Monitoring long-term shoreline changes along Yanbu, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using remote sensing and GIS techniques

This in this study, presents the shoreline position changes of Yanbu coastal zone from 1965 to 2109, using an attempt was made to elucidate the accreting and eroding sites from multitemporal and high-resolution satellite data and of the Yanbu coastline (1965-2019) using geospatial techniques coupled with the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) application. The rates of shoreline changes rates were calculated based on End Point Rate (EPR) Linear Regression Rate (LRR) and Weighted Linear Regression (WLR) and Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) statistical methods to assess the understand short and long term trends. The trend between successive shoreline pairs and between the oldest and the most recent shoreline. The total distance between the oldest and youngest shorelines are reported as Net Shoreline Movement (NSM The results reveal that over a period of 54 years, the overall average rates indicate an accretional trend of the shoreline. The maximum accretion reached was 1655.9 m (30.66, 32.32 and 36.9 m/year based on EPR, LRR and WLR methods respectively) (and is located in the King Fahd Industrial Port zone while the maximum erosion is recorded was in the Yanbu Waterfront area with about -1484.8 m (-37.9 m/year, -32.7 m/year and -33.5 m/year based on EPR, LRR and WLR methods respectively). The EPR (short-term changes) indicate changed trends on the Yanbu commercial port and various parts of the Yanbu Al Sinaiyah coast. An area of about 20 sq. km of sea and islets has been backfilled or dug in for various facilities. Thus, major changes in the configuration of the coastline are linked to human activities. This study provides a synoptic outlook of the degree of potential threat to the coastal system and their potential consequences, with a view to prioritizing actions and developing suitable adaptation.