Qatar University Life Science Symposium 2016: Biodiversity, Sustainability and Climate Change, with Perspectives from Qatar

Climate change, and more generally Global Change issues have become a major field of environmental research for now more than 20 years. It is also an important component of the Qatar National Research Strategy. Qatar is already strongly committed to develop a more sustainable economy and diversified economy, as clearly stated in the National 2030 Vision.

A large part of QNRF initiatives are aligned with those goals, as about 30 to 40% of the awarded projects by QNRF are dealing with sustainability topics. This covers in particular environmental issues, sustainable construction, low carbon energy technologies, renewable energies, risks related to regional climate change, CO2 emissions abatement technologies. QNRF addresses those scientific issues through its main collaborative research program NPRP, but also joined recently the Belmont Forum, a network of 25 funding agencies worldwide to support international calls on Global Change research.

Climate change may induces many changes on the environment in the Gulf region in the forthcoming decades. Those changes may induce ecological risks, but also risks for the health population and the infrastructures. How important are these risks? Do they cumulate?

If Global climate change scenarios are consistent, there is still a lot of uncertainty about climate change scenarios in the Gulf region, compared to other regions which are well documented such as the Mediterranean region or Northern Europe. Modeling of climate change at regional scale is a key issue to better define decadal trends, prevent extreme events or the impact on marine life.

On another hand, R&D priority themes also focus on strengthening the national expertise to support the definition of mitigation strategies at governmental level.

Climate change is often called humanity's biggest challenge of the 21st century, especially following on from the ambitious targets of the Paris climate summit. But climate change is a part of something bigger – the advent of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. This talk will focus on climate change in the context of the Anthropocene, taking a longer term perspective on the trajectory of the climate system in the Anthropocene. In particular, the talk will explore the magnitude and rate of contemporary climate change compared to previous shifts in the climate system over the past several million years, and will use this knowledge to project the potential trajectory of the climate system over the next century or two. Finally, the planetary boundaries framework will be introduced as a useful tool to guide further human development towards sustainability, as defined as a safe operating space of the Earth System.

As the world embarks on the implementation of the 2030 development agenda and discuss the metrics that will allow a proper monitoring and evaluation, one of the embarrassing questions is “who have been left behind the MDGs agenda and why”? and “where the focus should be for a proper Agriculture Sustainable Development?” Several analysis show that those poor who have not been reached by past efforts to improve incomes and food security are those living with one or more types of marginality. Mostly smallholders confined into biophysical and/or social-economic marginalities. To lift these populations and communities out of poverty, innovative technologies and methodologies are required. These innovations should focus on crop diversification, efficient inputs management, and better postharvest transformation. In that perspective, Neglected and underutilized species, also known as “Orphan crops”, will be crucial not only for achieving 0 hunger and 0 poverty (SDG1-SDG2) but also for a better Nutrition Security (SDG3).

