Concentration of Some Heavy Metals in Short Cores in the Nearshore Sediments of Alexandria , Egypt

Abstract

The Western Harbor, Eastern Harbor and Abu Qir Bay are three sites located along the Alexandria coast. These sites are characterized by extensive maritime and industrial activities. To investigate the penetration of heavy metals into the bottom sediments, some short cores were collected from the three sites. Every core interval was analyzed for granulometric characteristics, water content, organic carbon, carbonate, Cd, Co, Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn, Mn and Fe concentrations. The upper most layers of the cores show the highest heavy metal accumulations with the maximum levels in the Western Harbor.