RESUMO
This work aims at studying zooplankton biomass in the oligotrophic water of the most northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. Zooplankton were sampled twice at two different days during September 2003 from three sites at 25 and 50m depths. Stations were selected near areas with high human activities at the northern coast of Aqaba. Slight differences between 25m and 50m water depth were found at the different selected sites. A notable increase was observed in surface zooplankton biomass inside the yachting club pool compared to the other locations which attributed to human activities at this station. However, the results indicated that the distribution of zooplankton biomass at the most northern tip of the Jordanian sector of the Gulf of Aqaba was fairly homogeneous. Fractions of the zooplankton biomass of the studied areas were distributed ascendingly with an increase in the fraction size of the following order 100-200, 200-500, 500-1000 and >1000 microm. It is concluded that, anthropogenic activities at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba, which results in higher nutrient levels, may subsequently increase the biomass of zooplankton in the sea water