Assessment of some heavy metals in surface sediments of the Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

Environ Monit Assess (2011) 180:229–242DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1784-x

Assessment of some heavy metals in surfacesediments of the Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

Doaa H. Youssef · Ghada F. El-Said

Received: 12 March 2010 / Accepted: 9 November 2010 / Published online: 5 January 2011© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Abstract Aqaba Gulf is an economically impor-tant marine environment in Egypt. Its coastal areawas subjected to anthropogenic impact of urban-ization and economic development during the lastdecades. The study was oriented to investigatethe distribution as well as assess the heavy metalpollution status (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr, Cu, andCd) in its surface sediment. Large heavy metalsfluctuations were detected along the studied area.The results pointed out to the highly significantcorrelations among Fe, Cu, Ni, and Co heavymetals and their similar lithogenic origin besidetheir input sources. The sediment quality was per-formed by using the geo-accumulation index (Igeo)

and different sediment criteria guidelines; ChinaState Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervi-sion (CSBTS), and Canadian guidelines. Amongthe studied heavy metals, Cd was the only metalthat showed moderate pollution for Igeo as well asit exceeded the primary and the secondary criteriaof CSBTS and the threshold effect level of theCanadian guidelines (TEL). On the other hand,the other heavy metals were within the naturalbackground levels.

D. H. Youssef · G. F. El-Said (B)Environmental Division, National Institute ofOceanography and Fisheries, Kayet Bay, El-Anfushy,Alexandria, Egypte-mail: gfarouk66@yahoo.com

Keywords Heavy metals · Surface sediments ·Pollution assessment · Aqaba Gulf · Egypt

Introduction

The Aqaba Gulf is a large semi-closed basin ofRed Sea. It lies between longitudes: 34◦23′ and35◦00′ E and latitudes: 28◦00′ and 29◦33′ N alongthe eastern side of the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt,Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia have coastlineson the Gulf. It is about 180 km long and nearly24 km width in the south, and it is narrowingto about 17 km in the north with a depth of≤1,800 m. The water of the Gulf is exceptionallyclear and the euphotic zone extends to about 80–90 m depth. It has a hot and dry climate with rarerainfall (Shridah et al. 2004). The lack of regularfreshwater input and the high evaporation rate areheavily contributing in the high salinity of the Gulf(40.4–40.6‰; Manasrah et al. 2004). This Gulf,like the coastal waters of the Red Sea, is one ofthe world’s premier sites for diving. Its area isespecially rich with coral reefs and other marinebiodiversities. It contains number of underwaterwrecks of some accidental shipwrecks and othersvessels which deliberately sunk during their triesto obtain some of the habitat marine organismsand bolster the local dive tourism industry. Dueto the lack of peace efforts in this region, the Gulfof Aqaba has not received much scientific studies

230 Environ Monit Assess (2011) 180:229–242

before 1980s. Accordingly, the fragmentation ofthe physical, chemical, and biological knowledgeof Aqaba Gulf was result for this fact. Most ofthe scientific efforts on the Gulf were carried outon the Jordanian coast (Al-Rousan et al. 2007;Al-Horani et al. 2006; Al-Ouran 2005; Abu-Hilaland Al-Najjar 2004; Khalaf and Kochzius 2002;Badran and Foster 1998). In contrast, little studieson the Egyptian coast of the Gulf were performed(Abdel-Halim et al. 2007; Shridah et al. 2004;Okbah et al. 1999).

