Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The Growing Need for Sustainable Ecological Management of Marine Communities of the Persian Gulf

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
AMBIO Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Persian Gulf is a semi-enclosed marine system surrounded by eight countries, many of which are experiencing substantial development. It is also a major center for the oil industry. The increasing array of anthropogenic disturbances may have substantial negative impacts on marine ecosystems, but this has received little attention until recently. We review the available literature on the Gulf’s marine environment and detail our recent experience in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) to evaluate the role of anthropogenic disturbance in this marine ecosystem. Extensive coastal development may now be the single most important anthropogenic stressor. We offer suggestions for how to build awareness of environmental risks of current practices, enhance regional capacity for coastal management, and build cooperative management of this important, shared marine system. An excellent opportunity exists for one or more of the bordering countries to initiate a bold and effective, long-term, international collaboration in environmental management for the Gulf.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdul-Azis, P.K., I.A. Al-Tisan, M.A. Daili, T.N. Green, A.G.I. Dalvi, and M.A. Javeed. 2003. Chlorophyll and plankton of the Gulf coastal waters of Saudi Arabia bordering a desalination plant. Desalination 154: 291–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Muzaini, S., and P.G. Jacob. 1996. Marine plants of the Arabian Gulf. Environment International 22: 369–376.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Rashed, M.F., and M.M. Sherif. 2000. Water resources in the GCC countries: An overview. Water Resources Management 14: 59–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Saleh, E., H. Drobiovaa, and C. Obuekwea. 2009. Predominant culturable crude oil-degrading bacteria in the coast of Kuwait. International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation 63: 400–406.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Al-Zaidan, A.S.Y., D.A. Jones, S.Y. Al-Mohanna, and R. Meakins. 2003. Endemic macrofauna of the Sulaibikhat Bay salt marsh and mudflat habitats, Kuwait: Status and need for conservation. Journal of Arid Environments 54: 115–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauman, A.G., J.A. Burt, D.A. Feary, E. Marquis, and P. Usseglio. 2010. Tropical harmful algal blooms: An emerging threat to coral reef communities? Marine Pollution Bulletin. doi:10.106/j.marpolbul.2010.08.015 .

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, P.G., and D. Dyrssen. 1985. Chemical oceanography of the Persian Gulf. Progress in Oceanography 14: 41–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, G. 2006. The sabkha vegetation of the United Arab Emirates. In Sabkha ecosystems, Volume II: West and central Asia, eds. M.A. Khan, B. Böer, G.H. Kust, and H.J. Barth, 37–51. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, J., A. Bartholomew, and P. Usseglio. 2008. Recovery of corals a decade after a bleaching event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Marine Biology 154: 27–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, J., A. Bartholomew, A. Bauman, A. Saif, and P.F. Sale. 2009a. Coral recruitment and early benthic community development on several materials used in the construction of artificial reefs and breakwaters. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 373: 72–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, J., A. Bartholomew, P. Usseglio, A. Bauman, and P.F. Sale. 2009b. Are artificial reefs surrogates of natural habitats for corals and fish in Dubai, United Arab Emirates? Coral Reefs 28: 663–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burt, J.A., D. Feary, P. Usseglio, A. Bauman, and P.F. Sale. 2010. The influence of wave exposure on coral community development on man-made breakwater reefs, with a comparison to a natural reef. Bulletin of Marine Science 28(4). doi:10.5343/bms.2009.1013.

  • Carpenter, K.E., F. Krupp, D.A. Jones, and U. Zajonz. 1997. FAO species identification field guide for fishery purposes: The living marine resources of Kuwait, Eastern Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavalcante, G.H., B. Kjerfve, D.A. Feary, A.G. Bauman and P. Usseglio. In press. Currents, water budget and turn-over time within a coastal mega-structure: Palm Jumeirah, Southern Arabian Gulf. Journal of Coastal Research.

  • Chao, S.-Y., T.W. Kao, and K.R. AI-Hajri. 1992. A numerical investigation of circulation in the Arabian Gulf. Journal of Geophysical Research 7: 11219–11236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coles, S. 2003. Coral species diversity and environmental factors in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman: A comparison to the Indo-Pacific region. Atoll Research Bulletin 507: 1–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coles, S.L., and J.C. McCain. 1990. Environmental factors affecting benthic infaunal communities of the western Arabian Gulf. Marine Environmental Research 29: 289–315.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Coles, S., and A. Tarr. 1990. Reef fish assemblages in the western Arabian Gulf: A geographically isolated population in an extreme environment. Bulletin of Marine Science 47: 696–720.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coles, S.L., and Y.H. Fadlallah. 1991. Reef coral survival and mortality at low-temperatures in the Arabian Gulf—new species-specific lower temperature limits. Coral Reefs 9: 231–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dupavillon, J.L., and B.M. Gillanders. 2009. Impacts of seawater desalination on the giant Australian cuttlefish Sepia apama in the upper Spencer Gulf, South Australia. Marine Environmental Research 67: 207–218.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, A.J., and E.D. Gomez. 2007. Reef restoration concepts and guidelines: Making sensible management choices in the face of uncertainty. Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management Program, St Lucia, Australia. Available for download at www.gefcoral.org.

