JJBS Volume 1, Number 4 December. 2008 ISSN 1995-6673 Pages 153 - 158 Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences Variations of Heavy Metals Concentration in Suspended Matter and Physiochemical Properties in the Coastal Surface Water of the Gulf of Aqaba. Tariq Al-Najjar a,* , Jamal Bani Fawaz b , Riyad Manasrah a , Mohamad Al-Zibdah, Ahmad Abu-Hilal b a Corresponding Author: Marine Science Station, Aqaba-Jordan, PO. Box 195, b Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Yarmouk University, Jordan اﻟﻤﻠﺨﺺAbstract Variations of heavy metals concentrations (Pb, Zn, Ni and Cd) in suspended matter as well as the physical properties (temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and pH) at five coastal sites and one reference station (offshore) were measured on seasonal base of the year 2005. Seasonal variations of seawater temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen were significant different, meanwhile; spatial variations among different stations were not significant. Temporal variations of heavy metal concentrations were significantly different (P< 0.001); the highest concentrations were detected in spring 0.003 and 0.137 ppm for Pb and Zn respectively. Very low concentrations of Cd (not exceed 0.001 ppm) were detected in autumn and winter. Very low concentrations of Pb, Zn and Cd metals were detected in all sampling stations except Ni the concentrations were ranged between 0.12 and 0.108 ppm; however, variations among different sampling sites were not significant (p= 0.84) اﻟﻨﺰرة اﻟﻌﻨﺎﺻﺮ ﺗﺮاآﻴﺰ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺘﻐﻴﺮ دراﺳﺔ ﺗﻢ ﻟﻘﺪ) Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd ( ﻟﻠﻤﻴﺎﻩ ﺋﻴﺔ اﻟﻔﻴﺰﻳﺎ اﻟﺨﺼﺎﺋﺺ آﺬاﻟﻚ و اﻟﻌﺎﻟﻘﺔ اﻟﻤﻮاد ﻓﻲ) درﺟﺔ اﻟﺤﺮارة، اﻟﻤﻠﻮﺣﺔ، اﻟﻤﻠﻮﺣﺔ درﺟﺔ و اﻟﺬاﺋﺐ اﻻآﺴﺠﻴﻦ( ﺧﻤﺲ ﻓﻲ ﻣﺮﺟﻌﻴﺔ واﺣﺪة ﻣﻨﻄﻘﺔ و ﺳﺎﺣﻠﻴﺔ ﻣﻨﺎﻃﻖ) اﻟﻤﻔﺘﻮﺣﺔ اﻟﻤﻴﺎﻩ( اﺳﺎس ﻋﻠﻰ ﻟﻠﻌﺎم ﻓﺼﻴﻠﻲ2005 , ﻣﻌﻨﻮﻳﺔﻓﻲ ﺗﻐﻴﺮات اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ ﻧﺘﺎﺋﺞ اﺿﻬﺮت ﻟﻘﺪ اﻟﺤﺮارة درﺟﺔ، اﻟﻤﻠﻮﺣﺔ، ﻟﻠﻔﺼﻮل اﻟﻤﺬاب اﻻآﺴﺠﻴﻦ و اﻟﺤﻤﻮﺿﺔ اﻟﻤﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ اﻻﻣﺎآﻦ ﺑﻴﻦ ﺟﻮهﺮﻳﺔ ﺗﻐﻴﺮات اي ﺗﻈﻬﺮ ﻟﻢ ﺑﻴﻨﻤﺎ اﻟﻤﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ. ﺟﻮهﺮﻳﺎ آﺎن اﻟﻤﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ اﻟﻌﻨﺎﺻﺮ ﻟﺘﺮاآﻴﺰ اﻟﺰﻣﺎﻧﻲ اﻟﺘﻐﻴﺮ) P< 0.001 ( ﺑﻴﻨﻤﺎ ﻟﺘﺮاآﻴﺰ اﻟﻤﻜﺎﻧﻲ اﻟﺘﻐﻴﺮ ﺟﻮهﺮﻳﺎ ﻳﻜﻦ ﻟﻢ اﻟﻤﺨﺘﻠﻔﺔ اﻟﻌﻨﺎﺻﺮ) .(P= 0.84 اﻟﺮﺑﻴﻊ ﻓﺼﻞ ﺧﻼل رﺻﺪﻩ ﺗﻢ ﺗﺮآﻴﺰ اﻋﻠﻰ0.137 ﺟﺰوء ﻟﻌﻨﺼﺮ اﻟﻤﻠﻴﻮن ﻓﻲZn و0.003 ﻟﻌﻨﺼﺮ اﻟﻤﻠﻴﻮن ﻓﻲ ﺟﺰوء,Pb اﻗﻞ ﺗﺮآﻴﺰ ﻟﻌﻨﺼﺮ واﻟﺸﺘﺎء ﻟﺨﺮﻳﻒ ا ﻓﺼﻼ ﺧﻼل رﺻﺪﻩ ﺗﻢ0.001 ) Cd اﻟﻤﻠﻴﻮن ﻓﻲ ﺟﺰوء( . ﻗﻠﻴﻠﺔ ﺗﺮاآﻴﺰ اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ اﻇﻬﺮت ﻟﻘﺪ ﻟﻠﻌﻨﺎﺻﺮ(Cd, Zn, Pb) ﻋﻨﺼﺮ ﻋﺪا ﻣﺎ اﻟﺪراﺳﺔ ﻣﻨﺎﻃﻖ ﺟﻤﻴﻊ ﻓﻲNi رﺻﺪ ﺗﻢ ﻓﻘﺪ ﺑﻴﻦ ﻣﺎ ﺗﺮاوﺣﺖ ﺗﺮاآﻴﺰ0.108- 0.12 اﻟﻤﻠﻴﻮن ﻓﻲ ﺟﺰوء. * © 2008 Jordan Journal of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved Keywords: Physiochemical Properties; Heavy Metals, Suspended Matter; Gulf of Aqaba; Red Sea * Corresponding author. t.najjar@ju.edu.jo 1. Introduction Considerable evidence in the scientific literature that contaminants such as trace metals can be taken up and concentrated by sediments and suspended matter in the Aquatic systems (Forstner and Wittman, 1979; Hart, 1982). Transportation of theses contaminants in association with particulate matter represents a major pathway in the biogeochemical cycling of trace contaminants (Hart, 1982). The vertical and horizontal distributions of many trace elements in the ocean are determined by association with the cycle of growth, sinking and demineralization of marine phytoplankton. Phytoplankton in the oligotrophic northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba is characterized by a low biomass (<0.8 mg chlorophyll 1 -1 of seawater), in which the water ware dominated by prochlorophytes during early summer and fall, meanwhile, during winter Eukaryotic algae were dominate (Sommer et al., 2002; Al- Najjar, 2000). Phytoplankton, which serves as food for herbivorous fishes and higher organisms, is found to absorb significant amounts of dissolved organic matter from seawater. Hence, phytoplankton is found to be highly susceptible to various contaminants, such as, hydrocarbon, crude oil, metals and industrial effluents (Cushing and Walsh, 1976). Several Authors (Martin et al., 1990; Grotti et al., 2001)