COPEDEC VII, 2008, Dubai, UAE

Paper No: M-15

Shoreline Management of the Dubai Coast

by
K. Mangor1, Gary Mocke2, Claudia Giarrusso3, Francois Smit4, R. Bloch5, J. Fuchs6, U.
7 8
Lumborg and S. L. Niemann

ABSTRACT
DHI has performed the project: PJ 10018: “Management Guidelines for Dubai Coast” on behalf of the
Coastal Management Section (CMS) of Dubai Municipality (DM) during the period 2005 to 2007, refer
DHI 2007. The background for this project is the wish by CMS to obtain up to date and accurate
information on hydraulic and coastal conditions as basis for the management of the coast. The paper
presents the main results of this project with emphasis on the comprehensive numerical modelling,
discussion of the results and the philosophy for developing a new coastline which is in harmony with
the drastically changed coastal conditions.

1. INTRODUCTION
The content of this paper is strongly related to the main technical objectives of the project PJ 10018,
which are:
 Assessment of the current state of the Dubai Coast
 Assessment of impacts on the coastal area caused by existing and future developments
 Perform vulnerability and risk classification of the coast in relation of coastal erosion, coastal
flooding and beach degradation
 Identification of possible mitigation measures including sand bypass operations and their cost
implications (lifecycle cost)
 Identification of possibilities for improvement of the coastal amenities along the coast and of
possible new development possibilities
 Identification of requirements for monitoring programmes
 Definition of setback lines for future development

Furthermore, there are also project objectives related to statutory conditions but these will not be part
of this paper.

2. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT IN THE COASTAL AREA

The development of Dubai’s coastal area started in the 1970ies and has accelerated ever since. The
huge and fast development is summarized in the following and presented in Figure 1:
 1971-1990: Construction of the two main ports: Port Rashid (compl. in 1972) and Jebel Ali Port
(compl. in 1983), numerous seawater outfalls for DUBAL and DEWA and construction of marinas
(Al Mina Al Seyahi, Umm Sequim 1 and 2 marinas and Jumeirah Fishing Harbour).
 1990-2000: Several beach hotels being constructed, such as Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Ritz Carlton,
Oasis Beach Resort, Hilton and the One and Only Royal Mirage etc. Numerous high-end
residential schemes were constructed. All developments were concentrated in the coastal area.
After 2000: The iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel constructed on an artificial island was finalised in 2000. The
construction of the famous Offshore development Schemes (ODS) was initiated in 2000. Schemes
under construction in 2007 are: Palm Jumeirah (1), Palm Jebel Ali (2), The World (4) and Palm Deira
(3); Dubai Waterfront (13) is in its initial phase of construction. Furthermore, Jebel Ali Port is being

1
M.Sc., Chief Engineer, DHI, Agern Allé 5, DK-2970 Hørsholm, Denmark, Tel: +45 45169200, [email protected]
2
Ph.D., Head of Coastal & Oceans Group, Worley Parsons Infrastructure, [email protected]
3
Coastal Eng. Specialist, Coastal Man. Section, Dubai Municipality, U.A.E., Tel: +971 4 229 7125,
[email protected]
4
Coastal Engineer, Worley Parsons Infrastructure, francois.smit@ worleyparsons.com
5
Ph.D., Urban and Regional Planner, Independent, [email protected]
6
M.Sc., Head of Projects, DHI, [email protected]
7
Ph.D., Physical Geographer, DHI, [email protected]
8
Ph.D., Coastal Engineer, DHI, [email protected]

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 COPEDEC VII, 2008, Dubai, UAE
Paper No: M-15

expanded. An initial assessment of the effects of these developments on the coast is discussed in
Smit et al (2005).

Seg. I
Seg. II Seg. III Seg.IV

Figure 1: The ODS under development along the Dubai Coast. Nakheel’s home page.
Segments shown in blue

The hydraulic and coastal conditions along the coast of Dubai have been modelled for the six
development cases presented in Table 1
These cases have for simplicity been merged into four development states as presented in Table 2.
Only the development states will be described in this paper. The coast has also been divided into
Segments I through IV as shown in Figure 1.

