A study on the effect of dust and wind on phytoplankton activities in the Arabian Gulf

Red Tide occurrences in the Arabian Gulf have increased in the last few years. It damaged the aquatic life and the economic side of the region. Red tide is the presence of algae blooms (phytoplankton) which can be harmful, toxic and affects human health. The Arabian Gulf is an enclosed shallow basin surrounded by desert and arid areas. Not adequate remote sensing studies have been done on the dynamic of physical and biological properties of this water body. The correlations between red tide, described as OC3-derived Chlorophyll-a concentration (mg m^-3), and other related parameters such as: fluorescence line height (FLH W m^-2 μm^-1 sr^-1), aerosol optical thickness (AOT), wind speed (m/s) and sea surface temperature (°C) were studied. It was found that chlorophyll concentration is affected directly by dust loading, temperature, and wind and nutrients availability.