Coastal geomorphology
Understanding coastal evolution and dynamics are essential for coastal management and development. Our research team is studying processes that shape coastal areas, mainly the processes of sea cliff retreat in time and space and sediment dynamics between the coast and the shallow off-shore region. We use a sedimentological approach to study the interactions between the coastal cliff, the beach, and the shallow sea shelf. The results of these studies contribute to developing management strategies specifically in areas that suffer intense human activities associate with coastal landform changes.
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These studies are in collaboration with GSI researchers Amit Mushkin, Oded Katz, Nadav Lensky, and Navot Morag.
Sediment dynamics along Israel’s Mediterranean coasts
Sediment and seafloor dynamics are major components in understating shallow marine environments that are crucial for optimal planning of marine and coastal regions. Previous studies showed great temporal variability in bathymetry, coastlines, sediment sources and river’s discharge along coastal and marine environments. Yet, the role of sediment transport at the near-shore environment is currently overlooked and not being monitored.
We study and quantify sediment erosion from Israel’s coastal cliffs and their relationship and interaction with the nearshore environment.
Sediment budget along the Nile's littoral cell (Mushkin et al., 2016)
Publications:
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Dente, E., Katz, O., Crouvi, O., and Mushkin, A. (2023). The Geomorphic Effectiveness of Landslides. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, v. 128, no. 12, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007191
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Shemesh, R., Mushkin, A., Crouvi, O., and Katz, O. (2022). 5.24 - Mass Movements in Coastal Environments: Insights from the Storm, Seasonal and Annual-Scale Sediment Budget of Cliff-Dominated Beaches in the Eastern Mediterranean. In: Shroder, J. F. (Ed.), Treatise on Geomorphology (Second Edition), Academic Press, 389-414. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818234-5.00209-1.
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Crouvi, O., Shemesh, R., Katz, O., Mushkin, A., Morag, N., and Lensky, N. (2020). Spatial and temporal changes of sediment grain size along Israel’s Mediterranean cliff-dominated beaches. EGU General Assembly.
Katz, T., and Crouvi, O. (2018). Sediment flux dynamics over the shallow (25 m depth) shelf of the Mediterranean Sea along the Israeli coast. Marine Geology, 406, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2018.09.004.
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Mushkin, A., Katz, O., Crouvi, O., Alter, S., and Shemesh, R. (2016). Sediment contribution from Israel’s coastal cliffs into the Nile’s littoral cell and its significance to cliff-retreat mitigation efforts. Engineering Geology, 215, 91-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2016.11.005.