Development cases
Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Case Case 4 Case 5
Offshore Development Schemes
4A
No ODS x
Palm Jebel Ali x X x x x
Jebel Ali Port Expansion Stage 1 x
Jebel Ali Port Expansion Final x
Palm Jumeirah x X x x x
The World X x x x
Deira Sea Corniche X x x x
Palm Deira x

Table 1 : Summary over development cases which have been modelled

Development states
Current/
Offshiore Development Schemes Pre ODS Historic Near future Future
No ODS x
Palm Jebel Ali X x x
Jebel Ali Port Expansion Stage 1 x
Jebel Ali Port Expansion Final x
Palm Jumeirah x x x
The World x x
Deira Sea Corniche and Palm Deira x x

Table 2 : Summary over development states

It is noted that a development state including Dubai Waterfront has not been studied as this
development was launched later than the start of the study. It should also be noted that new
developments continue to emerge.
It is evident form the above description that the Dubai coastline has been divided in a series of
individual cells which do not exchange sediments with the neighbouring cells. The shorelines in the

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coastal cells will tend to stabilize themselves in equilibrium orientations, which are the orientations
providing zero net littoral transport. This means that a shoreline in a cell will be unstable if the
orientation of the shoreline deviates from the equilibrium orientation. The construction of the ODS has
drastically changed the wave conditions and thereby also the transport and equilibrium orientations in
the littoral cells. This has given rise to very drastic changes in some of the littoral cells dependent on
the location of the cell relative to the ODS and relative to the main wave direction. There are examples
of all types of impacts in relation to the changes in wave exposure and equilibrium orientations. The
impact can be in the form of less or more transport and even reversed transport, which of course has
drastic influence on the stability of the shoreline sections leading to new erosion and deposition
patterns. However, these new instability conditions can be mitigated by introducing new shoreline
development schemes, which are likely to appear anyway in connection with the many new coastal
development schemes and expansion of marinas etc. This means that the coastal response to the
ODS is a challenge which can be managed through shoreline management schemes with good and
stable artificial beaches. Furthermore, there are impacts related to change in wave exposure, with
sheltered areas designated into categories of moderately or very protected, which, especially for the
very protected beaches, may lead to the risk of beach quality degradation. This situation is very
difficult to mitigate other than by optimizing/minimizing the schemes giving rise to this wave shelter.
This may constitute a serious hindrance for further offshore developments. All these conditions and
impacts were modelled using DHI’s coastal modelling suite as described in the following.

3. GENERAL DESCRIPTON OF THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT IN DUBAI AND STUDY

APPROACH
The present section contains a short description of the most important hydraulic and coastal data,
which is of importance for the littoral transport and shoreline stability conditions along the coast of
Dubai as well as the study methodology.
Waves
Dubai is located in the SE part of the Arabian Gulf and is mainly exposed to the predominant Shamal
waves from NW-erly directions, see Figure 2.

Figure 2: Overall offshore wave conditions for Dubai (P2987)

The wave climate along the Dubai coast has been studied in detail by numerical modelling applying
the following models:

Offshore wave model

Offshore wind and wave data has been extracted from the PERGOS model. PERGOS is a
comprehensive metocean study of the Gulf developed by Oceanweather and DHI. The wind and wave
hindcasts were all made with basin-wide grids of spacing .0625 degrees in latitude and longitude (7
km), nested within coarser grid systems covering the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. 2-D water

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levels (including surge and tide) and currents have been run with DHI’s MIKE 21 flexible mesh model
using a mesh resolution better than 7 km. The wave model incorporates third-generation physics
(OWI3G version 52, half friction). Time series of wind and wave data for 12 years (Jan. 1993 through
Dec. 2004) were obtained in 4 locations, see Figure 3. It is seen that WNW-erly winds and waves are
dominating in the Dubai offshore waters.

Figure 3: The 4 extraction points for PERGOS offshore wind and wave data (left), a wind
rose (right upper) and a wave rose (right lower) for point P2621

Nearshore regional wave model and bathymetry

The nearshore waves along the entire Dubai coast has been established through extensive numerical
modelling utilizing the flexible mesh wave model MIKE 21 SW, which is a fully spectral wave model for
simulating the evolution of the 2-dimensional wave energy spectrum with time. The model was
calibrated against measured waves at nearshore locations. Transformation of the waves from offshore
to nearshore was performed by simulating 400 wave events for each of the six cases. An example of
the used regional model grid is presented in Figure 4 and a more detailed picture of the same mesh is
presented in Figure 5.

