This is a proposal by Dr. Richard Peterson, Research Scholar at Coastal Carolina University, to host a workshop in conjunction with the 3rd International Conference on Aquatic Resources (ICAR ?09) to be held in Alexandria, Egypt from 17-20 November 2009. Co-organizers of the workshop include Dr. Mohamed Atteia Shreadah, President, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Cairo, Egypt and Dr. Ayman A. El-Gamal, Department of Oceanography at the Coastal Research Institute in Alexandria, Egypt. The workshop will focus on five topics: sediment budgeting, water budgeting, nutrient and contaminant budgeting, primary production and fisheries management, and future implications. The workshop will take place on the last day of the conference and will bring US and Egyptian scientists together in an effort to establish future collaborative efforts on the topic of coastal oceanography. The Egyptian participants at the workshop will provide background knowledge on prior studies and current problems, while together with the US participants, will identify research priorities for this area based on their technical expertise.
The Egyptian coastline is a highly dynamic region with varied sources of material fluxes to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River is the largest contributor, inputting vast quantities of water, sediment, nutrients, and contaminants into the Mediterranean. In addition, the Suez Canal provides a point-source link between the Red Sea and the coastal Mediterranean Sea. Non-point sources of material input to the coastal waters of Egypt include groundwater seepage and atmospheric deposition. To date, little is understood about these material budgets and how they impact subjects such as delta erosion/accretion, sea level rise, primary productivity, sustainable fisheries. Future land use and climate change scenarios will influence these material budgets to unknown extents.
Expected outcomes of this workshop include: (1) the development of professional relationships between US and Egyptian researchers that will lead to future collaborative studies; and (2) the identification of research priorities within the workshop theme that future studies should focus on undertaking. Workshop results will be published in both electronic (website) and print (journal) forms for greater dissemination to other interested researchers. Senior and junior researchers will participate in the workshop, as well as students and underrepresented groups.
