Navigation waterway for Lake Nasser/Nubia on the Nile River

Abstract

AbstractThe High Aswan Dam is one of the largest dams in the world. Completion of the dam in 1970 resulted in the formation of Lake Nasser/Nubia (LNN). LNN has a highly irregular shape and dimensions. Its total length is about 500 km (335 km in Egypt, known as Lake Nasser; 165 km in Sudan, known as Lake Nubia). It has an average width of 12 km, an average depth of about 25 m and a maximum depth of 90 m. Large quantities of sediment are deposited in the lake, which complicates accurate knowledge of its navigational routes. Moreover, the sediment deposition and lowering of water levels has resulted in the creation of shallow areas that navigation bottlenecks. Furthermore, this problem is expected to increase in the future because of climate change impacts, and the effects of upper Nile River projects. The objective of this study was to identify a sustainable channel for navigation purposes in Lake Nasser/Nubia. A numerical model (Delft‐3D) was used to simulate the navigation waterway along Lake Nasser/Nubia. Calibration and verification of the model for flow and sediment deposition were performed during the period of 2009–2012. There was a good agreement between the observed and modelled results for the whole domain. The model was used to evaluate the designed navigation waterway, based on different scenarios. The calculated volume of the needed dredging, based on time series for the years 2002–2006 (‘which represents a minimum flood’), was 5.94 million m3 (mcm); the calculated volume of the dredging using time series for the years 1992–1996 (‘which represents an average flood’) was 6.64 mcm; and the calculated volume of the dredging using time series for the years 1996–2000 (‘which represents a maximum flood’) was 8.46 mcm. The modelling approach proved to be a useful tool for monitoring the future navigation waterway in Lake Nasser/Nubia.