Post by : Badri Ariffin

The waters of the Arabian Gulf are showing remarkable resilience, according to a recent scientific expedition conducted by the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) and New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). Over 46 days and 2,674 nautical miles at sea, researchers aboard EAD’s advanced oceanographic vessel Jaywun collected more than 2,500 water samples from 34 locations across UAE waters.

The mission aimed to understand how microbial communities interact within marine ecosystems and how these systems adapt to climate pressures. Despite the region’s naturally low-nutrient (oligotrophic) waters, the study revealed surprisingly high levels of phytoplankton, the foundation of marine food chains. Chlorophyll concentrations ranged from 5-20 micrograms per litre, far exceeding levels in the Red Sea and Mediterranean, where typical values rarely surpass 1 microgram per litre. Some sites even recorded up to 692,000 phytoplankton cells per litre.

Researchers found that specialized microorganisms play a vital role in sustaining the ecosystem. By breaking down dissolved organic matter into usable nutrients, they allow phytoplankton to thrive even when external nutrient inputs are scarce. This efficiency underlines the Gulf’s ability to maintain high productivity in challenging conditions.

The expedition also highlighted the occasional occurrence of hypoxic zones in deeper offshore waters during peak summer months. While these low-oxygen areas are limited, they emphasize the importance of ongoing monitoring to assess climate change impacts on marine health.

The Jaywun mission is part of EAD’s larger initiative to study the Arabian Gulf, improve climate resilience, and support sustainable marine conservation policies. Through partnerships with academic institutions, these field studies are helping build one of the most detailed scientific baselines for the region’s marine ecosystems, providing critical knowledge to guide future environmental planning.

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