Figure 4: Flexible model mesh and bathymetry for Case 3

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Figure 5: Flexible mesh in Segment III for Case 3

The bathymetry in the area is also shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. It is seen that there is a fairly shallow
area off Segment I, which is due to coral formations in this area (Marine Sanctuary). The bathymetry
off the other Segments shows a steeper seabed profile and the seabed consists generally of sandy
deposits.

An example of the wave pattern for an event at the model boundary (P2621): Hs = 2.25 m, Tp = 8.5 s
and MWD = 295° N for Case 3, Segment III is presented in Figure 6.

Figure 6: Close-up of wave conditions along Segment III for Case 3. Wave conditions at model
boundary (P2621): Hs = 2.25 m, Tp = 8.5 s and MWD = 295° N

It is noted that there is a considerable impact of Palm Jumeirah and The World on the wave conditions
along the coast of Segment III.

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The wave conditions along the entire coast have been extracted in points at approx. 1 km distance at
water depths of about 6 m for all the 6 x 400 modelled wave events and statistical analysis have been
performed resulting in approx. 6 x 60 wave roses representing the wave conditions along the coast for
all six cases. An example of the results of this comprehensive analysis is presented in Figure 7
showing the wave roses along the coast of Segment 3 for the Current/Near future state.
Wave transformation

44

Offshore
41a
Offshore

38

35

31

28a

Figure 7: Selected wave roses for Segment III for the Current/Near future state

Again, the impact of Palm Jumeirah (PJ) and The world (TW) is very clearly seen in the wave roses.
The following characteristics are noted:

 NE of PJ and TW: Predominant waves are turned clockwise and the wave exposure is reduced,
the reduction in exposure is considerable in lee of PJ. This is a very drastic change as it results in
reversal of the littoral transport in these areas
 SW of TW: Predominant waves are turned counter-clockwise and the wave exposure is reduced,
but there is still enough wave exposure to maintain a good beach

The implication of these new wave conditions are analysed further in the following.

Tides and storm surges

The tides in Dubai are predominantly semi-diurnal with a Spring Tidal Range: HHHW – MLLW ~ 1.2
m. Water levels and tides in this project are referred to Dubai Municipality Datum (DMD), which is
identical to LAT. Chart Datum (CD), which is the basis for Sea Charts, is 0.1 m higher than LAT. Mean
Sea Level (MSL) is + 1.13 m DMD or +1.03 m CD.

The extreme water levels have been estimated as follows:

1-year return period: +2.10 m DMD

50-year return period: +2.68 m DMD
100-year return period: +2.78 m DMD

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Flooding levels
Three extreme water levels are computed: The Still Water Level (SWL) the Flooding Level (FL) and
the Wave Impact Level (WIL). These levels are calculated for all the computation points along the
coast and consist of the following components:

1. Estimated extreme water levels, including the effect of tides and surges (see above)
2. Allowance for the impact of the ODS on design water levels
3. Allowance for the influence of sea level rise
4. Design Still Water Level: [1 + 2 + 3]
5. Wave set-up
6. Wave run-up. This includes wave set-up and wave swash
7. Flooding Level (FL): [1 + 2+ 3 + 5]
8. Wave Impact Level (WIL): [1 + 2 + 3 + 6]

An assessment of the impact of the ODS on FL and WIL has been performed. The FL and the WIL
are composed of the components described in Table 3.

Water levels
Excl. imp. of waves Incl. imp. of waves
Still Water Level Flooding Level Wave Impact Level,
Components SWL FL WIL = SWL+ R2%
Extreme water level (50-year recurrence) 2.68mDMD
Allowance for impacts from ODS +0.3m

Allowance for Sea Level Rise, year 2050 +0.2m

Wave run-up (R2%) Wave set-up Not incl. Incl., but varying Incl., but varying
Wave swash Not incl. Not incl. Incl., but varying
Defines the line SWL +3.2m DMD Flooding line Wave impact line
Table 3: Overview of components of design water levels and water lines

4. COASTAL IMPACT OF THE OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

It is evident from the description of the wave conditions along the coast of Dubai that there will be a
considerable impact of the ODS on the coastal conditions. The following parameters have been
analysed:
 Extreme wave conditions
 Extreme water levels, Flooding Levels and Wave Impact Level
 Wave exposure, coastal classification and beach degradation classification
 Extension of the littoral zone expressed by the Closure Depth, dc
 Equilibrium orientation of the shoreline
 Stability of the shoreline expressed in 20-year potential shoreline evolution

These items will be addressed in the following through examples of the impacts along Segment III.
Results are presented for the Pre ODS and for the Current/Near future state, whereby the impacts of
Palm Jumeirah and The World are clearly demonstrated.

