The Elemental Content of Seawater and Algae Collected from the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman: Preliminary Study

Abstract

The content of Na, Mg, Al, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Cd, Ba, and Pb in 24 samples of algae and 9 samples of water collected from 5 stations in the Red Sea, 2 stations in the Gulf of Oman, and 2 stations in the Arabian Gulf were determined using ICP-OES. For all water samples, it was found that the concentrations of Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, and Pb were below the detection limits. Meanwhile, the predominant elements found in all water samples were Na, Mg, and Ca. Except for Ba, which attains its peak concentration at the Kalba station in the Gulf of Oman, the highest levels of all examined elements were detected in water samples from the Red Sea. On the contrary, the highest content of most of the elements were determined in algae samples collected from the Gulf of Oman: Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu in Callithamnion corymbosum sp. collected from Diba Fujairah station, while Cr and Mn in Corallinalis sp. collected from Kalba station. Notably, the highest content of Pb was found in Sargassum sp. collected from Zaafrana station (the Red Sea) with a value of 19.4 mg/kg, which is 18 times higher than the average Pb content in all collected samples, revealing a possible Pb contamination in this area.