Residence and transport time scales associated with Shatt Al-Arab discharges under various hydrological conditions estimated using a numerical model

Alosairi, Y.; Pokavanich, Tanuspong

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.02.039

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…All water quality parameters, with exception of SiO 4 , have been reducing over the recent years, indicating that the remediation of the more chronic sewage issues in the Gulf in 2012 through improvements in sewage infrastructure (Saeed et al, 2012a(Saeed et al, , 2015 have had positive effects, including reduction in NH 4 + , reductions in TSS, DIP and a slight increase in DO concentrations. The change in water quality parameters for the Bay and the Gulf are similar for the nutrients but show small differences in TSS and Chl-a, likely related to the reduced river flow from the Shatt Al-Arab river, driving longer retention times within Kuwait Bay (Alosairi and Pokavanich, 2017), increasing turbidity and reducing phytoplankton growth in the Bay.…”

Section: Longmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…+ indicates the changing sources of dissolved nutrients, with the strong TO x N signal related to diffuse sources from the Shatt Al-Arab river and remineralization of the NH 4 + . Reductions in precipitation and freshwater flow have had a dramatic impact on the hydroenvironment and salinity regime of the northern Arabian Gulf (Abdullah et al, 2015;Alosairi and Pokavanich, 2017). Any analysis of phytoplankton community change needs to consider the impacts of multiple drivers influencing the phytoplankton composition and abundance ( Table 3).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This outcomes of this multi-faceted analysis show the difficulties in attributing changes in phytoplankton community to any single stressor and highlights the need to explore the cumulative and synergistic impacts of a combination of stresses including urban sewage discharge and alteration of discharge regime of Shatt Al-Arab River (Devlin et al, 2015a;Alosairi and Pokavanich, 2017).…”

Section: Phytoplankton Life Formsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…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: Longmentioning

confidence: 89%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phytoplankton Life Formsmentioning

confidence: 99%