Abstract
The distribution, enrichment, and accumulation of heavy metals in the surface sediments of the Tangier Bay, Morocco, were investigated. Surface sediment samples from eleven locations in the Bay of Tangier were collected in 2007 and characterized for grain size, organic matter and metal content (e.g. Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cd). The evaluation of the heavy metal contamination status of the bay showed minor enrichment by the enrichment factors (EF) calculation, corroborated by the metal pollution index (MPI). The results of a Pearson correlation showed high positive correlations among organic carbon and most metals (0.788 < r < 0.939) and cluster analysis grouped the stations inside the harbour (stations 1, 10 and 9) and in the vicinity of the principal rivers in the bay (stations 3 and 11), which showed the highest concentrations of metal content. The main sources of contamination are domestic and industrial effluents, which arise due to the lack of sewage treatment. However, these areas could not be classified as polluted when the data were compared with sediment quality guidelines (USEPA, 1997).
Highlights
Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Gibraltar Strait
Surface sediment samples were collected from eleven stations in the Tangier Bay (Fig. 1, GPS geographic coordinates position in Table 1), including four sampling points in the vicinity of the mouths of the four rivers that flow into the bay and three sampling points next to the harbour
Table 1. – Location of the sampling stations and characteristics in the sediment of all stations studied in Tangier Bay
Summary
Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, the Gibraltar Strait. Until recently it was the largest international sea port in Morocco. There are several industrial parks (e.g. textile manufacturing plants, agro-food processing, and to a less extent chemicals, metals and wood processing factories) located in the nearby Mghogha complex that contribute a significant amount of untreated and / or minimally treated wastewater to the rivers and to the bay. This situation has created a great threat to public health and has impacted the biological and geochemical conditions of all four rivers, the bay and the harbour. The sewage systems with an outfall in the west of the Bay were finished in late 2008
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