  • Fowler, S.W., J.W. Readman, B. Oregioni, J.-P. Villeneuve, and K. McKay. 1993. Petroleum hydrocarbons and trace metals in nearshore gulf sediments and biota before and after the 1991 war: An assessment of temporal and spatial trends. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27: 171–182.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gawad, E.A.A., M. Al Azab, and M.M. Lotfy. 2008. Assessment of organic pollutants in coastal sediments, UAE. Environmental Geology 54: 1091–1102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, D. and D. John. 2000. The status of coral reefs and associated macroalgae in Abu Dhabi (UAE) after recent coral bleaching events. In: Proceedings of the international symposium on the extent and impact of coral bleaching in the Arabian Region, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  • Gevao, B., M.U. Beg, A. Al-Omair, M. Helaleh, and J. Zafar. 2006. Spatial distribution of polychlorinated biphenyls in coastal marine sediments receiving industrial effluents in Kuwait. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 50: 166–174.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glibert, P.M., J.H. Landsberg, J.J. Evans, M.A. Al-Sarawi, M. Faraj, M.A. Al-Jarallah, A. Haywood, S. Ibrahem, et al. 2002. A fish kill of massive proportion in Kuwait Bay, Arabian Gulf, 2001: The roles of bacterial disease, harmful algae, and eutrophication. Harmful Algae 1: 215–231.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grandcourt, E. In press. Reef fish and fisheries. In Coral reefs of the gulfArabian and Iranian Waters, ed. B. Riegl and S. Purkis. New York: Springer.

  • Grandcourt, E.M., T.Z. Al Abdessalaam, F. Francis, and A.T. Al Shamsi. 2004. Population biology and assessment of representatives of the family Carangidae—Carangoides bajad and Gnathanodon speciosus (Forsskal, 1775), in the Southern Arabian Gulf. Fisheries Research 69: 331–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grandcourt, E.M., T.Z. Al Abdessalaam, F. Francis, A.T. Al Shamsi, and S.A. Hartmann. 2009. Reproductive biology and implications for management of the orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides in the southern Arabian Gulf. Journal of Fish Biology 74: 820–841.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haapkylai, J., F. Ramade, and B. Salvat. 2007. Oil pollution on coral reefs: a review of the state of knowledge and management needs. Vie Milieu 57: 95–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamza, W. 2006. Observations on transported exotic plankton species to UAE coastal waters by Gas tankers ballast water. In Living marine resources and coastal habitats. EUROCOAST-LITTORAL, ed. A. Tubielewicz, 47–53. Poland: Gdansk University of Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamza, W., and M. Munawar. 2009. Protecting and managing the Arabian Gulf: Past, present and future. Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management 12: 429–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heil, C.A., P.M. Glibert, M.A. Al-Sarawi, M. Faraj, M. Behbehani, and M. Husain. 2001. First record of a fish-killing Gymnodinium sp bloom in Kuwait Bay, Arabian Sea: Chronology and potential causes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 214: 15–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heisler, J., P.M. Glibert, J.M. Burkholder, D.M. Anderson, W. Cochlan, W.C. Dennison, Q. Dortch, C.J. Gobler, et al. 2008. Eutrophication and harmful algal blooms: A scientific consensus. Harmful Algae 8: 3–13.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoepner, T., and S. Lattemann. 2002. Chemical impacts from seawater desalination plants—a case study of the northern Red Sea. Desalination 152: 133–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC. 2007. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M. Tignor and H.L. Miller, eds.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

  • John, D., and D. George. 2006. The shore and shallow seas. In The emirates: A natural history, ed. T.Z. Al Abdessalaam, 123–131. Abu Dhabi: Trident Press.

