Dynamic hydrographic variations in northwestern Arabian Gulf over the past three decades: Temporal shifts and trends derived from long-term monitoring data

Al-Yamani, Faiza; Yamamoto, Takahiro; Al-Said, Turki; Al-Ghunaim, Aws

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.06.056

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…These changes in long-term salinity have the potential to impact significantly on the phytoplankton community with a corresponding impact on the food web functioning and fish populations in the Gulf (Polikarpov et al, 2008;Al-Said et al, 2017). Changes in reduced productivity (Ben-Hasan et al, 2018) and decreases in fish catch landings in Kuwait (Bishop et al, 2011) have been partly attributed to increases in long-term salinity changes (Al-Said et al, 2017;Al-Yamani et al, 2017;Alosairi and Pokavanich, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the face of population growth, inadequate sewage infrastructure, and increasing environmental degradation, increasing impacts are being observed across Kuwait's marine systems (Al-Ghadban et al, 2001;Sheppard et al, 2012;Burt, 2013;Al-Sarawi et al, 2015Devlin et al, 2015b;Sheppard, 2016). Long-term changes in water quality in Kuwait have been associated with coastal sewage discharges (Devlin et al, 2015a) and modifications to the Shatt Al-Arab river flow (Al-Said et al, 2017;Al-Yamani et al, 2017;Alosairi and Pokavanich, 2017) but limited analysis exists on the impacts on the coastal phytoplankton from cumulative stressors of coastal pollution, salinity changes and a changing climate. We review the historical trends in environmental variables, including dissolved nutrient concentrations, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and chlorophyll from 1983 to 2016 to assess the scale of change, the persistence of eutrophic conditions within Kuwait Bay and the Gulf and how the local and regional drivers influence the phytoplankton community.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonal and Temporal Drivers Influencing Phytoplankton Community in Kuwait Marine Waters: Documenting a Changing Landscape in the Gulf

et al. 2019

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This assessment of environmental drivers and phytoplankton community in Kuwait (Arabian Gulf) describes changes in environmental conditions linked to the rapid urbanization over recent decades. To describe these changes, we have analyzed a longterm water quality dataset (1984-2017) and explored potential changes in a subset of phytoplankton community data by analyzing 10 years of phytoplankton data available (2007-2016) for Kuwait Bay and the Northern Gulf waters. The longer-term water quality data show that dissolved nutrient concentrations, with the exception of a recent fall in SiO 4 , have been increasing over 30 years, but with a high degree of variability reflecting the changing rate of inputs from river outflows and point sewage sources. The correlative analysis between the environmental parameters and phytoplankton in the period from 2007 to 2016 shows that the seasonal variability of the phytoplankton are influenced by several co-stressors including higher temperatures, coastal sewage runoff and changing salinity. While the extended nutrient enrichment has changed the trophic state of Kuwait waters, the seasonal and temporal correlations highlight that recent changes in phytoplankton community seem to be responding to cumulative pressures of eutrophication, climate, and salinity changes. The seasonal and temporal changes in the coastal phytoplankton community, responding to co-stressors, present challenges for managers to consider the simultaneous management of local, regional and external pressures. Continued declines in water quality within a system that is influenced by a warming climate can potentially have long-term consequences on the resilience of the Northern Gulf environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and Temporal Drivers Influencing Phytoplankton Community in Kuwait Marine Waters: Documenting a Changing Landscape in the Gulf

et al. 2019

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“…Historically, shiery was restricted to Kuwait's southern waters (Al‐Yamani, Bishop, Ramadhan, Al‐Husaini, & Al‐Ghadban, ). Since the decreased discharge of the Shatt Al‐Arab, due to multiple dams on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Turkey, the salinity of the northern Gulf has increased (Al‐Said et al, ; Al‐Yamani, Yamamoto, Al‐Said, & Alghunaim, ). Shiery has expanded its range northward into Kuwait Bay (Al‐Husaini, Bishop, Al‐Foudari, & Al‐Baz, ), and landings have increased considerably.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gargoortrap fishery in Kuwait, catch rate and species composition

