KFUPM, Saudi Aramco sign accord on marine study

Offshore staff

DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia -- King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals' Research Institute and Saudi Aramco recently began a five-year study to monitor the quality of Gulf coastal waters, particularly near major industrial discharge points and seawater intake sites.

Commercial species of fish, invertebrates, seaweed and coral reefs will also be monitored, and the possible impacts of pollution will be examined.

Coastal currents and wave action will be evaluated, and Arabian Gulf habitat maps, also known as biotope maps, will be updated. A detailed study of the south Gulf of Salwa will provide new biotope maps and insights into the area's ecology. The new increment of the study is slated to conclude in 2012.

Past studies have included work on pollutants, water quality, and developing current models for both the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea to predict the movement of oil spills and the best methods to contain them. The effects of invasive species from the ballast of seagoing vessels also have been evaluated.

05/27/2008