Evaluation of mobile metals in sediments of Burullus Lagoon, Egypt

Abstract

The Burullus Lagoon north Nile Delta of Egypt is a UNESCO-protected area. Recently it has become a sediment sink which led to shrinking in its area and depth accompanying with increasing contaminant levels. In this study we attempt to explore the spatial distribution and their mobility of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr and Pb) based on 21surface sediment samples recovered from Burullus lagoon basin and nine drains. The risk assessment code of the studied heavy metals can be arranged as Zn > Cu > Pb > Cr > Ni for all the samples collected from the lagoon basin and nine different drains. The heavy metals tend to accumulate in fine sediments and human activities promote the accumulation of contaminated sediments in water courses.