Trace elements contamination in sediments of Zeit Bay coast, Southern Gulf of Suez, Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

Coastal waters are subjected to considerable pressure from sewage and industrial wastes, which are responsible for the contamination of the coastal sediments with consequent loss in biosphere. Surface sediments from Zeit Bay, southern Gulf of Suez Red Sea, were analyzed for grain size, mineralogical and elemental composition to establish their geochemical characteristics. Texturally, the studied sediments are classified into gravel, sand and mud. Grain size variability and mineralogical assemblages present in the sediments largely control the abundance and distribution of CaCO₃ and the trace elements. Sand sediments have high percentage of carbonate material of marine origin. The study revealed that coarse sand component contains a relatively significant proportion of the anthropogenic metals (Zr, Y, Ba, Nb, Rb, Sr, Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb, V, Ga and Cu.) and therefore it cannot be neglected in metal pollution studies of coastal sediments.