ijhighschoolresearch.org RESEARCH ARTICLE
Physicochemical Analysis of Seawater on the East Coast of Doha Zakarya J. Aldeeb
Doha College, Al Niser St, Doha, Qatar, 7506, Qatar; zakaryajehadaldeeb@gmail.com
ABSTRACT: The quality of seawater is very important for the state of Qatar as it is a peninsula. This paper is focused on the analysis of several physicochemical parameters, such as pH, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Alkalinity (M), Total Hardness, Silica, Sulphate, Iron, Nitrate, Phosphate, and Temperature from different sampling sites along major coastal areas on the East Coast of Qatar—namely the Doha Corniche, Al Khor, and Mesaieed. The results revealed that Qatari coastal waters contained typical values of each physicochemical parameter analyzed and were clean and unaffected by the risks of polluted waters or large-scale algal blooming. Across all nine samples, the pH values of the different water samples ranged from 7.7-7.9. Across all nine samples, the conductivity ranged from 57,590 to 64,960 μS/cm. Across all nine samples, the TDS readings ranged from 41110 - 43380 ppm. Across all nine samples, the turbidity ranged from 1 to 2.65 NTU. Across all nine samples, the alkalinity ranged from 110 to 127 ppm as CaCO3. Across all nine samples, the hardness ranged from 6640 to 6515 ppm as CaCO3. Across all nine samples, the Silica levels ranged from 0.15 to 0.23 ppm as Si. Across all nine samples, the sulfate levels ranged from 2140 to 2145 ppm as SO4. Across all nine samples, the iron levels ranged from 0.03 to 0.1 ppm as Fe+3. Across all nine samples, the nitrate levels ranged from 3.2 to 6.6 ppm as NO3. Across all nine samples, the phosphate levels all read 0 ppm as PO4 (below the detection limit). Across all nine samples, the temperature levels ranged from 24 to 28.8°C. KEYWORDS: Chemistry; Geology; Seawater; Analysis; Physicochemical.
� Introduction
� Methods
There are three major coastal areas on the east coast of Qatar: Mesaieed, Al Khor, and the Doha Corniche; these areas are exposed directly to the Arabian Gulf. Three samples of seawater were collected from each site and analyzed for each parameter, after appropriate conservation of the samples, in a laboratory for the physicochemical parameters pH, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Alkalinity (M), Total Hardness, Silica, Sulphate, Iron, Nitrate, Phosphate, and Temperature. This study aimed to analyze some critical physicochemical characteristics of seawater in these natural bodies of water on the east coast of Qatar to determine whether they were clean and thriving. The State of Qatar has one of the highest per capita water consumption rates in the world,1 as well as being among the countries with the lowest levels of annual rainfall in the world,2 so the state is heavily reliant on seawater and desalination processes to meet this demand. As a result, seawater quality is essential to maintain a healthy living standard. This study analyses seawater from the mentioned major coastal areas and the levels of all the respective physicochemical characteristics tested, comparing them against the sea and natural bodies of water’s quality standards as well as comparison against neighboring countries along the Persian Gulf. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of open seawater on the east coast of Doha and identify any abnormalities that may pose a risk to the marine environment and the State. The individual, location-dependent results of the study are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3. The mean levels of all parameters across all sample collection areas are shown in Table 4. © 2024 Terra Science and Education
Samples of surface water were collected from seawater on the east coast of Qatar in the following sites: The Doha Corniche, Al Khor, and Mesaieed. These samples were then analyzed for specific physicochemical characteristics. Three samples were taken from every sample collection site, all collected in sterile, tightly closed glass bottles, leaving nine samples from all sites to be analyzed. Figures 1, 2, and 3 show a map of the sample collection areas. The following physicochemical properties were analyzed: pH, Conductivity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Turbidity, Alkalinity (M), Total Hardness, Silica, Sulphate, Iron, Nitrate, Phosphate, and Temperature. pH was measured through electrometric pH measurement to determine the activity of hydrogen ions by potentiometric measurement using a standard hydrogen electrode and a reference electrode (APHA 4500-H+ B).3 Conductivity was measured through a laboratory method involving conductivity instruments (APHA 2510 B).4 TDS was measured through potentiometric titration. Turbidity was measured through a nephelometric method based on comparing the intensity of light scattered by the sample under defined conditions with the intensity of light scattered by a standard reference suspension under the same conditions (APHA 2130 B).5 Alkalinity (M) was measured through a titration method (APHA 2320 B).6 Total Hardness was measured through an EDTA titrimetric method (APHA 2340 C).7 Silica was measured through a Molybdosilicate method where ammonium molybdate at pH 1.2 is reacted with silica to produce heteropoly acids (APHA 4500-Si D).8 Sulphate was measured through a Turbidimetric 51
DOI: 10.36838/v6i2.10