Critical Research Needs for Identifying Future Changes in Gulf Coral Reef Ecosystems

Authors

• David A. Feary, University of Technology - Sydney, Australia
• John A. Burt, New York University - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Andrew G. Bauman, James Cook University - Townsville, AustraliaFollow
• Shaker Al Hazeem, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
• Mohamed A. Abdel-Moati, Ministry of Environment - Qatar
• Khalifa A. Al-Khalifa, Ministry of Culture - Bahrain
• Donald M. Anderson, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• Carl Amos, University of Southampton - United Kingdom
• Andrew Baker, University of Miami
• Aaron Bartholomew, American University of Sharjah - United Arab Emirates
• Rita Bento, Emirates Diving Association; University of Porto - Portugal
• Georgenes H. Cavalcante, Universidade Federal de Alagoas - Brazil
• Chaolun Allen Chen, Academia Sinica - Taipei, Taiwan
• Steve L. Coles, Bishop Museum; Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology
• Koosha Dab, Beheshti University - Tehran, Iran
• Ashley M. Fowler, University of Technology - Sydney, Australia
• David George, Natural History Museum - London, United Kingdom
• Edwin Grandcourt, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Ross Hill, University of New South Wales - Sydney, Australia
• David M. John, Natural History Museum - London, United Kingdom
• David A. Jones
• Shashank Keshavmurthy, Academia Sinica - Taipei, Taiwan
• Huda Mahmoud, Kuwait University
• Mahdi Moradi Och Tapeh, Urmia University - Iran
• Pargol Ghavam Mostafavi, Islamic Azad University - Tehran, Iran
• Humood Naser, University of Bahrain
• Michel Pichon, James Cook University - Townsville, Australia; Museum of Tropical Queensland - Australia
• Samuel J. Purkis, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
• Bernhard Riegl, Nova Southeastern UniversityFollow
• Kaveh Samimi-Namin, Naturalis Biodiversity Center - The Netherlands; Iranian National Institute for Oceanography - Tehran
• Charles R. C. Sheppard, University of Warwick - United Kingdom
• Jahangir Vajed Samiei, Iranian National Institute for Oceanography - Tehran
• Christian R. Voolstra, KAUST (King Abdullah, University of Science and Technology)
• Joerg Wiedenmann, University of Southampton

ORCID

0000-0002-6003-9324

ResearcherID

B-8552-2013; F-8807-2011

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Marine Pollution Bulletin

ISSN

0025-326X

Publication Date

7-30-2013

Keywords

Persian Gulf, Arabian Gulf, Coral reefs, Expert, Assessment, Research gap

Abstract

Expert opinion was assessed to identify current knowledge gaps in determining future changes in Arabian/Persian Gulf (thereafter ‘Gulf’) coral reefs. Thirty-one participants submitted 71 research questions that were peer-assessed in terms of scientific importance (i.e., filled a knowledge gap and was a research priority) and efficiency in resource use (i.e., was highly feasible and ecologically broad). Ten research questions, in six major research areas, were highly important for both understanding Gulf coral reef ecosystems and also an efficient use of limited research resources. These questions mirrored global evaluations of the importance of understanding and evaluating biodiversity, determining the potential impacts of climate change, the role of anthropogenic impacts in structuring coral reef communities, and economically evaluating coral reef communities. These questions provide guidance for future research on coral reef ecosystems within the Gulf, and enhance the potential for assessment and management of future changes in this globally significant region.

DOI

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.02.038

Volume

72

Issue

2

First Page

406

Last Page

416

Comments

©2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Additional Comments

NERC grant #: NE/K00641X/1

NSUWorks Citation

Feary, David A.; John A. Burt; Andrew G. Bauman; Shaker Al Hazeem; Mohamed A. Abdel-Moati; Khalifa A. Al-Khalifa; Donald M. Anderson; Carl Amos; Andrew Baker; Aaron Bartholomew; Rita Bento; Georgenes H. Cavalcante; Chaolun Allen Chen; Steve L. Coles; Koosha Dab; Ashley M. Fowler; David George; Edwin Grandcourt; Ross Hill; David M. John; David A. Jones; Shashank Keshavmurthy; Huda Mahmoud; Mahdi Moradi Och Tapeh; Pargol Ghavam Mostafavi; Humood Naser; Michel Pichon; Samuel J. Purkis; Bernhard Riegl; Kaveh Samimi-Namin; Charles R. C. Sheppard; Jahangir Vajed Samiei; Christian R. Voolstra; and Joerg Wiedenmann. 2013. "Critical Research Needs for Identifying Future Changes in Gulf Coral Reef Ecosystems." Marine Pollution Bulletin 72, (2): 406-416. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.02.038.