Sediment Carbon Stock in Natural and Transplanted Mangroves in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf

Mangroves in the Arabian Gulf provide several biological, ecological, and environmental services. They are also considered among the largest carbon sinks. However, mangroves along the coastlines of the Arabian Gulf have degraded in recent decades, mainly due to urbanization and coastal development. Therefore, restoration and afforestation programs have been initiated to enhance the services and functions of mangrove ecosystems and as part of national targets to mitigate climate change. Increasing carbon sinks by quadrupling the current areas covered by mangroves through afforestation programs by 2035 is one of the strategies to mitigate climate change in Bahrain. The aim of the present study was to estimate the organic carbon stocks in the sediments of natural and transplanted mangroves in Bahrain. Within the protected areas of Tubli and Arad Bays, sediment samples were taken down to a depth of 70 cm from natural and transplanted mangroves as well as a bare mudflat. The findings of the present study indicated that the total sediment organic carbon concentrations at three sampling sites of natural and transplanted mangroves and the mudflat were 200.54 ± 24.52, 112.36 ± 55.51, and 81.56 ± 8.92 Mg C/ha, respectively. The natural mangroves in Tubli Bay differed considerably from those in Arad Bay (p ≤ 0.001), based on the concentrations of organic carbon in sediments. However, there was a noticeable similarity seen in the organic carbon of the mangroves in Arad Bay that were transplanted 25 years prior and the natural mangroves in Tubli Bay, indicating the importance of a long-term mangrove afforestation strategy to mitigate climate change in the Arabian Gulf

Community Structures of Benthic Macrofauna in Reclaimed and Natural Intertidal Areas in Bahrain, Arabian Gulf

Costal reclamation has been carried out extensively along the coastlines of the Arabian Gulf during the last decades. As a small archipelago country, coastal reclamation continues to be a major option for securing land to meet the needs of the expanding population and economic development in Bahrain. Macrobenthic communities often reflect the integrity of ecosystems as they respond to natural and anthropogenic stressors. This study characterized the community structures of macrobenthic invertebrates in three reclaimed intertidal areas and a protected natural mudflat in Bahrain (August 2019 and December 2020). Macrobenthic community structures and sediment characteristics differed significantly between natural and reclaimed areas. A total of 43 species were recorded in the four study areas, of which 38 were collected from the natural mudflat. Polychaetes dominated macrobenthic communities, followed by molluscs and crustaceans. Polychaetes accounted for more than 90% of the communities in the reclaimed coastal areas. Macrobenthic monitoring is considered essential for detecting changes in coastal and marine ecosystems due to dredging and reclamation activities along the coastlines of the Arabian Gulf. The findings of this study can provide insights into the ecological dynamics of macrobenthic communities in reclaimed coastal areas for environmental monitoring and coastal planning and management in the Arabian Gulf