Environmental Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Bottom Sediment of Eastern Alexandria Harbour, Egypt

Rashed, Abdul Ghani A.; Ibrahim, Mahmoud S.; El-Gammal, Maie I.; Hamoda, Amr Z.; El-Batrawy, Omnya A.

doi:10.21608/sjdfs.2018.194787

Environmental Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in Bottom Sediment of Eastern Alexandria Harbour, Egypt

Document Type : Original articles

Authors

¹ High Institute in Souq Al-Khamis, Tripoli, Libya.

² Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University.

³ Environmental Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Damietta University

⁴ Marine Geophysics, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Alexandria

10.21608/sjdfs.2018.194787

Abstract

In this study, the concentrations of heavy metals were measured in the sediment of the Eastern Alexandria Harbour collected twice during 2016. The range and average concentrations measured in ppm were (ND–2775.93) (1592.59) for Fe and (13.90 - 235.73) (71.36) for Zn, (ND – 8.77) (3.93) for Ni and (6.35 - 42.99) (25.04) for Cr. For clarity, Enrichment factor index (EF) was used to determine the level of sediment contamination. The pollution load index (PLI) calculated for all the sediment samples that fall in the second terminology (1<CF<3, moderate contamination factor) except sample (10 and 12) that fall in the first terminology (CF<1, low contamination factor). Results of geoaccumulation index (Igeo) calculations in samples for the back ground values 100% of samples fall in class (0) for all the heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Ni and Cr). So, sediment is not enriched by these metals.while the results of geoaccumulation index (Igeo) calculations for Zn, it indicated that there is 91.4 % of the samples fall in class (0) unpolluted) with no polluting effect to the environment. While 8.3 % fall in class (1) (from unpolluted to moderately polluted). This was recorded at sample (8). It was recorded 0.31 that collected from the North-west of the harbour which is very active area. Sediment Quality Assessment, metal concentrations in the sediments of the samples was as high as above (ERM) values. All the samples fall in the range below (ERL) for both of Ni and Cr. And most of the samples fall in the range below (ERL) for Zn in (11) sample. While, sample (1) only fall in the range between(ERL and ERM) for Zn.The bottom sediments serve as a reservoir for heavy metals and therefore deserve special consideration in the planning and design of aquatic pollution research studies.

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