Environmental status of the bay of Jounieh through the evaluation of its marine sediments’ characteristics

Abstract EN

Increasing anthropogenic pressure on one of the most frequented touristic coastal region of Lebanon, Bay of Jounieh, located to the North of Beirut urges the assessment of its coastal marine environmental state.

Therefore, the geochemical, physical, chemical and biochemical characteristics of its sediments are analyzed and evaluated.

The samples are collected from 3 three transects (North, Middle & South) at 3 consecutive depths 15, 30 and 60 m using the platform of the Lebanese scientific vessel “CANA-CNRS”.

The sediments of shallower sampling points, 15 and 30 m, are mainly composed of fine sand and are poor in most of the studied parameters except chlorophyll-a.

While those of 60 m are exclusively represented by the fine fraction and contain maximum concentrations of organic matter (2.97%), calcium carbonates(47.7 %), phosphates (264 µg/g) and pheopigments (7.03 µg/g).

The labile fraction through the 3 transects is represented by low concentrations of carbohydrates (0.011 - 0.06 mg/g), low concentrations of proteins (0.009 - 0.051 mg/g) and high levels of lipids (0.324 - 1.036 mg/g).

The results show that the deep points (60 m) of Jounieh Bay are the most affected by the anthropogenic pressure combined with hydrodynamic factors and geomorphological issues.

The environmental condition of Jounieh’s Bay appears to be tolerant to the impact of multiform of contaminants to which it is been exposed since longtime and it is still able to show a meso-oligotrophic system with acceptable nutritive values for the proliferation of benthic organisms.

This study is expected to provide a valuable tool for monitoring and research programs in other marine areas of the Lebanese coast.