Since Qatar first signed the Biodiversity Convention in Rio in 1992, Qatar has been a strong advocate with keen interest in sustainability and the preservation of its biodiversity noting that advancement in industry should not compensate Qatar environment for future generations. This is spelled out in the Constitution of Qatar. Qatar's National Vision 2030 set in 2008 sets 4 main development focus points for the country. These are: Human, Social, Economic and the Environment. Government authorities are all working in collaboration with local stockholders and interested partners including foreign companies to advance aspects of Qatar Vision 2030 through world solutions with applicable operations. Climate Change is now known to have an impact on both natural and cultural resources. Meanwhile, the World has been seeking solutions to safeguard our Planet. Recent awareness of the colossal effect of Climate Change on the whole Plant brought the world partners once more together (Paris COP21) to seek a solution that in their hope would restrict the Global temperature rise at 1.5 degrees Celsius!!! New concepts include the initiative “North America Climate Smart Agriculture Alliance (NACSAA) –(Application of Climate Science to Agriculture and Forestry) to find means to cope with climatic warming. The prospect is to introduce in farming what would be highly productive and sustainable. Combating pollution and bio invasions is yet another aspect for concern. In 2010, it was reported that 14% of global gas emission were from the Transport Sector. Recently Smart Transportation to combat climate change came in as a solution. To reduce/prevent pollution and introduce sustainable Solid waste Management is yet another world concern linked to Climate Change. Qatar is a small country that is highly populated due to the large numbers of workers in all aspects of life in Qatar. Major concerns are food and water security and waste management. Qatar has no natural rivers or lakes and the only source of their water's needs come from the numerous desalination plants. Fish is a main diet for Qatar and the Natural Gas, the main revenue of Qatar, lies in the sea. The negative impact of desalination plants, coastal development, overfishing, and others couples with rising temperatures and high evaporation threaten these vital resources. These also have a negative impact on marine life in the Arabian Gulf and threaten Qatar marine biodiversity and sustainability (bearing in mind that a number of other Gulf States are in the same situation). The Arabian Gulf is now the sea with the highest salinity. Ground water resource has been used for Agriculture which does not sustain the local needs. This is suffering from overuse and poor precipitation. Qatar with over 85% of its land a stony desert, cannot practice agriculture following the old traditional methods. Qatar stands unique in providing financial means for advance and applied research to address relevant problems. Energy, Food Security, Water resource, Sustainability, Climate Change, Combating desertification are a few of some of Qatar's set priorities. Smart solutions must be found and Qatar has already taken steps addressing some of these challenges.

Prosopis juliflora is highly recognized for its invasive character and its detrimental effects on different plant species across the world due to possessing allelochemicals. Our field observations indicated high prevalence of new recruitments of P. juliflora than other native associated plants in the study site. The purpose of this study is to assess the allelopathic effects of aqueous extracts of P. juliflora on selected Qatari flora. 100 g L^− 1 of powdered of plant leaves was used to prepare the stock extract and then diluted to reach the following concentration: 2 mg ml^− 1, 4 mg ml^− 1, 6 mg ml^− 1 and 8 mg ml^− 1 from stock were prepared. Acacia tortilis, Prosopis cineraria, Sueda aegyptica, and Halopeplis perfoliata, were negatively impacted by aqueous extract at different treatment levels. The results showed that although seed germinations of Acacia tortilis was not significantly affected by the extract, however a significant reduction was observed in radical lengths starting from a concentration as low as 2 mg ml^− 1. While low significant reduction (10%) was exerted on seed germination of Prosopis cineraria at higher concentrations of 6 mg ml^− 1 and 8 mg ml^− 1, the seed radical length was significantly reduced starting at the lowest concentration (2 mgml^− 1). The seed germination and seed radical length of Sueda aegyptica were reduced by almost 2-folds at the lowest concentration treatment (2 mg ml^− 1). Seed germination of Halopeplis perfoliata was also reduced significantly at concentration of 4 mg ml^− 1. Seedlings growth of Aeluropus lagopoides, Caroxylon imbricatum and Tetraena qatarensis were also evaluated after being subjected to P. juliflora extract. Although no significant differences in plant height of Aeluropus lagopoides occurred due to treatments, significant reduction in dry matter biomass were found at concentrations of 6 mg ml^− 1 and 8 mg ml^− 1 of extract compared to control plants. The seedling growth and dry biomass of Caroxylon imbricatum were significantly declined at higher concentration of 8 mg ml^− 1. However, the seedling growth and dry biomass of Tetraena qatarensis were significantly reduced at all treatment levels. Autotoxic effects of P. juliflora were also observed at concentrations of 6 mg ml^− 1 and 8 mg ml^− 1. Based on the research carried out, P. juliflora is invasive and utilize allelopathy as one major tool of its invasiveness. The species has detrimental effects on the Qatari native flora, and it is important to protect them from the growing spread of this invasive species.

