Spatial distribution and metal contamination in the coastalsediments of Al-Khafji area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia
Alfaifi, Hussain . 2017
AbstractTo document the spatial distribution and met-al contamination in the coastal sediments of the Al-Khafji area in the northern part of the Saudi ArabianGulf, 27 samples were collected for Al, V, Cr, Mn, Cu,Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, Sr, As, Fe, Co, and Ni analysis usinginductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results revealed the following descendingorder of the metal concentrations: Sr > Fe > Al > As >Mn>Ni>V>Zn>Cr>Cu>Pb>Co>Hg>Cd.Average levels of enrichment factor of Sr, As, Hg, Cd,Ni, V, Cu, Co, and Pb were higher than 2 (218.10,128.50, 80.94, 41.50, 12.31, 5.66, 2.95, 2.90, and2.85, respectively) and that means the anthropogenicsources of these metals, while Al, Zn, Cr and Mn haveenrichment factor less than 2, which implies naturalsources. Average values of Sr, Hg, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Asin the coastal sediments of Al-Khafji area were mostlyhigher than the values recorded from the backgroundshale and earth crust and from those results along coastsof the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Thehighest levels of Cu in the northern part of the studiedcoastline might be due to Al-Khafji desalination plant,while levels of Al, Ni, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn in thecentral part may be a result of landfilling and industrialsewage. The highest levels of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Hg, and Vin the southern part seem to be due to oil pollutants fromKhafji Joint Operations (KJO). The higher values of Sr inthe studied sediments in general and particularly in local-ity 7 could relate to the hypersalinity and aragonitic com-position of the scleractinian corals abundant in that area.
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