Fakhri,, Milad National Council for Scientific Research - National Centre for Marine Sciences, Lebanon , Romano, Jean-Claude Centre d Oceanologie de Marseille, - Station Marine d Endoume - Rue Batterie des Lions, France , Abboud - Abi Saab, Marie National Council for Scientific Research - National Centre for Marine Sciences, Lebanon

Impact of natural and artificial chemical inputs on the marine ecosystem of batroun region (North Lebanon)

34135

This paper is an attempt at studying the interaction of a seasonal river and the discharges ofa major chemical plant in the Batroun region in North Lebanon. Surface water analysis was done monthly for a period of 14 months from May 2001 till June 2002, along 13 stations (l 0 along the shore and 3 on a horizontal transect from the factory). The ranges of the hydrological and hydro-biological parameters were as follow: 16.3 to 3rc for temperature, 26.34 to 39.53%0 for salinity, 6.33 to 8.30 for pH, 81.85 to 110.7% for dissolved oxygen saturation, 0.02 to 25.36pgat.L-1 for nitrate, 0.01 to 54.65pgat.L-1 for phosphate and 0.01 to 2. 52mg.m-3 for chlorophyll-a respectively. Results show that nitrate values follow a decreasing gradient from the mouth of the river in winter and spring. Phosphate values decrease as one moves away from the discharge points of the plant. The buffering capacity of seawater did not prevent the increase in seawater acidity to abnormally high levels and the acid discharge from the factory to its immediate proximity has created a local ecologically deliterious factor that was marked out at primary production level represented by chlorophyll-a concentrations. The high levels of nutrients essential for phytoplankton development did not result in high chlorophyll-a concentrations. The reduction in chlorophyll-a concentrations was the consequence ofthe dystrophic condition caused by the unbalance in nutrients distribution and the destructive effect of acid discharges at primary production level. The hydrodynamic and geomorphologic position of any marine zone, the flow rate and concentrations of the different continental discharges will interfere in the level of its contamination.

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Levantine basin , North Lebanon , chemical contamination , river , chlrophyll , a , dystrophy

Lebanese Science Journal

27