The Synergetic Effectic of Inorganic Pollutants in relation to the Seasonal Variation and some Undesired Phytoplankton Abundance in Kuwait Bay

Five commercially important Kuwait Bay sites were chosen for the study of the effect of inorganic pollutants in seawater, particulate matter, sediment, undesired phytoplankton, shell and fin fish (shrimps and mullet respectively) and benthic organisms (annelids, molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms). Despite no major catastrophic effects (‘fish kill’ through harmful algal blooms-HABs-Arab times, 1999), though expected during the present study, relatively (a) high trace metal levels in all the samples, (b) high ammonium levels and (c) low nutrient levels in seawater were observed during the abundance of undesired phytoplankton than during its absence, confirming the stressed ecosystem of Kuwait Bay. Interestingly, either due to HABs or for enigmatic reasons, ‘mullet fish kill’ was observed to recur in Kuwait Bay ever since 1999, but with no sign of HABs enrichment in the Southern sites of Kuwait Bay (KFAS 95-05-06 and KFAS 2000-05-02).