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Modeling seasonal and spatial contamination of surface waters and upper sediments with trace metal elements across industrialized urban areas of the Seybouse watershed in North Africa

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Abstract

Industrialization and urbanization are the main sources of pollutions worldwide and particularly in developing countries. This study aims the determination of anthropogenic inputs with trace metals in aquatic ecosystems at the Plain of Annaba (NE Algeria), which is known as one of the largest industrial areas in Africa. Samples of surface waters and upper sediments were conducted in six stations: four in Meboudja wadi and two in Seybouse wadi. Contents of iron, copper, chromium, nickel, zinc, and manganese were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, whereas Cd and Pb were determined using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Measurements of Hg were carried out using atomic fluorescence. Spatiotemporal variations of metal concentrations were tested using generalized linear models (GLM), whereas the influence of water pollution on sediment contamination was tested with generalized additive models (GAMs). Metal contents measured in surface water and sediments varied differently from upstream to downstream of the study wadis and between seasons. The results showed that the surface water was polluted with high levels of iron, nickel, chromium, lead, and cadmium. Values of the contamination index revealed that the surface sediments were contaminated by iron, chromium, lead, and cadmium. The GAMs indicated that water-phase metal concentrations had no significant effects on trace metal concentrations in the sediment. This suggests that seasonal metal concentrations in water phase, which are measured during the study period (2012) and are time-dependent, contribute increasingly and gradually over time—not immediately—to the accumulation of metals into the sediments. Therefore, the long-term accumulation of metals in the sediments resulted from the continuous discharges of metals in the water phase. The anthropogenic impacts are marked by high contaminations of Meboudja wadi particularly in downstream areas of the steel factory and the nearby industrial areas. The direct industrial discharges into the water and atmosphere (iron, lead, cadmium) as well as urban disposals and agricultural activities are at the origin of these contaminations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Mr. Abdelkrim Arar (University of Batna 2, Algeria) for his help in the preparation of the map used in Fig. 1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aquaculture & Pathology Research Lab, Marine Sciences Department, Annaba University, 23000, Annaba, Algeria

    Bourhane-Eddine Belabed & Abderrafik Meddour

  2. Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides, University of Guelma, 24000, Guelma, Algeria

    Boudjéma Samraoui

  3. Center of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Boudjéma Samraoui

  4. Biology Department, University of Annaba, Annaba, Algeria

    Boudjéma Samraoui

  5. Department of Natural and Life Sciences, Faculty of Exact Sciences and Natural and Life Sciences, University of Tebessa, 12002, Tebessa, Algeria

    Haroun Chenchouni

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  1. Bourhane-Eddine Belabed
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  2. Abderrafik Meddour
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  3. Boudjéma Samraoui
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  4. Haroun Chenchouni
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Contributions

BEB and BS designed the study. BEB collected water and sediment samples and conducted laboratory analyses. HC analyzed data. BEB, HC, and AM drafted the manuscript. HC and BEB revised and prepared the final version. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Haroun Chenchouni.

Electronic supplementary material

Table S1

Climatic information of Annaba (Longitude: 7.81°, Latitude: 36.867°, Altitude: 0 m), northeastern Algeria (DOCX 131 kb)

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Table 4 Documented values of metal concentrations in upper sediments and water phase from various African and Mediterranean hydrosystems
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Belabed, BE., Meddour, A., Samraoui, B. et al. Modeling seasonal and spatial contamination of surface waters and upper sediments with trace metal elements across industrialized urban areas of the Seybouse watershed in North Africa. Environ Monit Assess 189, 265 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5968-5

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