ORIGINAL ARTICLE Vulnerability risk assessment and adaptation to climate change induced sea level rise along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt Omran E. Frihy & Mahmoud Kh. El-Sayed Received: 7 May 2012 / Accepted: 29 August 2012 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012 Abstract Consequence of the sea level rise (SLR) on the Mediterranean coastal areas in Egypt, particularly the Nile River Delta, has become an issue of major concern to Egypt’ s population and the government. Previous publications disregard the entire Mediterranean coast of Egypt as an integral unit subject to the impacts of the SLR. This study aims to analyzing the risks, ranking the vulnerability and suggesting adaptation measures to mitigate the impact of the SLR along the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. Although the prominent features of Egypt’ s Mediterranean coastal zone are the low lying coast of the Nile Delta, associated with land subsidence, tectonic activities and erosion; the contiguous coastal sectors are backed by shore-parallel carbonate ridges and Plateau (the western coast) and sand dune belts (Sinai coast). The coastal zone is ranked as high, moderate, and low vulnerable to the SLR. The social and biophysical vulnerabilities demonstrate the asymmet- rical impacts of the SLR on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. Areas at risk in the Alexandria region are Mandara and El Tarh whereas in the Nile Delta region, they are the Manzala Lagoon barrier, east and west of the Rosetta City, Gamil, and the Tineh plain. Risk associated with these impacts may be reduced provided the consideration of immediate and adequate adaptation measures. Keywords Vulnerability ranking . Risk assessment . Adaptation measures . Subsidence . Topography . Neotectonics . Nile delta . Sea-level rise 1 Introduction Significant changes in climate and their major impacts as sea-level rise (SLR) are already visible globally. These changes are no longer a distant possibility but a current reality, and have become one of the defining challenges for policymakers, industry, and civil society. Mitig Adapt Strateg Glob Change DOI 10.1007/s11027-012-9418-y O. E. Frihy (*) Coastal Research Institute, 15 El Pharaana Street, El Shallalat, 21514 Alexandria, Egypt e-mail: frihyomr@yahoo.com M. K. El-Sayed Department of Oceanography, Faculty of Science, University of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt e-mail: mkhsayed@link.net M. K. El-Sayed e-mail: mkhelsayed@yahoo.com M. Kh. El-Sayed M. Kh. El-Sayed