SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF SAPROPHYTIC AND WATER QUALITY BACTERIA ALONG THE COAST OF AQABA, SUEZ GULFS AND RED SEA-EGYPT

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY OF SAPROPHYTIC AND
WATER QUALITY BACTERIA ALONG THE COAST OF AQABA,
SUEZ GULFS AND RED SEA-EGYPT
MOHAMED A. EL-SHENAWY AND AIDA M. FARAG
National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, kayet Bay, Alexandria, Egypt.
Keywords: Red Sea, Aqaba Gulf, Suez Gulf, recreational waters, water quality, bacterial
indicators, saprophytic bacteria.
ABSTRACT
Spatial and temporal variability in the saprophytic (SB) and salt tolerant saprophytic
(STSB) bacterial counts as well as total coliforms (TC), E. coli (EC) and fecal streptococci
(FS) were investigated in the Egyptian surface coastal waters of Aqaba and Suez Gulfs as
well as Red Sea. A total of 200 samples collected from 40 sites during January, March,
May, July and September 2002 were investigated. Hydrographical parameters including
water temperature (
oC), salinity (S%o
), dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were also measured.
According to the European and Egyptian current standards, out of 200 samples analyzed
during 2002, 183 samples (91.5%) were accepted for marine recreational purposes. The
obtained results indicated that water quality of the investigated coastal areas was generally
affected by sewage disposal and (or) other anthropic influences. However in bathing and
recreational areas, the water quality was mainly affected by the excessive human presence
i.e. tourists-visitors and their recreational activities. In general, the final counts of all the
investigated bacterial groups were found to be in good correlation with each other.