Over the past week the waters around Dibba and Fujairah have turned from reddish-brown to mostly blue again and the sea breezes no longer waft in the odd smell from the algal bloom known as red tide. But below the surface things may take a while longer to return to normal.
Though a few patches of the bloom persist, it appears the algae are finally dying off and the clear waters have allowed divers to start exploring the extent of damage done by the red tide to the East Coast's coral reefs, an essential part of the area's ecosystem.
"The East Coast is now clear but the tide is still near Umm al Qaiwain, Ajman and Dubai," said Dr Ibrahim al Jamali, director of the Marine Resource Research Centre in Umm al Qaiwain and one of the Ministry of Environment and Water officials involved in monitoring the phenomenon.
Staff from the ministry have begun to make exploratory dives to assess the tide's impact on coral reefs.
Signs of coral bleaching, a process indicating the reefs are dying, were reported at the end of last year.
Some sites were seriously affected while others were spared severe damage. The ministry is still assessing the full extent of the problem, said Dr al Jamali.
Though he said there was no guarantee the red tide, which is the result of complex interplay between natural and man-made factors, would not return, the improved water conditions already brought more customers and much-needed hope to dive centres in the area, which have been affected since the algal bloom was first appeared last August.
"I can see the changes already," said Christophe Chellapermal, owner of Nomad Ocean Adventures, who saw his business drop by half since October.
"It has picked up. I was at a point where I was thinking to close doors."
"For the past six days, it is very nice," said Jeffrey Catanja, a diving instructor who organises trips from the Sandy Beach Hotel and Resort in Fujairah. "The smell is also gone."
Mario Tapales, a course director with Al Boom Diving, which has a branch at the Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah, did not see any reddish patches of water. "We hope it will stay this way," he said.
However, Mr Chellapermal has reported seeing damage to coral reefs at several sites.
Branching corals, such as Acropora pharaonis - the most common species in the protected marine area known as Dibba Rock, were particularly badly hit, he said. Most have lost their vibrant reddish colour, turning white and crumbling.
"All reefs of Acropora got severely affected. They are bleaching and falling apart."
The damage is believed to be the result of the algal bloom blocking off sunlight and reducing the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.
Mr Chellapermal said that out of 35 sites that he used to visit, six have been so severely affected that he has had to stop taking customers there.
One of the most damaged reefs is in a small bay in the Musandam peninsula, some 25 kilometres away from Dibba. Although the area is in Oman's territorial waters, it is representative of the damage witnessed on reefs on the UAE side.
"Before it was bursting with life, now it is like a cemetery, there is nothing," he said. "It will be interesting to see how nature will take over and react to the damage."
Corals grow very slowly, sometimes just one centimetre a year. Other factors, such as high salinity, turbidity and temperature of the water, can impair growth. "It will take time, it is not easy," said Dr al Jamali.
Besides damaging reefs, the red tide also killed thousands of fish and other sea creatures.
In March, the Ministry of Environment and Water reported that 300 tonnes of dead fish had washed ashore. This is in addition to losses at an aquaculture company, Asmak, which lost 600 tonnes of fish.
The Emirates Diving Association (EDA) also surveyed some of the key sites in UAE waters. Two sites, known as Shark Island and Martini Rock, were deemed the healthiest, with the biggest diversity of fish.
"The number of coral families wasn't the highest, but the coral cover area was higher in these two dive sites compared with the poor coral cover from other areas," the association said in a statement.
Although less diverse in terms of fish, coral and invertebrates, Dibba Rock boasted the highest number of fish.
Earlier this week, the Ministry of Environment and Water released an undisclosed number of fish raised in captivity off the coast of Umm al Qaiwain and Ras al Khaimah. The fish releases are part of an ongoing ministry campaign to address areas affected by the tide, said Dr al Jamali.
The ministry might in future plant live coral in some of the affected locations, he said.
Last month, the renowned Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the US submitted a proposal to help the UAE create an algal bloom monitoring and management programme. The proposal is currently being discussed by the Government.
Although not much can be done to contain a bloom once it has formed, a monitoring programme is expected to help officials to react more quickly and eventually even predict the arrival of blooms.
It will also help scientists identify the links between the various man-made and natural contributing factors.
The red tide off the East Coast was partially driven by two species of microscopic algae, believed to have been brought to the area by ships discharging their ballast water at sea.
For the first few months, Gymnodinium catenatum, a toxic microorganism which can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning, was the main catalyst. A few months later it was Cochlodinium polykrikoides.
Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrates encourage algae to grow and end up in the ocean through effluent from sewage treatment plants and through wind, which carries particles into the sea.
Rains also contribute by washing off fertilised gardens, car parks and other polluted surfaces.
Confined spaces, where breakwaters slow down water circulation, also create favourable conditions for blooms. The coastlines of Dubai, Fujairah and Dibba have all been affected by large development drives, with new ports, marinas and leisure or residential developments.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'
Rating: 1 out of 4
Running time: 81 minutes
Director: David Blue Garcia
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
