Distribution and environmental geochemical indices of mercury in tar contaminated beaches along the coast of Qatar. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Elezz, Ahmed Abou; Castillo, Azenith; Hassan, Hassan Mustafa; Alsaadi, Hamood Abdulla; Vethamony, Ponnumony
• Is Part Of: Marine pollution bulletin. Volume 175(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: Qatar coast -- Tarmat -- Total mercury -- Geochemical indices -- BSAF; Marine pollution -- Periodicals; Marine Biology -- Periodicals; Water Pollution -- Periodicals; Mer -- Pollution -- Périodiques; Publications périodiques; Pollution des mers; Lutte antipollution; Electronic journals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113349
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0025-326X

Abstract

Abstract: The current study aimed to gauge total mercury (THg) concentration and the environmental geochemical indices in tarmat contaminated sediments and test their presence in targeted coastal species. Layers of hard asphalt-like tarmats and sediment samples were collected from 34 sites along the coast of Qatar. The mean concentration of THg in tarmat-sediment mixture is 89 ± 20 ng·g −1 . THg concentration varies significantly between the northern and eastern coasts. Geographically, sampling area were divided into four zones according to the relative closeness with low to serious potential ecological risk index (Er ), moderate pollution load index (PLI), moderate Geoaccumulation index (Igeo ), and no toxic risk (TRI) trending as Northern (Zones 4, 3) > North-Eastern (Zone 1) > Western (Zone 2) coasts. Three biota classes ( Gastropoda, Bivalvia, and Crustacea ) were sampled on the tarmat which the hermit crab ( Clibanarius signatus ) from Ras Rakan island obtained the highest THg (977 ng·g −1 ) and BSAF (29.70). Graphical abstract: Unlabelled Image Highlights: High tar related Hg level was evident in northern coast of Qatar. Contamination in tar-sediment mixture varies from unpolluted to highly polluted. Accumulated mercury in sentinel species may pose a threat to the marine life. Hydrodynamic, tar and sedimentary depositional processes controlled the fate of THg.