Foraminiferal evidence of anthropogenic pollution along the Nile Delta coast

Twenty-four sediment samples were collected from six coastal areas along the Nile Delta coast, including Abu Qir Bay, Rosetta estuary, Abu Khashaba, El Burullus fishing port, El Gamil inlet and Damietta Harbor. Environmental parameters such as grain size, total organic matter, calcium carbonate and seven heavy metals concentration have been investigated. Seventy-two foraminiferal species were identified and counted. The study area has low foraminiferal density but diversified foraminiferal assemblages. Q-mode and R-mode cluster analyses have been applied to assess the relationship between foraminiferal assemblages and the measured environmental factors. Different diversity indices [e.g., species richness (S), Shannon index, Simpson index, Fisher alpha index, and Dominance] have been examined. The statistical results allowed the recognition of different species assemblages corresponding to different sub-environments, which reflected the prevalent ecological and pollution conditions. There are two main recognized clusters dividing the sampling stations into less polluted cluster (A) at El Burullus fishing port, El Gamil inlet and Abu Khashaba and highly polluted cluster (B) at Abu Qir Bay and Damietta Harbor. Ammonia tepida, Ammonia beccarii, Triloculina trigonula, Quinqueloculina lata, and Quinqueloculina spp. are recognized as pollution tolerant species, while Ammonia parkinsoniana, Porosononion spp., Buccella spp., Ammonia spp., and Ammonia sp1 are recognized as pollution-sensitive species. A high percentage of deformed specimens was recorded in the polluted areas especially in Damietta Harbor.