Total petroleum hydrocarbon burden in fish tissues from the Arabian Gulf

The levels of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and lipid contents have been reported for eight commercially important fish species from the Arabian Gulf. GC-FID has been used as quantification technique. Out of the species analyzed, Scarus ghabon showed the highest level of TPH (7.4 ± 3.2 µg g^?1) in the muscle tissue followed by Epinephelus tauvina (6.8 ± 3.6 µg g^?1). Except for E. microdon (4.8 ± 2.1 µg g^?1), all other fish species showed a similar level of TPH concentration. Significant correlations were obtained between lipid contents and TPH levels in the muscles of the fish. Body weight of the fish was also found to be strongly correlated with TPH concentration in the muscle tissue. There is a tendency of accumulating higher TPH in the winter season as compared to in the summer season.     

Environmental impact of the Gulf War: An integrated preliminary assessment

This article provides an objective integrated environmental impact assessment of the Gulf War consequences. The environmental damage was evaluated and found to be significantly exaggerated by the media and speculators. The total amount of burned crude oil was calculated to be 52.5 million metric tons. Most air pollution field measurements were comparable to those found in Western cities. The health impact associated with such exposure was found to be minimal. The total amount of oil released into the marine environment ranged between 2 and 4 million barrels, much less than the early estimation of 12–14 million barrels. The marine environment is expected to recover much faster than earlier anticipations. Unlike water and air, soil pollution is likely to persist for some years to come.     

青岛海湾大桥车辆安全管理辅助系统设计

本文利用OpenGL对海湾大桥的运行情况进行了三维建模,建立了车辆在大桥上安全运行的模型,并结合Visual C++程序开发语言,设计开发了青岛海湾大桥车辆安全管理辅助系统,以辅助城市交通管理工作。     

钦州湾叶绿素a和初级生产力时空变化及其影响因素

于2009年1—11月对广西钦州典型养殖海湾——钦州湾海域水体中叶绿素a(Chl-a)浓度和初级生产力进行了4个季节航次的调查,分析了该海湾Chl-a和初级生产力的时空变化特征并探讨其影响因素.结果表明,钦州湾表层海水Chl-a浓度周年变化在0.83~32.5 mg·m-3之间,平均为5.39 mg·m-3;Chl-a浓度季节性变化表现为夏季春季冬季秋季.初级生产力变化范围是92.3~1494.5 mg·m-2·d-1(以C计,下同),平均为425.1 mg·m-2·d-1;初级生产力季节变化特征呈现夏季冬季秋季春季.钦州湾Chl-a浓度和初级生产力在春、夏、冬季呈现内湾和三娘湾海区高、钦州港海区低的分布特征,秋季出现相反的特征.相关分析显示,钦州湾Chl-a与水温、盐度和氨氮之间存在密切的相关关系.总体来看,陆源输入的营养盐及贝类养殖活动是影响Chl-a和初级生产力时空变化的重要因素.     

SO2 modeling in İzmit Gulf, Turkey during the winter of 1997: 3 cases

In this study, SO₂ dispersion over İzmit Gulf is simulated by California Puff (CALPUFF) model for three air pollution cases, which occurred on January 28, February 12, and February 26, 1997. These days are generally characterized by dominant high-pressure systems – pressure values reaching 1032 mb, low wind speeds and sometimes calm conditions, and low temperatures with a minimum of 0°C. Hourly simulations during those critical cases were carried out and results revealed very high concentrations of SO₂ transported to the downwind regions of Tüpraş and Gebze, and values sometimes exceeded 1,000 μg/m³. Nighttime and morning simulations associated with inversion produced considerably higher values of SO₂ than the afternoon simulations associated with breeze. Model verification was conducted by comparing the measured daily average values of eight stations with the model predicted values at the same receptor points. Results showed that the model well predicted the values at station Gebze in all three cases. The model sometimes underestimated and sometimes overestimated the concentrations at other receptor stations.     

Screening level modeling of long-term impact of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination on fresh groundwater lenses in the Arabian Gulf region

The Gulf War in 1991 created an environmental catastrophe, one of the major consequences of which was setting several oil wells on fire in the Arabian Gulf area. The total oil spilled as a result of the damaged wells was about 3.5 × 10⁶ m³. Out of these, 3.3 × 10⁶ m³ of oil was recovered and exported. The rest was left behind as it was not economical to collect. The oil left behind was subject to severe weathering over the past ten years. Soil and subsurface contamination pose a serious risk to the quality of the already scarce fresh groundwater resources in the area which was subject to oil spill in the study region. This paper presents the computer modeling activities carried out towards simulating the transport of the hydrocarbon contamination of the fresh groundwater resources at a study area in the Arabian Gulf region, and predicting the contamination levels at the fresh groundwater lenses in the area in the future, should current contamination levels persist in the soil and groundwater. The modeling activities relied on both semi-analytical and numerical flow and transport models.     

