Monitoring of the Ecological Status of the Phytoplankton Dynamics, Water Quality, and Water Types in the Egyptian Mediterranean Coastal Estuary over Two-Decade Intervals | ||
| Egyptian Journal of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries | ||
| Article 71, Volume 28, Issue 2, March and April 2024, Pages 1137-1167 PDF (1.59 M) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejabf.2024.353514 | ||
| Author | ||
| Fatma A. Zaghloul et al. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| El Mex Bay is an estuarine area; it is one of the “hot spots” on the Egyptian Mediterranean Coast. It is located west of Alexandria City. It is influenced by different pollutants from the El Umum Drain water, impacting the water quality. Phytoplankton community structure was monitored as well as different water types over two-decade intervals. The first was recorded monthly from April 2003 to April 2004, while the second was recorded seasonally from winter 2020 till spring 2021 to monitor the changes that have occurred in this region. The phytoplankton abundance in El Mex Estuary showed significantly higher eutrophication during the first period (1.243x106 units l-1, 82 genera, and 201 species) than the second one (0.946x106 units l-1, 70 genera, and 123 species); moreover, the community structure differs in terms of phytoplankton class abundance. Baccillariophyceae dominated the phytoplankton community in the two periods, representing 87.18 (39 genera & 96 species) and 77.0% (36 genera & 69 species), respectively. However, Dinophyceae contributed 3.41 (10 genera & 30 species) and 9.2% (12 genera &16 species), respectively. Cyanophyceae are shared by 0.7 (10 genera & 18 species) and 4.47% (8 genera & 10 species), respectively. The phytoplankton abundance at El Umum Drain recorded remarkably higher eutrophication during 2020– 2021 (1511.3x103 units l-1, 64 genera & 147 species) than that in 2003– 2004 (0.352x103 units l-1, 70 genera & 123 species); furthermore, the community structure differs. The trophic status was ascertained and discussed using a variety of metrics, including phytoplankton abundance, diversity indices, and others. Based on these measurements, El Mex Estuary was found to be highly eutrophic and significantly contaminated to differing degrees | ||
| Keywords | ||
| El Mex Estuary; Phytoplankton structure; Diversity indices; Trophic state; Euglenophycean index; Water quality | ||
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