Spatial, seasonal distribution and ecological risk assessment of Zn, Cr, and Ni in Red Sea surface sediments, Egypt | ||||
Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||||
Article 31, Volume 25, Issue 4, July and August 2021, Page 513-538 PDF (1.66 MB) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2021.191624 | ||||
View on SCiNiTO | ||||
Author | ||||
Said Hanafy et al. | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Recently, the marine ecology in the Red Sea coast has been altered due to various anthropogenic activities that led to an accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) in its sediments. To evaluate the spatial and temporal distribution and the ecological risk assessment along the study area of the Egyptian Red Sea coast, fourteen samples of sediments were collected during spring and autumn in 2015. The present study aimed to address chromium, zinc, nickel, total carbonate, and organic matter in the sampled sediments to assess the risk. In both seasons, the descending order of metal concentrations was Zn > Cr > Ni. The level of studied metals was compared to the background and sediment quality guideline (SQG) values. Results revealed that an adverse biological effect in some sites was possible. Zinc, for instance, recorded higher averages than those of the background and those detected along worldwide coasts. Additionally, to evaluate pollution, methodologies such as the enrichment factor (EF), contamination factor (CF), pollution index (PI) and modified pollution index (MPI) were calculated and interpreted. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Red Sea; Coastal sediments; Assessment of Sediment Contamination; Heavy metals | ||||
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