The establishment of a marine wildlife sanctuary following the 1991 gulf war oil spill

Abstract

During the Gulf War about one million metric tons of oil was released into the Arabian Gulf, most of which was deposited along the Saudi Arabian coast. Since October 1991 an international, interdisciplinary team of scientists has been studying approximately 200 km of coastline north of Jubail, under the patronage of the Commission of the European Communities and the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development of Saudi Arabia. The two embayment systems of Dawhat ad-Dafi and Dawhat al-Musallamiya, and five offshore islands are characterized by extensive salt marshes, mangroves, seagrass, and macroalgal beds, as well as the most diverse coral reefs and the most important breeding sites for sea birds and turtles in the Gulf.