Geomatics approach to assess nesting habitat of green turtles Wadi El Gemal, Red Sea, Egypt

Long-term wave action, sea level rise, climate change, human activities, pollutants, sea surface temperature SST, are causative factors for deterioration and changes in natural ecosystems. The current study aims to assess environmental deterioration that disturbs turtles and their nesting grounds at Wadi El Gemal National Park (WGNP), using modern remote sensing techniques and ecological investigations. Nesting area mapping and change detection were found to be precise and clear in the current investigation. The true nests recorded from WGNP during the current survey were Wadi El Gemal Delta (3), Torfa (10), Elshiekha Sabieha (2), Hankorab (14), Umm Alabas, Wadi El Gemal Island (1) and Syial Island (1). The concentration of some heavy metals in eggshells were positively correlated with their concentrations in sand (p ≤ 0.01), while heavy metals in nesting sands were negatively correlated with grain size (p