A report by a multinational team of scientists, including those from the Sultanate of Oman, has warned that a unique species of kelp forest that thrived in the shallow waters off Sadah on the country’s Dhofar coast, may have been obliterated by warming ocean waters linked to climate change.
Kelp forests are extensive underwater habitats, typically made up of large brown algae seaweeds, which are found along 25 per cent of the world’s coastlines, providing habitats for fisheries and resources for coastal communities.
But scientists, in a recent paper published in ‘Scientific Reports’ – an online journal issued by Nature – the world’s leading multidisciplinary scientific journal – have raised the alarm about what they believe is the complete disappearance of this “globally unique” Omani kelp species.
“Here we document the loss of kelp forests (Ecklonia radiata) from the Sultanate of Oman, the only confirmed northern hemisphere population of this species. Contemporary surveys failed to find any kelp in its only known historical northern hemisphere location, Sadah on the Dhofar coast,” the 14-member scientific team stated in its report.
Also taking part in the study were experts from the Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), and the Fisheries Research Centre ‑ Dhofar, Directorate General of Fisheries Research, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (Salalah).
“The loss of the Oman population could be due to significant increases in the Arabian Sea temperature over the past 40 years punctuated by suppression of coastal upwelling. Climate-mediated warming is threatening the persistence of temperate species and precipitating loss of unique genetic diversity at lower latitudes,” the report stated.
It warned that warming waters reported off the Dhofar coast over the past decades may have resulted in “periods of suppressed upwelling”, rendering the isolated community of kelp forest at Sadah potentially vulnerable to “extinction”.
At the end of multiple surveys of the Dhofar coast, as well as reviews of scientific material on the unique kelp forest of Oman, the scientists came to the following startling conclusion: “We did not find any evidence of extant populations of E. radiata in Oman following five days of surveys off Sadah in the peak post-monsoon season, the period it was reported to be abundant in all surveys from the 1980s.”
In addition to its importance to the sustenance of the underwater ecosystem, kelp seaweeds are also a vital source of ingredients for medical products, superfoods, health therapies and even biofuel.
Experts have warned that rising global temperatures could potentially have disastrous consequences for the Sultanate of Oman. In addition to reductions in annual rainfall, climate changes will also result in dramatic impacts to surface and groundwater resources, with knock-on effects for agriculture, livestock, fishing and even public health. Flash flooding in the wake of unseasonal storms will also pose a more frequent challenge.
The National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation (2020 – 2040), adopted by the Omani government in October 2019, seeks to position the country on a trajectory of “low-emission, climate-resilient growth”. At the same time, it aims to harness opportunities to drive employment generation, support climate risk management of vulnerable communities, and sustainably steward the nation’s scarce natural resources.
Recently, a high-level national committee with representatives from 32 stakeholder entities was constituted to oversee the nation’s drive to combat and mitigate the effects of climate change in the Sultanate of Oman. The National Committee for Climate Change and Protection of the Ozone Layer, set up under the auspices of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), will coordinate multi-sectoral efforts to prepare the nation for the perils of global warming.
(Pictures for illustration only)
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