Waleed Hamza

• Ph.D. Aquatic Ecology, Italy 1
• Free lance Ottawa, Canada

This overview compares algal blooms and pelagic fisheries of the Arabian Gulf with the Sea of Oman. The data consist of remotely sensed characteristics, directly sampled and modeled. Elucidated seasonal trends were based on 15-year seasonal means, as well as weekly time series of physical parameters. The environmental characteristics (namely photos...

The Arabian Gulf is exposed to intensive dust storms during summer until early winter. We investigated the nutritive effect of the dust on microbial biodiversity of the water column and the productivity of the Gulf. We collected samples from three sites in a transect perpendicular to the shore in March (before the strong dust storms) and in October...

The water flea Daphnia O.F. Müller 1776 (Crustacea: Cladocera) is an important model of recent evolutionary biology. Here, we report a complete genome of Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) arabica (Crustacea: Cladocera), recently described species endemic to deserts of the United Arab Emirates. In this study, genome analysis of D. arabica was carried out to in...

A study of the water fleas (Crustacea: Cladocera) in man-made lakes in the northeast part of the United Arab Emirates revealed five species: Ceriodaphnia cf. cornuta Sars, 1885; Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) arabica Neretina, Al Neyadi et Hamza, 2022; Moina cf. micrura Kurz, 1875; Anthalona mediterranea (Yalim, 2005); Coronatella anemae Van Damme et Dumon...

The biodiversity distribution patterns and their formation history in continental waters are studied based on some model groups such as Daphnia O.F. Müller (Crustacea: Cladocera). Most publications on this genus concern the subgenus Daphnia (Daphnia) while representatives of the subgenus Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia), inhabiting mainly temporary waters, a...

Shellfish consumption in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) exceeds local supply and frozen fish and seafood products are imported to fill the gap. To determine the species in frozen shellfish brands on the UAE markets, 95 frozen samples were subjected to PCR amplification and sequencing of the hypervariable region of the 16S rDNA. This identified 11 d...

As a major source of atmospheric dust, the Arabian Peninsula contributes significantly to the nutrients supply for the marine ecosystem of the Arabian Gulf. It does this via dust deposited across the Gulf basin, mainly during the frequent local dust storm events. In addition to dust deposition, it appears that the Gulf ecosystem receives additional...

This chapter presents the results of sediment analysis at Jebel Ali Harbor, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to establish a sediment quality baseline for the ecosystem. Another objective of the study was to set a target for sediment quality that will sustain the health of the aquatic ecosystem for the long term. Sediments in the harbor were collected f...

With the existing and anticipated expansion in the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ), Dubai, there is concern regarding the degradation of water resources in the area. This study was conducted to assess the water quality of the harbor in the JAFZ area, with an emphasis on the impact of discharged pollutants into the harbor. To do so, an extensive sampling...

Article History: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been identified as an active international seafood market. To identify some of the key fish species in the UAE markets, 9 species of fresh fishes were randomly collected from Souq Al Jubail in Sharjah City, one of the biggest fish markets in UAE. The samples were subjected to DNA barcoding using p...

Simple Summary Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis, Ardeidae) is a widely distributed species occurring in the Arabian Gulf in which individuals are either dark or light morphed. Most (over 70%) of the population consists of dark morphed birds and it is suggested that morphological characters are influenced by feeding behavior, predator–prey relati...

Phytoplankton and zooplankton monthly samples collected from the coastal water stations, located in Ras Al Khaima Emirate (United Arab Emirates) and Sohar governorate (Sultanate of Oman), during 2018-2019, have shown great variations, not only in their community structures, but also in their species abundances. Plankton samples were collected via v...

The Arabian Gulf is exposed to intensive dust storms during summer until early winter. We investigated the nutritive effect of the dust on microbial biodiversity of the water column and the productivity of the Gulf. We collected samples from three sites in a transect perpendicular to the shore in March (before the strong dust storms) and in October...

This overview compares algal blooms and pelagic fisheries of the Arabian Gulf (AG) with the Sea of Oman (SO). The data consist of remotely sensed characteristics, directly sampled and modeled. Elucidated seasonal trends were based on 15-year seasonal means, as well as weekly time series of physical parameters. The environmental characteristics (nam...

The present paper proposes a methodology to optimise the design of a beach protection intervention at Saadiyat Island, of the Abu Dhabi city in the United Arab Emirates. In particular, a nourishment performance index (NPI) has been introduced to select among different design alternatives of a coastal engineering intervention related to the ongoing...

