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Long-term quality record (1996–2018) of coastal sediments at the complex industrial site along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba

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Abstract

To evaluate the effect of the industrial activities on the sediment quality, we investigated long-term records of physical and chemical properties of bottom-surface sediments from a complex industrial site along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Sediment samples were collected from 10 m depth once a year from six different stations (S1–S6) and analyzed for grain size, loss on ignition (LOI), organic carbon (OC), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and heavy metal contents. Temporal variations show a constant/decreasing trend for H2S, OC, and LOI, whereas an increasing trend for TN and TP was observed. Heavy metal concentrations reveal almost constant trends over time for Cd, Cu, and Zn and a decreasing trend for Cr and Pb. Statistical analysis indicates that the differences between the different sampling stations were insignificant for almost all variables. However, some differences were observed, as the highest values were recorded in S3 and the lowest values in S1. The textural proprieties show no significant variation among sites. As a result, the sediment quality at the industrial site is comparable with that in other sites along the northern Gulf of Aqaba. Sediments at the industrial site appear to have attained steady-state equilibrium where basic environmental parameters are insignificantly modified from the baseline values of the area. The decreasing trend observed over time indicates a significant improvement in the environmental quality attributed to the stringent implementation of environmental regulation in Aqaba (e.g., zero discharge policy).

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Editor Prof. G.B. Wiersma for the editorial handling. An anonymous journal reviewer is gratefully acknowledged for his careful review that significantly improved the manuscript. The authors would also like to thank the technical and administrative staff of the Marine Science Station in Aqaba, particularly Khaled Al-Trabeen and his team, for their valuable help in the chemical analysis, and Omar Momany, Tariq al-Salman, and other colleagues for assistance with SCUBA diving and fieldwork. We would also like to thank Mahmoud Almousa for his technical support. This work was supported by the Jordanian Phosphate Mines Company, Amman, and Aqaba/Jordan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science, Department of Geology, The University of Jordan, Amman, ,11942, Jordan

    Mu’ayyad Al Hseinat & Saber Al-Rousan

  2. School of Science, Department of Chemistry, The University of Jordan, Amman, ,11942, Jordan

    Mohammed Rasheed

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  1. Mu’ayyad Al Hseinat
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  2. Mohammed Rasheed
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  3. Saber Al-Rousan
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Correspondence to Mu’ayyad Al Hseinat.

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Al Hseinat, M., Rasheed, M. & Al-Rousan, S. Long-term quality record (1996–2018) of coastal sediments at the complex industrial site along the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Environ Monit Assess 192, 443 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08390-3

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