Environmental Risk Assessment for Heavy Metals Contamination in Seawater and Sediments from the Western Coast of Suez Gulf, Egypt

The Suez Gulf is the most critical commerce corridor connecting the Middle East to the rest of the world due to its unique geographic location. Furthermore, it has an economic significance as a fishing and touristic area. These maritime activities have a detrimental effect on marine environments and are responsible for transmitting several harmful substances into the ocean. Therefore, assessing the degree of metal contamination in water and sediments at selected locations along the Suez Gulf from Port Tawfiq to Ras-Gharib is the main objective of this study. According to annual averages, an ecological risk assessment based on seawater quality standards in China and NOAA criteria indicated that these heavy metals did not pollute the Gulf water. Conversely, during the winter, the spatial fluctuations of eight heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Co, Zn, and Cu) in sediment samples were assessed. Several indicators, including the contamination factor (Cf), pollution load index (PLI), and geo-accumulation index (I_geo), were used to evaluate the level of contamination in the Gulf sediments. The results showed that the two biggest ecological threats were lead and mercury. Additionally, the levels of contamination varied from somewhat contaminated to very contaminated.