Hydrocarbon pollution of the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco

Abstract Organic geochemical study of hydrocarbon pollution of the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco (Tangier-Nador) was performed during March–April 2002. It corresponds to a preliminary work representing an initial assessment of oil contamination of Moroccan coast. Three coastal sites corresponding to Tangier, Tetouan and Nador, representing the main built-up area of this marine region, were selected for superficial sediments, water and organism sampling. Results showed high contamination levels in these three selected sites, known as the most exposed areas to urban and industrial discharges. The maximal contamination corresponding to the sum of non-aromatic (NAH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) encountered in sediment samples was about 553 μg/g (dw). Nevertheless, even a small city agglomeration without any industrial activity showed high values reaching 370 μg/g (dw), which confirm the important hydrocarbons input coming from discharges of fishing ships and oil transporting tankers. The obtained results from this survey reflecting in part the important amounts drained via effluents toward the Moroccan Mediterranean coasts, presented to the concerned authorities drove to the realization of the project of treatment of the wastewater. They later expect to lower rates by 50%, which is still insufficient for a fragile ecosystem such as the Mediterranean and sensitive to anthropogenic effects.