PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF WATER QUALITY IN THE COAST OF MUSCAT, OMAN

The Sea of Oman is the semi-enclosed basin that connects to Arabian Gulf in north by Strait of Hormuz and opens to Arabian Sea in the south. It is located in subtropical zone and experience arid climate. The average sea surface temperature in summer is 31.4 ºC and ranges from 22.6 to 23 ºC in winter [1]. The water circulation in the region is highly governed by the salinity gradient, stratification in water column, wind and tide effects and excess evaporation with limited precipitation. This research aims to measure and study the dynamic water quality parameter along the coast of Muscat, Oman. The coastline highly varies in its character with presence of habitation, ports, refinery, desalination plants and,existence of natural cliffs and harbors. The paper outlines the field measurements including temperature, salinity, dissolve oxygen, chlorophyll-a, and current data. Theassessed data helps to understand the physical oceanographic condition. The measurements are also aimed to be used in numerical modeling for assessment and combating marine pollutant effects in the studied area.