Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hard Coastal Protection Structures for Long-Term Erosion Mitigation, Case Study: Eastern Rosetta Shoreline, Nile Delta, Egypt

Authors

• Basma Sayed, Assistant Lecturer of Irrigation and Hydraulic Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Egypt
• Ayman Sabry Koraim, Professor of Water and Water Structures Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Egypt
• Tarek Hemdan Nassrallah, Lecturer of Irrigation and Hydraulic Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Egypt
• Ahmed Abouelfetouh Abdelaziz, Lecturer of Irrigation and Hydraulic Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Egypt
• Nada Mansour, Lecturer of Irrigation and Hydraulic in Mansoura Higher Institute for Engineering and Technology, EgyptFollow
• Fahmy Salah Fahmy Abdelhaleem, Prof. of hydraulics and Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs Civil Eng. Dept., Benha Faculty of Engineering, Benha University, Egypt

Subject Area

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Article Type

Case Study

Abstract

Coastal erosion threatens densely populated shorelines worldwide. At the Rosetta Promontory (Nile Delta), shoreline retreat has accelerated since the construction of the Aswan High Dam due to reduced fluvial sediment supply. This case study numerically evaluates shoreline response to six hard-protection scenarios along the eastern promontory, combining groins and detached breakwaters, over a 20-year forecast (2022–2042). Offshore wave conditions were transformed to nearshore hydrodynamics using MIKE21 Spectral Wave, and long-term shoreline evolution was simulated with DHI-LITPACK. The numerical models were forced using a 40-year wave dataset derived from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis. Results indicate that the configuration with eight detached breakwaters provides the most effective stabilization, reducing the predicted eroded area from ~260,648 m² (benchmark) to ~198,568.9 m² (~24%) while limiting adverse downdrift impacts. The benchmark was clarified in 2022 as the post–construction condition, characterized by the presence of eight groins. The outcomes provide site-specific guidance for shoreline management in erosion-prone deltaic coasts. The outcomes provide site-specific guidance for shoreline management in erosion-prone deltaic coasts.

Keywords

Nile Delta, Sediment Transport, and DHI–LITPACK / LITLINE One-line model

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Sayed, Basma; Koraim, Ayman Sabry; Nassrallah, Tarek Hemdan; Abdelaziz, Ahmed Abouelfetouh; Mansour, Nada; and Abdelhaleem, Fahmy Salah Fahmy (2026) "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Hard Coastal Protection Structures for Long-Term Erosion Mitigation, Case Study: Eastern Rosetta Shoreline, Nile Delta, Egypt," Mansoura Engineering Journal: Vol. 51 : Iss. 3 , Article 14.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.58491/2735-4202.3440