AGU researcher evaluates human activities’ impact on ecosystem in Bahrain

Manama, Dec. 24 (BNA): A researcher in the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) has studied the impact of human activities on the ecological and biophysical variables of the mangrove ecosystem in Bahrain. This was the first PhD study presented in the Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Programme at the Postgraduate College. Reseacher Khulood Saleh Abu Sedu said in her thesis, entitled "Evaluating the Impacts of the Human Activities on the Ecological and Biophysical Variables of the Mangrove Ecosystem in Bahrain", that her study aimed to assess the environment and biology of the mangrove ecosystem, as well as the services provided by this system, which are under the influence of sewage waste and sand washing plant. The results showed that the high salinity values in addition to the high levels of sediments resulting from human activities had a negative impact on the structure and components of the mangrove community, as well as the morphological characteristics of the leaves. It had also a negative effect on the chlorophyll and carotene, as well as photosynthesis and plant water loss rates. She discovered that the basic elements in the leaves follow the sequence of Na> K> N> Mg> Ca> P. The mineral content of the sediments decreases with increasing depth, while the amount of organic matter and organic carbon increases. "The metals in the surface sediments follow the order Ca> Mg> Na> K> N> P, while the heavy metals follow the order Fe> Mn> Zn> Cu> Cr> Pb> Ni. The ecosystem of mangrove in Bahrain has a storage capacity of 394 mg CO2 per hectare. It’s worth noting that mangrove is the only tree species around the Gulf of Tubli in Bahrain. This tree has ecological, social and economic value. It is the infrastructure of a highly productive and rich biological system.