Abuzinada / Barth / Krupp Protecting the Gulf's Marine Ecosystems from Pollution
1. Auflage 2008
ISBN: 978-3-7643-7947-6
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
E-Book, Englisch, 285 Seiten, eBook
ISBN: 978-3-7643-7947-6
Verlag: Springer
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark
The countries of the Arabian Peninsula have undergone a remarkable process of development and social transformation. This has led to increased rates of transport, industrial development, and consumption of water, food, and goods, which in turn, led to significantly increased rates of environmental pollution. Regional conflicts have also taken their toll and contributed to environmental pollution. For example, the 1991 Gulf War Oil Spill, the biggest known marine pollution event in human history, has occurred in the waters of the Gulf. Moreover, the Gulf is the busiest area in the world in view of maritime oil shipment, and one of the undesired consequences are frequently occurring oil spills, and their impacts on the marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as on the fishing and tourism industry. Wind often blows land-based rubbish towards the sea, and it normally accumulates in the inter-tidal zone; driftwood on the ocean’s surface, as well as all floating trash also eventually accumulates in the coastal zone. This has led for some beaches in the Gulf to be heavily polluted with garbage. Such a development is not only unsightly, but also prevents certain marine organisms, such as turtles, for example, from landing on the beach. It also contributes for waterfowl and other creatures to get entangled in plastic snares and ropes, and exposes them to a slow and painful death: starvation.
Zielgruppe
Research
Autoren/Hrsg.
Weitere Infos & Material
Biogeophysical setting of the Gulf.- The coastal vegetation of the western and southern Gulf — characterisation and conservation aspects.- Impact of oil pollution and increased sea surface temperatures on marine ecosystems and biota in the Gulf.- Integrated management of pollution stress in the Gulf.- Efforts of regional and international organisations in reducing levels of pollution in the Gulf.- Oil pollution preparedness in the ROPME Sea Area.- Remote Sensing: A tool for managing marine pollution in the Gulf.- Coastal pollution in Bahrain and its management.- Pollution from sea based sources.- Impacts of seawater desalination plants on the marine environment of the Gulf.- Importance of the freshwater influx from the Shatt-Al-Arab River on the Gulf marine environment.- The compensation schedule approach for the assessment of oil spill damages to marine resources of the RSA.- The impact of the Gulf War (1990 – 91) oil release upon the intertidal Gulf coast line of Saudi Arabia and subsequent recovery.- Rapid assessment indicators of oil spill recovery in salt marsh ecosystems.- Shoreline bioremediation after the 1991 Gulf War oil spill.- Evaluation of arid salt marsh restoration techniques.
Oil pollution preparedness in the ROPME Sea Area (p. 106-107)
Abdul Munem Mohamed Al-Janahi
Marine Emergency Mutual Aid Centre (MEMAC), Bahrain
Abstract: ROPME/MEMAC comprises the eight member states Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. These countries share the ROPME Sea Area (RSA) and its rich marine resources. The Convention for the establishment of ROPME is the Kuwait Regional Convention for Co-operation on the Protection of the Marine Environment (1979) and it’s Protocol which resulted in the establishment of MEMAC in 1982. The main objectives of MEMAC are:
formation of the Regional Contingency Plan, provision of technical assistance to contracting states, report of marine pollution incidents, damage assessment and compensation action, transboundary movement of personnel equipment and materials in case of marine emergencies, exchange of technical information with the member states, assistance in laws and regulations and different international conventions, surveillance of ROPME Sea Area for marine pollution, trajectory modelling and training of national cadres of its member states as well as publication of relevant materials i.e. the "Marine Environment Protection Legislation" which provides legal information of its Member States.
Introduction
The eight Gulf countries, namely the Kingdom of Bahrain, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, State of Kuwait, Sultanate of Oman, State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are located around the Gulf. Thus these countries share the sea area and its rich marine resources as well as the permanent threat of environmental pollution.
The ROPME Sea Area (RSA) is divided into the inner RSA, the middle RSA and the outer RSA (Somer 2000). The inner RSA covers the region of the Gulf Northwest of the Strait of Hormuz. The middle RSA comprises the Gulf of Oman. On the Iranian side it extends from the Strait of Hormuz to Chah Bahar at the Pakistani border. The outer RSA exceeds from Ras Al-Hadad to the southern border of Oman (Fig. 1).
