Informatics Publishing Limited

Abdolreza Karbassi ¹, Elmira Mahin Abdollahzadeh ¹, Attaran-Fariman Gilan ², Mehrdad Nazariha ¹, Mazaheri-Assadi Mahnaz ³

Affiliations
1 University of Tehran, Tehran, IR
2 Department of Marine Biology, Chabahar Maritime University, Chabahar, CN
3 Biotechnology Center, Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology, Tehran, IR

Abstract

The increasingly growing world population and the contamination of rivers and coasts due to human activities have given rise to serious problems in the marine habitats. One of the most recent and challenging issues involves harmful algal blooms also known as red tides. The algal blooms have geographically spread in the entire coastal areas of the world, and the Iranian southern coast is no exception. However, any potential damage in coastal areas can be prevented by accurately predicting the dispersion and advection of the blooming species. This study intended to examine the dispersion and advection of harmful algal cells through hydrodynamic modules MIKE 3-FM and ECO Lab, which simulated the hydrodynamics and quality of water, as well as the distribution of chlorophyll-a across the southeast coast of Iran. After calibration of the model, the results of simulation were adequately consistent with the measured data on variations of chlorophyll-a, i.e. the cause of algal bloom. In fact, the modelling was successful in simulation of currents across the Gulf of Oman in hydrodynamic and quality terms. The dispersion of Cochlodinium polykrikoides was first observed at mid-April 2009 in the nearest station to the Strait of Hormuz. The bloom spreads toward eastern stations of Chabahar in mid-May and then persisted for two months. The results were consistent with those obtained through software modelling on the dispersion of chlorophyll-a, the major cause of algal bloom. Given that the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf are linked, the total tidal currents across the region were modelled. The results indicated that tidal currents tend to be stronger in the Persian Gulf than the Oman Sea. Additionally, the tidal range widens in the Persian Gulf, which can be associated with the lower depth of the Persian Gulf and its semi-enclosed environment. Given the results and the great eutrophication potential in southern coastal areas of Iran due to the disposal of municipal and industrial wastewater, the phytoplankton are expected to further disperse and concentrate, thus leading to greater algal bloom in the region. The validated model in this study can be employed to provide on-time warning and prevent any adverse social and economic consequences.

Keywords

Harmful Algal Bloom, Oman Sea, Chlorophyll-A, Numerical Modeling.

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