Extreme wave conditions

The distribution in the 50-year recurrence significant wave height along Segment III is presented in
Figure 8 for the Pre ODS state and the current/near future situation. It is noted that the 50-year
recurrence wave data are only qualified estimates and for illustration purposes only.

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Figure 8: 50-year recurrence significant wave heights for Segment III for the Pre ODS and the
current/ near future state

It is seen that there is a drastic reduction in the wave height from about Hs50y = 3.0 – 4.0m outside
the sheltered area to Hs50y = 1.1m in the centre of the sheltered area behind The World.

Flooding Levels and Wave Impact Levels

The variation in Flooding Levels and Wave Impact Levels along Segment III is presented in Figure 9.
“Wave impact level” includes wave run-up. It is noted that the flooding levels and wave impact levels
are only qualified estimates and for illustration purposes only.

It is seen that there is a minor impact on the flooding level and a major impact in the wave impact level
due to the presence of The World (and Palm Jumeirah) along Segment III.

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Figure 9: Flooding Level and Wave Impact Level for Segment III for Pre ODS (upper) and
current/near future state (lower)

Wave Exposure, coastal and beach degradation and classification

The variation in the wave exposure, expressed by Hs12h/y, along Segment III is presented in Figure
10.

Figure 10: Variation of Hs,12h/yr along Segment III of the Dubai Coast for Pre ODS and
current/near future state

Again, it is evident that there is a great impact in the wave exposure of the ODS (especially Palm
Jumeirah and The World) along Segment III. The wave exposure is used as basis for classification of

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the coastal profiles according to the wave height limits presented in Table 4. The coastal classification
is used as the basis for the beach degradation classification, which is also shown in Table 4.

Coastal Classification Wave height limits Risk of Beach Degradation

Exposed (E) 3.0m < Hs,12h/y Not vulnerable to beach degradation
Moderately Exposed (ME) 1.0m < Hs,12h/y < 3.0m
Moderately protected (MP) 0.5m < Hs,12h/y < 1.0m Vulnerable to beach degradation,
Very Protected (VP) 0.0m < Hs,12h/y < 0.5m critical for recreational beaches

Table 4: Coastal classification and beach degradation classification

It is seen that there is a risk for beach degradation in the area immediately NE of Palm Deira whereas
the area sheltered by The World is just on the limit for being critical.

Closure Depth
The variation in the closure depth, dc, along Segment III is presented in Figure 11.

Figure 11: Estimated closure depths, dc, for Segment III for Pre ODS and current/near future
state

Again, it is evident that there is a great impact on closure depth of the ODS (especially Palm Jumeirah
and The World) along Segment III. The width of the active littoral zone is reduced correspondingly.

Change in the Equilibrium Orientation

The variation in the equilibrium orientation along Segment III is presented in Figure 12 and Figure 13.

The equilibrium orientation is a very useful tool for evaluation of the following conditions:

 The stability of the shoreline in a littoral cell: The shoreline will be unstable if the equilibrium
orientation deviates from the orientation of the present shoreline as the shorelines in the littoral
cells will always tend to develop towards the equilibrium orientation
 As a guide for developing shoreline management schemes: A shoreline management scheme is a
recreational scheme consisting of coastal structures and new sections of artificial beaches. The
artificial beach sections shall be built with the equilibrium orientation

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Figure 12: Estimated equilibrium beach orientations along Shoreline Segment III.
Locations 28 to 45. Pre ODS and current/near future state

Figure 13: Estimated equilibrium shoreline orientations along shoreline Segment III for the
Pre ODS state (Blue arrows) and for the current/near future state (Red arrows).
Arrows indicate the normal to the equilibrium orientation

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A very interesting phenomenon is observed, as previously discussed in Smit et al (2005). The impact
of The World caused a counter-clockwise rotation of the equilibrium orientation SW of the scheme and
a clockwise rotation NE of the scheme, respectively. Furthermore, a drastic clockwise rotation
immediately NE of Palm Jumeirah is noted. This is due to the shelter provided by Palm Jumeirah.
These changes in equilibrium orientation cause drastic changes in the littoral transport as well as in
the stability conditions for the affected shoreline sections.

