Jan Korrubel was finishing his master’s degree in pelagic fish at the University of Cape Town when he got the call to study a coral reef discovered by a dredging company working in Jebel Ali.
“I remember the area as being very beautiful,” said Mr Korrubel, who used a boat fitted with video cameras to survey the sea floor, helping the Austrian scientist Dr Bernhard Riegl.
“The coral was very healthy from what I saw.”
Of the 37.7 square kilometres surveyed by the scientists in 1995, 14.9 sq km was found to be coral with 3.8 sq km of algae and sea grass.
There were 35 species of coral on the reef and 100 fish species, Dr Riegl said. So, in 1998, Dubai Municipality issued a decree to protect the area, establishing the Jebel Ali Marine Reserve.
But in summer that year, sea temperatures warmed significantly as a result of the El Nino Southern Oscillation. With that, about 90 per cent of Arabian Gulf coral was lost, including large die-offs in Jebel Ali.
Dr John Burt, associate professor at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and head of its marine biology laboratory, has studied the recovery of coral reefs throughout the Gulf for the past decade.
He recently co-authored a scientific paper about Gulf reefs, the need for their protection and their importance as an asset for climate science. It was published last year.
The paper’s authors studied the effect of coastal development in the area, which started in 2004 with the construction of Palm Jebel Ali. The man-made island, built within the territory of the marine reserve, replaced 8 sq km of live coral reef, the paper said, and further losses followed in 2007 when the Dubai Waterfront was built.
Only a few patches of coral remained in the area, Dr Riegl said.
Nakheel, the company behind the Palm Jebel Ali, did not respond to questions.
In comments to media last year, a company representative said Dubai’s already built-up coastline limited options for where to place the development. “Most of the existing coastline of what was known as Old Dubai was already gone, so we had very limited choice on where we should put the project.”
The company also pointed to the economic benefits of the land reclamation developments and to its project to relocate coral from the Dubai Drydocks breakwater to The World islands. About 2,200 square metres of reef were moved at a cost of more than Dh36 million and the coral grew by 20 per cent in five years.
Dr Burt believes that more could be done to enhance coastal management practices and ensure the sustainability of the remaining reef habitat. He suggested that a marine protection zone be created in the area around the remaining reefs in the Saih Al Shaib area near the border with Abu Dhabi.
“Coral reefs represent an important ecological asset for Dubai,” Dr Burt said. “They have unfortunately been affected by bleaching events in the 1990s and later coastal development. It is important to put procedures in place that ensure the remaining habitats remain free from potential future impacts from new coastal and industrial development projects in the emirate.”
vtodorova@thenational.ae
MATCH INFO
CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
Tuesday:
Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
Al Ahly (EGY) v Entente Setif (ALG) (11PM)
Second legs:
October 23
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Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
Your Guide to the Home
- Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
- Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
- Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Elvis
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Company%20Profile
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