Ecosystem service lens reveals diverse community values of small-scale fisheries

The ocean provides benefits to coastal communities around the world, however, the depth and complexity of people’s interactions with marine ecosystems are not well represented in many marine management initiatives. Many fisheries are managed to maximize provisioning value, which is readily quantified, while ignoring cultural values. An ecosystem services approach that includes both provisioning and cultural services will enable managers to better account for the diverse values marine fisheries provide to coastal communities. In this study, we assess community values related to a top fished species, the Mexican chocolate clam, Megapitaria squalida, in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. We conducted an exploratory analysis based on 42 household surveys, and found that community members perceive multiple provisioning and cultural benefits from the clam, including community economic, historical, and identity values. Despite reporting infrequent harvest and consumption of clams, participants perceive the species as an important part of community identity, highlighting the role of Mexican chocolate clams as a cultural keystone species in the Loreto region. Fisheries management that recognizes the full range of ecosystem services a species contributes to coastal communities will be better equipped to sustain these diverse values into the future.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s13280-020-01405-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The impact of the Gulf crisis on Qatar's humanitarian sector

The 2017 Gulf crisis is one of the most challenging episodes faced by Qatar since its independence in 1971, with major economic, social, and political impacts on the Arab Gulf nation. Its economic prognosis has been brought into doubt, the map of regional alliances has been redrawn, and any prospects of deeper regional integration have been dashed. This paper analyses the little-documented impact of the crisis on Qatar's humanitarian sector, which has unfolded as the small, gas-rich emirate has striven to become a major humanitarian donor. It concludes that while there have been disruptions to humanitarian operations and regional coordination, the Gulf crisis has triggered and in some cases accelerated already intended reforms across the Qatari humanitarian sector. In the long term, the reorganisation and adaptation implemented to weather the storm of the crisis may help Qatar to emerge from the crisis with a more sustainable and resilient humanitarian sector.     

钦州湾枯水期富营养化评价及其近5年变化趋势

利用近5年枯水期现场调查的结果,采用富营养化指数法对该海湾富营养化程度进行评价并探求其变化趋势。结果表明近5年钦州湾枯水期富营养化指数的变化为0.08~10.2,其空间分布表现为沿着盐度梯度从茅岭江或钦江河口往外富营养化逐渐减轻。从2006年到2010年钦州湾富营养化从贫营养化往中度和重富营养化程度发展,富营养化显逐渐加重的趋势,在近两年河口区达到了重富营养化程度。陆源径流污染源的输入是富营养化空间分布的主要决定因素,而近5年富营养化逐渐加重的趋势主要是由不断增加的磷酸盐导致。海湾富营养化程度的增加并没有引起浮游植物生物量的急剧增加,但却增加了赤潮等生态灾害的风险。     

Inhalation of two putative Gulf War toxins by mice

We employed our inhalation methodology to examine whether biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress would be produced in mice following inhalation of aerosols containing carbonaceous particles or the vapor of pesticides prevalent during the first Gulf War. Exposure to two putative Gulf War Illness toxins, fine airborne particles and the pesticide malathion, increased biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in Friend virus B (FVB) female mice. Mice inhaling particles 24 h before had increased lung lavage and plasma Leukotriene B4 (LTB₄) (a biomarker of inflammation) and PGF_2α (a biomarker of oxidative stress) levels, lung lavage protein and lung lavage lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. These changes were a function of particle density and exposure time. Compared to particle inhalation, mice inhaling malathion 24 h before had small increase in plasma LTB₄ and PGF_2α levels but no increase in lung lavage LTB₄, lung lavage protein, lung lavage LDH, and lung lavage alveolar macrophage (AM) levels compared to unexposed control mice. AM from particle-exposed mice contained phagocytosed particles, while AM from malathion-exposed mice showed no abnormalities. Our results indicate that inhaling particles or malathion can alter inflammatory and oxidative biomarkers in mice and raise the possibility that these toxins may have altered inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers in Gulf War-exposed individuals.