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Use of scleractinian corals to indicate marine pollution in the northern Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 187, Article number: 42 (2015) Cite this article

Abstract

The actual and fatal concentrations of selected heavy metals, including cadmium, cobalt, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc in corals from the Gulf of Aqaba were determined. Several living coral samples of different species (e.g., Porites) were collected from shallow depths (of about 5 m) at a number of sites along the Jordanian Gulf of Aqaba coast. The coral samples were collected using either a pneumatic diamond drill corer (for Porites) or a hammer and chisel (for other branched species). Some of the corals that had been collected were analyzed for heavy metals using atomic absorption spectrometry, and other samples were used in incubation experiments. The heavy metal concentrations were determined separately in the coral skeleton and the tissue layer. Heavy metal concentrations have not previously been determined in corals from the Gulf of Aqaba. We conclude that corals are suitable for use as proxy tools for assessing environmental pollution (i.e., they are bioindicators) in the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea. Therefore, this study provides useful information on the degree of heavy metal contamination in the study area.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financed by the Deanship of Scientific Research, Jordan University of Science and Technology and the Marine Station in Aqaba, Jordan.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan

    S. A. Barakat, S. Al-Rousan & M. S. Al-Trabeen

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  1. S. A. Barakat
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  2. S. Al-Rousan
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  3. M. S. Al-Trabeen
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Correspondence to S. A. Barakat.

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Barakat, S.A., Al-Rousan, S. & Al-Trabeen, M.S. Use of scleractinian corals to indicate marine pollution in the northern Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan. Environ Monit Assess 187, 42 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4275-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-015-4275-2

Keywords

  • Heavy metals
  • Corals
  • Gulf of Aqaba
  • Red Sea