Abstract
The Al-Salam Lagoon is one of the recreational sites along the Jeddah coast, showing the environmental impacts of urbanization along the coast. A sediment core (220 cm) was collected from the intertidal zone to evaluate the heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb) and geochemical indices (contamination factor, geo-accumulation index, and pollution load index). In the organ-ic-rich muddy sediments (0–100 cm), there is a high metals content and a pollution load index of ~3, indicting anthropogenic impacts with high Cu contamination (CF:12) and moderate Fe, Mn, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Pb contamination (CF: