The Mediterranean coast of Egypt extends to 900-km. This Mediterranean coast of Egypt can be divided into three sections, a western section, the Mareoties coast, between Sallum and Abu Qir (550 km), a middle section, a delta coast between Abu Qir and Port Said (180 km), and an eastern section, the Sinia coast, between Port Said and Rafah (240 km)

The present study deals with the geology and geomorphology of the Mediterranean coastal area along the Nile delta. This area extends from Abu- Qir head land in the west to Port Said at the east, and lies nearly between longitudes 30⁰ -32⁰  20 ^- and latitudes 31⁰ 10^-- 31⁰ 38^- N. The climate of the study area is almost semi-arid. It can be considered Mediterranean, with a short rainy winter season and a long dry summer season.

The main geomorphological features of the Nile Delta coastal area can be divided into the following units: beach, sand dunes, wind ripples, lagoons, salt marshes and sabkhas

The grain size distribution along the shore sediments is reflected on the dune sediments, where it is found that the more finer dunes sediments are facing to a source of more finer shore sediments, while the sorting commonly decreases associated with larger grain size.  There is an improvement in sorting where the grain size being finer.

The samples at west El-Bousilli , El-Burullus, Baltim, Gamasa, Ras El-Bar, Al-Deba and Port-Said are positively skewed indicating the fine admixture exceeds the coarse one, and fit well with the present and pre-existing Nile branches.

The relation between the mean grain (Mz) and skeweness (Sk_I) reflects a negative relationship in which the finer sands are near symmetrical and medium sand tend to be strongly coarse skewed.

There are a general decrease in the total heavy minerals along the beach from Idku to Al-Bouseilli , Rosetta to Gamasa and from Al-Deba to Port Said. Also the total heavies change in relation to erosion and accretion processes. The presents of total heavies increase at Idku, Rosetta and Ras El-Bar, where the erosional coast. While decrease at Al-Bouseilli, Gamasa and Port Said, where the coast is accretional. The mean relative percentage of total heavy minerals along the shore sediments is reflected on the dunes sediments. Where it is found that is relatively higher heavy minerals percentages of dunes are facing to a source of high total heavy minerals percentage of shore sediments .

         Along the study area the sediments were derived essentially by the River Nile from the volcanic rocks of Ethiopian plateau and igneous and metamorphic rocks of Central Africa.

          Dealing with the water samples chemical characteristics and according to the above standards, the only the samples No.6 (at East Idku) and No.13 (at Rosetta branch) are suitable for drinking and domestic uses.

         Most water samples have severe problems on soil and are not suitable for irrigation except samples No. 3,13,30 which have increase the problem of salinization when using it in irrigation. The measured constituents of copper, lead and zinc are below the international standard limits. Only, cadmium exceeds the standard limits in all studied samples except (samples No. 12 and 13) at Rosetta branch. So all studied samples except these two samples are samples are unsuitable of irrigation purpose.

          All water samples in the study area are unsuitable for petroleum industry also all the samples higher in their salinity, Cl ion and hardness than the permissible limits for paper industry. And also water samples are unsuitable for textile industrial purposes due to their higher limits than the permissible standard limits

The vegetation of the Mediterranean coastal area of Egypt is considered one of the major natural resources.The major habitat types recognized in the study area are beach zone, sand flats, sand formation (mounds and sand dunes), salt marshes, reed swamps and fertile non-cultivated lands, International Highway Road Sides, reclaimed lands.

The natural vegetation of the deltaic coast may be categorized according to their economic use, under four main groups, namely: livestock fodder plants, fiber producing plants, wood plants and drug plants. Juncus rigudus and Juncus acutus are fiber-producing plants. Juncus subulatus, Leptochloa  fusca and Bassia indica are fodder plants which contain high nutritive values and all animals ate the plant without any symptoms of toxicity

In the study area some plants are  used to produc mats ,baskets, ropes or wood as a source of fuel for natives. Tamarix nilotica has been used as a wood plant and Desmostachya bipinnata and Phragmites australis have been used as a rattans plants.

Some plants species have been tested by local people through generation and thus the experience have been passed from generation to generation. Medicinal plants have extremely important role in the future user and economy of the country.There are other indirect economic importance’s of some plants in the study area such as soil desalination and dune fixation or soil erosion control.

The vulnerable environment and scarce natural resources of the study area cannot withstand the impacts of urbanization, agriculture and seasonal tourism. Human activities affecting the plant cover directly resulting in the study area vegetation include cutting, overgrazing, intensive collection of medical plants and removal of plants during the construction of roads, introducing of specie, and habitat destruction

The aims of coastal management are to devise a framework within which Man may live harmoniously with nature and to provide “sustainable utilization” of coastal resources.

            The human activities along  the eastern section are relatively more than that along western section

The degree of pollution of the coastal water bodies of the Nile delta is relatively high in lake Idku. According to the concentration of heavy metals (zinc, copper, lead and cadmium), the study coastal area can be subdivided into six zones. The Western zone ( Idku lagoon-Rosetta branch ), Abu Qir bay where the metals decreases toward Rosetta, zone between Rosetta and Abu Madi, where the metals increase toward Abu Madi, zone between Abu Madi and Kitchener drainage , where the zinc, lead and cadmium decrease toward Kitchener drainage but copper increase to te same ward, zone between Kitchener drainage and Gamasa drainage, where both cadmium and lead are increase toward Gamasa, while both zinc and copper are decrease toward Gamasa, zone between Gamasa and Damietta branch, where the metals increase toward Damietta, zone between Damietta and El Manzala lagoon, where the metals zinc, cadmium and copper decrease toward El Manzala lagoon and lead increase to the same ward.

            Three methods are commonly used for sewage disposal primary (screening), secondary (organic digestion and chlorination) and even tertiary (nutrient removal, especially nitrates and phosphates) treatments

There are two causes of coastal erosion in the study area. First include the human induced causes such as construction of High Dam, quarrying of the beach sediments and increase human modification of drainage system. Second include natural causes such as sea level rise, increase storminess and decrease in sand supply from river

            Along the study area There are different methods of coastal erosion control such as Seawall, Groins, Breakwater and Jetties.

             The coastal dunes is the first landing site for migratory birds, Many bird species that migrate from Europe in the north toward the African coast land on the dunes of the study area. The environmental consequences can not be mitigated. The only solution is the establishment of a protected area on the dune belt, perhaps as a good site for Eco-tourism along the Nile Delta coasts area.

            The movement of the mobile sand dunes is considered here as one of the natural geoenvironmental hazards that existed in the study area.

            Several methods have been implemented for dune fixation in the study area such as Vegetation windbreak to agriculture Acacia tree and palm near Baltim and Gamasa (beside to the international coastal road), Wind fences near Baltim. Chemical sprays of thin layer from the asphalt or tar near Gamasa, Gravel or coarse aggregate placed over a sand surface to prevent its deflation near El-Burg and the natural vegetation which cover and fixed the dunes

            The coastal wetland play a prominent role in the productivity of coastal waters,    biogeochemical cycling and geomorphological stability , among other things wetland act as nurseries feeding ground for crustaceans, fish and birds, repositories for pollutants, nutrients and organic and as protection against wave attack.

            The reclamation will affect coastal ecology. However, it is a two-way relationship, as habitats are both created and destroyed. Loss of habitats takes place both directly and indirectly.

It has been suggested that part of the lagoons be made into a wildlife reserve plus the present two protected areas (El-Burullus and Ashtum Al Gamel ).