War in the Middle East threatens life in the seas

For two months, the Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of an international armed conflict. Much is being written about oil prices and the economic consequences of the maritime blockade, while far too little attention is paid to the welfare of animals for which this region is home. Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East has its own tragic underwater chapter.

A strait flowing with oil – literally

The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has been the subject of disputes and negotiations for many days. During this time, up to 2,000 vessels have remained trapped in the Persian Gulf, including at least 75 tankers carrying around 19 billion liters of crude oil. Within the nearly 170 km-long water corridor, acts of aggression have taken place, leaving significant traces – April satellite images revealed 8-kilometer oil slicks along the coasts of the Iranian island of Qeshm, as well as a large spill around Lavan Island, where a fire broke out at a local refinery.

Representatives of Greenpeace warn that the pollution is already moving toward Shidvar Island in the Persian Gulf, not without reason referred to as the Iranian Maldives. This uninhabited piece of land is a coral paradise, fully protected and recognized by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA). In addition to endangered species of cormorants and terns, green turtles and hawksbill turtles also nest here.

Similar dangerous spills have already occurred off the coast of Kuwait, and every attack on vessels or oil infrastructure increases the risk of further contamination. According to CNN, since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, there have already been at least 16 acts of aggression at sea.

Between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf – an oasis of biodiversity

The Strait of Hormuz connects the cool, deep Gulf of Oman with the warm and shallow Persian Gulf. From the former, nutrients and larvae flow in, enabling the development of phytoplankton and coral reefs that provide shelter for dozens of fish species and migrating sharks. The greatest diversity of corals is observed along the Iranian coast and the southern shores of the Persian Gulf – according to Prof. Aaron Bartholomew of the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, they are among the most resilient and climate-resistant corals in the world. However, they are not resistant to warfare.

The Gulf of Oman is a realm of sea turtles and bottlenose dolphins, as well as a refuge for populations of critically endangered humpback whales, recognized by The International Union for Conservation of Nature as the most isolated group of whales in the world. Only a few hundred remain, and due to their sedentary nature, they are at the mercy of human military strategies.

In the warm waters of the Persian Gulf, in addition to turtles, sea snakes and whale sharks can also be found, which come here to feed, following schools of eastern tuna. Meanwhile, in the mangrove forests along the coast of Qatar, a rich underwater microworld thrives, determining the biological balance of the entire region. If pneumatophores, the breathing roots of mangroves, become coated with crude oil, this entire ecosystem will be on the brink of collapse.

The war in the Middle East means thousands of silent victims

The ecological context of the war in Iran cannot be overstated, yet it rarely makes front-page news. In Wodne Sprawy, we have already written about the burden of additional emissions, which can be relatively easily calculated. The biological effects of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will only become apparent in a few years.

As explained by Prof. Martin Grossel of the University of Miami, compounds present in oil that pollutes seawater often act very slowly, attacking the respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular systems of animals. Prolonged exposure to crude oil leads to overactivation of the stress response, which in turn weakens the functioning of the immune system, making animals more susceptible to infections and other types of environmental impacts, the scientist warns.