Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 27, pp. 149-156, 1993. 0025-326X/93 S6.00+0.00 Printed in Great Britain. O 1993 Pergamon Press Ltd Has the Gulf War Affected Coral Reefs of the Northwestern Gulf? NIGEL DOWNING* and CALLUM ROBERTSt *Ashcroft, RotherfieM Peppard, Oxfordshire, RG9 5LB, UK t Eastem Caribbean Centre, University of the Virgin lslands, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, 00802, USA Surveys of offshore and nearshore reefs in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were undertaken during the latter part of 1992. A small, inshore platform reef located close to one of the Kuwait sources of the Gulf War oil spill had been partially impacted. However, corals were recover- ing and it supported a healthy fish community. No evidence of pollution damage was detected on the Saudi Arabian reefs, and a patchy distribution of mortality in three species of coral was found on the offshore Kuwait reefs. Analysis of long term changes in the Kuwait reef fish populations reveal a downward trend in numbers. It is concluded that natural fluctua- tions in the coral reef community may have effectively masked any supposed impact of the Gulf War, and suggested that only continued monitoring will reveal any longer term Gulf War effects. In July 1991, 6 months after the end of the Gulf War, a survey of Kuwait's offshore islands and coral reefs was carried out. With the exception of the terrestrial environment of Umm AI Maradam Island, which had been the scene of a battle to recapture it, there was no evidence of significant damage as a result of the war (Downing, 1991, 1992). A survey of the offshore islands in Saudi Arabia in late 1991 also suggested that they had survived Gulf War pollution remarkably unscathed (Greenpeace, 1992). Two possible longer term problems were considered. A slight reduction in water temperature had been detected (Downing, 1991, 1992). It was assumed to have been caused by a persistent smoke layer above the northern Gulf, emanating from the burning oil wells on the Kuwait mainland. Downing argued that if a very cold winter followed a summer when sea temperatures were significantly lower than the norm, then the reef corals may be exposed to water temperatures close to or lower than their lethal limit. Secondly, polyaromatic hydrocarbons present in the soot fall-out may have had a toxic effect on the reef biota. He therefore recommended that a further check be carried out during the early part of 1992, after the winter. In early 1992 a survey of northern inshore and off- shore Kuwait reefs by scientists participating in the NOAA RV Mt Mitchell Gulf Cruise (FadlaUah et al., 1992) reported the reefs as significantly impacted and as having undergone a sudden rapid deterioration. It is not known against which background of data or knowledge these observations were made. It was decided that a further survey of Kuwait's reefs should be undertaken, repeating as closely as possible the methods used in 1991, and once more making use of the data and first hand local experience that had been accumulated during the 1980s as a basis for comparison (Downing, 1989a,b,c,d). A check was also made of Saudi Arabian reefs. This paper reports on the results of the 1992 survey, and addresses whether observed changes in the coral and fish communities were due to effects of the Gulf War. Materials and Methods Study sites The Kuwait offshore reefs at Kubbar, Qaru and Umm AI Maradem were surveyed 28 November-1 December 1992. On 2 December the inshore reefs of Qit'at Urayfijan and Getty (Ras A1-Zoor) were investigated. Three offshore reefs of Saudi Arabia were surveyed in November 1992: Karan, Jana and Jurayd islands (Fig. 1). In addition, two inshore sites to the north of Abu Ali, an area heavily impacted by oil, were visited. Exact details of the locations examined are given in Downing (1991, 1992) and Roberts (1993). Survey methods Unless otherwise stated the methods used to survey the corals and echinoderms are as described in Downing (1989b), and for the fish in Downing (1989c). The coral transect on the south reef at Kubbar (Downing, 1991, 1992) was omitted due to time restrictions. At Getty Reef a 100 m tape was laid from the light tower marking its northern edge on a beating of 150*M (degrees magnetic). A 100 m point transect (Downing, 1989b) was then carried out between the 30 m and 80 m marks on the tape. At Qifat Urayfijan a dive was made at the light tower (located on the eastern side). The reef was carefully inspected in this area, but no measurements were taken. In Saudi Arabia, no measurements were made of coral communities but a general appraisal of their condition at each site was recorded. In particular, the 149