Haseeba Kaiprath Puthiyapurayil, Aboobacker Valliyil Mohammed, Vethamony Ponnumony, Al-Khayat Jassim Abdulla
Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha, Qatar; Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, P.O. Box: 2713, Doha, Qatar.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2025 Jul;216:117963. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117963. Epub 2025 Apr 11.
Mangroves are halophytic woody plants inhabiting the sea-land confluence of tropical and subtropical regions, influenced by marine and terrestrial factors. Among various others, Avicennia marina is the only mangrove species that thrives the extreme climatic conditions of the Arbian Gulf (the Gulf). Highly varying temperatures, hyper salinity, freshwater scarcity and anthropogenic pressures have resulted in a unique mangrove ecosystem in the Gulf. However, the water and sediment characteristics of the Gulf mangroves evolved due to natural and anthropogenic factors are not well documented yet. This review evaluates the existing literature on the water and sediment characteristics of the Gulf mangroves, and compares them with the international thresholds and regional standards reported in literature. The study reveals that the hydrological factors, such as precipitation, river runoff and groundwater, along with varying temperature and elevated salinity, significantly impacted the growth and distribution of mangroves in the Gulf. Trace elements show elevated concentrations at a few mangrove regions of the Gulf influenced by coastal developments. Furthermore, industrial expansion has resulted in the accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic elements, raising concerns about their potential for bioaccumulation and ecological risk. On the other hand, the restoration of mangrove ecosystems in the Gulf poses significant challenges, including identification of potential sites and the reestablishment of suitable environmental conditions that disrupted by natural and anthropogenic pressures. Therefore, this review emphasizes the need for long-term monitoring and comprehensive data on hydrological and chemical parameters impacting Gulf mangrove ecosystems for the implementation of effective conservation strategies.
红树林是生长在热带和亚热带地区海陆交汇地带的盐生木本植物，受海洋和陆地因素影响。其中，白骨壤是唯一能在阿拉伯湾（简称海湾）极端气候条件下茁壮成长的红树林物种。海湾地区温度变化极大、盐度极高、淡水稀缺以及人为压力导致了独特的红树林生态系统。然而，由于自然和人为因素而演变的海湾红树林的水和沉积物特征尚未得到充分记录。本综述评估了关于海湾红树林水和沉积物特征的现有文献，并将其与文献中报道的国际阈值和区域标准进行了比较。研究表明，降水、河流径流和地下水等水文因素，以及温度变化和盐度升高，对海湾红树林的生长和分布产生了显著影响。在受沿海开发影响的海湾一些红树林区域，微量元素浓度升高。此外，工业扩张导致了石油烃和有毒元素的积累，引发了对其生物累积潜力和生态风险的担忧。另一方面，海湾红树林生态系统的恢复面临重大挑战，包括确定潜在地点以及重建因自然和人为压力而遭到破坏的适宜环境条件。因此，本综述强调需要对影响海湾红树林生态系统的水文和化学参数进行长期监测并获取全面数据，以实施有效的保护策略。