Nowadays, the Gulf is highly affected by ur-ban and industrial pollution (Walker and Ormond1982; Abelson et al. 1999), shipping and port activ-ities (Abu-Hilal 1985; Badran and Foster 1998),as well as tourism (Riegl and Velimirov 1991;Hawkins and Roberts 1994). Moreover, land-based operations, including clinker productionand fertilizer manufacture as well as sea–waterdesalinization in Eilat, may also affect the heavymetals’ presence (CASE NUMBER: 380). Theseanthropogenic activities may elevate the concen-tration of some pollutants in the Aqaba Gulfregion. Among these pollutants are heavy met-als that are known by their toxic serious threatson marine environments. Heavy metals have aconsiderable environmental concern. Also, theypossess wide sources, non-biodegradable proper-ties, and accumulative behaviors. When metalsenter into the marine environment, most of themwill settle down. Additionally, heavy metals canincorporate marine sediments together with or-ganic matters, Fe/Mn oxides, sulfides, and clay(Wang and Chen 2000). Indeed, sediments act asscavengers for trace metals and often provide anexcellent proof of man’s impact (Guevara et al.2005).

The objectives of this study are to investigatecurrent heavy metal (Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Cr,Cu, and Cd) distribution and concentration inthe sediments of the Egyptian coast of AqabaGulf and to assess the contamination extent bythe heavy metals using marine sediment qualitycriteria and geo-accumulation index (Igeo) relatedto the anthropogenic impact during decades of ur-banization and economic development along thecoastal area of the Gulf.

Materials and methods

Sampling

Nine intertidal zone surface sediments samples(0–5 cm) were collected from the Egyptian coastof the Aqaba Gulf during 2004 (Fig. 1 andTable 1). The sampling locations were selectedto cover some expected polluted regions as wellas number of nature reserves (protected areas).Regions 1, 4, and 8 (Ras Mohamed, Nahlat AlTel, and Mersa Muqibila, respectively) are naturereserves. Sites 2 and 3 are harbors for yachts in

Fig. 1 Region under study

Environ Monit Assess (2011) 180:229–242 231

Table 1 Sampling stations and some characteristics of the studied Aqaba Gulf sediments

Station Longitude E◦ Latitude N◦ Sediment type Percentage of total Percentage of totalnumber organic matter∗ carbonate∗

1 34◦14′23′′ 27◦47′44′′ Sand (very coarse sand) 0.66 16.152 34◦20′22′′ 27◦51′24′′ Sand (fine sand) 0.72 39.463 34◦19′00′′ 27◦54′01′′ Silty sand (medium sand) 0.65 68.364 34◦30′07′′ 28◦11′06′′ Sand (fine sand) 0.65 33.635 34◦28′43′′ 28◦28′17′′ Sand (very coarse sand) 0.17 13.276 34◦39′18′′ 28◦58′21′′ Sand (very coarse sand) 0.91 12.447 34◦40′40′′ 29◦20′23′′ Sand (medium sand) 0.52 22.968 34◦49′01′′ 29◦23′53′′ Sand (coarse sand) 0.16 74.369 34◦54′37′′ 29◦29′38′′ Sand (very coarse sand) 0.34 46.46∗Values were taken from Draz et al. (2009)

Sharm El-Sheikh. Region 6 is Nuweiba harbor.Locations 5, 7, and 9 are recreational beaches(Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba, respectively). Thesampling locations were detected using GPS local-ization. The sediments were collected by meansof a stainless steel Peterson grab sampler (20 ×13 cm). Two centimeters from the sediment’stop layer were removed by means of a poly-ethylene spoon to avoid contact with the wallof the grab. From each sampling location, threereplicates were taken. After sampling, sedimentswere carefully stored in a clean plastic vessel andkept frozen at −20◦C prior to processing andanalysis. In the laboratory, sediment samples weredefrosted at room temperature and air-dried in acontrolled clean environment. Then, the sampleswere transferred to an oven and dried at 70◦C upto a constant weight. Each sample was homog-enized, sieved using 0.75-mm plastic sieve, andfinely powdered in an agate mortar. Grain sizeanalysis was carried out on representative samplesand signified that all the studied sediments, exceptfor station 3, are 100% composed of sand (Drazet al. 2009; Table 1). For station 3, the percentagesof sand, silt, and clay are 66.55%, 26.07%, and7.38%, respectively. The texture of the sedimentsvaried from very coarse to fine sand. The stud-ied sediment samples contained low total organicmatter (0.16–0.91%), suggesting that it is mainlyfrom marine origin. Actually, the total carbonatepercentage values (12.44–74.36%) are predomi-nantly of biogenic marine origin (Draz et al. 2009;Table 1).

