A STUDY ON NITROG EN FIXATION IN THE GULF OF SUEZ

Abstract

Nitrogen Is the main limiting nutrient for primary production in m rine environment, nitrogen fixation is very important procc$s for the living organisms and ecosystem, where nitrogrm input. into water can arise from the reduction of atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia which may then be incorporated into eel lular material Nitrogenase is the

enzyme system f>resent 1n certain types of phytoplankton and Bacteria whi•:h n sposible for biological nitrogen fixation process. The aim of the present work is evaluation of the contribution of the process to nitrogen budget in the Gulf of Suez, identify and count the organisms that fix nitrogen and the factors ;1ffectinq the process.

The maj<n points of present invistigation during

November 199t) l:o October 1991,are :-

1) To descril>n the rate of biological nitrogen fixation in

Suez bay t >y n 1 ue•- Green algae.

2) To determine the f pulation density of the nitrogen fixing organisms u1 Suez bay. tudy the relationship between nitrogen fixation rate and other factors controlling this process.

The resu.lts of this study can be summarized as follows:-

1) The water temperature of the area shows limited regional variations .It attains its maximum value of 27.75 C0 in summer and its minimum value of 17.5 c0 in winter.