The growing need for sustainable ecological management of marine communities of the Persian Gulf

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 Gulfs 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.

Fig. 1

The Persian Gulf, 239,000 km² in area, is a semi-enclosed marginal sea, has an average water depth of 36 m, a maximum internal depth of 94 m, a shallow broad southern margin along the coast of U.A.E., and a relatively narrow and deep north-eastern margin along the coast of Iran

Fig. 2

Image of the Dubai coastline showing (L to R) Palm Jebel Ali, Palm Jumeirah, and The World offshore developments (for scale, the outer crescent of Palm Jumeirah is approximately 5 km in diameter. Water depth approximates 10 m at outer limits of Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali, and is slightly deeper at The World. All developments are mixed residential, retail, tourism. Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center. (Image details: NASA, International Space Station (Expedition 18); ISS018-E-41939; “Astronaut Photography of Earth—Display Record.”)

Fig. 3

The Atlantis Dubai Hotel in final stages of construction. The 1500-roomed hotel, aquarium, and theme park occupies a 45 ha site at the tip of the surrounding crescent directly seaward of the tip of Palm Jumeirah. It is 6 km seaward of the original coastline. Photo: K. Drouillard

Fig. 4

The snapper, Lutjanus ehrenbergii, sea urchins, and oysters living on the Nakheel breakwater at The World. Photo: Nakheel, with permission

Fig. 5

Progression of the 2008–2009 harmful algal bloom in the Persian Gulf. Distribution of chlorophyll a concentration is shown for dates in October and November 2008, and January 2009. Initially present along the eastern coast of Oman, it developed not only west of the Strait of Hormuz, particularly along the Iranian coast, but also down the coast of the United Arab Emirates