Capacity assessment of the Qattara Depression: Egypt as a sink for the global sea level rise

Abstract

One of the most prominent geomorphological features in the Western Desert of Egypt is the occurrence of the Qattara Depression (20,800 km2 or 2% of Egypt’s area), which has the deepest point in Africa. Topographic analysis of the depression was carried out using fine resolution digital elevation models acquired from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer-Global Digital Elevation Model (ASTER-GDEM) in order to assess the capacity of the depression. Results showed that the lower point in the depression occurs at −136 m and its capacity at the sea level is 1340 billion m3, which equals 10 times the live storage capacity of the Lake Nasser behind the Aswan High Dam. Although the depression has the aptitude to be a reservoir for any augmentation in the sea level, detailed environmental impact assessment studies should be implemented to address geologic, climatic, biologic as well as socio-economic impacts.