Flash-flood hydrology and aquifer-recharge in Wadi Umm Sidr, Eastern Desert, Egypt
Flash-flood hydrology and aquifer-recharge in Wadi Umm Sidr, Eastern Desert, Egypt
Rapid urbanization and irrigation agriculture along the hyperarid Red Sea coastal plain in Egypt are dependent on freshwater supply from coastal aquifers. The aquifers are recharged by flash-floods from catchments (wadis) in the Eastern Desert, but large floods also cause infrastructure damage and deaths. Flood management strategies require knowledge of flood magnitude-frequency relationships, but in this regard quantitative data are lacking. Here, we reconstruct the peak discharge of a large flash-flood in 2016 using field measurements and flood discharge modelling along Wadi Umm Sidr, ~ 50 km west of Hurghada. In addition, we estimated the total flood volume, the flood duration, the infiltration rate and the transmission losses. Results are consistent with the few published determinations for large floods across the wider Levant. Field survey of recent floods (and palaeofloods) is a robust means to develop regionally applicable magnitude-frequency relationships. We close with some recommendations regarding flood protection of the Red Sea coastal infrastructure.
Aquifer-recharge, Eastern desert, Egypt, Flash-floods, Infiltration, Transmission losses, Wadis hydrology
Abbas, Mahmoud
b4922052-f03d-456f-a0bd-8a4a38285d8e
Carling, Paul
8d252dd9-3c88-4803-81cc-c2ec4c6fa687
Jansen, John
73b16e37-813d-4756-9c41-98769bf035f8
Al-Saqaratf, Bety
474fa42d-26e4-43c8-8a7f-79f9614ac29a
July 2020
Abbas, Mahmoud
b4922052-f03d-456f-a0bd-8a4a38285d8e
Carling, Paul
8d252dd9-3c88-4803-81cc-c2ec4c6fa687
Jansen, John
73b16e37-813d-4756-9c41-98769bf035f8
Al-Saqaratf, Bety
474fa42d-26e4-43c8-8a7f-79f9614ac29a
Abbas, Mahmoud, Carling, Paul, Jansen, John and Al-Saqaratf, Bety
(2020)
Flash-flood hydrology and aquifer-recharge in Wadi Umm Sidr, Eastern Desert, Egypt.
Journal of Arid Environments, 178, [104170].
(doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104170).
Abstract
Rapid urbanization and irrigation agriculture along the hyperarid Red Sea coastal plain in Egypt are dependent on freshwater supply from coastal aquifers. The aquifers are recharged by flash-floods from catchments (wadis) in the Eastern Desert, but large floods also cause infrastructure damage and deaths. Flood management strategies require knowledge of flood magnitude-frequency relationships, but in this regard quantitative data are lacking. Here, we reconstruct the peak discharge of a large flash-flood in 2016 using field measurements and flood discharge modelling along Wadi Umm Sidr, ~ 50 km west of Hurghada. In addition, we estimated the total flood volume, the flood duration, the infiltration rate and the transmission losses. Results are consistent with the few published determinations for large floods across the wider Levant. Field survey of recent floods (and palaeofloods) is a robust means to develop regionally applicable magnitude-frequency relationships. We close with some recommendations regarding flood protection of the Red Sea coastal infrastructure.
Text
Abbas_et_al._Umm_Sidr_resubmission_to_J_Arid_Environ_1
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 20 March 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 3 April 2020
Published date: July 2020
Keywords:
Aquifer-recharge, Eastern desert, Egypt, Flash-floods, Infiltration, Transmission losses, Wadis hydrology
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 439525
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/439525
ISSN: 0140-1963
PURE UUID: 86108bbf-f300-4304-a86d-bc1d8fcd932b
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Date deposited: 24 Apr 2020 16:45
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 05:28
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Contributors
Author:
Mahmoud Abbas
Author:
John Jansen
Author:
Bety Al-Saqaratf
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