NYU biologists study marine life on UAE research ship

NYU researchers found the Arabian Gulf’s climate resilience to be “surprisingly high” in a marine biology study aboard The Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi-owned research vessel, “Jaywun.” The study’s discoveries could lead to further research into the effects of microorganisms adapting to global warming. 

The team of 10 researchers sailed across 34 locations in the United Arab Emirates’ territorial waters, collecting over 2,500 water samples to evaluate the health of the Gulf’s marine ecosystem — which typically see shallower waters with less oxygen. Researchers found that despite the area’s high temperatures and salt levels, microorganisms have successfully adapted to the nutrient deficient waters and exemplify high biological productivity. 

“We’re really seeing more of a push towards the value of nature, the value of the environment and how that’s very detrimental to what we’ve been doing in this region,” Iulia Bibire, an  Abu Dhabi research technician who took part in this project, told WSN. “The aim was looking at what is the composition of the phytoplankton and microbial communities, which have actually never been looked at in UAE waters specifically.”

NYU Abu Dhabi professor Shady Amin told WSN that aboard Jaywun — a 50-meter vessel equipped with advanced research equipment and six on-board labs — researchers used chlorophyll to observe a high concentration of phytoplankton on the UAE coast. Phytoplankton provide oxygen to fish through photosynthesis, creating a type of “marine food web.” 

Amin said that waters existing under high temperatures usually see lower levels of nitrogen and marine life. Yet, scientists on the mission successfully identified a unique source — the cyanobacteria that grows throughout the gulf and converts nitrogen into ammonia, making it bioavailable for its own growth as well as that of other organisms. 

As global temperatures rise, Bibire said other oceans will see similar conditions as those in the Gulf. Studying the marine ecosystems in the region will help future scientists effectively understand how climate change affects biodiversity — and can simultaneously support pharmaceutical innovations, as many new treatments use unique molecules found in marine environments.

“There’s been a lot more of a push towards educating people and acknowledging the value of the resources that we have,” Bibire said. “It’s a region where you can actually afford to make changes, because other places are not so easy to adapt.”

Contact Thomas Cayetanont at news@nyunews.com.

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NYU researchers found the Arabian Gulf’s climate resilience to be “surprisingly high” in a marine biology study aboard The Environmental Agency – Abu Dhabi-owned research vessel, “Jaywun.” The study’s discoveries could lead to further research into the effects of microorganisms adapting to global warming.  The team of 10 researchers sailed across 34 locations in the…