Status of the macro algae and seagrass vegetation after the 1991 Gulf War oil spill

Olivier De Clerck & Eric Coppejans

A b s t r a c t: The intertidal zone of the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast is almost devoid of macroalgae or seagrasses, even in non-polluted sites. Because of the extreme climatic conditions these plants are restricted to subtidal habitats which have not been affected by the oil spill. Their diversity in the Dawhat ad-Dafi and Dawhat al-Musallamiya area is at least as high as in other similar regions of the Gulf. Their biomass can locally be very high, at least during part of the year. A species list of the Chlorophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta from the region is included.

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