Speakers

Dr Suzan  EL-GHARABAWY
Lecturer of Marine Geology and Geophysics, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries

Biography:

Suzan Mohamed El-Gharabawy is a Lecturer in Marine Geology and Geophysics at the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF). She obtained her PhD in Marine Geophysics from the Faculty of Science, Damietta University. She participated in several training programs, including the “Oceanographic Monitoring and Using Underwater Cameras Training Courses” organized by Atlantas Marine Ltd, Video Ray. She also participated in the exploration cruise “Mangan 2008” of the Central Pacific Ocean, organized by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) for polymetallic nodules exploration, and a number of workshops, such as the training workshop of “Applications of GIS in Assessing Vulnerability to Sea Level Rise”, organized by the Alexandria Research Center for Adaptation to Climate Change (ARCA); and the Workshop of “Environmental Studies on the Egyptian Coasts of Red Sea, Suez and Aqaba Gulfs” at the NIOF, Alexandria branch. She worked on several field projects, including the environmental study of El-Max Bay, Alexandria, Egypt. She has three publications, including “Assessment of Heavy Metals Concentration in Mediterranean Surficial Sediments in front of Damietta Promontory, Egypt” in the Journal of Environmental Sciences, and a scientific report on the solid phase speciation of phosphorus in marine sediments from the South–East Coast of India

 

Abstract:

The Emerging Situation of Submerged Ancient Sites at the Eastern Harbor

Ahmed FEKRY

Suzan EL-GHARABAWY

Amr HAMOUDA

Historical records show that natural phenomena, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, have destroyed our heritage, in addition to settlements built along the Eastern Harbor. It is disappointing how recent depositional activities bury submerged antiquities. The remains of the submerged ancient harbor is harmed by fishermen and by the construction of new structures at the current Eastern Harbor. The border of the submerged ancient harbor was discovered on the seafloor using side scan sonar.

This study focuses on submerged sites along the offshore coastal settings that are affected by human-influenced geohazards involving sediment destabilization and remobilization. Some settlements have been impacted by simple sea-level rise and/or damaged by powerful sudden storms. Recent observations have shown that sediment failure in low-lying coastal settings can also be directly influenced by human activity over submerged antiquities, especially where sites are positioned on weak vulnerable substrates. It is important to build a national project to protect our wealth, such as preventing the ancient Alexandria Lighthouse from sinking, to save our ancient heritage.