Comparison of Arsenic Adsorption Efficiency between Macroalgae and Seagrass on the Shorelines of Jazan Province, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to measure consequences of the arsenic pollution released from a sewage treatment plant into the seawater in Jazan province in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. The impact of the release of arsenic on the ecosystem is the adsorption of arsenic by sea plants. To do so, samples were collected alongside a distance of seven kilometers from the treatment plant. The algae samples: Sargassum sp., Cladophora sp., and seagrasses: Halodule uninervis and Cymodocea rotunda were digested in nitric acid, and the assays of arsenic levels were taken by ICP-AES according to EPA methods. The results showed that algae are more efficient than seagrass with absorbing arsenic. Also, the treatment plant was not the only source of arsenic contamination, as ships and boats were adding more arsenic to the ecosystem.