Abstract
The following article is a review of oil spills in the Arabian Gulf with a focus on the Kuwait Spill during the Gulf War. The article provides some background on the events leading up to the oil spill, as well as the extent and details of the spill. Impacts on air quality, terrestrial ecology, marine ecology, socioeconomic aspects, and public health are analyzed in detail to assess the extent of damage on various environmental and social components. It was found that significant impacts were incurred on the marine and terrestrial environments, with some negative effects still persisting to our present day. Heavy economic impacts were also incurred in the form of infrastructure damage and loss of productivity. The article further provides a review of various natural, mechanical, and chemical means of remediation utilized during the clean-up efforts and provides a relative comparison of these for potential usage on similar events in the future.
Highlights
The Middle East is a transcontinental region adjoining countries in Western Asia, Europe, and North Africa
The causes of oil spills in the Arabian Gulf have varied from war related activities to accidental incidents related to oil tankers, offshore platforms, offshore drilling and spills and leakages from pipelines and ships
This section will go into further detail on impacts associated with each major component, as well as specific impacts that occurred in the Arabian Gulf as a consequence of the Gulf War spill
Summary
The Middle East is a transcontinental region adjoining countries in Western Asia, Europe, and North Africa. The Arabian Gulf is a part of this geographic region, and includes Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Most of the countries around the Arabian Gulf have extensive reserves of crude oil and rely heavily on petroleum exports, making them more susceptible to spills and consequent marine pollution. One of the common forms of pollution in the Arabian Gulf has been a combination of intentional and accidental oil spills in the marine environment due to anthropogenic activities. The extent of risks on coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf region is extensive (Figure 1: Reefs at Risk in the Middle East). Due to coastal development, overfishing and marine pollution, the coral reefs in this region are under significant pressure. The resulting oil slick extended for 65 km across the Kuwaiti and Northern Saudi coastline, and contaminated 49 square kilometers of the Kuwait desert (Joyner & Kirkhope, 1992)
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