Remote Sensing for Shoreline Response to the Construction of Breakwaters and Distribution of the Invasive Species Brachidontes pharaonis (Bivalvia, Mytilidae), Mediterranean Sea, Egypt

This work aimed to address the Egyptian Shoreline response to the construction of the Artificial Concrete Breakwaters (ACBs) and distribution of the invasive species Brachidontes pharaonis at the Mediterranean Sea from spring 2016 to winter 2017. For the estimation of erosion and accretion, the terrestrial satellite imagery was used, including multi-dates of MSS 1973, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery of 1984, and ETM 1990, 2001, and 2018. Two main methods were adopted; treatment and interpretation, in all the sites, studied, with the exception of Rosetta. During the period before the beginning of the construction of the Artificial Concrete Breakwaters (ACBs), erosion increased but accretion decreased. However, the exact contrary occurred after construction, where erosion decreased but accretion increased. Brachidontes pharaonis inhabits hard substrates. Temporal average densities recorded their highest in spring and winter, but the lowest was detected in summer. On a spatial level, its maximum mean density occurred at the Baltiem Artificial Concrete Breakwaters (ACBs), while the minimum density was observed at El Dabaa Artificial Concrete Breakwaters (ACBs). The highest absolute value was listed during autumn in the Baltiem Site, while El Dabaa concrete breakwaters showed the lowest.