title: Chemical and biological assessment of sediments and water of Khalid Khor, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
abstract: Water and sediments were collected on March 2013 and April 2014 from Khalid Khor creek area in United Arab Emirates to assess their quality parameters. The pH and alkalinity of the water samples were measured and their values were similar to those of shallow saltwater ecosystems. In addition, elemental analyses and organic compounds were done using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS), respectively. The concentration of heavy and trace metals in the water samples were within the acceptable limits except for lead which showed high values, while the concentrations of metals in the sediment samples were relatively high and ranged from 6517 to 13,768mg/kg. GC-MS analysis showed the presence of polyaromatic heterocyclic (PAHs) compounds in sediments near the shipping area and in amounts classified as highly carcinogenic; however, no polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were identified. Moreover, fecal bacterial contamination in water was detected in concentrations that range between 300 and 10,140 organisms/100mL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Electronic address: fsamara@aus.edu.
authors.forename: Fatin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Samara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Yehya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Elsayed
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Balik
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Soghomonian
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Knuteson
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000032:analysis; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014479:United Arab Emirates; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls
keywords: Heavy metal; Khalid Khor; Polyaromatic hydrocarbons; Sediment; United Arab Emirates; Water