Sediments digestion

Dried and fine-ground sediment sample (0.25–0.50 g of each) was put into a closed teflon vesselwith 3 ml HNO3, 2 ml HClO4, and 1 ml HFacids. To obtain high pressure, the vessels wereplaced inside a well-closed stainless steel blockand heated on a thermostatically controlled hotplate at 70◦C for about 12 h (Oregioni and Aston1984). To eliminate HF, the digested mixture wasnearly evaporated with 2 ml H2SO4. The residuewas re-dissolved to a specific volume with di-luted HNO3 in vinyl chloride bottles and filteredthrough Whatman No.1 filter paper. For each di-gestion program, a blank was prepared using thesame procedure. All reagents were of analyticalgrade and contained very low concentrations oftrace metals. Normal precautions for trace met-als analysis were performed throughout. All theglassware and the Teflon vessels were previouslysoaked overnight with 20% HNO3 and then rinsedwith metal-free distilled water.

Heavy metals analysis

The digested sample solutions and their reagentblanks were analyzed for the heavy metals usinga Perkin Elmer 2830 flame Atomic AbsorptionSpectrophotometer. Working standards of studiedmetals were prepared by diluting concentratedstock solutions (Merck, Germany) of 1,000 mg/l inmetal-free distilled water. Each metal concentra-tion was estimated quantitatively according to the

Table 2 Average concentration (mg/kg) and standard de-viation obtained for four replicates of the standard refer-ence materials MESS-2∗ and BCSS-1∗∗

Metal Certified Measured Recovery %

Co∗ 13.8 ± 1.4 13.3 ± 1.7 96.38Mn∗ 365 ± 21 355 ± 30 97.26Cr∗ 106 ± 8 102 ± 11 96.23Ni∗ 49.3 ± 1.8 47.6 ± 2.4 96.55Zn∗ 172 ± 16 177 ± 25 102.91Cu∗ 39.3 ± 2 40.5 ± 3.5 103Fe2O ∗∗

3 4.7 ± 1.4 4.8 ± 1.9 102.13Cd∗∗ 0.25 ± 0.04 0.24 ± 0.07 96

Values in mg/kg except for Fe2O3 in %

standard conditions described in the instrumentmanual. Triplicate measurements were made foreach sample, by direct aspiration into air acetyleneflame of the instrument.

Quality assurance

To monitor the quality of chemical analysis andexamine the accuracy of the data, sediment ref-erence materials (MESS-2, National ResearchCouncil, and BCSS-1) were analyzed with the sed-iment samples during the course of analysis. Theanalytical results of the selected metals of interestindicate a good agreement between the referenceand analytical values of the reference materials. Inaddition, the recovery rates for the selected metalsfrom the standard reference material were around96–103% (Table 2).

Statistical analysis

Minitab 13.1 software was used in the currentstudy for the calculation of Pearson’s correlationcoefficient matrix and constructing a dendrogramfor the Hierarchical Cluster analysis.

Results and discussion

Heavy metals concentrations

Heavy metals concentrations are shown in Table 3and Fig. 2. As expected, iron (Fe) is the mostabundant heavy metal in Aqaba Gulf sediments.Its concentration is fluctuated between 205.4 and773.9 mg/kg at stations 8 and 4, respectively. Forall studied regions, except for station 8, man-ganese (Mn) levels come after those of Fe. Mnvaries from 31.6 mg/kg (station 8) to 561.2 mg/kg(station 2). On the other hand, cobalt (Co) andnickel (Ni) concentration goes in harmony alongall the studied area. However, station 5 has thelowest similar contents of Co and Ni (7.0 and7.5 mg/kg, respectively). Furthermore, the Corange (7.0–17.0 mg/kg) seems to be lower thanthat reported for unpolluted freshwater sediment(20 mg/kg, Smith and Carson 1981) as well asfor contaminated environments; 700–800 mg/kg(Knutson et al. 1987; Kloke et al. 1984).

