Environmental and Geological Study of the Suggested Marine Port Site at Sahl Hasheesh area, Hurghada, Red Sea coast, Egypt (A case study).

Abstract

This study deals with the geochemical nature of distribution, enrichment of total trace metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Pb, Zn, Cd) in bulk sediments and its association with sediment texture, carbonates and organic carbon. Grain size and geochemical analyses have been carried out on 27 surface marine sediment samples collected from Sahl Hasheesh suggested marine port site on red sea coast. Grain size distribution and chemical characteristics of (27) sediments samples using some statistical methods reveal the dominance of muddy sediments in the dredging areas with an abundance of organic matter and trace elements reflect the negative impact on the biologic life and humans. Furthermore, the high concentration of Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd and Ni in these sediments were attributed to the contribution of terrigenous materials due to coastal development including landfilling to provide sites for resorts and recreation, and dredging of tidal flat to create marine ports and outlet of desalination. The study area is a very wide reef flat ranging from 160-350 m wide. Due to the nature of this reef flat and the extreme exposure during low tide, only a few living organisms exist, such as brown algae Lurancia sp., Cystoseira sp., and sometimes mixed with Padina sp. The reef morphology changes from a narrow reef flat (160 m) and gentle reef slope, with low relief (1 m) in the northern part, to a very wide reef flat (355 m) and steeper reef slope with higher relief (15 m). Reasonable recommendations have been outlined by this study to offer guidelines to mitigate the impact on the marine environment.