Arabian sea

It includes the geographical study of Arabian Sea, its location, physical features, ecosystems present in Arabian gulf and effect of environmental stressors etc.

1. ARABIAN SEA بحر العرب‎ 

2. Arabian Sea is the northwestern part of the  Indian Ocean . It is bounded to the west by the  Horn of Africa  and the  Arabian Peninsula , To the north by  Iran  and  Pakistan To the east by India, And to the south by the remainder of the Indian Ocean. To the north the  Gulf of Oman  connects the sea with the  Persian Gulf  via the  Strait of Hormuz . To the west the  Gulf of Aden  connects it with the  Red Sea  via the  Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

3. FEATURES OF ARABIAN SEA

4. The  Arabian Sea  is  named  after the  Arabian  merchants who dominated the  sea  from the 9 th  century to the late medieval period of history The depth of Arabian Sea exceeds 2,400km and maximum depth is 4,652m. The Arabian Sea has a monsoon climate. Minimum air temperatures of about 75 to 77 °F (24 to 25 °C) at the sea’s surface occur in the central Arabian Sea in January and February, while temperatures higher than 82 °F (28 °C) occur in both June and November. It has an important route of transportation within Pakistan and serve as base for fishing industry in west coast.  The biggest river flowing into the sea is the  Indus River

5. River Tapi River Narmada River Indus Luni River Mahi River Sharavati River Banas River RIVERS IN ARABIAN SEA

6. GULFS OF ARABIAN SEA The Arabian Sea has two important branches The Gulf of Aden in the southwest connecting with the Red Sea The Gulf of Oman to the northwest connecting with the Persian Gulf

7. The Arabian Sea's largest islands include Yemen's Socotra Oman's Masirah Island India's Lakshadweep Pakistan's Astola Island ISLANDS OF ARABIAN SEA

8. Coastal soils contain major components of quartz feldspar amphibole pyroxene carbonate clays micas gypsum halite chlorite epidote oxides . Soil Composition

9. ENVIORNMENTAL CONDITIONS

10. High-latitude geographical position The relative shallowness High evaporation Extreme environmental conditions Sea temperatures are markedly fluctuated between winter and summer seasons (15 - 36°C) Salinity can exceed 43 psu and may reach 70-80 psu in tidal pools and lagoons Marine organisms in the Arabian Gulf are living close to the limits of their environmental tolerance

11. Despite these harsh environmental conditions, the Arabian Gulf supports a range of coastal and marine ecosystems such as mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and mud and sand flats. It provides valuable ecological and economic functions as they form feeding and nursery grounds for a variety of commercially important marine organisms.   Most of these habitats are rich in varieties of fish, which are a major source of food for people in the Arabian Gulf. Ecosystem benefits in the Arabian Gulf are not limited to the direct consumptive value of seafood.

12. ECOSYSTEMS IN ARABIAN GULF

13. Mangrove habitats are ecologically important coastal ecosystems that provide food, shelter and nursery areas for a variety of terrestrial and marine fauna. Mangrove habitats of the Arabian Gulf support a variety of important species of fish, shrimps, turtles, and birds, and significantly contribute to the coastal productivity. Mangroves are largely distributed along the southern shores of the Arabian Gulf. MANGROVES

14. Due to the sedimentary nature of the Arabian Gulf, sand and mud substrata are the most widespread habitats. Tidal mudflats are generally restricted to low energy environment associated with low water movement mainly along the coastlines of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. These habitats are favorable areas for the colonization by mangroves, algal and cyanobacterial mats, which play important roles in primary productions and food chains. Biodiversity and distribution of macrobenthos in the Arabian Gulf are primarily governed by sediment type, temperature, salinity, primary productivity, depth and physical disturbance. MUDFLATS

15. SEAGRASS BED Seagrass ecosystems provide food sources and feeding grounds for several threatened species in the Arabian Gulf such as turtles and dugongs. They can also improve water quality by stabilizing loose sediment and by filtering some pollutants out of the water. Extensive growth of seagrass is typically associated with sandy and muddy substrates in nearshores and shallow waters

16. Coral reefs are featured by both biological diversity and high levels of productivity. The high diversity of coral reefs provides a wide range of habitats for other reef species and fish. Coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf have traditionally been important habitats for fisheries. Coral reefs in the Arabian Gulf have been severely affected by recent bleaching events as well as human impacts. CORAL REEFS

17. ENVIORNMENT STRESSORS

18. Dredging and reclamation activities  Degradation of coral reefs  Sectors of oil refining and petrochemical industries Discharging wastewater  Desalination effluents Sewage effluents Oil pollution Run off from phosphate mining Eutrophication

19. CLIMATE CHANGE IN ARABIAN SEA

20. Arabian Sea has been generating more than one cyclone every year, a phenomenon scientists attribute to climate change. The surface temperature of Arabian Sea currently in the range of 30-31 degree Celsius, which is abnormally high. Arabian Sea used to be cool, but now it’s a warm pool—supporting more intense cyclones. Tropical cyclones draw their energy from the warm waters—a reason why they form over the warm pool regions where temperatures are above 28°C.

21. CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT

22. The Arabian Sea Whale Network (ASWN) aims to bring researchers and other stakeholders together to collaborate on a regional level toward conservation of whales in the Arabian Sea. Members in  India ,  Iran ,  Oman  and Pakistan are engaged in community outreach and education programmes, working with fishermen and forming effective stranding networks to free live stranded animals and collect data and precious biological samples from stranded whales all over the country. MPA marine protected areas serve as important component for conservation of Arabian Sea. Successful turtle conservation work to support initiatives for conserving globally important populations of marine turtles and the endangered Arabian Sea humpback whale. EWS-WWF is the leading independent environmental NGO in the Arabian region, and the only one working on marine conservation at the federal level in the UAE

23. THANK YOU