Also, nickel shows lower concentrations (7.5–18.4 mg/kg) than that recorded for marine

Table 3 Heavy metals concentrations in Aqaba Gulf sediments (mg/kg dry wt)

Station Fe Mn Co Ni Cr Cu Zn Cdnumber

1 701.0 257.6 17.0 16.3 2.2 3.7 26.0 2.672 627.9 561.2 10.9 15.4 6.9 20.0 62.0 2.323 405.3 203.7 8.3 13.0 5.4 7.7 54.5 3.674 773.9 439.3 11.0 13.6 31.2 5.2 60.3 2.545 588.8 133.0 7.0 7.5 N.D. 2.9 13.6 1.866 554.5 167.1 13.8 14.2 2.9 3.0 10.0 2.477 453.0 80.8 9.8 12.4 4.6 2.3 10.0 2.958 205.4 31.6 9.9 14.3 N.D. 2.6 66.5 3.629 593.3 192.7 13.1 18.4 2.1 4.9 13.4 3.68Range 205.4–773.9 31.6–561.2 7.0–17.0 7.5–18.4 N.D.–31.2 2.3–20.0 10.0–66.5 1.86–3.68Mean 544.8 229.7 11.2 13.9 7.9 5.8 35.1 2.86S.D. 170.0 170 3.0 3.0 10 5.6 25 0.66

N.D. not detected

Fig. 2 Distribution of each heavy metal concentrations (mg/kg) along stations in Aqaba Gulf sediments; Horizontal axisStation number, Vertical axis the concentration

sediment contamination limit (>100 mg/kg) ofthe Swedish Environmental Protection Agency(Swedish EPA; Greaney 2005). The Swedish EPAis known by its responsibility for wide range issuesincluding pollution control, nature conservationand national parks establishment, hunting regu-lation, etc. Except for station 4, chromium (Cr)concentration varies within a limited range (N.D.–7 mg/kg). Moreover, station 4 contains the highestchromium (31.2 mg/kg) and iron (773.9 mg/kg)concentrations. Additionally, chromium showslower concentrations than that recorded for theSwedish EPA contamination levels (70 mg/kg).Accordingly, Cr concentration in Aqaba Gulf sed-

iment does not possess any threats along the ma-rine environment. Copper (Cu) shows a maximumconcentration (20.0 mg/kg) at station 2. This con-centration is nearly nine times higher than thelowest one at station 7. The high Cu concentra-tion at station 2 may relate to the anti-foulingpaints. Indeed, this region considered as a harborfor yachts. Generally, Cu levels in the presentstudy are below the contamination levels of theSwedish EPA (80 mg/kg). Zinc (Zn) concentra-tion fluctuates between 10.0 and 66.5 mg/kg atstations 7 and 8, respectively. A consistency inzinc concentration is recorded in stations 5, 6,7, and 9. Also, Zn concentrations Aqaba Gulf

sediments are considerably lower than thatof Swedish EPA (360 mg/kg). Cadmium (Cd)concentration varies within a narrow range(1.86–3.68 mg/kg). Its minimum concentration isrecorded at station 5, whereas stations 9, 3, and 8contain the highest concentration. The other sta-tions (1, 2, 4, 6, and 7) give nearly moderate cad-mium concentrations. Meanwhile, cadmium levelsexceed that recorded for unpolluted marine sedi-ments; 0.03–1 mg/kg (Korte 1983).

