Intensification of anthropogenic activities and related processes have altered the morphology of modern deltaic systems. As a result, mapping of geomorphic features, such as paleochannels, using recently acquired digital elevation data has become increasingly difficult. Using the Nile River and delta as a test site, we developed and applied procedures to map the distribution of paleochannels that existed throughout the Holocene. A high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) derived from an early, detailed topographic sheet collection was used to minimize the impact of recent man-made topographic artifacts. The DEM-inferred paleochannel distribution was verified using direct and indirect subsurface data. Using our adopted methodology, we identified 76 main and subsidiary paleochannels with a total length exceeding (by >500 km) previously mapped paleochannels. The overwhelming majority (>80%) of the reported historical and archeological sites (29 sites) in the Nile Delta were found to be proximal (<2.5 km) to the identified paleochannels, an observation that is not obvious in any of the previous paleochannel delineations. These observations suggest that the delineated paleochannel distribution of the Nile Delta can be a useful guide for locating ancient cities currently obscured by man-made structures or buried under thick Holocene deposits. Moreover, it can potentially enhance our understanding of the geological and archeological history of the Nile Delta and has societal benefits as these channels could act as preferred pathways for groundwater flow. The advocated methods can be readily applied to river deltas worldwide where high-resolution elevation datasets acquired before the onset of heavy anthropogenic activities are available.

中文翻译：

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通过整合早期高程、地球物理和沉积物核心数据追踪尼罗河三角洲的全新世河道和地貌

人类活动和相关过程的加剧改变了现代三角洲系统的形态。因此，使用最近获得的数字高程数据绘制古河道等地貌特征变得越来越困难。使用尼罗河和三角洲作为试验场，我们开发并应用程序来绘制存在于整个全新世的古河道的分布图。高分辨率数字高程模型 (DEM) 源自早期的详细地形图集，用于最大限度地减少最近人造地形工件的影响。使用直接和间接地下数据验证了 DEM 推断的古河道分布。使用我们采用的方法，我们确定了 76 条总长度超过（> 500 公里）以前绘制的古河道。在尼罗河三角洲报告的历史和考古遗址（29 个遗址）中，绝大多数 (>80%) 位于已识别古河道的近端 (<2.5 公里)，这一观察结果在之前的任何古河道中都不明显划定。这些观察结果表明，尼罗河三角洲划定的古河道分布可以为定位目前被人造结构遮蔽或掩埋在厚厚的全新世沉积物之下的古城提供有用的指南。此外，它可以潜在地增强我们对尼罗河三角洲地质和考古历史的理解，并具有社会效益，因为这些渠道可以作为地下水流动的首选通道。