et al. 2018

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Summary Kuwait's fisheries include shrimp trawlers, gill nets, intertidal stake nets, and demersal fish traps, known locally as gargoor. The gargoor fishery used to be the nation's most important in terms of value and landings volume, but declines in catch rates have reduced its ranking. This paper describes the status of the gargoor artisanal fishery. The main landings place was sampled for catch and effort, and fish length‐frequency data from May 2003 to December 2005. The catch rate, monthly average number of boats operating, and the number of gargoor cleared were estimated for dhow boats fishing in Kuwait's waters and international waters, and speed boats operating in Kuwait waters only. Over the duration of the study period, the speedboat catch rates were higher than those of dhow boats, i.e., 3.7 kg/trap‐pull vs. 2.6 and 2.5 kg/trap‐pull for dhows fishing in Kuwait's territorial waters and international waters, respectively. The grouper, Epinephelus coicodes, was the main species captured, contributing 19.3% and 17.8% to the dhow catch in Kuwait waters and international waters, respectively. The catch rates by dhow boats declined from an average of 4.7 kg/trap‐pull in 2003 to 2.7 kg/trap‐pull in 2005 representing a 41% decrease. If this decreasing catch rate trend continues, then fishing effort should be reduced to allow stock recovery. It is recommended that the number of gargoor fished in Kuwaiti waters should be limited and that several no‐fishing zones be established to ensure the minimum spawning stock biomass and preserve biodiversity for all fisheries.

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“…Freshwater mainly enters the Gulf in the Northern most section, via the Shatt Al-Arab, which is formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers. Due to upstream dam construction and water extraction for agriculture the volume of freshwater flowing down the Shatt Al-Arab has drastically reduced in recent years (Al-Yamani et al, 2017). This coupled with high evaporation rates and poor flushing via the Strait of Hormuz, results in mean salinities exceeding 40 psu across many parts of the Gulf with shallow embayment's, such as the Gulf of Salwah, between Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia reaching as high as 70 psu (Sheppard et al, 2010;Al-Said et al, 2017;Al-Yamani et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to upstream dam construction and water extraction for agriculture the volume of freshwater flowing down the Shatt Al-Arab has drastically reduced in recent years (Al-Yamani et al, 2017). This coupled with high evaporation rates and poor flushing via the Strait of Hormuz, results in mean salinities exceeding 40 psu across many parts of the Gulf with shallow embayment's, such as the Gulf of Salwah, between Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia reaching as high as 70 psu (Sheppard et al, 2010;Al-Said et al, 2017;Al-Yamani et al, 2017). Yet despite these harsh conditions the Gulf contains regionally important sea grass habitats, coral reefs and mangroves (Sheppard et al, 2010;Erftemeijer and Shuail, 2012;Burt et al, 2014), which are home to species of global conservation significance, including elasmobranchs, hawksbill turtles and dugongs (Moore et al, 2013;Pilcher et al, 2014;Marshall et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biological effects of chemical contaminants in the Arabian/Persian Gulf: A review

Khatir

Leitão

Lyons

2020

Regional Studies in Marine Science

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The Arabian Gulf is a shallow sea naturally exposed to extreme conditions of temperature and salinity due to its location, semi-enclosed nature, bathymetry and restricted circulation. Compared to open marine systems, the added stress imposed by pollutants is likely to have additional adverse consequences. Maintaining good marine environmental quality is crucial for several socioeconomic reasons, one of the most important being that the region relies heavily on seawater as a source of freshwater through desalination. While regionally based marine monitoring programs employing chemical endpoints have been widely deployed, few have evaluated the potential biological effects of those contaminants detected. However, it is now widely recognized that an integrated approach using both chemical measurements and appropriate biological endpoints in key sentinel species is essential to the design and implementation of marine environmental programs. Here we present an exhaustive review of the studies published so far in the Gulf on the biological effects of chemical contaminants using different biological endpoints and suggest potential areas requiring additional research.

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Dynamic hydrographic variations in northwestern Arabian Gulf over the past three decades: Temporal shifts and trends derived from long-term monitoring data

Cited by 35 publications

References 42 publications

Seasonal and Temporal Drivers Influencing Phytoplankton Community in Kuwait Marine Waters: Documenting a Changing Landscape in the Gulf

Seasonal and Temporal Drivers Influencing Phytoplankton Community in Kuwait Marine Waters: Documenting a Changing Landscape in the Gulf

Gargoortrap fishery in Kuwait, catch rate and species composition

The biological effects of chemical contaminants in the Arabian/Persian Gulf: A review

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