Change in the Shoreline Stability

The above documented changes in wave conditions have resulted in drastic changes in the littoral
transport as well as in the potential shoreline evolution along Segment III. This is demonstrated by the
following results of regional shoreline evolution modelling as presented in Figure 14, which presents
the conditions in the northern part of Segment III for the Pre ODS state and for the Current/near future
state, respectively. The difference between the two potential 20-year shoreline evolutions thus
represents the impact of The World.

Figure 14: Predicted 20-year shoreline positions for Northern Part of Segment III for historic
state and current/near future state

The following interesting phenomena are seen:

 Jumeirah Fishing Harbour to Jumeirah Open Beach. The introduction of The World has caused a
drastic decrease in the wave exposure and a reversal of the net littoral transport direction (from
NE-ward to SW-ward) as well as a reduction in the net transport capacity. This results in a
completely different potential shoreline evolution in the two states. Before the construction of The
World, the potential 20-year shoreline evolution resulted in erosion in the SW-ern end and
accretion in the NE-ern end of this Section. However, following the construction of The World, this
has completely changed resulting in accretion in the SW-ern end and erosion in the NE-ern end.
Consequently, the impact of The World results in a completely new pattern in the shoreline
evolution
 The stretches “3 breakwaters” to Al Rais Spur (Off Jumeirah Beach Park, Dubai
Ladies Club and Jumeirah Beach Club) and Al Rais Spur to Jumeirah Fishing Harbour show
similar patterns of reversed shoreline development pattern

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5. RISK REGISTER FOR EROSION, FLOODING AND BEACH DEGRADATION

Erosion risk classification

The results of the 20-year potential shoreline evolution modelling have been used as basis for analysis
of vulnerability and risk for erosion along Dubai’s coast. Areas vulnerable to erosion have been
classified at two levels:

 Immediate situation, requiring immediate protection: Where erosion is greater than 20m within the
first two years
 Long-term situation, requiring comprehensive shoreline management mitigation measures:
Where erosion over a 20-year period is in conflict with Coastal Development Control Line/present
Building Line

The differences between the two situations are:

The risk register for the immediate situation identify areas, which are under fast erosion, and where
immediate action is consequently required in order to:
 Prevent loss of beaches
 Maintain status quo
 Prevent future damages
 Gain time for implementation of the optimal long-term scheme

The proposed measures are of a temporary nature. Generally, nourishment is recommended until
more permanent schemes can be designed and implemented.

The risk register for the long-term situation identify areas, which are under long-term erosion leading
to loss of beach resources or to damages on coastal facilities and assets (housing, infrastructure, etc)
and which consequently require undertakings in the form of implementation of shoreline management
schemes providing long-term stable and sustainable solutions.

The used vulnerability and risk classification is presented in Table 5.

Situation Erosion Land use Present Risk category Type of recommended intervention
status Protection
status
2 yr Rural Not prot. Vulnerable to
erosion < erosion but not None
Urban All
Immediate situation

wmin critical

Rural Not prot. Not critical presently Impose setback line as relevant
Not prot. Critical to damage Nourishment
2 yr
on fixed facilities
erosion >
Immediate nourishment to regain sandy
min.
Urban Protected and Critical as beach is beaches, however, no action required to
beach
exposed lost preserve Status Quo
width wmin
Buried Critical to loss of Nourishment
protection beach
20 yr Rural Not prot.
erosion + Vulnerable to Impose setback line as relevant
Long- term situation

var. < erosion but not

Urban All
wmin critical
Rural Not prot. Not critical presently Impose setback line as relevant
20 yr
erosion + Not prot. Critical to damage Shoreline management scheme
var. > on fixed facilities
minimum Protected and Critical as beach is Shoreline management scheme
Urban
beach exposed lost
width wmin Buried Critical to loss of Shoreline management scheme
protection beach

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Table 5 : Overview over type of proposed protection intervention as function of risk

classification, land use and protection status of eroding coasts in Dubai

Overview of the stretches under immediate erosion risk/long-term erosion risk in Segment III are
presented in Figure 15 as examples of the performed vulnerability and risk classification, which was
performed for the entire Dubai Coast.

