The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study
With the expeditious economic and population growth, trade, and tourism, artificial island development (AID) has gained interest in overcoming available land limitations in the past decades. The Arabian Gulf is characterized by extreme temperatures and high salinities and is home to diverse marine h...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Cleaner Environmental Systems |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789423000053 |
| _version_ | 1797803847194771456 |
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| author | Muhammad Salman Afzal Furqan Tahir Sami G. Al-Ghamdi |
| author_facet | Muhammad Salman Afzal Furqan Tahir Sami G. Al-Ghamdi |
| author_sort | Muhammad Salman Afzal |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | With the expeditious economic and population growth, trade, and tourism, artificial island development (AID) has gained interest in overcoming available land limitations in the past decades. The Arabian Gulf is characterized by extreme temperatures and high salinities and is home to diverse marine habitats comprising reefs, mangroves, swamps, and seagrass meadows. However, these ecosystems are witnessing stern pressure due to reclamation activities for AID. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is extensively used globally to produce sustainable management standards. One such case of environmental concerns associated with the AID was focused on in this study is Qatar's island (QI). A comprehensive EIA was carried out before and during the construction activities. The analyses include meteorology, hydrodynamics, wave climate and bathymetry, seawater and sediment quality, infauna habitat and benthic species, and fish community. Results showed overall median turbidity levels recorded (5.39 NTU at buoy 1) and (2.46 NTU at buoy 2) were within the baseline survey (5.2 ± 11.8 NTU). Before construction, Se and Ba levels were higher according to the sediment quality analysis; however, during construction, the levels were within acceptable ranges per Dutch requirements. In addition, strategic measures and guidelines were proposed, which can be opted for future developments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:27:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f26dc0045ef47db9b92d5ab61c730e5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-7894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T05:27:11Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cleaner Environmental Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f26dc0045ef47db9b92d5ab61c730e52023-06-15T04:57:23ZengElsevierCleaner Environmental Systems2666-78942023-06-019100111The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case studyMuhammad Salman Afzal0Furqan Tahir1Sami G. Al-Ghamdi2Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar; Environmental Science and Engineering Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; KAUST Climate and Livability Initiative, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding author. Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi ArabiaWith the expeditious economic and population growth, trade, and tourism, artificial island development (AID) has gained interest in overcoming available land limitations in the past decades. The Arabian Gulf is characterized by extreme temperatures and high salinities and is home to diverse marine habitats comprising reefs, mangroves, swamps, and seagrass meadows. However, these ecosystems are witnessing stern pressure due to reclamation activities for AID. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is extensively used globally to produce sustainable management standards. One such case of environmental concerns associated with the AID was focused on in this study is Qatar's island (QI). A comprehensive EIA was carried out before and during the construction activities. The analyses include meteorology, hydrodynamics, wave climate and bathymetry, seawater and sediment quality, infauna habitat and benthic species, and fish community. Results showed overall median turbidity levels recorded (5.39 NTU at buoy 1) and (2.46 NTU at buoy 2) were within the baseline survey (5.2 ± 11.8 NTU). Before construction, Se and Ba levels were higher according to the sediment quality analysis; however, during construction, the levels were within acceptable ranges per Dutch requirements. In addition, strategic measures and guidelines were proposed, which can be opted for future developments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789423000053Artificial islandsCoastal environmentEnvironmental impact assessmentGulf cooperation council (GCC)Marine ecosystem |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Salman Afzal Furqan Tahir Sami G. Al-Ghamdi The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study Cleaner Environmental Systems Artificial islands Coastal environment Environmental impact assessment Gulf cooperation council (GCC) Marine ecosystem |
| title | The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study |
| title_full | The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study |
| title_fullStr | The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study |
| title_short | The role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development: A Qatar's Island case study |
| title_sort | role of environmental impact assessment in the sustainable artificial island development a qatar s island case study |
| topic | Artificial islands Coastal environment Environmental impact assessment Gulf cooperation council (GCC) Marine ecosystem |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666789423000053 |
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