Trace metal analyses were made on 96 subsamples representing the water (liquid) and particulate (solid) forms of 48 seawater samples collected in June 1995 and January 1996 from Sulaibikhat Bay. The mean concentrations of the dissolved species were as follows: copper (Cu) 4.23, iron (Fe) 100.0, zinc (Zn) 36.11, nickel (Ni) 0.8, lead (Pb) 2.02, vanadium (V) 14.5, chromium (Cr) 1.16 and manganese (Mn) 2.6 μg1-1. Mean concentrations of Cu, Fe, Zn, Ni, Pb, V, Cr and Mn in the particulate matter were 90.5, 28,000, 351.4, 37.3, 70.4, 98.5, 152.3 and 54.8 μgg-1, respectively. Seasonal variations were recorded in all subsamples analyzed with most of the trace metals exhibiting much higher concentrations in early summer. Results were also compared with earlier studies carried out on the trace metal content of fresh and coastal waters in the region, including the study area. The surface waters of the Bay, which were unpolluted 16 years ago, are currently enriched with Zn and V. The marked differences between the trace metal partioning in the fresh water of Shatt Al-Arab River and the marine water of Sulaibikhat Bay were ascribed to the strong widespread aeolian signal in the northern Arabian Gulf and the remobilization of several trace metals under anoxic conditions from bottom sediments throughout Kuwait Bay.
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