  • Kämpf, J., and M. Sadrinasab. 2006. The circulation of the Persian Gulf: A numerical study. Ocean Science 2: 27–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kardovani, P. 1995. Iranian marine ecosystem (The Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea), vol. 1, 2. Tehran, Iran: Ghomes.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, N.Y. 2007. Multiple stressors and ecosystem-based management in the Gulf. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 10: 259–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan, N.Y., M. Munawar, and A.R.G. Price (eds.). 2002. The gulf ecosystem: Health and sustainability. Leiden: Backhuys Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lattemann, S., and T. Höpner. 2008. Environmental impact and impact assessment of seawater desalination. Desalination 220: 1–15.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindeman, K.C., and D.B. Snyder. 1999. Nearshore hardbottom fishes of southeast Florida and effects of habitat burial caused by dredging. Fishery Bulletin 97: 508–525.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madany, I.M., A. Jaffar, and E.S. AI-Shirbini. 1998. Variations in the concentrations of aromatic petroleum hydrocarbons in Bahraini coastal waters during the period October 1993 to December 1995. Environment International 24: 61–66.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H., H. Penrose, C. Eros and J. Hugues. 2002. Dugong status report and action plans for countries and territories, 1–161. UNEP Early Warning and Assessment Report UNEP/DEWA/RS.02-1.

  • Nairn, R., J.A. Johnson, D. Hardin, and J. Michel. 2004. A biological and physical monitoring program to evaluate long-term impacts from sand dredging operations in the United States Outer Continental Shelf. Journal of Coastal Research 20: 126–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C.H., and M.J. Bishop. 2005. Assessing the environmental impacts of beach nourishment. BioScience 55: 887–896.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, M.S., and M.R. Lowe. 2009. Implications of cumulative impacts to estuarine and marine habitat quality for fish and invertebrate resources. Reviews in Fisheries Science 17: 505–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, A.R.G. 1998. Impact of the 1991 Gulf war on the coastal environment and ecosystems: Current status and future prospects. Environment International 24: 91–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Price, A.R.G., and S.L. Coles. 1992. Aspects of seagrass ecology along the Western Arabian Gulf. Hydrobiologia 234: 129–141.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Price, A.R.G., C.R.C. Sheppard, and C.M. Roberts. 1993. The Gulf: Its biological setting. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27: 9–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Purnama, A., H.H. Al-Barwani, and R. Smith. 2005. Calculating the environmental cost of seawater desalination in the Arabian marginal seas. Desalination 185: 79–86.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Randall, J. 1995. Coastal fishes of Oman, 439. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, M.R. 1993. Physical oceanography of the Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, and Gulf of Oman—results from the Mt. Mitchell expedition. Marine Pollution Bulletin 27: 35–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richlen, M.L., S.L. Morton, E.A. Jamali, A. Rajan, and D.M. Anderson. 2010. The catastrophic 2008–2009 red tide in the Arabian Gulf region, with observations on the identification and phylogeny of the fish-killing dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides. Harmful Algae 9: 163–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riegl, B. 1999. Corals in a non-reef setting in the southern Arabian Gulf (Dubai, UAE): Fauna and community structure in response to recurring mass mortality. Coral Reefs 18: 63–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riegl, B. 2002. Effects of the 1996 and 1998 positive sea-surface temperature anomalies on corals, coral diseases and fish in the Arabian Gulf (Dubai, UAE). Marine Biology 140: 29–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, C.R.C. 1987. Coral species of the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas: A synonymized compilation and some regional distribution patterns. Atoll Research Bulletin 307: 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, C., and A. Sheppard. 1991. Corals and coral communities of Arabia. Fauna of Saudi Arabia 12: 3–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, C., and R. Loughland. 2002. Coral mortality and recovery in response to increasing temperature in the southern Arabian Gulf. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 5: 395–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, C., A. Price, and C. Roberts. 1992. Marine ecology of the Arabian region: Patterns and processes in extreme tropical environments. London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheppard, C., M. Al-Husiani, F. Al-Jamali, F. Al-Yamani, R. Baldwin, J. Bishop, F. Benzoni, E. Dutrieux, et al. 2010. The Gulf: A young sea in decline. Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 13–38.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Spalding, M., M. Kainuma, and L. Collins. 2010. World Atlas of Mangroves. A collaborative project of ITTO, ISME, FAO, UNESCO-MAB, UNEP-WCMC, UNU-INWEH and TNC, 319. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP). 2001. Overview of the socioeconomic aspects related to the management of municipal wastewater in West Asia (including all countries bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden). UNEP/ROWA-GPA SEWAGE.RW.1/5.

  • Wehe, T., and D. Fiege. 2002. Annotated checklist of the polychaete species of the seas surrounding the Arabian Peninsula: Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Gulf. Fauna of Arabia 19: 7–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, L.J. 2007. MPA global: A database of the world’s marine protected areas. Sea Around Us Project, UNEP-WCMC & WWF. www.mpaglobal.org.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter F. Sale.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sale, P.F., Feary, D.A., Burt, J.A. et al. The Growing Need for Sustainable Ecological Management of Marine Communities of the Persian Gulf. AMBIO 40, 4–17 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-010-0092-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-010-0092-6

Keywords

Navigation