Coastal Lake Sustainability: Threats And Opportunities With Climate Change

Abstract

Northern coastal lakes in the Nile Delta of Egypt have an ecosystem of distinctive nature. While customary acknowledged as environmentally rich water bodies, these lakes are alleviating the non-favorable polluting effect of development activities before reaching the Mediterranean Sea. Moreover, climate change challenges are adding more important role to coastal lakes to act as natural adaptive measure that effectively buffer potential sea level rise or any unprecedented events. Therefore, efforts are needed to maintain sustainable system for coastal lakes in face of continuously altering conditions. The main goal of this research study is to investigate vulnerability of coastal lake systems in facing climate changes, with reference to the water quality status. As a key indicator of healthy ecological structure, acceptable quality condition would ensure beneficial uses and, consequently, socio-economic well-being in served watershed. With the existing challenges of development processes, this research considers the hypothesis of regarding the climate change phenomenon as potentially having positive impact in improving certain water quality problems. Through a case study application in Lake Burullus, located in the northern coast of Egypt; this research study addresses one of the main water quality problems defined, which is the declining salinity level, and entailed deteriorating aquatic ecosystem and fish population. Projection for changes in salinity concentrations is based on changes in inflow/outflow salinity budget with predicted change in climate. Results show that climate change will improve water salinity within the lake under consideration by year 2150. However, meeting target levels would still require supplementary measures. Finally, this research proposes management plan with applicable adaptation measures for Lake Burullus. This research also sets basis for future research continuation while considering factors from coastal side and served watershed side, simultaneously. This research sheds some light, through Lake Burullus case study, on management measures for coastal lakes to be considered by decision makers