Abu Dhabi sets up coral reef monitoring stations

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi authorities have set up 10 new monitoring and control stations for surveying the condition of its coral reefs, a media report said on Tuesday.

The head of the Marine Evaluation and Control Unit at the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi), Ibrahim Bakla said the stations monitored temperature fluctuations hourly throughout the year and assessed data related to coral growth, live coral, dead coral and coral diseases.

The monitoring stations are at Ras Ghaanda, Al Saadiyat, Al Dabeya, Al Hayl, Delma, Makasseb, Al Yasat, Baraka and Sir Bani Yas.

He added that the health of corals had greatly deteriorated in the tropics and sub-tropics of the world, including the Arabian Gulf area, because of rise in temperature and coastal development, which is one of the main reasons for the increased risks to these vital coral reefs.

According to John Burt, associate professor and Head of the Marine Biology Lab at New York University Abu Dhabi, the Arabian Gulf is the world’s hottest sea, and Abu Dhabi reefs can provide incredible insight into how corals may adapt to increasing temperatures expected under future climate change.