Water Quality Assessment of the northern part of Suez Gulf (Red Sea, Egypt), using Principal Component Analysis.

Abstract

Suez bay is a large harbor in the northern part of Suez gulf at the south entrance of the Suez Canal, It is subjected to different sources of pollution. The present study was achieved to assess the physicochemical parameters, nutrient salts and Water Quality Index (WQI) in the Suez Bay. The annual mean range of water temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, oxidizable organic matter, biological oxygen demand, total suspended solids, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and dissolved inorganic phosphate and silicate was;23.69-25.11ºC, 7.97-8.11, 40.89-41.55‰, 6.92-9.09 mgO2L-1, 7.57-9.60 mgL-1, 3.00-4.00mgO2L-1, 17.75-27 mg L-1, 4.35-9.28 µmolL-1, 1.56-4.14 µmolL-1, 5.15-12.99 µmolL-1; 1.26-2.43µmolL-1and 4.65-8.00 µmolL-1, respectively. The N:P ratio fluctuated between 2.95 and 39.17 with main value of 16.14 indicating that the different sites in the northern part of the Suez Gulf are, either, N limited or P limited or N/P co-limited. Based on the Principal Component Analysis Data, the hot spots (the sites are more polluted) include Al-Adabyia, Al-Adabyia Effluent, Textile Egypt Eran Company and Attaka Power Station, respectively.