It is expected that air temperature will increase and the pattern of precipitation will change. In Qatar, mean annual temperature and rainfall during winter have increased for the past 40 years. Changes in temperature and precipitation might influence ecosystem function such as productivity and nutrient cycling. Numerous climate change manipulation studies have examined the effect of climate change on ecosystem function. There are various methods for warming and precipitation manipulation; temperature can be increased by using greenhouse, open top chamber, infrared lamp and heating cable, and precipitation can be artificially manipulated by using panels to block out rain and water irrigation. However, there is a very limited number of experimental manipulation studies in arid regions compared to other ecosystems. We conducted three experimental warming and precipitation manipulation studies in Korea by using infrared lamp, transparent panel and irrigation system. Seed germination rate of Pinus densiflora and Abies holophylla increased by the warming treatment, and root collar diameter and height of 5 tree species seedlings out of 8 target tree species increased by the warming treatment. Also, the warming treatment extended the growing season by advanced leaf unfolding and delayed leaf senescence of P. densiflora and Quercus variabilis seedlings. Photosynthetic responses were species-specific to the warming treatment and net photosynthetic rate of P. densiflora seedlings decreased by the warming treatment with decreased precipitation. Based on our study, it appeared that the ecophysiological responses of seedlings to climate change manipulation varied by species. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects of multiple environmental factors including CO2 on ecophysiological characteristics of plants to climate change. In addition, long-term monitoring and modeling approaches should be simultaneously applied to understand regional climate change impact.

The benefits of urban green space for city residents has long been recognised. Indeed, in the UK, the impetus for the development of urban parks in the mid-1800s was specifically to benefit the public's health. More recently, the potential impacts on physical and mental health (both directly and indirectly) have become major drivers of the developing blue-green infrastructure strategies for many modern cities. However, there have been a number of questions raised about how easy it is to access green space for all communities and individuals. Factors associated with accessibility include the location and physical configuration of urban green space, including both real and perceived risks such as personal safety. In addition, it is becoming clear that access to natural environments has a cultural dimension and urban green space such as parks are no exception to this. The presentation will examine the current state of knowledge in the UK, where the park movement began and has more recently been revitalised. The cultural implications of green space development will be explored in the context of large modern cities. Implications for the design and development of blue-green infrastructure in Qatar will be discussed in the light of current UK developments.

There is growing awareness that climate change will have a substantial impact on countries' economic and financial development and the risks of financial institutions unless there are urgent mitigating actions taken to intervene and minimize these risks. An important factor in this respect is the agreement reached in Paris in December 2015 to reduce CO2 emissions in order to curb the increase in the rise in the average temperature to acceptable, minimally damaging levels, i.e. well below 2 degrees Celsius in 2030, and preferably only 1.5 degrees. This inevitably means that the composition of the demand for energy, and thus supply, will change. Fossil-fuel producing countries in the Gulf region and elsewhere are becoming increasingly aware of the need to gradually manage a diversification of their economies to reduce dependency on hydrocarbon revenues. The recent low oil prices have underscored the importance of this strategy. At the same time, energy consuming economies such as Europe, but also in Asia, are taking measures to reduce their dependency on hydrocarbons. There is a real possibility that intensively hydrocarbon consuming countries will have to take measures to comply with the climate targets set, by reducing the consumption of hydrocarbon significantly. Harsh measures are in particular needed when these countries start changing their policies relatively late. This risk is particularly important now, with low oil and gas prices, as these countries do not have an incentive to change their behavior in the short term. For the medium to long term it is possible that both hydrocarbon consuming and producing countries will be confronted with large negative economic consequences as a result of this. Hydrocarbon consuming countries will not be able to satisfy the demand for energy, as a switch to renewable energy sources will not be possible in a short period of time. At the same time, hydrocarbon producing countries will be deprived of an important market and oil and gas reserves will reduce in value substantially. This will also potentially have a negative impact on the shareholder value of major and supermajor independent oil and gas companies, especially important where this also underpins many developed economies. Further, innovation into renewables – which is happening at a massive scale - may allow energy consuming countries to switch more easily to these alternative forms of energy, despite the low oil and gas price. This scenario might be beneficial for fossil fuel consuming countries, but not at a global level. Indeed, in this scenario, the capacity of hydrocarbon producing countries to sell oil and gas to energy consuming countries will be adversely impacted. This scenario might not only have an adverse economic impact on the Gulf region but might also lead to political and social destabilization. Such a scenario might materialize in a relatively short span of time if no action is taken to create acceptable, commercially viable technology solutions that enable an orderly minimally damaging transition to a low carbon world. Texas A&M University in Qatar (TAMUQ) and Maastricht University in the Netherlands (UM) have initiated work to embark on a joint programme with respect to the energy transition challenge focusing on how to ensure an orderly, sustainable and benign energy transition scenario, beneficial for both hydrocarbon consuming and producing countries. It is based upon a minimally disruptive scenario where hydrocarbon consuming countries will continue to consume oil and gas, while GCC countries will continue to produce and sell hydrocarbon for a considerable time to come. In addition, climate targets will be achieved and GCC countries will have sufficient time for their diversification policies to be implemented.

