Evaluation of the water quality and the eutrophication risk in Mediterranean sea area: A case study of the Port Said Harbour, Egypt

• This study provided the spatial patterns of water quality and eutrophication • Quality parameters of both methods were assessed • Amore polluted station is a reference affected by anthropogenic activities • Principal component data for stations I, II, and III were considered as hot spots • Dissolved inorganic phosphate in the water column decrease in summer than in winter Port Said Harbour is one of the main commercial harbours of Egypt and locating under stress of increased human activities with time. Accordingly, this study was used to identify the water quality of the harbor indices for the amount of nutrients and other pollutants enters the marine environment. Five stations selected to cover the different characteristics of seawater Harbour, Hydrochemical characteristics, Nutrient salt and Heavy metal were investigated during winter and summer as an indicator for the water quality indices. The Eutrophication index (EI), Trophic Index (TRIX) and water quality Index (WQI) were calculated to represent the eutrophication status of the study area. The obtained resulted revealed that station (I) was found more affected by the antropogenic activites and station (V) is the least one, meanwhile the levels for each of transparency, chlorophyll-a, ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, reactive silicate were found high at station (I), whereas total suspended matter, biological oxygen demand, Fe, Mn and Cu were found high at station (IV). The obtained data of the present study when compared with those of the international accepted levels in seawater revealed that they found within those levels except that total suspended solid which found slightly higher. The obtained data can be used in the management plans of Port Said Harbour and contribution to inform the decision of water environments.