Assessment of seawater pollution of the Al-Khafji coastal area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia

Twenty-seven coastal seawater samples were collected to assess seawater pollution and document the possible sources at Al-Khafji coastal area, Arabian Gulf, Saudi Arabia. Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, Hg, and Pb were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results revealed the following order of concentration: Sr > Ni > V > Cu > As > Zn > Al > Fe > Cr > Mn > Pb > Co > Cd > Hg. Most metals exhibited a fluctuated pattern within the studied sites without obvious trend, except Sr and Ni, which showed a fluctuated pattern with increasing trend southwards. The studied sites were classified into polluted, slightly polluted, and non-polluted ones based on HCA analyses. The higher levels of metals in the seawater of the polluted sites may be attributed to atmospheric input and oil spills from underwater pipelines, off offshore oil wells, loading and handling operations, oil terminals, and oil tanker incidents in the Arabian Gulf in general and many other anthropogenic sources in Al-Khafji area in particular such as desalination plant, landfilling due to new constructions, industrial sewage, and the Khafji Joint Operations (KJO).