Seasonal assessment of metal trace element contamination by PCA in Seybouse wadi (Algeria)

The seasonal assessment of trace metallic elements in Seybouse wadi waters and sediments is performed by principal component analysis (PCA). This wadi is the second of Algeria considering its length and vast basin, and opens into the coastline of Annaba in the Mediterranean Sea. Monitoring mineral micropollutants showed that waters are primarily contaminated by aluminum Al, selenium Se, zinc Zn, copper Cu, chromium Cr, lead Pb, cadmium Cd and arsenic As, whereas sediments are essentially soiled by arsenic As, chromium Cr and nickel Ni. PCA shows a clear relation between the season and the type of metallic contamination, and it also helps in understanding its origins.