Distribution and assessment of heavy metals in sediments from the Red Sea, Egypt during 2019

Abstract

The present investigation is aimed to determine the concentration of some heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mn and Fe) in sediments from Egyptian Red Sea, and assess its contamination state using different pollution indices. Sediments were sampled biannually in winter and summer of 2019 at nineteen sites covering Gulf of Suez, Aqaba Gulf and Red Sea proper. Levels of the investigated metals were measured by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer method. Results showed that the examined metals revealed annual average of 22.96, 2.68, 3.70, 24.25, 11.77, 17.26, 67.61 and 3840.58 µg/g (Gulf of Suez), 18.44, 1.52, 4.27, 49.58, 10.81, 12.24, 169.96 and 22185.8 µg/g (Aqaba Gulf) and 19.24, 2.05, 6.41, 65.41, 11.47, 24.92, 149.20 and 11533.8 µg/g (Red Sea proper) for Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Co, Ni, Mn and Fe, respectively. The highest means of Pb, Cd and Co were recorded in the Gulf of Suez sediments, Mn and Fe were in the Aqaba Gulf, while Cu, Zn and Ni were found in the Red Sea proper. According to ANOVA analysis, only Cd, through all the investigated regions, showed significant variation between the examined seasons (p < 0.05). Regionally, average values of Cd, Mn and Fe displayed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the different investigated regions. The indices of pollution (as CF, PLI, MPI, Igeo and EF) were estimated to evaluate contamination state by metals in the different studied regions. The calculated indices indicated that the present examined regions reflected slight to moderate pollution states.