ABU DHABI // Harmful algal blooms are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as the invasive species are brought from other parts of the world in ship ballast water, according to a study.
The research is also the first to catalogue the impact of the 2008 red tide in Fujairah on fish species. Recent studies have shown the marine algae that turned the water rusty brown in the Gulf of Oman two years ago, and ate away at its coral reefs, is closely related to strains in the US and Malaysia.
John Burt, a professor of practice of biology at New York University Abu Dhabi, and one of the authors of the study, said: "These invasive species are likely to be an up-and-coming threat to coral reefs due to a heavy increase in ship traffic and climate change.
"We cannot control this without some sort of regulation of the maritime industry. The problem is that there are so many jurisdictions on the state and national levels that oversee the volume of ship traffic in these waters."
To help tackle algal blooms, Prof Burt said the region could use the same filtering technology used in the North American Great Lakes to prevent the further spread of zebra mussels, which have had detrimental effects on ecosystems there.
Before the red tide hit, just over half of the sea floor had been covered with living hard coral, compared with less than three per cent during the bloom, according to the study. Dead coral jumped from eight per cent to about 60 per cent.
The abundance of fish communities on the Dibba coast, the hardest hit by the algal bloom, dropped by more than two-thirds. The overall biomass of fish of different sizes slid to about a thirteenth of what it was.
"We're hopeful that over the span of a decade or more, the ecosystem will recover to pre-red tide levels of coral and fish, but at this point the levels still remain depressed," Prof Burt said.
Populations of commercial fish in Dibba and nearby East Musandam plummeted, according to the study. About one-third of blackspot snappers survived, as did about 10 per cent of hammour.
Moon wrasse, bluetail trunkfish and pearly goatfish, among others, disappeared.
Other fish benefited as competition in the ecosystem died off. The population of Indo-Pacific sergeant more than tripled in Dibba, while the amount of three-spot dascyllus, or domino damsels, surged in East Musandam.
There was a strong change in the composition of species functions. Only about a 10th of invertivores, or fish that feed on invertebrates, and less than a third of planktivores that eat phytoplankton, survived.
Grazers and excavators showed little change in East Musandam, where the supply of normally occurring live sea floor algae resources, which fish feed on, was stable.
Though there was some movement of fish away from the bloom, the changes in species were the result of increased mortality rather than emigration, the study said.
The effects were similar to those of severe bleaching events, which happen when brightly coloured coral reefs turn white due to pollution or other stresses, the report said.
Climate change will cause shifts in the water's temperature, acidification and nutrients that "may contribute to the permanent alteration of the structure and function of coral reef communities," the study said.
econroy@thenational.ae
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The bio:
Favourite holiday destination: I really enjoyed Sri Lanka and Vietnam but my dream destination is the Maldives.
Favourite food: My mum’s Chinese cooking.
Favourite film: Robocop, followed by The Terminator.
Hobbies: Off-roading, scuba diving, playing squash and going to the gym.
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
Three stars
