Sameera happy curvy
figures back
v Page 28
Doubts on cough
syrups’ benefits
v Page 27
InterContinental Hotels and
Resorts’ heritage initiative
v Page 26
Swift teams up with
Keds for shoe line
v Page 28
Can a few cherries a day
keep gout away?
v Page 27
Fea ures
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Omani coasts need monitoring for oil spill
heights observed was 0.2 to
1.4 m with peak wave periods
from 4 to 5 sec. The measured
tidal elevations matched very
well with the predictions from
Tide Wizard software which is
based on Admiralty tidal elevation charts.
Dr Sana has revealed that
chemical analysis of the samples collected from the study
area proves that the seawater
is suffering from petroleum
related pollution, especially
at stations lying close to Port
Sultan Qaboos, Muscat and
Oman LNG plant. The maximum concentration of lead
was found to be 0.050 ppm and
the maximum concentration
of vanadium was 0.006 ppm.
A regular monitoring of the
water quality along the coast
of Oman is thus extremely
important since fisheries is the
second most important source
of income for Oman after oil,
the researcher underlines. “It
should be noted that these concentrations are extremely high
as compared to other locations
in the world.”
SQU research vessel Al-Jamiah used in the study
n Study recommendations to address the problem
n Marine life is threatened in specific areas
n Findings help develop policies to check pollution
A
team of researchers and technicians at
SQU has carried out a
huge research project to assess
oil-related pollution in Omani
coastal waters. The work has
been described as ‘baseline’
since detailed studies on the
extent of the ocean water pollution by oil-related sources
in Gulf of Oman are scarce. It
upholds the efforts of the Sultanate to emerge as an environmentally sensible country in
the region.
ply to the ocean thus seriously
affecting the marine life. In
addition, the soluble hydrocarbons found in the petroleum
adversely affect the oceanic
environment.
In a bid to address this
problem, Dr Sana mentions
that state-of-the-art measuring equipment was used. The
collected data was utilised for
the calibration of numerical
models and their subsequent
application to predict the pollution transport and fate in
surface water. The rectification
Important Resource
measures have been reviewed
Oil is the most important and proposals have been made
natural resource in the Gulf to control oil-related environregion. Oil tankers transport mental hazards.
more than 50 per cent of the
Goals
oil produced in the whole
The project has sought to
world through the Sea of
Oman. Therefore, oil is likely achieve a number of goals,
to be spilled in this region. namely, collecting available
Dr Ahmed Sana, an Associate data on the oil-related pollution
Professor at The Civil and Ar- in the ocean, measuring oil polchitecture Engineering Depart- lution and hydrodynamic propment, College of Engineering, erties near Omani coast using
remarks that Omani coastlines SQU vessel, preparing maps
are generally hit by such spills of pollution levels by using the
data in place, calibrating the
from oil tankers.
In the ocean, the oil spill numerical model for pollution
may be observed in the form transport using the available
of an oil slick developed over data and future prediction, and
the ocean surface. The photo- reviewing rectifying methods
graphs taken by US space shut- and proposals to avoid future
tle Challenger clearly show the environmental hazards caused
presence of a well-defined oil by oil pollution.
The long-term objective has
slick near Ras al Hadd (near
Sur). The film of oil on the been to quantify the oil-related
surface blocks the oxygen sup- pollution of coastal water and
Location of measurement points along the
coast of the Sultanate
explore the remedial measures.
A set of proposals has been
made to rectify the pollution
problems in the areas under serious environmental threat and
to adopt preventive measures
to avoid oil-related pollution in
future.
Scientific approach
Dr Sana elaborated on the
method employed in the study.
“In-situ measurement of water
quality parameters is a commonplace using special purpose probes from the vessels.
