Source Contributions to Heavy Metal Fluxes into the Loukous Estuary (Moroccan Atlantic Coast)

Abstract

International audienceAluminum, iron, mercury, lead, copper, cadmium, chromium, zinc, manganese, and nickel concentrations were determined in surface and core sediment samples collected in the Loukous estuary (Atlantic Coast, Morocco) to evaluate their levels and spatial distribution. For various metals, the enrichment factor was calculated as a criterion to assess whether their concentrations represented contamination levels or could be considered background levels. Analytical results were processed using Geographical Information System software to show areas of metal accumulation. Using multivariate statistical analysis, the possibility of distinguishing the sampling stations in relation to their geographical position was evaluated. The radiolead (210Pb) and cesium 137 (137Cs) profiles in sediment core retrieved from the Loukous estuary were used to study the temporal variations in sedimentation rate and to reconstruct historical trends of heavy metal input and the effects of human activities. The results show that the distribution of metals in the Loukous estuary is principally influenced by industrial and urban wastes located mostly in the northern coastal area. Marine currents are additional factors influencing metal accumulation in sediments

Using automatic computation to analyze the rate of shoreline change on the Kenitra coast, Morocco

“…Tourism-related development is taking a heavy toll on the natural beach ecosystems by destroying sandy spaces, diminishing dune vegetation, and land reclamation. The Moroccan government is not regulating (and is sometimes even supporting) these kinds of destructive activity in coastal areas (Kalloul et al, 2012;Maanan et al, 2014).…”

Polychaete diversity and assemblage structure in the Oualidia Lagoon, Moroccan Atlantic coast

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Taxonomic diversity and structure of the molluscan fauna in Oualidia lagoon (Moroccan Atlantic coast)

“…The relative distribution of riparian, transitional, tidal marsh, mudflat, sandflat, flood tidal shoals, and sub-tidal channel habitats, at any given time, is determined by the physical morphology relative to the tidal elevations inside the lagoon (Maanan et al 2014a, b;Zourarah et al 2007). In Moroccan Atlantic coast, tides and wind-generated waves are the dominant (natural) processes governing the morphological developments (Kalloul et al, 2012). The tide has a mean tidal range of nearly 1.4 m in Oualidia lagoon, increasing to 3.60 m during the spring tide, while during the neap tide, it drops to about 0.80 m (Hilmi et al 2005).…”