A Numerical Forecast of Shoreline Evolution after Harbour Construction in Nouakchott, Mauritania Available to Purchase

The Mauritanian shoreline runs along the West African coast in a north–south direction (Figure 1). It is characterized by significant southward sediment transport under the action of waves from the north. The construction of several harbour structures from 1976 to 1986 near the capital, Nouakchott, has locally modified this longshore transport, generating areas of sand accretion or erosion that could have serious consequences on local social and urban developments. The complete erosion, for instance, of the coastal sand dune south of Port de l'Amitié, the Nouakchott deepwater harbour, now allows seawater to penetrate inland during severe storms, leading to flooding of the Sebkha Aftout es Saheli, a low-lying area close to Nouakchott's new urban development zones. Shoreline evolution after harbour construction has been studied in many coastal areas using numerical models (Niyyati and Maraghei, 2002; Szmytkiewicz et al., 2000; Thieler et al., 2000; Young et...