Solid Waste in the Arabian Gulf Reduction Research Paper

Introduction

Solid waste poses a significant threat to a variety of ecosystems. In marine ecosystems, solid waste threatens the lives of various organisms, including fish and animals. The marine life of the Arabian Gulf suffers from a significant amount of solid waste in the water. To prevent further environmental damage, it is critical to find sustainable solutions. Ideally, the chosen solution should serve to both cleans up solid waste and recycle it. The present paper will explore the impact of solid waste on the ecosystem of the Arabian Gulf and possible solutions to the problem.

Main body

The Arabian Gulf is located in the subtropical region of the Middle East. As explained by Naser (2014), it is a semi-enclosed sea that constitutes part of the Arabian Sea Ecoregion in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. The average depth in the Arabian Gulf is 35 meters, which makes it rather shallow (Naser, 2014). The unique location of the Arabian Gulf creates a variety of environmental conditions for organisms. According to Naser (2014), “the Arabian Gulf supports a range of coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mud and sand flats” (p. 297). For this reason, marine life in the Arabian Gulf is rich and diverse and includes various types of fish, animals, corals, and other organisms. For example, the Arabian Gulf is home to numerous species of fish, turtles, and sharks, as well as humpback dolphins, sea snakes, and dugongs (“Marine life,” n.d.). This feature of the Arabian Gulf attracts divers and tourists who want to experience nature.

Nevertheless, the ecosystem of the Arabian Gulf is under pressure due to human activity. Naser (2014) claims that the species of fish and animals living in the Gulf are threatened by the rising sea temperature, as well as dredging and reclamation. One of the key threats to marine life in the Arabian Gulf comes from pollution. There are multiple sources of pollution in the area, including “industrial waste, brine wastewaters, ports and refiners, oil spills, and domestic sewage” (Naser, 2014, p. 298). These factors play a crucial role in the deterioration of marine ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf.

Solid waste is among the most devastating sources of pollution since it endangers a great variety of organisms. First of all, solid waste deposits in seabeds, disturbing the natural habitat of fish and other organisms (UN Environmental Programme, n.d.). This can restrict animals’ access to breeding sites, thus affecting their population count. Secondly, solid waste poses a direct threat to the life of fish and animals since they can get stuck in it and suffocate, die from wounds, or starve to death (UN Environmental Programme, n.d.). The ingestion of waste can also cause illness and death among marine animals and fish. Thirdly, solid waste can cause structural damage to coral reefs and lead to the introduction of foreign species into the ecosystem (UN Environmental Programme, n.d.). These factors make it crucial to address the problem of solid waste through consistent, sustainable efforts.

Oil in the Arabian Gulf

Besides solid waste, the ecosystems of the Arabian Gulf are also threatened by oil spills. Marine species are particularly sensitive to oil spills since they are more likely to ingest oil with water. As explained by Issa and Vempatti (2018), fish and animals who ingest oil suffer from reduced growth, metabolic changes, and poor reproductive performance. Oil spills can also affect the balance of marine vegetation by causing the increased growth of algae and mangroves, which disrupts the ecosystem (Issa & Vempatti, 2018). Another dangerous effect of oil spills is that they raise the concentration of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and other compounds in the water, which can be toxic for fish (Alharbi & El-Sorogy, 2017; Issa & Vempatti, 2018). Overall, the impact of oil spills contributes to the negative impact of solid waste on marine life in the Arabian Gulf.

Cleaning and Recycling Solid Waste

Based on the information above, cleaning solid waste from the Arabian Gulf should be among the core priorities of environmental action in the region. One particular way of doing that is by using the device invented by Ocean Cleanup. The report by Bendix (2019) explains that the device is able to collect plastic passively by trapping it in its fold. The device is already being used to capture plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean (Bendix, 2019). One significant benefit of this device is that it can also trap microplastics, which could pose a threat to fish and marine animals, as well as to humans who consume them (Bendix, 2019; Readfearn, 2019). Hence, the use of the Ocean Cleanup’s system would help to collect solid waste while also reducing microplastics in the water.

Still, the removal of waste from the water is not sufficient to address the environmental problems in the Arabian Gulf region. It is also of critical importance to prevent waste from entering the Gulf again through rivers or accumulating in landfills. The best solution here is to recycle waste using the waste-to-energy method. This approach can help to destroy waste in a manner that benefits local communities. Yee (2018) reports that in Sweden, 50% of garbage is recycled using a waste-to-energy approach, thus generating enough energy to heat 1.25 million apartments and provide 680,000 homes with electricity. The process of recycling waste into energy usually involves burning garbage in a boiler, which heats up water and uses it to power steam generators (Yee, 2018). While there are some drawbacks to this method, including emissions from incineration plants, modern technologies allow reducing pollution to a minimum. The benefits from the waste-to-energy approach are much more substantial since it reduces methane generation in landfills and decreases the need for oil. Four tons of garbage produce the same amount of energy as one ton of oil or 1.6 tons of coal (Yee, 2018). This means that recycling solid waste from the Arabian Gulf into energy would also benefit the region economically.

Conclusion

All in all, the Arabian Gulf is a unique place that contains a variety of ecosystems and is home to numerous species of fish, animals, and other organisms. Human activity has a poor influence on marine life in the Arabian Gulf since it introduces pollution and waste. The increased amount of solid waste in the Arabian Gulf poses a particularly important threat by disrupting natural habitats and endangering fish and animals. To prevent further environmental damage, it is crucial to clean solid waste from the water and recycle it. The best solution to use is the Ocean Cleanup’s device, which traps solid waste found in the water. The waste collected in this way can then be used to produce energy through the process of incineration.

References

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8. Yee, A. (2018). In Sweden, trash heats homes, powers buses and fuels taxi fleets. The New York Times. Web.