Distribution of heavy metals in mangrove sediments of the red sea coast of yemen

الملخص EN

Because of potential health hazards, there is a great concern about setting up a baseline levels for residual trace elements in mangrove sediment of the Red Sea coast of Yemen . The levels of the trace elements concentration were determined by using Atomic Absorption from six selected sites along the Red Sea mangrove of Yemen.

The selected samples were collected during January 2008 Cd concentration ranged from ND μg/g at Alurj, Ras Kathib, Al-Hodiedah and Dhubab to 0.50 μg/g at Kamaran Island with mean 0.13 μg/g.

Cu concentration ranged from ND μg/g at Dhubab to 4.5 μg/g at Al-Zubayr with mean 2.72 μg/g.

Fe concentration ranged from 260 μg/g at Kamaran Island to 770 μg/g at Dhubab with mean 555 μg/g.

Ni concentration ranged from1.50 μg/g at Dhubab to 3.30 μg/g at Al-Hodiedah with mean 2.72 μg/g.

Pb concentration ranged from 1.30 μg/g at Kamaran Island to 2.50 μg/g at Al-Zubayr with mean 2.07 μg/g. The variations within the site were mainly attributed to the human activity, oil tanker, oil pipeline, storage tanks, vessels de-blasting in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

Thus, it was concluded that the concentration of trace elements does not reach (to) environmental hazards in the present study,if compared the results of with some other environments,in the present study