A massive oil spill into the sea from damaged tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), near the areas of Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah, has put the region’s unique marine ecosystems at severe risk.
Sea-news.az reports that this information was published by “Arab News.”
Images and satellite photographs released by the European Union’s “Copernicus Sentinel-2” satellite, as well as the “Reuters” and “Associated Press” news agencies, capture the aftermath of the incident and ongoing cleanup efforts on UAE beaches.
Biologists from the University of Oxford, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, and the Mubadala Arabian Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences at New York University Abu Dhabi have sounded the alarm over the situation.
According to specialists, the Persian Gulf is a shallow, semi-enclosed body of water with limited water exchange through the Strait of Hormuz.
Extreme natural conditions further aggravate the situation. During summer months, water temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius, salinity is high, and oxygen levels are low. These factors make it difficult for local marine life to withstand the additional stress caused by anthropogenic pollution.
The region is home to numerous unique ecosystems, including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangrove forests, salt marshes, and mudflats.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 35 species of fish, rays, and sharks face the threat of extinction due to the oil spill, while another 15 species are approaching that status.
Oil also inflicts severe damage on mangrove forests by coating the trees’ aerial roots, disrupting their functions with consequences that can last for decades. The pollution also causes heavy damage to coral reefs and the breeding grounds of seabirds and sea turtles.
Experts believe that even if military operations cease, the region will require a prolonged, complex, and costly cleanup operation. Because oil mixes with seabed sediments under the influence of water currents and winds, removing it becomes extremely challenging.
Environmentalists are calling for urgent measures to protect designated conservation areas and prevent the oil from spreading further onto the coastlines.
