Kenneth Hamilton, Ph.D. (Florida) coauthored a paper entitled Spatial Distribution of Heavy Metals in Near-shore Marine Sediments of the Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Region: Enrichment and Associated Risk Indices that was published in the Journal of Marine Science and Engineering on page 614 in Volume 10 on April 30, 2022.

Dr. Riyadh Halawani was the lead author, and his coauthors were Kenneth Hamilton, Myra Wilson, Fahed Aloufi, Md Abu Taleb, Aaid Al-Zuberi, and Andrew Quicksall.     

Kenneth Hamilton started his career as a graduate research assistant in the Soil and Aqueous Chemistry Laboratory at Southern Methodist University. From 2012 to 2020, Kenneth worked on numerous projects involving soil and aqueous chemistry, including projects in cooperation with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to promote potable water quality improvements throughout the developing world. After completing his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Kenneth joined Geosyntec Consultants, Inc. In the six months since joining Geosyntec, he has participated in multiple projects ranging from feasibility studies to a county-wide analysis of street sweeping and pollution control device programs. He has performed a variety of work, including field investigations and sampling, creating GIS-based maps and models, data management, and technical report writing.

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies related to marine science and engineering. It publishes reviews, research papers, and communications. They aim to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible.

Abstract

Red Sea coastal development has rapidly accelerated in recent decades that has led to a rise in the anthropogenic heavy metal levels in sediments. A total of 80 surficial sediment samples were collected from the shallow waters along the eastern Red Sea coast near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. These samples were collected from three locations, designated as North, Middle and South of Jeddah, to assess the concentrations of six heavy metals: chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb). The results showed that the concentrations (mg/kg) of these metals in the studied sediments follow this order: Pb (77.34 ± 150.59) > Mn (36.52 ± 37.72) > Zn (18.02 ± 23.94) > Cr (9.56 ± 5.81) > Cu (9.18 ± 13.67) > Ni (3.68 ± 4.54). The majority of the polluted sediments were recorded in the Middle and South locations. Pollution and enrichment indices such as Geo-accumulation indices (Igeo), Enrichment Factors (Ef), Contamination Factors (Cf), Pollution Load Indices (PLI), Potential Ecological Risk Indices (PERI) and Potential Toxicity Response Indices (RI) were calculated from the measured metals to establish baselines for the region and assess specific metal enrichments by location along the Jeddah coastline. The Igeo values showed that 30% of the Southern location stations are considered moderately to highly polluted. The Ef for all the studied sediments followed this order: Pb (extremely severe enrichment) > Zn > Cu > Cd > Cr (severe enrichment) > Ni (moderate enrichment).

More Information

Learn more about the article: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/10/5/614/pdf.
Learn more about the: Journal of Marine Science and Engineering | An Open Access Journal from MDPI.
For consultation regarding spatial distribution of heavy metals in sediments, contact Kenneth Hamilton at Kenneth.Hamilton@Geosyntec.com.