Title: Assessing the combinatorial toxicology of the anthropogenic challenges associated with the marine environment in the proximity of Jeddah city in the Red Sea.

Principal Supervisor: Dr Peter Kille – School of Biosciences, Cardiff University.

Student: Yaser Sahl

Funder: Saudi-Arabian Government/Saudi Geological Survey

Background: Acute pollution events or chronic contamination rarely occur as isolated patches of single chemicals but rather are observed as diffuse mixtures. This is a simple consequence modern industry and extended high populated combinations, where which result in the release of a spectrum of compounds. The mixing of pollutants for example: hydrocarbons and heavy metals can interaction in a synergistic or antagonistic way resulting in an enhanced or reduced toxicological impact than would be expected from their individual toxicity. The potential effects on the ecosystem compounds such as: plants, wildlife or human exposed to mixtures can therefore be very hard to predict. It is therefore important to perform comprehensive holistic environmental chemistry linked to evaluating resulting chemical levels in appropriate receptor organism. These measurements will provide the first insight as to the challenges to the ecosystem stemming from human activity.