Canada and USA have over a 100-year history of international cooperation on Great Lakes management. For over 30 years, federal, state, and provincial governments have successfully used locally-defined ecosystem approaches to develop and implement remedial action plans to restore beneficial uses impairments in 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Each r...

High-resolution, reliable global atmospheric and oceanic numerical models can represent a key factor in designing a coastal intervention. At the present, two main centers have the capabilities to produce them: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the U.S.A. and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)....

The community structure of macrobenthic fauna in the intertidal zones at two locations, along the west coast of Abu Dhabi (UAE) have investigated. The two locations, Tarif and Radim, have experienced human impacts represented in coastal alteration due to both dredging and nourishment activities. In each location three sediments samples were collect...

Landing site and market surveys of sharks landed along the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates were undertaken between October 2010 and September 2012 to obtain biological data from this artisanal fishery. Data were collected on the size and sex of 12 482 individuals representing 30 species. Maximum sizes of Carcharhinus sorrah, C. ambly...

Sargassum echinocarpum J. Agardh is an edible macroalga that is abundant in warm marine waters. This study investigated the effects of temperature and substrate variations on the vegetative growth of its spores under laboratory conditions. Specimens were collected from the southern shallow waters of Abu Dhabi coastal area (Ras Ghanada—UAE) during J...

The diets of the milk shark, Rhizoprionodon acutus, and the slit-eye shark, Loxodon macrorhinus, landed from the artisanal fishery in the Arabian Gulf waters of the United Arab Emirates were investigated to determine their dietary preferences. Stomach contents from 57 milk sharks and 53 slit eye sharks were collected from Abu Dhabi (R. acutus, n =...

The Arabian Gulf, surrounded by deserts, is an ideal marine basin to study the effects of nutrient input from dust on primary productivity. We studied the microbial community composition of the water column and sediment using 16S r-RNA gene sequencing, and the activity of photosynthetic microorganisms using pigment analysis and microsensors measure...

Although fish fauna in the Arabian/Persian Gulf have been studied for decades, shark diversity has only been recently investigated in the region. Here, we present a first comprehensive account of shark diversity from the United Arab Emirates based on fishery-dependent data collected at market and landing sites over a two-year period of field sampli...

We imaged reflectance and variable fluorescence in 25 cyanobacterial mats from four distant sites around the globe to assess, at different scales of resolution, spatial variabilities in the physiological parameters characterizing their photosynthetic capacity, including the absorptivity by chlorophyll a (Achl), maximum quantum yield of photosynthes...

Anecdotal evidence suggests that sharks are being targeted in the United Arab Emirates artisanal fishery. However, little information is available on this fishery and baseline information is essential for understanding its impact on shark populations in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, and for managing sharks in this region. The aim of this study was to i...

On 18 March 2012, a female specimen of the sand tiger shark, Carcharias taurus, measuring 256 cm, was by-caught by a net fisherman targeting narrow-barred Spanish mackerel, Scomberomorus commerson, off Dalma Island in Abu Dhabi waters. This occurrence represents the first documented record of C. taurus in United Arab Emirates waters. The geographic...

Very little information is known about coral species reproduction in the Arabian Gulf. The present study has chosen the area of Ghantoot reserve in Jebel Ali (Saih Al Shaib-Dubai at UAE), which has a high biodiversity in both fauna and flora, to study the reproductive patterns, timing and degree of synchrony in spawning of coral species living at t...

Dust storm frequencies and strengths were monitored during 2009 at various locations along the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as representative sites of the Arabian Gulf marine environment. The results have been compared with a pre-2009 five-year data set. Mineralogical components of dust samples collected during the 2009 study period wer...

The Arabian Gulf (also known as Persian Gulf and ROPME Sea) represents an extremely important economic, political and strategic aquatic resource. Although the Gulf region is known world wide for its oil-gas deposits and production, very little is known about its ecosystem health, food web dynamics, fisheries, biodiversity and sustainability. The pr...

The Nile Delta, an area of about 22,000 km2, accounts for two thirds of Egypt's agriculture. In the late Pliocene, the delta started to advance across a marine embayment and developed, especially in the Pleistocene, through major sea-level changes associated with glacial periods. The Nile Delta area is now the major oil and gas-producing area of Eg...

Variations in morphology, fatty acids, pigments and cyanobacterial community composition were studied in microbial mats across intertidal flats of the arid Arabian Gulf coast. These mats experience combined extreme conditions of salinity, temperature, UV radiation and desiccation depending on their tidal position. Different mat forms were observed...