The availability and dynamics of airborne fungal spores in the atmosphere are strongly influenced by the meteorological parameters and by other factors such as air pollutants. The aim of this study was to update the knowledge about the seasonal and diurnal variations in airborne fungal spores of Doha area and to correlate these variations with meteorological factors, and to investigate the influence of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and different culture media on the availability of fungal spores. From 106 settle plate exposures (on alternative days) throughout the period April 2015-March 2016, a total of 1197 mould- and 283 yeast colony-forming units (CFU), twenty one genera and 62 species were retrieved. The highest fungal spore's concentration was recorded in February 2016, whereas the lowest concentration occurred in August 2015. The main constituents of the fungal airspora were attributed to Cladosporium (60.2%), Aspergillus (10.4%), Fusarium (9.4%), Alternaria (8.5%), and Ganoderma spp. (2.3%). Cladosporium showed two peaks in April and February, while Fusarium and Alteranria peaked in July. Aspirgillus had one peak in August. The prevalence of Ganoderma spp. were exclusively detected in February and March. Temperature was significantly and negatively correlated with the total colony count and fungal species, however no significant correlation was found between relative humidity and both the total colony count and fungal species. Wind speed was significantly and positively correlated with the total colony count and fungal species. The correlation between rainfalls and either total colony count or fungal species was non-significant. Intra-diurnal fluctuations of fungal spores was investigated during the period of 1^st of Feb – 31^st of March 2016. The highest dispersal of fungal spores favored 18:00 h, whereas at 00:00 h (midnight) the lowest fungal spores release was recorded. No significant difference was observed in total number of fungal colonies or species collected with the two media Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) and Rose Bengal media. Nevertheless, certain fungal taxa were highly selective and thus their growth rate was on one media much higher than with another. There were no significant differences in the composition and diversity of the airborne fungal population between two different study sites under the influence of atmospheric CO2 concentration, though daily concentration of CO2 was higher at the Industrial area site than at Qatar University Campus. Remarkably, the concentrations of Alternaria spp. and Fusarium spp. were significantly higher at Industrial area site in corresponding to CO2 than at Qatar University site.

