الفهرس 
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Abstract
The world’s coastal areas are long and narrow features, consisting of main lands, islands, and seas; generally forming the outer boundary of the coastal domain. The large portion of the world’s population has always inhabited these areas due to their fertile lowlands, abundant marine resources, water transportation, aesthetic beauty, and intrinsic values. However, world nations are facing a growing number of coastal problems that make these areas ecosystems under pressure. Pollution is considered as one of the main problems that threaten the future of these areas. The unexpected threats of coastal areas arouse the great importance of the hydrographic studies, classification of water masses and circulation patterns. In more clearness, the hydrographic studies can be increasingly recognized as fundamental pre-requisite to the development of any successful and environmentally sustainable human activities in the coastal areas of seas and oceans.
Hydrography deals with the measurements of different marine physical parameters (temperature, salinity and density) for the purpose of describing and studying the dominant physical features in the ocean, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers. In general, pollution affects the marine ecosystem by altering its physical characteristics, circulation patterns and water masses. So for monitoring and controlling coastal waters pollution, their hydrographic seawater structures are studied for predicting the physical parameters temporally and spatially changes, in order to help in understanding the changes occurred in the physical and dynamical processes of coastal waters. Recently, remote sensing technology is considered as a suitable and valuable technique for monitoring of coastal water quality, providing synoptic views of the spatial and temporal distribution of the physical variables of surface water.
The presented investigation is concerned with the hydrographic structure of the Alexandrian coastal waters. In-Situ historical measurements and satellite imagery of the coastal waters are going to be used to study the physical and circulation processes of the temporal, spatial and parametric (all over the water column) distributions of the Alexandrian coastal physical parameters on a short and long term basis.
1.2. The State of Problem
Alexandria city, one of the oldest coastal Mediterranean cities and the second largest city in Egypt, has always been considered the primary summer resort for the Egyptians. Through years, Alexandria developed from a commercial resort city into a major Middle Eastern seaport; where about 80% of the Egyptian export and import activities are done through its harbor.
In general, tracing pollutant pathways in the coastal areas regimes are feasible with the help of hydrographic observations. However, coastal area waters hydrographic structure is of a complex nature due to the constantly changing of its physical parameters. The seasonal variation of atmospheric temperature that influences the temperature of seawater and the continuous fresh water flows either from rivers runoff or sewage disposal that influence the salinity of seawater. So, classifying water masses in coastal areas using traditional methods of water masses analysis arouses a great challenge. Unless, an alternative method other than the traditionally water mass analysis is possible.
1.3. Study Area Description
The area of study lies between Longitude 29°〖47〗^’ E to 30°4^’ E and Latitude 31°8’N
to 31°〖20〗^’ N. It extends for about 38 km between El-Agamy in the west and Abu-Kir in the east and from the shoreline to an average width of 10 km seawards that represents the inner shelf off Alexandria. The shoreline boarding the area between El-Agamy headland in the west and Abu-Kir headland in the east is more or less straight with slight undulations forming small bays. In general, the shoreline is in most places rocky, with narrow sandy beaches in the bays, and relatively wider beaches at the most easterly and westerly flanks of the area (El-Wakeel and El-Sayed, 1978).
The bathymetry of Alexandria coast is fairly regular. Figure (1.1) is a simplified bathymetric chart which shows the isobaths 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 meter. It is clear from the isobaths that the bottom of this area slopes down gently from the coast line,
(Abdullah, 1979). The depth seems to be one of the major factors that affect the sediments distribution off Alexandria coast, where the particle size of sediments decreased with increasingly depth (El-Sayed, 1974.