Anatomy of a Flash Flood in a Hyperarid Environment: From Atmospheric Masses to Sediment Dispersal in the Sea

Abstract

Flash floods in rivers near hyper-Arid coastlines impact both land and marine environments, from recharging groundwater and supporting desert ecosystems to affecting marine water quality, organisms, and substrates. Few studies, however, have followed these events from atmospheric origins to marine effects. This study tracked a desert flash flood in October 2016 in Eilat, capturing stages from atmospheric conditions to sediment distribution at sea. Observations included satellite data, meteorological reports, floodwater discharge, and sediment levels from the Kinnet Canal outlet, alongside offshore turbidity and salinity data. Our findings indicate that a weakened polar vortex amplified a Rossby wave, triggering convective instability over the Eastern Mediterranean and northern Red Sea. In Eilat (mean annual rainfall Combining double low line 27 mm, SD Combining double low line 21 mm), 128 % of the average fell within hours, with the flood reaching the sea approximately 50 h later and lasting 27 h. Around 25 000 t of sediment were discharged, causing offshore salinity drops (up to 1.75 ‰ below the seawater background) and fluctuations of suspended sediment concentrations due to varying flow rates. In turn, particle dispersal in the sea switched several times between hypopycnal (surface) and hyperpycnal (bottom) flows. These findings link the different stages of the flood and their cascading effects from air masses to sedimentary processes in the sea.