Climatic changes exert additional pressure on biodiversity, the impacts on native species include changes in distribution, and abundance. As well as the spread of exotic invasive Prosopis juliflora. This research aimed to surveying, evaluating the current status of Prosopis Cineraria trees in the State of Qatar, collecting seeds, determination seeds viability and conservation in the Qatar gene bank for short and long term-conservation. Three different sites were studied considered for natural distribution of P. cineraria trees in Qatar. Gene bank playing a vital role to survey, conservation and documentation of biodiversity of plant genetic resources of the flora of Qatar, international standard methods were used to conserving P. cineraria including seed bank, DNA bank, and herbarium. The results of our study indicated that the P. cineraria distributed in 3 main sites in the state of Qatar the first site in al ghafat “rawdat rashed” a stand of 7 trees, the trees very endangered by the hyper-arid stress, and over grazing. The second group in north of Qatar “rawdat makin or ghafat makin” this site have sporadic 11 trees in good growing conditions, but trees have threatened by exotic invasive P. juliflora and human activities. The third site on the road from north road to Al Zubarah historical site after 5.4 Km from Al-Ghwoyriyah, we recorded 7 small trees on this site with high threatened by P. juliflora community. The results showed the seeds that have been collected from north of Qatar from rawdat ghafat makin with high quality in the seed size, weight of 100 seeds, number of seeds in the legume, and seed showed with high germination percentage 98% after treatment with mechanical scarification by removing part of the seed coat. Long-term monitoring “2012–2016” of rawdat ghafat makin vegetation showed a general decline in the coverage and frequency of some native species and deterioration in wild ghaf P. Cineraria, on the other hand, we record rapidly growing of the invasive plant P. juliflora, increased number of seedlings, increased of plant distribution and plant cover of the soil. Finally, we recommended removing P. juliflora and protect P. cineraria in studied site in north of Qatar, based on our study results we got a permit from minister of ministry of municipality and environment to protect ghafat makin site.

Climate change may affect micro and macro-components of ecosystems. The impacts may extend to affect agriculture, water cycles and human stability and health. Costal and arid areas could be under higher risks due to several factors associated with seawater rise, desertification, water and food scarcity, etc. Both marine and terrestrial biodiversity in vulnerable areas to climate change may show imbalance, disappearance, migration and mutation. Qatar –as well as the GCC region- could be affected directly and indirectly by climate change where seawater is the main source of desalination. Oceans acidification and salinization phenomena have been recorded due to inputs of CO2 and brines associated with water losses through evaporation. One of the major features is the sea level rise which is like an invisible tsunami, building force while we do almost nothing. Climate change makes all needs to be less workable. Simply, climate change means changing the hydrological cycle where water is the sum of heating and cooling processes. Climate change means that it is hard to predict water availability. On the other hand, agriculture will be particularly under stress, water is scarce, there will be increase of water demand for other purposes. Moreover, water is the key component of any ecosystem. Ecosystems, like general systems, consist of components between which there are exchanges for processes that exist in a state of dynamic equilibrium if left undisturbed. The state is maintained by negative feedback and altered by positive feedback. Finally, changes in climatic water balance drive shifts in plant and animal species. The talk will cover the following: (1) features of climate change in arid and semi-arid regions; (2) climate change in terms of hydrology; (3) climate change and ecosystems; (4) climate, water and food security.

Biologists focus on thermoregulation of desert mammals in terms of how they minimise heat gain during hotter months, and put less effort on how they maximise heat gain during cooler months. Heat gain may contribute to energy savings of desert mammals during cooler period when the ambient temperature in desert is substantially lower than their body temperatures. We investigated the thermoregulation in free-ranging Ethiopian hedgehogs, Paraechinus aethiopicus, during winter using radio-telemetry in Qatar. Temperatures detected by the tag attached to hedgehogs were significantly higher than ambient temperatures throughout the day, and the difference was more extreme during the mid-day. We also observed several hedgehogs basking with their radio-tags exposed to direct sunlight. It is possible that basking is beneficial for the hedgehog's winter thermoregulation in the desert where plenty of solar radiation is available.

This study aimed to establish a new protocol for in vitro rooting and acclimatization of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in different cultivars “Shishi and Lulu”. In order to increase growth and achieve a higher survival rate of plantlets through the acclimatization stage. The plantlets of the two cultivars were cultured in media in three successive steps (each of 6 weeks). In First and second steps kinetin and malt extract were tested to optimize the quality of plantlets in the presence of α-Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). Third step were cultured plantlets onto liquid media with poly ethylene glycol. The obtained results showed that, plantlets grown on malt extract at 750 mg/l had wider and greener leaves 0.81, 0.74 mm and encouraged the adventitious roots number per plantlet 6.88, 6.10 in Shishi and lulu cultivars. Results demonstrated that the new established protocol is efficient in acclamation date palm. The highest survival rate was 98.66, 87.66 % of two cultivars at the acclimatization stage within a short period (3 month).

