Long-term water quality monitoring at an industrial site on the Northern Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea

Abstract

The present study focuses on seawater samples collected monthly, for 12 years (June 1998 to December 2010), within the framework of the sustainable monitoring program in front of the Industrial Complex (IC) Aqaba Jordan. In situ measurements of temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen have been recorded, for three different depths, at six different stations. Also, samples have been collected and analyzed for inorganic nutrients, fluoride and sulfate. The data collected, when compared with the offshore waters, showed the dominance of natural Aqaba seawater conditions for most variables throughout the year. Phosphate concentrations were slightly higher in some sampling events. This, however, did not exert any considerable effect on the environmental quality of the seawater, mainly because anthropogenic phosphate reaching the sea does with the help of the wind in very limited amounts and insoluble form. Also, phosphate is not the primary productivity limiting nutrient in the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba.