Evaluation of the Gulf of Aqaba Coastal Water, Jordan

Abstract

(1) Background: The Gulf of Aqaba (GoA) supports unique and diverse marine ecosystems. It is one of the highest anthropogenically impacted coasts in the Middle East region, where rapid human activities are likely to degrade these naturally diverse but stressed ecosystems. (2) Methods: Various water quality parameters were measured to assess the current status and conditions of GoA seawater including pH, total dissolved solids (TDS), total alkalinity (TA), Cl−, NO3−, SO42−, PO43−, NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Sr, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb, and Zn. (3) Results: The pH values indicated basic coastal waters. The elevated levels of TDS with an average of about 42 g/L indicated highly saline conditions. Relatively low levels of inorganic nutrients were observed consistent with the prevalence of oligotrophic conditions in GoA seawater. The concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Sr, Cl−, and SO42− in surface layer varied spatially from about 423–487, 2246–2356, 9542–12,647, 513–713, 9.2–10.4, 22,173–25,992, and 317–407 mg/L, respectively. The average levels of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn ranged from 0.51, 0.38, 1.44, 1.29, 0.88, 0.38, and 6.05 µg/L, respectively. (4) Conclusions: The prevailing saline conditions of high temperatures, high evaporation rates, the water stratification and intense dust storms are major contributing factors to the observed seawater chemistry. The surface distribution of water quality variables showed spatial variations with no specific patterns, except for metal contents which exhibited southward increasing trends, closed to the industrial complex. The vast majority of these quality parameters showed relatively higher values compared to those of other regions.

Effect of Various Local Anthropogenic Impacts on the Diversity of Coral Mucus-Associated Bacterial Communities

“…Spatial variations among the coral mucus-associated bacterial communities were verified between the sampling sites from the Gulf of Aqaba (Figure 10). The distinct cluster of Industrial Zone samples located in the southern part of the Gulf of Aqaba might be correlated with the higher pollutant levels (e.g., metals [30]). Mesophilobacter sp.…”

“…The Gulf of Aqaba is one of the unique aquatic ecosystems that has one of the world's richest coral communities [29]. However, the Gulf of Aqaba is highly affected by anthropogenic stressors in the Middle East [30]. Coral reefs on the Jordanian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba have been subjected to various sources of environmental stressors in the last few years [29].…”

Sustainable Design of an Artificial Lake in Jafer Basin Based on Gravity Flow

“…Mohsen [27] proposed pumping 2,130 MCM of seawater from Aqaba, to obtain an output desalted water of 530 MCM. Al-Taani et al [28] investigated marine ecosystem and water quality at GoA. Al Hseinat et al [29] evaluated the role of zero discharge policy at GoA in improving environmental conditions.…”

Assessing Water Quality by Statistical Methods

“…In this context, the Special Issue with the title "Assessing Water Quality by Statistical Methods" addressed topics related to groundwater vulnerability [1][2][3][4], estimating water quality parameters in natural and artificial lakes and gulfs [5][6][7], investigating the causes of Rivers pollution [8][9][10], and proposing new tools for estimating the regional extent [11] and mitigating the effects of high precipitations on the water quality [12].…”

“…In their research, Al-Taani et al [7] investigated the water quality of the Aqaba Gulf in Jordan, a zone with high touristic potential. The investigation of 19 parameters of water samples collected in different parts of the Littoral did not present specific patterns, except for the metal contents that showed increasing values close to an industrial complex by comparison to other sampling places.…”