Short term (2 years)

Vulnerable to erosion but not critical Critical as beach is lost Critical to damage on fixed assets
Not critical presently Critical to loss of beach Not classified

Long term (20 years)

Vulnerable to erosion but not critical C ritical a s be ach is los t Critical to damage on fixed assets
No t critical presently C ritical t o loss of be ac h Not classif ied

Figure 15: Short-term and long-term erosion risk classification for Segment III

Flooding risk classification

The A vulnerability and risk classification for flooding has been prepared taking the following items into
account:

 The level of the hinterland relative to the Flooding Level (FL)

 The protection status of the section, ie the level of the sea defence/beach berm relative to the FL
and to the Wave Impact Level (WIL)
 The type of the hinterland, rural or developed
 The size of the immediate hinterland areas, which are lower than the FL: Small [corresponding to
a few housing lots (width of low area < 50m) or large (width of low area > 50m)]

The used vulnerability and risk classification for flooding is presented in Table 6.

The risk of a Tsunami of any significance along the Dubai Coast has been assessed as very small.
The impacts of tsunamis have consequently not been included in the present flooding analysis. The
established FL and WIL are compared with levels extracted from the 2003 Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
provided by DM. The locations of the thus established lines of FL and WIL-points are presented in
Figure 16 with the 2005 satellite image as background. WIL-points are locations along selected
profiles to which wave impact can be expected for a 50-year recurrence event. Low-laying areas
further into the hinterland lower than FL, have also been presented in these figures. Characteristic
profiles have also been extracted from the DTM for all the sections and cells along the coast, where
after the different sections have been classified in relation to risk of flooding. It should be noted that
the DTM is from 2003. It is known that many changes in the coastal area have taken place since 2003.

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Level of Protection status Illustration of Occupation/ Risk category and marking

hinterland: and level of sea situation size of low-
LH defence (SD)*: lying
LSD hinterland
LH > LSD > No risk
WIL WIL All types
LH
>FL LH < Low protection No risk of flooding, vulnerable to wetting of
WIL FL < LSD < WIL All types hinterland

Rural/all sizes Risk of Not critical as flooding of

moderate backland is a natural process
flooding if sea Moderately critical as
Low protection Urban/small defence is potential flooded area is
FL < LSD < WIL stable, risk of small
major Critical as major area may be
Urban/large flooding if sea flooded in case of breach of
LH < FL
defence is sea defence, check status of
breached sea defence
Not critical, vulnerable to major flooding,
Rural impose dev. Restrictions
No protection Urban/small Critical to flooding damage, introduce sea
LSD < FL defence
Urban/large
Note: A sea defense could be a beach berm, a dike or a seawall. For the computation of the WIL, a
natural beach profile has been assumed, which corresponds to the presence of a beach berm in term
of sea defense type
Table 6: Vulnerability and risk classification for flooding

Figure 16: Lines of FL and WIL-points as well as low laying areas for Segment III on basis of
DTM from 2003, shown on satellite image from 2005

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Beach degradation classification

The Gulf beaches in Dubai are by nature of a very good recreational quality due to the natural wave
exposure and due to the good quality natural beach sand available in the area. However, the wave
exposure has been reduced along several coastal stretches due to the shelter provided by the many
coastal and offshore development schemes as described in Section 4. An illustration of the importance
of wave exposure is presented in Figure 17.

Exposed Protected

Mamzar Beach Park Mamzar Lagoon

Figure 17: Difference between beach quality for exposed and very protected beaches

Stretches belonging to the category Moderately Protected but especially the category Very Protected
are vulnerable to beach degradation. The beach degradation for Segment III is presented in Figure 18.

LEGEND: Red: Moderately Exposed – no risk of beach degradation

Yellow: Moderately/very protected – critical to beach degradation
Figure 18: Coastal and beach degradation classification

It should be noted that a major part of Segment III is just on the limit of being critical to beach
degradation because of the shelter from The World, see Figure 10. The risk of beach degradation is
considered to be one of the major risks for the mainland beaches in Dubai as more ODS’s are being
developed and because it is very difficult to make any remedial measures to compensate for this risk,
other than refraining from developing more ODS.

