الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONيوجد فقط 14 صفحة متاحة للعرض العام
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المستخلص
The Gulf of Suez is a crucial shipping route and a hub for mining and
oil drilling operations, which makes its area particularly susceptible to the
accumulation of marine plastic waste. This study aimed to evaluate the
abundance and composition of microplastics (MPs) along the Gulf of Suez
shores, as well as assess the prevalence of heavy metal pollution in the
sediments. 268 MP particles were extracted from the sediments, with an
average of 204.3 ± 146.6 MPs/kg−1 dry weight. The Kruskal-Wallis test did
not show significant variations among stations. The recovered MPs were
mostly hard fragments and fibers, with the predominance of polyethylene
vinyl acetate (PEVA) and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), suggesting that
marine-based sources and associated industrial activities are the main
contributors to plastic pollution. Most of the sampled stations had a low
Pollution Index (PLI), indicating a low prevalence of MPs. However, the
heavy shipping activity in the region suggests that the offshore zone of the
Gulf of Suez may have higher levels of plastic pollution. Heavy metals were
measured concurrently with MPs, and the results revealed that the sediments
have low concentrations of heavy metals overall. However, specifically for
lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd), moderate to high levels of pollution were
observed, and the correlations between microplastics (MPs) and certain heavy
metals (e.g., Pb and Zn) in sediment samples, suggested a relationship.
However, no significant correlations were observed for other heavy metals.
The Kruskal-Wallis test showed significant differences in population medians
for specific heavy metals, indicating variations across different groups. Further
analysis is required to determine significant differences between specific
groups.