, it causes the loss of sand along other parts of the coast and creates dangerous swimming conditions. The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (IMFA) plan is to create a series of parks where the sand will be channeled to beaches by building breakwaters with reinforcements.
References:
Comments
Post a Comment