Food Richness Assessment using the Nutritional Status Index (TSI) in Wadi Al-Hamas in Northeast Libya

Abstract

Wetlands are important features of landscapes that provide many beneficial services to people and ecosystems. This research aims to study the most important indicators of water pollution that cause nutritional enrichment using the nutritional status index (TSI) in wetland ecosystems (Wadi Al-Hamsa in eastern Libya), which depends on the evaluation of the variables: chlorophyll a (Chl-a), total phosphorus (TP), and depth transparency (SD).  Some other physical and chemical variables were also measured. The results showed that the water temperature ranged between 19 - 32.4 ^oC, while the average was 24.0 ^oC. The salinity was between 21333 and 32067 ppm. While the value of dissolved oxygen ranged between (10 - 5.31) mg/l, while the results of the study showed that the turbidity ranged between (0.6-6.26) Ntu, with a general average of (3.1) Ntu. While the water transparency was very low as evidenced by the readings of the Secchi disk with a general average of 186 cm. The general average concentration of total phosphorus was 0.48 mg/l. As for the concentration of chlorophyll a, the average was 5.09 µg/L. The valley stream is eutrophic, in addition to the presence of floating green algae, according to the classification of the TSI index (66.6).