6. REGULATIONS

Land and Sea Zoning

The “Regulations and Procedures for Dubai Coastal Zone –“, Decree No 22 (D22-R&P), refer DM
(2004), establishes the requirements for all natural and legal persons, including public authorities, to

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obtain a “No-Objection Certificate” (NOC) from DM, before any construction, dredging and excavation
activities are initiated in the coastal zone. The D22-R&P document is presently (2007) under revision.

The D22-R&P defines the Coastal Zone (CZ). In accordance with a map accompanying D22-R&P,
Dubai’s CZ is defined as the area between the point roughly 1km inland of the Coastal Development
Control Line to a seaward limit 10 nautical miles offshore. In addition, the Decree’s zone of regulation
covers the entire extent of Dubai Creek as well as Al Mamzar lagoon and any other excavated water
connected to the Arabian Gulf.

In D22-R&P, three regulation zones for implementation of the Decree are further defined:

 Zone I: Marine Development Zone (MDZ)

 Zone II: Coastal Development Zone (CDZ)
 Zone III: Coastal Resource Zone (CRZ)

Sector requirements
The special characteristic of the CZ is that it is exposed to the forces of the marine environment to a
higher extent than other areas, which expresses itself in the following phenomena of importance for
the development in this zone:
 Coastal erosion
 Sedimentation and accumulation of sand along the coast
 Flooding of low-laying areas
 Changes in the quality of the beach

Such phenomena will cause conflicts with the ongoing development in the CZ and the development in
the CZ will impact on the phenomena. The best way to handle such potential conflicts is to use
different types of regulatory measures by which the potential conflicts can be avoided. DM has
introduced the following regulations with the purpose of minimising the problems and protecting the
marine and coastal environment:
 Introduction of Control Zones according to D22-R&P
 The requirement for a NOC before construction activities can be initiated according to D22-R&P
 The requirement for EIA according to Order No 61 of 1991 on the Environmental Protection
Regulations in the Emirate of Dubai and Guideline No 53: Environmental Impact Assessment
Procedures (1995)
 The issuing of Set-back requirements, see below
 Guidelines for development activities in the CZ, refer: Coastal Development Guidelines (scheduled
release 2008)

Setback Line
The setback line is also referred to as the Coastal Development Control Line (CDCL), which is the line
separating the Coastal Development Zone from the Marine Development zone. Coastal developments
should not take place beyond the setback line (CDCL). Any construction or development activity taking
place within the CDZ and MDZ requires a NOC form the General Projects Department of DM. It is
noted that the Department shall not issue a NOC for any activity if the activity will have a significant
adverse impact on the sandy beaches/marine environment of Dubai without a mitigation programme
approved by the Department. Such impacts shall be thoroughly documented through the issue of an
Env. Imp. Statement (EIS) or an EIA Report (EIR).

The philosophy behind the concept of a setback line is to avoid conflicts between developments in the
Coastal Development Zone (CDZ) and the active morphology of the coastal area within a certain time
horizon. The coastal area is defined as the area influenced by the coastal morphological processes
and consists of the coast, the shore and the shoreface.

The general goals behind introducing a setback line are the following:
 To avoid conflicts between existing and new coastal developments and a receding shoreline
 To allow for a certain natural variability of the shoreline due to seasonal variations and extreme
events
 Allowance for a vacant backshore area as a buffer and to provide an area, where natural
backshore processes can take place, such as dune formation
 Allowance for changes caused by new ODS’s or similar, which may be developed in the future

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The following contributions have been taken into consideration in the evaluation of the setback line
distance:
 20-year shoreline development
 Sea level rise
 Variability in the location of the shoreline due to cross-shore as well as longshore processes
 Allowance for vacant backshore area
 Allowance for changes caused by future ODS

This analysis has resulted in the setback line distances presented in Table 7.
Type of backland Setback line Comments
distance [m]
Rural area 300
Urban 60 Or existing line of facilities/assets if
Developed Industrial 40 setback line is behind this line
area Artificial beach 60
Note: Distance from 2006 coastline (+ 1.62m DMD)

Table 7 : Setback line distances [m]

The setback line for the area between Umm Suqeim 1 and 2 harbours is presented in Figure 19.

Figure 19: Setback line and Coastal Development Zone in the area between Umm Suqeim 1
and 2 harbours
7. SHORELINE MANAGEMENT SCHEMES

A shoreline management scheme (SMS) is very similar to a coastal development scheme; however, it
is typically a public-financed scheme built to compensate coastal instability and to rehabilitate and
expand the beach and marine elements in an area. A SMS consists typically of the following marine
elements:
 Artificial beaches and beach reclamations, typically in the form of realigning an existing beach to fit
the equilibrium orientation
 Terminal structures to prevent loss from the artificial beaches, maybe combined with marinas or
lagoon openings; however, these elements are typically part of a private scheme

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 Artificial public lagoons, either built into the sea in connection with beach reclamations or
excavated into the mainland
 Lagoon openings

The Mamzar Beach Park and the Jumeirah Open Beach are typical examples of public shoreline
management schemes.

The main “art” for developing successful SMS along the Dubai Coast is to utilize the possibilities in an
area so that:
 Coastal instability problems are “permanently” solved, e.g. by building new beaches in the
equilibrium orientation
 Combining the requirements for terminal structures with other demands in the area such as plans
for expanding marinas, the need for new lagoon openings or the need for viewing and
promenading facilities, etc. It is very important to use the concept of multi-functional facilities for
the development of new coastal structures in Dubai due to the very limited space and due to the
huge demand for recreational facilities

A typical example of a SMS is presented in Figure 20 below.

Figure 20: Example on Shoreline Management Scheme for the Sunset Beach and the area
between Umm Suqeim 1 and 2 Harbours in connection with a major expansion
of the US2 Harbour

8. GUIDELINES FOR OFFSHORE DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES

There is in principal two main marine issues to consider: The internal functionality of the scheme and
the requirement for sustainable development in general.

Functionality of the Scheme

The potential attractive marine elements of an offshore development schemes are the following:

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 Protected artificial water bodies or lagoons. Such lagoons provide a calm water environment, which
provides possibilities for development of attractive recreational facilities facing a semi-open water
body
 Good water quality in the lagoon is of paramount importance for the recreational value of the
lagoon
 Possible external waterfront perimeters shall be designed to provide protection and possibly other
recreational functions. There are in principal two different kinds:
 Pure protection is typically obtained by rubble mound structures which, however, have no
recreational quality
 There is also the possibility to include sections of pocket beaches in the outer perimeter, which
can provide very attractive beach environments
 The internal waterfront perimeters inside the lagoon shall be selected to provide the best possible
recreational functions, whereas protection is only a secondary requirement inside the lagoon.
There are in principal the following types of perimeter structures: Rubble mound slopes, vertical
walls and bulkheads, stepped slopes, piled decks and piers in concrete or wood, floating piers and
sandy beaches However, it is often a problem to obtain a good quality beach in a lagoon
environment as discussed in Section 5 under “Beach degradation classification”

Sustainable Development of an ODS

Securing sustainability of an ODS requires integration of horizontal (sector) and vertical (spatial)
requirements. This highlights the importance of sufficient coordination between all involved authorities
and stakeholders, especially for projects in the CZ. It is consequently important that all NOC and EIA
procedures are followed for these schemes.

The general marine requirements for obtaining sustainability of an ODS are outlined in the following:

 Secure that the scheme does not impact the flushing and water quality in the adjacent area, neither
during construction nor during the operation phase. Optimise the scheme for minimisation of
possible impacts and/or propose and implement mitigating measures as required
 Secure that the scheme has a minimum impact on coastal conditions on the adjacent coast in
respect of coastal stability and beach degradation. Optimise the scheme for minimisation of
possible impacts and/or propose and implement mitigating measures as required

9. REFERENCES
DHI (2007): Management Guidelines for Dubai Coast, Preliminary Design Report, Final Draft of
September 2007, Project PJ 10018 for Dubai Municipality.

DHI (2007): Coastal Development Guidelines, PJ 10018 – Management Guidelines for Dubai Coast,
First Draft of October 2007

Dubai Municipality (2004): “Regulations and Procedures for Dubai Coastal Zone Construction and
Sand Excavation, Dredging and Filling”, Pursuant to Dubai Governors Decree No. 22 of 2001, by
Coastal Management Section, General Projects Department of Dubai Municipality, Revision No: 3.0 of
June 2004.

Smit, F, Mocke, G P, Al-Zahed, K (2005). Quantifying and managing the coastal response to major
offshore developments in Dubai. Proceedings of Coastal Zone 05, New Orleans, USA.

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