Israel's Mediterranean Sea Shores

Dr. Zvi Ron

This course deals with the physical and human factors of the different landscape units of Israel's Mediterranean Sea shore, in the shallow sea, on the beach and on the back shore.

This course deals with the geomorphological processes that shape the shores: processes of abrasion and of erosion, sedimentation – both sea and land, mass movement processes and the dangers involved.

We will study the interrelation between the geological factors, the geomorphology, and man's activity on these shores: utilization of coastal resources, settlement factors, urban and tourist development, economics and planning, as well as ecological considerations, all the while emphasizing the turnaround in real estate values over the last fifty years, changing the area from marginal to prestigious.

This course deals with the competition regarding different coastal land use, the alternatives of choice and the effect of land use, planning and development on the design of the coastal strip.

We will study the effect of coastal development on the changes in beach width and on the damage to the shore: the effects of mining sand and coarse sand (zifzif), building disconnected breakwaters, marinas, drying up the sea to replace the beach and the nearby shallow sea with building areas and parks.

We will deal with landslides and the rate of retreat of the kurkar (limey sandstone) cliffs and the danger they pose to the population. We will study the influence of development on the increase in hazards, and methods by which these can be eliminated or reduced.

Course topics:

1. Sandy beaches – The source of the sand on the Mediterranean beaches of Israel.
2. River mouths to the sea
3. Disconnected breakwaters and the creation of tombolos.
4. Mining of sand and coarse sand (zifzif) on the shores.
5. The kurkar (limey sandstone) "ridges".
6. Landslides and retreat of the kurkar cliffs.
7. Abrasion tables and beach rocks.
8. Marinas and docking facilities
9. Prestigious homes and settlements near the sea shore.
10. The "Jaffa slope park": a park replacing the shore.

Bibliography (Hebrew)

Almagor, G., 2002. Israel's Mediterranean Sea Shore, The Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Report no.  GSI/13/02. (In Hebrew)

Beckler, N., Nir, Y. and Perat, A., 1980. Geomorphology of the Coast between Haifa and Zikkim – Interim report to the Environmental  Services, Ministry of the Interior, The Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew)

Gwirtzman, G., 1990. The Geology and Geomorphology of the Sharon Area and Shelves in the Mediterranean Sea, in Dgani, A., D. Grossman and A. Shmueli (eds.) Between Yarkon and Carmel, Land, Research and Publications in Geography. Tel-Aviv University, Ministry of Defense publications, pp. 19-60. (In Hebrew)

Gavish, A. and N. Beckler, 1990. The Sharon Shoreline – Geo-morphological and Sedimentationary Causes and Processes, in  Dgani, A., D. Grossman and A. Shmueli (eds.) The Sharon Region Between Yarkon and Carmel, pp. 61-82, publ. by Eretz and Ministry of Defense, Tel-Aviv. (In Hebrew)

Dgani, A., 1994. Evaluation of Processes of Erosion, Sedimentation [submerging] and Movement of Sand, With the Aid of Aerial Photos, in the Central and Southern Coast of Israel. M.Sc. thesis submitted to the Department of Geography, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan. (In Hebrew)

Report of the Zifzif Committee, 1964, submitted to the Minister of Development and Housing, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew)

Nir, Y., 1976. Disconnected Breakwaters, Spurs and Other Artificial Bodies on the Mediterranean Coast and Their Effect on the Structure of Israel's Coastline. Report no. GSI/76/2, The Geological Survey of Israel – Department for Marine Geology, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew)

Nir, Y., 1989. The Mediterranean Seashores of Israel and Northern Sinai – Sedimentological Aspects. Report no. GSI/39/88, The Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew)

Nir, Y., 1994. The Kurkar (Limey Sandstone) Cliffs on Israel's Mediterranean Seashores. Ariel, no. 105-106, pp. 121-133. (In Hebrew)

Safra, D., 1962. The Abrasion Platform and the Cliff of the Southern Carmel Coast, in Research in the Geography of the Land of Israel, 3, pp. 15-30. (In Hebrew)

Finklestein, A., 1987. Marina in Herzliyah – Research of a Sedimentological Model, final report. P.S. 202/87, The Israeli Institute for Research of Marine Engineering, Technion Campus, Haifa. (In Hebrew)

Perat, A. and Almagor, G., 1996. Dangers Along the Sharon Cliffs. The Geological Institute, report GSI/5/96, Jerusalem. (In Hebrew)

Tzvieli, D., 2000. The Effect of Building the Herzliyah Marina on Beach Width in its Vicinity. M.A. thesis submitted to the Department of Geography, Haifa University. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z, 1962. The Morphographic Configuration of the Southern Carmel Coast, in Research in the Geography of the Land of Israel, 3, pp. 31-40. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z., 1982. The Destruction of the Coastal Escarpment in Netanya and its Recession, in Shmueli, A. and Brawer, M., eds. The Book of Netanya, pp. 45-67, Am Oved publ. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z., 1989. Landslide Processes and Rate of Recession of the Coastal Cliff in Givat Aliyah in Jaffa. Merhavim, Collection of Research on the Geography of the Land of Israel and the Middle East, 3, pp. 124-145, Department of Geography, Tel-Aviv University. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z., 1991. Mass Movements in the Kurkar (Limey sandstone) Cliffs of the Sharon Coast as a Problem for Planning and Development. Conference of the Israeli Geographic Association, abstracts, p. 2, Tel-Aviv University. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z., 1996. Changes in the Herzliyah Seashore Following the Building of the Marina. Conference of the Israeli Geographical Association, abstracts, pp. 122-123, Tel-Aviv University. (In Hebrew)

Ron, Z., 2013. Coasts, in Z. Ron and N. Goldshlager, Chapters on Earth's Landscape Design – The Effects of the Activity of External Forces (Geomorphology), chp. 4, pp145-267, Online Book on the web of mofet.  The Online book (in Hebrew) can be downloaded without charge from:

ttp://www.mofet.macam.ac.il/ktiva/publish/catalog/Pages/onlinepub/geomorfologia.aspx

Ron, Z., 2013. Mass movements, in Z. Ron and N. Goldshlager, Chapters on Earth's Landscape Design – The Effects of the Activity of External Forces (Geomorphology), chp. 3, pp. 103-138, Online Book on the web of mofet. The Online book (in Hebrew) can be downloaded without charge from:

ttp://www.mofet.macam.ac.il/ktiva/publish/catalog/Pages/onlinepub/geomorfologia.aspx

Ron, Zvi and Zippora, 2012. Cliffs in Distress, Video Film dealing with the sliding of the Kurkar Cliffs on Israel's coasts and the dangers involved. (In Hebrew) YOUTUBE connection:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player detailpage&v=X5yct01xdk8#t=135s