“
“In marine environments, biotic and abiotic environmental factors have important effects on phytoplankton succession and abundance. The

eastern Mediterranean Sea is one of the most oligotrophic marine areas in the world (Azov 1991). This pattern may have altered in the last few years, however, because of unfavourable hydrographic and hydrochemical changes, perhaps in response to human activities. In contrast to other areas in the Mediterranean, there has been little published data on the environmental variables and phytoplankton along the Egyptian Mediterranean coast. Moreover, such data as there are have been reported mainly from hot spots, which usually show higher concentrations of nutrient

salts reaching more than 50 μM dissolved inorganic nitrogen, 15 μM dissolved phosphate PD0332991 solubility dmso and 70 μM silicate, as well as the presence of harmful blooms of algae like Alexandrium minutum Halim, Prorocentrum triestinum J. Schiller and Skeletonema costatum (Grev.) Cleve as the predominant species ( Dorgham 1997, Mikhail 2001, El-Sherif & Mikhail BGB324 2003, Ismael & Dorgham 2003, Dorgham et al. 2004, Gharib & Dorgham 2006, Shams El Din & Abdel Halim 2008). Tourism has become one of the most important factors in the economies of many areas along the Egyptian coast; most of the associated amenities are located there. The success of the tourist industry in those areas is often associated with an intact natural environment, and so water quality is an important factor for tourists in their choice of destination and should not be underestimated. The coastal zone of Egypt, including several beaches, has been exposed to various environmental problems. Matrouh is one of the most beautiful cities in Egypt, with many beaches

where people can relax and enjoy themselves. Estimates of water quality based Thalidomide on physicochemical properties give us a clear picture. Reflecting the composite influence of different water quality parameters, the water quality index (WQI), is also useful for the classification of waters, and can give us an indication of the health of the water. Finally, the species composition of the phytoplankton community is an efficient bioindicator of water quality (Shashi Shekhar et al. 2008). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of water off the beaches of Matrouh by assessing its physicochemical status as well as the phytoplankton community structure, diversity and distribution. Matrouh is located on the north-western Mediterranean coast of Egypt, 290 km west of Alexandria. The beaches at Matrouh extend for a distance of seven km and, as all visitors have testified, are some of the most beautiful in the world. The sea water is a blue-green colour, with no visible algae formation, and very transparent.