One of the common devices
is Conductivity- TemperatureDepth (CTD) probe that can
measure electrical conductivity, temperature and pressure
from which the basic water
quality parameters can be obtained. Additional sensors for
the measurement of dissolved
oxygen (DO), Chlorophyll and
turbidity can also be connected
to the CTD. The water samples
were also taken on these points
to determine the concentrations of lead and vanadium
which are good indicators of
oil related pollution.”
He added that “OceanSeven CTD probe (Model
316) by Idronaut (Italy) was
used, which is a self-recording
equipment. The research vessel of SQU, Al-Jamia, was
used. The locations of the
measurement points were obtained using GPS installed on
the vessel. The water quality
measurements were done on
44 points along the coast of
Sultanate of Oman. In addition,
waves and currents were also
measured at selected locations
using underwater deployment
of Acoustic Doppler Current
Profiler (ADCP). These types
of detailed measurements had
not been done along the Sea of
Oman.”
The above data has been
used for the calibration of a
three-dimensional hydrodynamic model. In the study,
DELFT-3D model has been
used. The modelled hydrodynamic field can then be used to
predict water quality for future.
A detailed literature survey
has been done to explore the
methods to rectify the existing
pollution problems. Several
proposals have been made to
combat the potential disaster
caused by oil-related pollution,
the academic said.
Relevance to Oman
Dr Sana summarises aspects
of problem relevance to the
country as follows:
Technical Impact: An extremely important water quality and hydrodynamic data has
of the measurement equipment
and data analysis.
Potential Applications: The
Sultanate of Oman enjoys a
strategic location in the Arabian Sea and therefore has a lot of
potential by virtue of fisheries
and coastal development. The
measured data and numerical
model developed in the present
study will help the decision
makers working in these areas.
Moreover, the present study
will be helpful in formulating
policies to combat seawater
pollution from the shipping activities.
Social/Economic Impact:
Fishing is a long term tradition of Omani people and still
a major source of income for
coastal communities. The seawater pollution is going to affect not only the people directly
connected with the fisheries but
overall economy as well because this sector enjoys second
place in the major sources of
income in Sultanate of Oman
after oil. The water quality assessment and modelling carried
out in the present study will be
helpful in developing policies
to overcome the potential impacts of seawater pollution on
fisheries sector. Moreover, most
of the coastal development will
benefit from the measured data
and modelling results.
Findings
From in-situ measurements
of water quality parameters using CTD it was found that the
range of seawater temperature
was between 25°C and 30°C.
The conductivity ranges from
54mS/cm to 62mS/cm. The
average value of salinity was
about 36.75ppt.
The temperature, conductivity and salinity show stratification at some measurement
stations in summer which is
usual in these climatic conditions. The temperature, conductivity and salinity at most
measurement stations in winter
had a constant value over the
depth whereas these values
in the upper layer differ from
place to place.
An average value of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of 5ppm
was observed at the most of
the measurement stations. This
value corresponds to the lower
limit of a healthy marine life.
The DO levels below this value
put aquatic life under stress. If
the DO levels remain below
1-2ppm for a few hours, large
amounts of fish kills may result.
The ADCP measurements
in the study area show that the
depth averaged current ranges
from 0.1m/s to 0.5m/s (0.2 to
2 Knots approximately) during the measurement period.
The range of significant wave
Underwater deployment of Acoustic Doppler
Current Profiler (ADCP)
been gathered along the coast
of the Sultanate of Oman. This
data can serve as the baseline
for future studies and research
in coastal and ocean science
and engineering.
Capacity Building: Most
of the funding was spent on
purchasing modern equipment like CTD and ADCP to
measure water quality and hydrodynamic parameters in the
sea. This equipment will serve
as a valuable resource to carry
out further studies in coastal
and ocean engineering field.
One postgraduate, four undergraduate students (all Omanis)
and six research assistants
(four Omanis and two expatriates) worked on this project.
All the students and most of
the research assistants had the
chance to learn the operation
Ocean-Seven CTD probe being lowered for
water quality measurements
Recommendations
The research team has put
forth some recommendations
and guidelines in this respect.
