Impacts of recent development processes on the temporal and spatial sea-level variations along the Suez Canal

Abstract

This work investigates the impacts of the recent development processes on the temporal and spatial sea-level variations along the Suez Canal. Hourly sea-level data were collected at three locations representing the northern (PF), central (I) and southern (PT) regions of the Canal. The data extended from June 2010 to July 2015. The T_Tide package was used to obtain information on tides and residuals. Results revealed that PF and I exhibited almost the same pattern of monthly variations, with March being the month of the lowest mean sea level (MSL) and August the month of the highest one. PT had its own seasonal behaviour, with the lowest MSL in September and the highest in February. These seasonal variations are attributed to the atmospheric pressure scheme affecting the three regions. Moreover, from June to October, the MSL in the Canal’s northern tip was higher than its southern tip, while the reverse was true during the remaining seven months of the year. Along the Canal, the tidal cycle ratios were less than 0.25 reflecting its semidiurnal tidal cycle. The ratios of spring to neap tide ranges were 4.1, 1.5 and 1.7 at PF, I and PT, respectively. The majority of the significant tidal constituents were in the diurnal and semidiurnal bands. Most importantly, results showed that the development processes along the Canal have impacted its highest tidal ranges, which increased by about 29.5% and 37.5% at PF and PT, respectively, compared to the period 1980–1986. This was more obvious at Ismailia, where the range increased by about 176.5% compared to the period 1983–1985. Furthermore, PT experienced the highest percentage of storm surge among the three locations. This research strongly recommends further investigation on the relationship between the sea-level variations along the Suez Canal and the dominant atmospheric conditions.