The effect of regulation of the Nile River discharge on the oceanographic conditions and productivity of the southeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea
Abstract
Before the damming of the Nile River, the southeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea was one of the most productive areas in the Mediterranean Sea (G o r g y & S h a h e e n, 1964; E l-Z a r k a & K o u r a, 1965; G o r g y, 1966; H a l i m et al., 1967). The Nile discharge was the main reason for the high biological productivity of the shelf waters of the southeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. The life cycle of sea organisms in this area depends mainly on the river discharge, particularly on the seasonal dynamics of plankton and pelagic fish migration. Therefore, the high decrease in the river discharge after 1965 affects greatly the physical, chemical and biological conditions in the southeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea.