Environmental changes, remote sensing, and infrastructure development: The case of Egypt's East Port Said harbour

Using Landsat TM data, this article examines the environmental impact of the East Port Said harbour project on the surrounding landscape. The optimum three-band combination and the most appropriate multispectral bands were selected to enhance the images and monitor land cover changes for the periods of 1984–1991 and 1991–2003. The results indicate that wetland areas declined from 103 km 2 in 1984 to 30 km 2 in 2003. In addition, the surface area of El-Malha Lake has shrunk from 27 km 2 to 18 km 2 over the same period. In contrast, the area covered by salt crust has increased from 11 km 2 in 1984 to 19 km 2 in 2003. Urban land use and designed cultivated lands were also significant in 2003, covering 49 km 2 and 71 km 2, respectively. The rate of shoreline change between 1984 and 2003, the period when the East Port Said harbour was constructed, was calculated. Vector data indicate that the rate of shoreline loss was −13 m/year from 1984 to 1991 and −15 m/year from 1991 to 2003. Despite the fact that construction of the East Port Said harbour caused significant changes in the study area, there are several factors controlling coastline and land cover changes including industrial development and fish cultivation farms.