The environmental impact of marina development on adjacent beaches: A case study of the Herzliya marina, Israel

The objectives of this study were to identify coastal changes to the north and south of the Herzliya (Israel) marina using remote sensing techniques and to compare them to the changes forecast by a physical model built by the Coastal and Marine Engineering Research Institute, at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa. Israel (CAMERI). The initial physical model output predicted coastal erosion north of the marina. The proposed solution to this problem was the building of detached breakwaters, complying with the planning demands and confined to the area studied. By adding breakwaters, the model predicted soil accumulation and under-predicted the degree of erosion. It is clear from ground evidence that this solution only 'pushed' the are of erosion northward. The model also did not predict coastal erosion already occurring 750 m north of the marina and ignored and changes in the area south of the marina.