Generally, the heavy metals concentrationscomparison among the studied stations reflectsthat region 5 (Dahab) contains the lowest lev-els of Cd, Co, and Ni. Indeed, this station is avery special recreational beach. Also, in region4 (Nahlat Al Tel), the protected area possessesthe highest levels of both Cr and Fe. In contrast,in station 8 (Mersa Muqibila), the protected areahas the lowest concentrations of both Mn and Feas well as the nearly depleted Cr concentration.Unexpectedly, the sediments of the recreationalbeach of Taba (station 9) contained the highestlevels of Ni and Cd. This may be because Taba isclose to Aqaba in Jordan and Eilat in Israel, wherethere are human activities including desalinationplants (Al-Rousan et al. 2007). It is documentedthat thermal desalination plants discharge copper,nickel, iron, chromium, zinc, and other heavy met-als depending on the alloys present in the processline, which may have adverse effects on water andsediment quality (Hoepner 1999; Lattemann andHöpner 2008).

Statistical analysis

Statistical analyses explore the possible associ-ations between the studied heavy metals alongAqaba Gulf sediments. The statistical analyses arerepresented by Hierarchical Cluster analysis andPearson’s correlation coefficient matrix.

Hierarchical Cluster analysis (HCA) looks forgroups of samples according to their similarities.HCA is considered as a powerful tool for analyz-ing datasets for expected or unexpected clustersincluding the presence of outlier. In HCA, eachpoint forms, initially, one cluster, and the prelimi-nary matrix are analyzed. The most similar pointsare grouped forming one cluster and the processis repeated until all points belong to one cluster.HCA examines the distances between samplesand data set. The obtained result could be pre-sented in two-dimensional plot called dendrogram(Birth 2003). In the current study, the dendrogramshows the similarities between the different stud-ied metals (Fig. 3). It is observed that Mn and Cujoined in a cluster with similarity level of 90.32. Coand Ni also appear as a cluster with similarity levelof 86.89.

These results are supported by Pearson’s cor-relation coefficient matrix (Table 4). There aresignificant correlations among Fe and Mn (r =0.682, with confidence limit = 95%), Mn and Cu(r = 0.805, with confidence limit = 99%), and Niand Co (r = 0.737, with confidence limit = 95%).These correlations possibly reflect the same or

Fig. 3 The dendrogramof hierarchical clusteranalysis for thestudied heavy metalconcentrations in thebulk sediments fromthe Egyptian coast ofAqaba Gulf

−0.6

−0.0

−0.3

−0.0

−0.2

−0.5

−0.1

a Sign

similar source input for these metals, which is ex-pected to be lithogenic rather than anthropogenic.Recalling that, in nature, cobalt is frequently as-sociated with nickel. Also, copper adsorbs to or-ganic matter, carbonate minerals, clay minerals,hydrous iron, and manganese oxides. Manganeseexists in most iron ores in concentrations rangingfrom 50–350 g/kg (Förstner and Wittmann 1981).On the other hand, for most cases, there are nosignificant correlations among the other heavymetals. This may reflect their disassociation aswell as their different anthropogenic and naturalsources. Also, Table 4 shows insignificant corre-lations among the total organic matter and thestudied heavy metals. However, total carbonatehas positive significant correlations with Cd (r =0.796, with confidence limit = 95%) and with Zn(r = 0.700, with confidence limit = 95%). Thiscan be attributed to the occurrence of cadmiumand zinc in sediments which is probably related tothe formation of CdCO3 and ZnCO3, respectively(Förstner and Wittmann 1979, 1983; Okbah et al.2005; Lin and Chen 1996; Saad and Ahdy 2006).

Heavy metals concentrations in this study havebeen compared with gulf sediments worldwide(Table 5). The iron, copper, and nickel concentra-tions in the present study are relatively similar tothose of Suez Gulf in Egypt. Additionally, thesemetals concentrations are relatively lower thanthose of other Gulfs. Manganese concentrationsare comparable or even lower than the reportedvalues in the literature. The average cobalt con-centration in the present study is close to thatfor Suez Gulf (Youssef and El-Said 2010). How-ever, Cr and Zn contents are considerably lowerthan those of other mentioned Gulfs. It was ob-served that sediments of Mexico Gulf resemblethat of the Egyptian Aqaba Gulf in the levels ofMn and Zn. Regarding Cd, its concentration isnearly equal to that of Abu Qir Bay (Youssef andAbbas 2005), noticeably higher than the ArabianGulf (Hashim et al. 1994), but obviously lowerthan Suez Gulf (Youssef and El-Said 2010). Inaddition, Cd concentration in the sediments ofthe Jordanian, Aqaba Gulf (Abu-Hilal 1987) isabout three times higher than that of the presentstudy. This reflects the less Cd contamination ofthe Egyptian Aqaba Gulf. Generally, from theresults obtained, it was observed that the metal

