Tidal Current Behaviors and Remarkable Bathymetric Change in the South-Western Part of Khor Abdullah, Kuwait

Authors: Ahmed M. Al-Hasem

Abstract:

A study of the tidal current behavior and bathymetric changes was undertaken in order to establish an information base for future coastal management. The average velocity for tidal current was 0.46 m/s and the maximum velocity was 1.08 m/s during ebb tide. During spring tides, maximum velocities range from 0.90 m/s to 1.08 m/s, whereas maximum velocities vary from 0.40 m/s to 0.60 m/s during neap tides. Despite greater current velocities during flood tide, the bathymetric features enhance the dominance of the ebb tide. This can be related to the abundance of fine sediments from the ebb current approaching the study area, and the relatively coarser sediment from the approaching flood current. Significant bathymetric changes for the period from 1985 to 1998 were found with dominance of erosion process. Approximately 96.5% of depth changes occurred within the depth change classes of -5 m to 5 m. The high erosion processes within the study area will subsequently result in high accretion processes, particularly in the north, the location of the proposed Boubyan Port and its navigation channel.

Keywords: Bathymetric change, Boubyan Island, GIS, Khor Abdullah, tidal current behavior.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1315915

References:

[1] Al-Hasem, A. (2002). Coastal Morphodynamics of an Open-ended Tidal Channel in an Arid and Mesotidal Environment: Al-Subiya Tidal Channel. Unpublished PhD Thesis, The University of Queensland, Australia, 246 pp.
[2] Wei, Eugene (2003). The New Port of New York and New Jersey Operational Forecast System. American Meteorological Society, September 2003, 1184-1186.
[3] Ministry of Public Works – Mega Projects Agency (2006). Boubyan Island Project (Environmental Assessment & Master Plan). Ministry of Public Works, Kuwait.
[4] Stoschek, O. and Zimmermann, C. (2006). Water Exchange and Sedimentation in an Estuarine Tidal Harbor Using Three-Dimensional Simulation. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering. September/October 2006, 410-414.
[5] Koh, H., Lim, P. and Midun, Z. (1991). Management and Control of Pollution in Inner Johore Strait. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 19(1-3): 349-359.
[6] Dilorenzo, J., Ram, R., Huang, P. and Najarian, T. (1994). Pollution Susceptibility of Well-mixed Tidal Basins. Journal of Waterway, Port, Coastal, and Ocean Engineering, 120(4): 404-422.
[7] Chang, M. and Sanford, L. (2005). Modeling the Effects of Tidal Resuspension and Deposition on Early Diagenesis of Contaminants. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 8(1): 41-51.
[8] Montano-Loy, Y., Peraza-Vizcarra, R. and Paez-Osuna, F. (2007). The Tidal Hydrodynamics Modeling of the Topolobampo Coastal Lagoon System and the Implications for Pollutant Dispersion. Environmental Pollution, 147(1): 282-290.
[9] Van der Wal, D. and Pye, K. (2003). The Use of Historical Bathymetric Charts in a GIS to Assess Morphological Change in Estuaries. The Geographical Journal, 169 (1): 21-31.
[10] Wilber, P. and Iocco, L. (2003). Using a GIS to Examine Changes in the Bathymetry of Borrow Pits and in Lower Bay, New York Harbor, USA. Marine Geodesy, 26: 49-61.
[11] Bale, A., Uncles, R., Villena-Lincoln, A. and Widdows, J. (2007). An Assessment of the Potential Impact of Dredging Activity on the Tamar Estuary over the Last Century: Bathymetric and Hydrodynamic Changes. Hydrobiologia, 588: 83-95.
[12] Lamour, M., Angulo, R. and Soares, C. (2007). Bathymetrical Evolution of Critical Shoaling Sectors on Galheta Channel, Navigable Access to Paranagiia Bay, Brazil. Journal of Coastal Research, 23 (1): 49-58.
[13] Khalaf, F., Al-Bakri, D. and Al-Ghadban, A. (1984). Sedimentological Characteristics of the Surficial Sediments of the Kuwait Marine Environment, North Arabian Gulf. Sedimentology, 31: 531-545.
[14] Al-Ghadban, A., Saeed, T., Al-Shemmari, H, Al-Mutairi, M. and Al-Hashash, H. (1998). Preliminary Assessment of the Impact of Draining of Iraqi Marshes of Kuwait’s Northern Marine Environmewnt – Part I: Physical Manipulation. Proceedings of the Third Middle East Conference on Marine Pollution and Effluent Management, Kuwait, pp.18-38
[15] Neelamani, S., Al-Salem, K. and Rakha, K. (2007). Extreme Waves for Kuwaiti Territorial Waters. Ocean Engineering, 34: 1496-1504.
[16] Kuwait Environment Public Authority (2005). Floating Monitoring Station No. 1, Tidal Current Velocity and Direction from 6/2/2005 to 31/3/2005. Kuwait.
[17] Ministry of Communications (1986). Navigational and Bathymetric Map (Surveys 1985): scale of 1:200,000. Kuwait.
[18] Ministry of Communications (1999). Navigational and Bathymetric Map (Surveys 1998): scale of 1:200,000. Kuwait.
[19] Van Rijn, L. C. (1998). Principles of Coastal Morphology. Delft Hydraulics, Netherlands: Aqua Publications.
[20] Cowell, P. and Thom, B. (1994). Morphodynamics of Coastal Evolution. In: R. W. Carter and Woodroffe (eds), Coastal Evolution, Late Quaternary Shoreline Morphodynamics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 33-86.
[21] Carter, R. and Woodroffe, C. (1994). Coastal Evolution: An Introduction. In: R. W. Carter and C. D. Woodroffe (eds), Coastal Evolution: Late Quaternary Shoreline Morphodynamic, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp.1-31.
[22] Thom, B. and Hall, W. (1991). Behaviour of Beach Profiles during Accretion and Erosion Dominated Period. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 16, 133-127.
[23] Boon, J. and Byrne, R. (1981). On Basin Hypsometry and the Morphodynamic Response of Coastal Inlet Systems. Marine Geology, 40, 27-48.
[24] Pethick, J. (1996). The geomorphology of Mudflats. In: K. Nordstrom and C. Roman, Estuarine Shores: Evolution, Environments and Human Alterations. Chichester: John Wiley, pp. 185-212.