Season Distributionof Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus in The Rosetta Estuary of The Nile and TheAdjacent Mediterranean Waters By

Season Distributionof Total Nitrogen and Total
Phosphorus in The Rosetta Estuary of The Nile
and TheAdjacent Mediterranean Waters
By
Massoud A.H. Saad1
, Th.H. Mahmoud1
and E.M. Hassan1
Abstract
‘Ifu ~ettil estaury of tfu 9{j£e, a coastal plain. type estuary, is isofatui from tfu ~ettil5randi 6y ‘Etijina ‘Bam18e wfUdl coturols tfu 9{j£e water tiiscfr.mae into tfu sea. ‘Ifu ma;dmum tiisclioTae ~uTS in Janyary
atuf tfu minimum tiuring ~pri1.9{pvt.m6tr.’Ifu total nitrogen fI!J{) atuf total pliospliorus fI’PJ in tM estuary
atuf atijacmt sea water wen stutiitti tiuring 1987·88 to investitJate tfu ifftet of tM estuarine water on tM
veric.a!,regUma[ atuf seasono; tiistrlDution of total nitrogenous an4pliospfwrus compounds in tfu coastal n-
!Jion.
‘Ifu veritcal concentrations of~tntraf£y sliowtti irrttJUfar variations. ‘Ifu fDwer valuu qf’I!J{in tfu
eupfwtic zone are mainly tiut to tfu increasee in pnytopfanhon uptilXJ. ‘Ifu minimum seasonal afJtrf1lJesof
‘I!J{ in tfu estuarine an4 coastal waters were o6taind in SIU1UfU.Ti mainly tiut to tfu remar~k increase in
statufintJ crop of autotropliic organisms. ‘Ifu annual concentration of’I!J{cafcufattti for tfu estuary was notiua6ly liigfler tfum mat of tfu coastal region. ’11iiscoincilkti ‘Ulim tfu tiit-tet ifftet of fanti·6astti sources of
nitrogen on tfu estuary atuf titposition of organic nitrogenous compounds on tfu marine sufunents.
‘Ifu irregufar vtrica£ tiistrlDution of pp rtfo.cts its increase or deaeas« in tfu water column. ‘Ifu ppfluc·
tuatio« in tfu surface water coincititti witn variation in tfu uPtaKl of reactive pliospfwrus. ‘lTulse in tfu 6ot·
tom water, fwwever, art refatui to variations in tfu adsorption. anti tksorption processes in a6untfanu of suspentitti matter. ‘Ifu nignest seasonal averages qf pp in tM estuarine anti coastal waters in ~pri1 are
attrlDutui main£y to tfu increase in tfu unreactive pliospfwrus from tleccnnposition of OTJIanicmalter acuumu·
fattti in sprint!. ‘Ifu annaual mean valut of PP of tM estuary was markp{[y IiitJfur tfum tnat of tM coastal
region. lJ1iisrefleas tfu tiit-ut inf{utnce of fanti·6aseti sources of phosphorus on tfu estuary anti tfu ifftet of
increastti salinity on tfu coastal sea water.
I