Mangrove Park in Abu Dhabi Thrives in Extremely Salty Waters, Summer Temperatures

Abu Dhabi - Al Jubail Island's Jubail Mangrove Park is a paradise that thrives in the sweltering heat of the summer.

An extremely salty sea that heats up in the peak of summer is an unfriendly environment for most foliage to survive. In contrast, there is a forest that is not only surviving but also thriving in a remote area of Abu Dhabi, where salty waters lap sun-drenched shorelines. This forest serves as a natural wildlife sanctuary and a remarkably tranquil respite from the bustle of the UAE's cities and deserts.

On Al Jubail island in Abu Dhabi's northeast, where shallow tidal lakes and rivers spill into the crystalline blue Arabian Sea, is Jubail Mangrove Park, a green area of gray mangrove trees.

Just before the pandemic started, the park was opened to the public as a tourist destination. It now has a classy reception area made of wood that provides up-close views of the area's flora and fauna.

Dickson Dulawen, a veteran guide, said that like yoga, being in the park, especially at sunrise or sunset, is therapeutic. It is a wonderful spot to unwind.

The healing abilities of mangroves are beneficial to other species as well as humans. Resilient trees, according to scientists, are also assisting in the restoration of the environment by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, promoting biodiversity, and delaying the effects of climate change.

It is Paradise

The best way to see the mangroves is from the water in a kayak from Jubail, where you can follow guides like Dulawen. Tours are offered during the day and occasionally at night, depending on the tides.

Dulawen points to the throngs of small black crabs that scurry on the sand beds surrounding the base of the mangroves as he leads the way out through a man-made channel. He says there is a symbiotic relationship between the plants and the crustaceans. They spread seeds, break up the dense salty sediment, and eat fallen leaves while hiding from predators in the branches, all of which promote root growth.

To breathe, gray mangroves project a star-shaped system of cable roots or anchor roots, which then produce a miniature forest of tubes called pneumatophores. A closer look at the mangrove leaves shows that they seem to be sweating salt, which Dulawen compares to a perfect desert island with a perfect sandy beach that only appears at low tide. it's a process that enables them to flourish in saltwater that would otherwise be poisonous to other plants. Other plants that contribute to the local ecosystem are mentioned by Dulawen.

Over the moving seagrass, upside-down jellyfish are seen in the clear water. Turtles are frequent guests, according to Dulawen.

Ecosystem Engineers + Diversity Hotspot

This area of Abu Dhabi is peaceful in part because it is off-limits to jet skis and other pleasure crafts that buzz along other stretches of coastline.

In recent years, mangrove areas have expanded in both Jubail and the Eastern Mangrove Park of Abu Dhabi thanks to public and private planting initiatives. Three new trees are planted for everyone that is cut down due to development elsewhere.

John Burt, an associate professor of biology from New York University, Abu Dhabi, calls this an environmental success story. Burt can be seen paddling throughout the emirate's waters. This is also part of his team's study to map the genetic information of the gray mangrove,

In his words, mangroves are "ecosystem engineers," constructing not only their own homes but also the ideal environment for a vast array of other species.

He added that the mangroves are a hotspot for diversity, making wildlife such as birds and crabs happy.

There's something else too. In our era of climate change, Super-resilient mangroves in Abu Dhabi may hold the answer to predicting how ecosystems around the world will adjust to global warming and increasing sea levels, as well as assisting in mitigating some of the causes. According to Burt, they serve as a "blue carbon sink," which is a marine environment that absorbs more carbon than it emits.

Hardy Genes

The professor also claims that Abu Dhabi's gray mangroves could serve as a model for species survival anywhere in the world since they flourish in the unusually salty waters of the desert coastal waters that, in the winter, can get quite cool for a typically tropical species.

His group is examining particular genes in the indigenous plants that are linked to "environmental resilience," such as tolerance to salt and extremely high and low temperatures.

The same hardy genes that Abu Dhabi's trees possess may also be present in mangroves in other places around the world, ready to be activated in the correct environmental conditions. And it might be a good omen to see those genes at work in Abu Dhabi, CNN Travel reports.