UNESCO Chair overview

The Chair was formally launched at Qatar University on 13 December 2020. The Science Plan of the award deals with "Oceanography of the Arabian Gulf with particular reference to the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Qatar".

About the Chair

UNESCO Chair and UN SDG targets

The Chair would be able to contribute primarily to the following UN SDG targets:

• Prevention and reduction of marine pollution due to anthropogenic activities
• Sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems to achieve healthy and productive ocean
• Address and minimize the impacts of ocean acidification
• Increase scientific knowledge and develop research capacity in order to improve ocean health
• Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards
• Integrate climate change measures into national policies
• Improve education, awareness and capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation and reduction.

UNESCO Chair and Qatar National Vision 2030 and QU National Research Priorities

The State of Qatar has adopted most of the UN Strategies related to ocean and environment in its National Vision 2030, and through this Chair, it is possible to integrate research and education, and contribute to National Development for effective adaptations. The Chair is also striving for successful implementation of collective marine protective measures adopted by countries in the region with a vision of sustainable regional development.

importance and need of unesco chair for the gulf region

1. There is lack of data to find out solutions to several key issues of this marginal sea.
2. In recent decades there has been a general decline in pearl oysters and ecological health of corals in the Arabian Gulf, and Qatar waters in particular. This aspect will be studied.
3. Improving water quality, providing 3D habitats for other benthic species and stabilization of shoreline areas.
4. Continuous monitoring and predictive modelling of the physical, chemical, biological and biogeochemical properties of the marine environment.
5. Facilitating and improving scientific collaboration and governance cooperation among countries surrounding the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
6. Studying the biological consequences of hypoxia. This is an emerging situation on the economic growth and sustainability of Gulf Regions, since fish stock, crustaceans and oyster beds are the major food sources of local people.

Chair Holder

Objectives

Long-term objective:

Promoting education and research for knowledge-based economy; involvement of students, academicians, scientists, industry professionals, local community, government bodies and other stakeholders in coastal and ocean monitoring and decision making processes; sustainable use of marine ecosystem services; conservation of traditional culture and heritage; security of food, water and energy, and through that national and regional development.

Capacity building

• Involving students, researchers, faculty, local communities and other stake-holders in monitoring the Gulf environment
• Providing research internship for the Qatar University students
• Holding discussions, presentations, seminars and workshops with the stakeholders and partners
• Training people to develop skills in marine sciences for the benefit of the country

Research Domains

The importance of Arabian Gulf to the Middle East Countries is well known (for example, the EEZ area of Qatar is nearly three times its land area). Although the growth of Gulf countries depends on the marine resources to a large extent, there should be a balance between industrial growth and Gulf health. The Science Plan of the UNESCO Chair proposal was prepared after several rounds of discussions with local, regional and global partners and Government and Industry Stakeholders. Hence, the UNESCO Chair research shall cover the following domains:

• Arabian Gulf circulation
• Climate change (Hypoxia, Ocean acidification)
• Sea level rise
• Shamal winds and swells
• Geomorphological changes due to coastal and offshore developments
• Marine pollution
• Mangroves
• Coral reef ecosystems

Outcome of the UNESCO Chair

Scientific achievements

1. Developed a multiscale ocean modelling system for the central Arabian Gulf
2. Role of shamal and easterly winds on the wave characteristics along the coast of Qatar
3. Physico-chemical characteristics off Doha Bay, east coast of Qatar
4. Factors influencing the vertical distribution of microplastics (MPs) in the beach sediments around the Ras Rakan Island, Qatar
5. Detection and assessment of marine litter in an uninhabited island, Arabian Gulf
6. Automatic detection and quantification of stranded marine plastic waste by combining smartphone and machine learning techniques
7. Hitchhiking of encrusting organisms on floating marine debris in the Arabian Gulf

Ongoing Activities

1. Preparation of atlases for currents and waves
2. Systematic, theme-oriented, focused data collection in all disciplines of Marine Science
3. Numerical modelling: for atmospheric (winds); ocean hydrodynamics and coastal engineering (waves, currents, tides, circulation and sediment transport); chemical (pollutant transport such as industrial effluents, brine dispersion and its influence on thermohaline circulation, microplastics, etc.).
4. Geomorphological changes due to coastal and offshore activities
5. Creation of drone with sensors facility at ESC to study the land and coastal environs of Qatar

Partners

Participating International Institutions

• Department of Marine Sciences, Kuwait University, Kuwait
• Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait
• Department of Marine Science and Fisheries, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
• Center for Environmental Studies and Research, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
• Dakshin Foundation, Bangalore, India
• Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, University of Malaya
• School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, UK
• Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, University of Alabama, USA
• Texas A&M University, Texas, USA

Participating Industries in Qatar

• ExxonMobil Research Qatar (EMRQ), Qatar
• Total Research Center-Qatar (TRC-Q), Qatar