River Bank Protection by Groynes in the Tidal River Impacted by Sea Level Rise

Abstract Book of the 6th World Conference on Climate Change and Global Warming

Year: 2025

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River Bank Protection by Groynes in the Tidal River Impacted by Sea Level Rise

Lubna Al Nuaimi

ABSTRACT:

This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of using groynes in preventing erosion of the right bank of the Shatt Al-Arab River, specifically in the Al-Mekhraq section of southern Iraq. Influenced by tidal flows from the Arabian Gulf, the Shatt Al-Arab River faces significant bank erosion problems, especially in its meandering sections, and it is affected by the Sea Level Rise (SLR) under the impact of climate change in its estuary in the Arabian Gulf. Using the HEC-RAS 2D hydraulic model, the study simulates the flow conditions and assesses the effect of groynes in reducing erosion. Three scenarios were applied: the first scenario was conducted in a natural case with no groynes; the second scenario involved placing five groynes, and the third scenario with ten groynes. The results showed that groynes are an effective measure for declining riverbank erosion in the Shatt Al-Arab River. The use of a groyne leads to a decrease in shear stress and flow velocity. The study showed that a higher number of groynes provide more protection, making them a valuable solution for managing erosion, particularly in vulnerable areas like the Al-Mekhraq location. The analysis of using 10 groynes under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP 8.5) for the years 2050 and 2100 indicated a high efficiency of using groynes in river bank protection for long-term conditions.

Keywords: Shatt Al-Arab River, Hydraulic Modeling, Hec-Ras 2D, Shear Stress, Tidal River