Jebel Ali Harbor in Dubai is one of the largest man-made ports in the world. Due to its bottle-like nature, it is anticipated that little mixing or wave action occurs within the harbor; however, no study has been conducted to investigate the harbor's hydrodynamic regime. In this paper, the circulation pattern in Jebel Ali Harbor is presented. The v...

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of live food (Chlorella vulgaris, Artemia fransciscana), artificial feed and combinations of both types (Chlorella + Artemia nauplii; Chlorella + Artificial feed; Artemia nauplii + Artificial feed; and Chlorella + Artemia nauplii + Artificial feed) on the growth, feed utilization efficiency...

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental and industrial cumulative pollutant that most affects many organs specially the liver. The protective effect of Spirulina, filamentous blue green algae, on Cd – induced oxidative stress and hepatotoxicity was evaluated in male rats. Oral administration of water extract of Spirulina for seven days followed by an acut...

Abu-Qir Bay is a semicircular basin in the eastern part of Alexandria City, Egypt. The Bay has a maximum depth of 15 m, and surface area of 500 km2. The bay is suffering from a serious pollution problem caused by the inflow of brackish water from Lake Edku and the poor-quality water discharged from the Rosetta Nile branch. The variations in wind re...

The River Nile, the most famous river of the ancient world, is the dominant geographic feature of northeastern Africa and the longest river on Earth. At the point of discharge of the Nile into the Mediterranean, the great Nile delta has formed and furnishes the most fertile area for cultivation in the Egyptian territory. The delta is embraced by tw...

A mathematical matrix model was formulated to investigate the response of Daphnia obtusa population dynamics to the changes in the water chemistry of Lake Orta before and after the liming operation. Model parameters were estimated from experimental laboratory data. Model analysis showed that water chemistry changes induced by liming affected mainly...

ABSTRACT The chlorophyll labelling technique has been acknowledged to be a useful method for measuring phytoplankton growth rates while avoiding some of the problems involved in calculating growth rates derived from the ,C assimilation. The second goal of our experiments was to test the hypothesis that growth rates can be quite different across the...

The mathematical models actually used to solve problems related to water resources and their management are complex in nature due to the fact that they are required to make an effective combination of a range of environmental reactions. These models typically consist of several parts: hydrodynamic, chemical and biological. In addition, atmospheric...

The availability of surface freshwater resour ces in Egypt, as in other middle-east developing countries, is a major challenge – not least of all because the average population density doubled during the last 30 years. The major challenge faced by the Egyptian government is the limited annual freshwater quota from the Nile of 55.5 km 3 year -1 (809...

The ecosystem of the Egyptian Mediterranean coastal area between longitudes 2945 E and 3345 E was seasonally investigated. The obtained data sets for a variety of environmental variables were previously interpolated over the studied area, and used in the coupled physical-biological model Fin-Est. Here, the model has been implemented to solve the ce...

The three-dimensional Prinston Ocean Model (POM) was used for the purpose of exploring the water circulation of the Egyptian Med. Shelf waters and to be used for better understanding and management of the coastal area. The model domain extends from long. 29.75 E to long. 33.75 E and from lat. 31.08 N to lat. 32.16 N. The MODB seasonal climatology d...

Directional swimming of Daphnia galeata x hyalina was studied using a container 36 cm long, with tracks as in a swimming pool, and a small chamber separated by a mobile door at one end of each track. In one experiment, extracts or filtrates of Cryptomonaserosa and Fragilariacrotonensis cultures were placed in the chambers; in a second one, coloured...

Life-tables of the Daphnia species (D. longispina and D. obtusa), currently inhabiting the previously acidified Lake Orta, were followed to study the side effects of liming on the demographic parameters (e.g. longevity, body size increment, eggs and new-borns production), of both species. Different media were prepared to simulate the lake water pH'...

Although very well known as a phenomenon, eutrophication of lakes remains as an unresolved problem. Freshwater has become a limited resource everywhere, even critical in some areas of the world. Water quality problems must be identified as early as possible and at a minimum time and cost, so solutions can be found quickly and be effective. Alkaline...

The results obtained from the in situ zooplankton grazing study carried out in the lake during 1993, in addition to the evaluation of the peculiar characteristics of the physical, chemical and biotic components and their effect on planktonic interactions show that the lake can be considered eutrophic. Other parameters, such as the high zooplankton...

Grazing experiments were carried out in a limed lake (Lago d'Orta) during the periods, 23–24 March and 28–29 June 1990. A simple in situ technique based on cell counts before and after incubation was used in order to evaluate the impact of the natural zooplankton community on the lake phytoplankton. An estimation of the daily consumption by the nat...