Abu Dhabi’s mangrove park thrives in brackish waters, summer temperatures

ABU DHABI – Jubail Mangrove Park on Jubail Island is a paradise that thrives in the sweltering summer heat.

The extremely Aral Sea, which heats up at the height of summer, is an unfriendly environment for most foliage to survive. By contrast, in a remote part of Abu Dhabi, a forest has not only survived but thrived, where salty waters surround the sun-drenched coastline. This forest is a natural wildlife sanctuary and a very peaceful place away from the hustle and bustle of UAE cities and deserts.

On Jubail Island, northeast of Abu Dhabi, where shallow tidal lakes and rivers flow into the azure Arabian Sea, is Jubail Mangrove Park, a grey mangrove forest.

Just before the pandemic began, the park opened to the public as a tourist destination. It now has an elegant reception area made of wood for a close-up view of the flora and fauna of the area.

Like yoga, being in the park, especially at sunrise or sunset, is a kind of therapy, says veteran guide Dixon Duravan. This is a great place to relax.

The healing power of mangroves is beneficial to other species as well as humans. According to scientists, resilient trees also help restore the environment by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, boosting biodiversity and delaying the effects of climate change.

this is heaven

The best way to see the mangroves is by kayaking in the water from Jubail, where you can follow a guide like Dulawen. Tours are offered during the day and occasionally at night, depending on tide conditions.

Duravin pointed to a group of little black crabs hurrying on the sand bed around the bottom of the mangrove, and he led a man-made passage out. He said there is a symbiotic relationship between plants and crustaceans. They disperse seeds, break down dense salty deposits, and eat fallen leaves while evading predators on branches, all of which encourage root growth.

To breathe, the grey mangroves project a star-shaped system of twigs or anchorages, which then produce a forest of miniature pipes called stomata. A closer look at the leaves of the mangroves reveals that they appear to be sweating, which Duravan likens to a perfect desert island with a perfect sandy beach that only emerges at low tide. This is a process that enables them to thrive in saltwater that is toxic to other plants. Dulawen mentioned other plants that contribute to the local ecosystem.

Upside-down jellyfish can be seen in clear water on moving seagrass. Turtles are frequent visitors, according to Duravan.

Ecosystem Engineer + Diversity Hotspot

This part of Abu Dhabi is quiet, in part because it bans jet skis and other rides that buzz along other parts of the coastline.

Both Jubail and Abu Dhabi East Mangrove Park have expanded mangrove areas in recent years due to public and private planting programmes. Three new trees were planted for everyone that was cut down due to development elsewhere.

John Burt, an associate professor of biology at NYU Abu Dhabi, called it an environmental success story. Bert can be seen paddling in waters throughout the emirate. This is also part of his team’s research to map the genetic information of gray mangroves,

In his words, mangroves are “ecosystem engineers” who not only build their own homes, but also ideal environments for a host of other species.

He added that mangroves are hotspots of diversity that delight wildlife such as birds and crabs.

And something else. In our age of climate change, Abu Dhabi’s super-resilient mangroves may help predict how ecosystems around the world will adapt to global warming and rising sea levels, and help mitigate some of the causes. According to Burt, they act as “blue carbon sink“It’s a marine environment that’s taking in more carbon than it’s emitting.

Also read: Mangroves in the desert: Actively tackling climate change

Hardy gene

The professor also claimed that Abu Dhabi grey mangrove Can serve as a model for species to survive anywhere in the world, as they thrive in the unusually salty waters of desert coastal waters, which can get quite cool during winter for typical tropical species.

His team is studying specific genes in native plants associated with “environmental resilience,” such as tolerance to salt and extreme and extreme low temperatures.

The same cold-hardiness genes that Abu Dhabi’s trees have may also be present in mangroves elsewhere in the world, ready to be activated under the right environmental conditions. Seeing these genes at work in Abu Dhabi could be a good sign, CNN Travel Report.

related articles: Study uses remote sensing model to estimate productivity of mangrove carbon storage