Major Ions in the Damietta Branch of the River Nile, Egypt

Major cations and anions were investigated in the Damietta branch of the River Nile. The branch is divided into two different regions; the fresh Nile water (Region A) and the mostly marine environment (Region B). The latter region represents the Damietta estuary. The relative abundance of the major ions in the fresh water system was Na > Ca > Mg > K, HCO3 > Cl > SO4 > CO3, while in the mostly marine area it was Na > Mg > K > Ca, Cl > HCO3 > SO4 > CO3. Regional and monthly variations of the major ions were related to the duration of the Nile discharge and climatic conditions. The major ions -to- chloride ratios for Region A were higher than those in the adjacent Mediterranean waters, while those for the mostly marine region were slightly lower.