concentration varies from one gulf to another.This could be attributed to the geological distri-bution of minerals that varies from one locationto the other and/or due to the different sources ofcontaminants (Adefemi et al. 2007).

Sediment contamination assessment

The contamination assessment of Aqaba Gulf sed-iments is achieved by using:

Geo-accumulation index

Geo-accumulation index is a common criterionused for the heavy metal pollution evaluationin sediments. It can assess heavy metal pollu-tion for sediments in marine as well as freshwa-ter environments (Ruilian et al. 2008; Leopoldet al. 2008; El-Sikaily 2008). Geo-accumulationindex was originally defined by Muller (1979),who determined the heavy metals contamina-tion in sediments by comparing current concen-trations with preindustrial levels. The Igeo canbe calculated by the following equation: Igeo =log2(Cn/(1.5Bn)) where, Cn is the measuredconcentration of the examined metal (n) in thesediment, Bn is the geochemical background con-centration of the metal (n), and factor 1.5 isthe background matrix correction factor due tolithogenic effects. Muller (1981) had distinguishedseven classes of geo-accumulation index (Table 6).In this study, we did not obtain the back-ground values of heavy metals in the sediments.Breckenridge and Crockett (1995) stated that incase the useful site data do not exist, concentra-tions at the contaminated site can be comparedwith metal concentrations in bulk sediment knownto have a low probability of causing adverse im-pacts on benthic organisms. Therefore, Igeo hasbeen calculated by using the background valuesof heavy metals mentioned by Long et al. (1995).The authors updated the guidelines for marineand estuarine sediments following these steps: (1)assemble, evaluate, and collate all available infor-mation in which measures of adverse biologicaleffects and chemical concentrations in sedimentswere reported, excluding data from freshwaterstudies; (2) identify the ranges in chemical con-centrations that were rarely, occasionally, or fre-quently associated with effects; and (3) determine

––

Table 6 Muller’s classification for the geo-accumulationindex; Igeo (Muller 1981)

Igeo value Igeo class Quality of sediment

≤0 0 Unpolluted0–1 1 From unpolluted to moderately

polluted1–2 2 Moderately polluted2–3 3 From moderately to strongly

polluted3–4 4 Strongly polluted4–5 5 From strongly to extremely

polluted>5 6 Extremely polluted

the incidence of biological effects within each ofthe ranges in concentrations for each chemical asan estimate of guideline accuracy. This guidelinehas been considered as international backgroundvalues, at the same time it is consistently used forassessment of metal contamination in marine andestuarine sediments (Wolfe et al. 1996; Long et al.2002; Mil-Homens et al. 2006). Table 7 shows thecalculated Igeo values for Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, and Cd.Muller scale (Muller 1981), Table 6, is comparedwith the present data. This comparison reflectsthat among all detected heavy metals, cadmiumwas the only metal which has Igeo > 0. Further-more, Cd shows low pollution degree at stations 2,5, and 6 (Igeo = 0.37, 0.05, and 0.46, respectively).Additionally, it has a moderate pollution degreein the rest stations (Igeo, 0.50–1.03). Stations 3, 8,and 9 have the highest Igeo cadmium values. Thismay be attributed to proximity of stations 8 and 9to the Jordanian Aqaba Gulf, where there is Cdcontamination (Abu-Hilal 1987). However, thepresent study cannot explain the higher levels ofCd at station 3. Actually, the other metals (Ni, Zn,Cu, Cr) show no pollution (Igeo < 0). Generally,on the basis of the Igeo mean values, the studiedheavy metals are in order of Cd > Ni > Zn >

Cu > Cr.

