The impact of maritime activities on the leachable heavy metals in the seafloor sediments of Port Tawfiq and Tersana harbours, Gulf of Suez, Egypt

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Abstract

The bulk sediment samples and the finest sediment group (FSG) including (Ø3, Ø4 and <Ø4) were used to estimate the leachable forms of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb, Co and Cd at Port Tawfiq and Tersana harbours in the Suez Bay at the northern tip of Suez Gulf using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). FSG was representing the essential constituents of the seafloor sediments with averages of 71.68% from the total sediments at Port Tawfiq Harbour and 69.47% at Tersana Harbour indicating the deposition under calm conditions. Leachable Fe was the metal carrier for the different heavy metals, the average leachable forms of Fe, Mn and Pb in FSG (53382.81, 60048.81 µg/g), (625.68, 662.54 µg/g) and (55.191, 67.23 µg/g) about two folds in the bulk sediment (26397.11, 27761.07 µg/g), (219.05, 224.22 µg/g) and (26.62, 30.47 µg/g) at both Port Tawfiq and Tersana harours respectively. Zn in FSG (594.40 µg/g) about two folds in the bulk sediments (236.34 µg/g) at Port Tawfiq Harbour, meanwhile at Tersana Harbour Zn in FSG (968.58 µg/g) about four folds in the bulk sediments (265.25 µg/g) respectively. The average leachable of Cu at Port Tawfiq Harbour in FSG (303.50 µg/g) recorded about three folds in the bulk sediments (98.01 µg/g), while at Tersana Harbour (1020.33 µg/g) recorded about five folds in the bulk sediments (98.01 µg/g). At  Port Tawfiq Harbour in the FSG, the average leachable Ni (211.47 µg/g) exceeds more than four folds in the bulk sediments (50.13), meanwhile at Tersana Harbour in FSG (507.75 µg/g) about eight folds in the bulk sediments (62.08 µg/g). In the same Manner, the averages of leachable Co in FSG were about one time and half in the bulk sediments at the two studied harbours.

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