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vol-35Assessment of water quality in the Red Sea using in situ measurements
and remote sensing data
M. Sh. Guerguess, Mohamed A. Shreadah, Mamdouh A. Fahmy, E. Aboel-khair,
Ahmed M. Abdel-halim
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, El-Anfoushy, Alexandria, Egypt
E-mail: [email protected]
Received 7th October 2009, Accepted 8th November 2009
Abstract
The coastal areas of the north Red Sea are characterized by a wealth of natural heritage and resources that presents
attractive elements for tourist in Egypt. At present, the areas are witnessed extensive and diverse activities such as;
tourism, industries, harbors and fisheries. These anthropogenic activities may significantly impact the water sea quality.
In this study a monitoring program and estimation of the water quality parameters particularly: Chlorophyll a
concentration (Chl-a), Total Suspended Matter (TSM) and Sea Surface Temperature (SST), in the surface water of the
northern Red Sea were made during the period between 1998 and 2008. We employ this by using the modern
applications of remote sensing observations on calculation and retrieval of these water quality parameters. Fifty six field
trips were performed during 1998-2008. Thirty nine stations were selected to represent the different conditions of the
study areas Suez Gulf, Aqaba Gulf and the Egyptian Red Sea side. Accidently, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectrometer (MODIS) satellite covers the study area in July 2006. The present work is a comparison between the data
obtained by MODIS with their counterpart taken directly in the field. The results from both sources agreed that the levels
concentrations of chlorophyll-a and total suspended matters in the coastal waters of Suez Gulf are higher at the sites
on the sample stations around the urban areas of Suez City relative to those in the rest of studied areas, Red Sea proper
and Aqaba Gulf.
Keywords: Red Sea -Chlorophyll-a -Water quality – hydrographic parameters – MODIS satellite