Sediment quality guidelines

The development and implementation of sedi-ment quality guidelines reflects the importanceof contaminated sediments as a possible causefor adverse environmental effects. Also, theseguidelines can aid for the environment pollution

status interpretation through the comparisonwith their sediment contaminant concentrationsclassifications.

China State Bureau of Quality and TechnicalSupervision guidelines China State Bureau ofQuality and Technical Supervision (CSBTS) hadissued GB 18668–2002 for marine sediment qual-ity (CSBTS 2002). GB 18668–2002 has three stan-dard criteria for marine sediments (Table 8). Theprimary sediment standard criteria are knownby its most restriction. However, it is achievedfor protecting habitats of marine life, includingnatural; rare; and endangered species, as wellas places for human recreation and sports. Thesecondary standard criteria are applied for regu-lating general industrial use and coastal tourism.The tertiary standard criterion is performed fordefining harbors and special use for ocean ex-ploration. Heavy metals concentrations in AqabaGulf sediments (Table 3) are compared with thoseof marine sediment quality (GB 18668–2002;Table 8). This comparison reflects the cadmiumconcentration increment over both primary andthe secondary criteria along all studied stations.Moreover, stations 3, 8, and 9 show cadmiumconcentrations relatively similar to those of thetertiary standard criteria. Nevertheless, the con-centrations of Cr, Cu, and Zn meet all GB 18668–2002 standard criteria for marine sediments.

Canadian guidelines The Canadian guidelinesare interim measurements that assess the heavy

Table 7 Geo-accumulation index (Igeo) values of heavymetals in sediments from Aqaba Gulf

Station Igeo Ni Igeo Cr Igeo Cu Igeo Zn Igeo Cdnumber

1 −0.94 −5.78 −3.78 −3.11 0.572 −1.03 −4.13 −1.35 −1.86 0.373 −1.27 −4.49 −2.73 −2.04 1.034 −1.20 −1.96 −3.29 −1.90 0.505 −2.06 N.D. −4.15 −4.05 0.056 −1.14 −5.41 −4.10 −4.49 0.467 −1.34 −4.72 −4.46 −4.50 0.718 −1.14 N.D. −4.30 −1.76 1.019 −0.77 −5.84 −3.37 −4.07 1.03Mean −1.21 −4.62 −3.50 −3.09 0.64

N.D. not detected

Table 8 Canadian and CSBTS sediment guidelines for heavy metals (mg/kg dry wt)

Metal Three standard criteria for CSBTS guidelines Canadian guidelines

Primary Secondary Tertiary TEL PEL

Cadmium 0.5 1.5 5.0 0.7 4.2Chromium 80 150 270 52.3 160Copper 35 100 200 18.7 108Zinc 150 350 600 124 271

metals concentrations in sediments and their bio-logical impacts. The threshold effect level (TEL)and probable effect level (PEL) are the onlyconsidered Canadian guidelines levels (Table 8).However, below TEL values, adverse biologicaleffects are rarely occurs. In contrast, above PELvalues, these effects frequently occur. These levelswere established by the Canadian Council of Min-isters of the Environment, and they are routinelyused as screening tools by different stakeholderswho involved in sediment management activities(Anonymous 2002).

The present data for Aqaba Gulf sedimentsshow considerable lower concentrations of bothchromium and zinc than those of TEL. In contrast,copper concentration at region 2 (20.0 mg/kg) isslightly higher than TEL value (Tables 3 and 8).Among the studied heavy metals, cadmium is theonly metal that exceeds the ERL value. However,the lowest cadmium concentration (1.86 mg/kg) isabout three times higher than the TEL value. Inaddition, its concentrations at stations 3, 8, and 9are relatively close to the PEL level. For the otherstations, the Cd levels are noticeably lower thanthe PEL value. Accordingly, it appears clearly thatthe Aqaba Gulf sediments are, to some extent,contaminated with cadmium especially at stations3, 8, and 9.

