Mohammed EL AMRAOUI^1,4,5*, Youssef SALAMA², Belkassem EL AMRAOUI^1,3, Nicol LAZRAK⁴ & Mohammed MOUNKAD^5
1Quality Control in Bio-industry and Bioactive Molecules Laboratory, Faculty of Science, University Chouaib Doukkali, BP 20, 24000 El Jadida, Morocco. ∗Auteur correspondant; elamraoui.mohammed@yahoo.fr (M. El Amraoui)
²Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Environment (BIOMARE), Faculty of Science, University Chouaib Doukkali, BP 20, 24000 El Jadida, Morocco.
³Department of Biology, Faculty polydisciplinary Taroudant, University Ibn Zuhr, BP 271, 83000 Taroudant, Morocco
⁴Laboratory Maghreb, 5 street Hussein 1, BP 2863, Rabat, Morocco.
5Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University Chouaib Doukkali, BP 20, 24000 El Jadida, Morocco.

EVALUATION OF THE PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND SOME TRACE ELEMENTS OF THE SURFACE WATERS OF THE MOROCCAN ATLANTIC ESTUARY: CASE OF THE ESTUARY OF THE RIVER BOUREGREG

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Concentrations of heavy metals in water and sediment samples of Bouregreg River in the capital city Rabat, Morocco, were studied to understand the level of heavy metals and their source apportionment. The results showed that the mean concentrations of heavy metals both in water and sediment samples were very high and, in most cases, exceeded the permissible limits recommended by the Morocco government and other international organizations. Significantly higher concentrations of Pb, Cr, Cd and Hg were found in sediment samples. However, above the maximum values registered for heavy metals Cr, Cd, Hg and Pb are respectively 32.12; 0.34; 14.12 and 12.21 mg / L. Moreover, downstream are respectively 82.14; 0.15; 16.91 and 18.17 mg/L. The results illustrated that the environment has been polluted by industrial and urban activities.