There is a need for continuous
monitoring of water quality
and hydrodynamic parameters
along the coast at major locations.
This monitoring could be
organised under the joint supervision of the Ministry of
Environment and Climate Affairs and SQU.
Based on the study, strong
policies and effective enforcement may be implemented to
mitigate seawater pollution
from the shipping activities. It
is important to encourage the
Gulf countries to follow the
Marine Pollution (MARPOL)
agreements signed under International Maritime Organisation (IMO). These agreements
would allow the Sultanate to
take punitive actions against
the ships causing pollution in
the Sea of Oman.
So far most of the seawater
pollution along the coast of the
Sultanate is from marine sources. However, there is a huge
amount of coastal development
going on in real estate and tourism sectors. It is important to
carry out detailed measurement
and modelling studies before
approving such developments.
As has been observed in most
of the countries, the remedy for
seawater pollution is almost
nonexistent.
‘Insects of the Sea’
catalogued in 2 books
S
QU Academic Publication Board recently
published two books
describing the abundant
organisms of zooplankton
communities in the Arabian
Sea. Calanoid Copepods
of the Arabian Sea Region
and Halocyprid Ostracods
of the Arabian Sea Region
are authoritative references,
as it is the first time peer-reviewed taxonomic information for this region has been
collected in one place and
in remarkable detail.
The organisms may be
tiny, but they are mighty.
Known as the “insects of the
sea”, zooplankton may tell
the tale about the disruptive
effect of climate change on
the delicate balance of life
that exists in the northwestern Indian Ocean. They are
a critical food source for
whales, fish, and corals.
However, if climate change
upsets the normal routine of
these microscopic crustaceans, animals that depend
on the zooplankton for food
may face starvation.
For more than a decade
explorers collected water
samples from research vessels and small boats on the
Arabian Sea, looking for
creatures smaller than a
grain of rice. More than 100
species from nearly 1,000
samples were painstakingly catalogued. The results
were just published in two
guides, which will help researchers better understand
zooplankton communities
in a region that is dramatically understudied.
“The Indian Ocean is one
of the world’s most highly
productive seas”, said the
co-author Oceanographer
Sharon Smith. “Understanding the plankton there is the
initial step in evaluating the
ocean ecosystem which is
home to humpback whales,
large squid, yellow fin tuna,
and an extensive coral reef
system.”
Stunning Detail
“We illustrated the
books using pen and ink
drawings which represent
these organisms accurately and completely”, said
co-authors Dr Irina Prusova
and Dr Inna Drapun. “What
is new and original is that
more detailed drawings are
included in the books than
are generally available elsewhere, and the drawings are
uniform. This will facilitate
correct identification.”
The books feature photographs, as well as detailed
line drawings of the zooplankton and their anatomical parts crucial for identification, which is particularly
helpful to beginners. The
drawings were a result of
meticulous research to collect, dissect and analyse
each and every species of
these two categories of
planktonic organism.
“The drawings are
works of art in themselves,”
said Smith, “but also highly
useful tools for future explorers looking to investigate the marine food web
of the northwestern Indian
Ocean”.
Creating this authoritative baseline of regional
zooplankton species is fundamental to determining
ways in which the planktonic ecosystem adjusts to
climatologic changes. Due
to a complex interaction
between monsoon winds,
and shrinking amounts of
snow and ice on the Tibetan
Plateau, the northwestern
Indian Ocean is particularly vulnerable to climate
change.
“We believe that climate change could alter the
plankton communities in
the Arabian Sea which is a
threat to marine ecosystems
and our food security”, said
Smith. “These books will
enable researchers to evaluate the ecosystem now and
into the future.”
Since 1994, SQU has
been exploring the northern Arabian Sea. The books
are directed at all scientists
interested in the plankton
of this fascinating ocean,
but particularly at regional
scientists who will want to
follow the changes in their
local ecosystems, and understand effects of climate
change on the base of the
food web.