Generally, except for Cd, the levels of studiedheavy metals in Aqaba Gulf surface sedimentsare low and can be dragged within the naturalbackgrounds levels. Thus, in spite of the rapidrecreational and human developments that aretaking place along the Aqaba Gulf coast, theEgyptian coast up until now is not seriously threat-ened. This conclusion is in agreement with theprevious studies on the Egyptian coast of AqabaGulf (Shridah et al. 2004; Abdel-Halim et al.

2007). However, Shridah et al. (2004) stated thatthe Aqaba Gulf waters (surface, sub-surface, anddeep layers) were not subjected to any seriouscontamination sources with respect to heavy met-als (Fe, Zn, Mn, Ni, Cu, Cd, Co, and Pb). Dur-ing 1998–2004, Abdel-Halim et al. (2007) studiedthe annual distribution of some parameters alongthe coastal water of the Gulf (water tempera-ture, salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll-a, total suspended matter, transparency, nitrogen,phosphorus forms, and reactive silicate). The au-thors showed that the variations in the pH andsalinity values were insignificant, the water waswell oxygenated, and there was no thermal pol-lution. Moreover, low levels of chlorophyll-a, to-tal suspended matter, nitrogen, and phosphorusforms were observed. Accordingly, the authorsconcluded that the Egyptian coastal waters of theGulf are not threatened. On the other hand, theprevious studies along the Jordanian sector ofAqaba Gulf reflected the contamination effect onthis marine environment area. The contaminationof the Jordanian coastal waters along Aqaba Gulfled to the coral reefs disturbance at an indus-trial site in the Gulf. This disturbance resulted inchanges in the fish community through the reduc-tion of total fish abundance by 50%, increasedtotal abundance of herbivorous and detritivorousfishes, decreased total abundance of invertebrateand fish feeders, and increased relative abundanceof planktivorous fishes (Khalaf and Kochzius2002). In addition, the phosphate pollution mag-nitude in the Jordanian sector along Aqaba Gulfwas studied by Abu-Hilal (1985). The distribu-tion of total phosphorus, fluoride, calcium, andcalcium carbonate and their association with eachother were determined and assessed in north andsouth sediments of Aqaba Port (Abu-Hilal 1985).

Also, he stated that phosphate pollution wasmainly localized in the vicinity of the loading berthalthough its influence may be detected in otherareas along the coast. Additionally, the authorconcluded that the pollution level had increasedby at least an order of magnitude since 1978.

Conclusions

This study pointed to the heavy metals estima-tion as well as the sediment quality criteria ofsurface sediments along the Egyptian Aqaba Gulfcoast. The mean determined heavy metals con-centrations were in order of Fe > Mn > Zn >

Ni > Co > Cr > Cu > Cd order. The statisti-cal analysis reflected the insignificant correlationsamong most determined heavy metals. The absentrelation among most heavy metals and differentanthropogenic and natural sources may lead tothis insignificance.

The sediment quality was achieved by usinggeo-accumulation index (Igeo) and sediment qual-ity guidelines (CSBTS and Canadian guidelines).The Igeo results indicated that Cd is the only metalthat causes moderate pollution along most studiedarea. On the other hand, cadmium concentrationsexceeded both the primary and secondary crite-ria of the Chinese National Standard of Marinesediment Quality (CSBTS) and the TEL for theCanadian guidelines. Accordingly, except for Cd,all studied heavy metals concentrations in AqabaGulf surface sediments are low and can be at-tributed to natural backgrounds levels. Actually,in spite of the rapid recreational and human de-velopments taken place on Aqaba Gulf coast, theEgyptian coast is not yet seriously threatened.These results could be used as a contribution tothe knowledge and rational management of thegulf. Additionally, they could serve as a referencedatabase to assess the future impacts of humanactivities on the Egyptian Aqaba Gulf coast.

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Assessment of some heavy metals in surface sediments of the Aqaba Gulf, Egypt

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