The combustion of fossil fuels is pushing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) to unprecedented levels. This rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 is causing global changes, with noticeable increases in temperature, sea level rise and changes to marine carbon chemistry (i.e., Ocean Acidification - OA). The today average pH of ocean surface waters has already declined by 0.1 units from pre-industrial levels. According to the IPCC representative concentration pathways (RCPs), further declines in pH are predicted until the end of the century, varying between 0.14 units and 0.43 units. OA is irreversible on short time frames and previous studies have shown the potential impacts of ocean acidification on the physiology, reproduction, immunology and behavior of marine organisms, with effects already documented in multiple species and several regions of the world, although not in the Arabian Gulf. Nevertheless, the strong environmental variability of the Arabian Gulf presents good opportunities to study the potential impacts of future global change on marine ecosystems and to investigate the underlying mechanisms governing their resistance and adaptation to future environmental extremes. In this research we are targeting the response of zooplanktonic assemblages to OA, since these are commonly used as bioindicators of environmental and climate driven impact on marine ecosystems. The approach is mainly experimental, using controlled CO2 perturbation experiments, done aboard the Qatar University research vessel “Janan”. We are specifically investigating the response of zooplankton communities to relevant scenarios of seawater acidification by CO2, in terms of assemblage composition and structure; respiration rates; and egg production rates. The first round of experiments was conducted during a 3 day cruise offshore from Doha (June 3–5, 2016); complemented with a second cruise and round of experiments (November 17–19, 2016). Results provide insightful information about zooplankton communities’ responses to high CO2 levels in seawater of the Arabian Gulf and contribute to a better understanding about the biogeochemistry of coastal marine areas in Qatar, and more broadly in the Arabian Gulf.

Acknowledgments: This study is funded by QNRF through the project “Zooplankton community responses to CO2 acidification in Qatar coastal waters (UREP18-177-1-021).

Due to the lack of natural water sources, and cost and environmental issues associated with water desalination, Qatar currently emphasizes on the reuse of current wastewater sources, which includes conventional and unconventional approaches to utilize every available water sources, and ultimately promoting the wastewater stream driving from local municipalities. Currently, very few approaches have been taken to utilize this municipal wastewater sources. Moreover, municipal wastewater can also be utilized as growth media for producing microalgae biomass. A well-known approached is to utilize wastewater stream in an integrated farming system such as open pond microalgae cultivation system. In general microalgae, cultivation system requires a large quantity of water supply where additional nutrients and carbon dioxide are needed for microalgae biomass production. Whereas, microalgae grown in municipal wastewater can utilize the available N, P and other trace metals and therefore additional nutrients are not required. The process starts with the integrated treatment of municipal wastewater by selective local microalgae strains which can tolerate the complex stress deriving from the wastewater, consequently producing valuable by-products with zero wastes. In addition, during the cultivation, flue gas can be injected to enhance the biomass productivity. The aims of this study were to screen and optimize native microalgae strains growth in the wastewater stream from Al-Khor municipality. After screening microalgae strains with closed controlled condition, they were tested further with the ambient outdoor conditions in High Rate Algal Pond 200 L open system, using same municipal wastewater. Microalgae biomass were harvested after 10 days of experiments to utilize them as a biofertilizer. Among the microalgae strains two microalgae strain Chlorella sp. and Scenedesmus sp. shown higher biomass yield after the growth period. Overall Chlorella sp. gives a higher nitrogen and phosphorus uptake from the municipal wastewater effluent. Further study also showed a higher plant growth when municipal wastewater grown microalgae biomass was used as biofertilizer as compared to conventional inorganic fertilizer.

The issue of plastic pollution in the marine environment is of increasing global concern. As plastics typically have an intrinsic durability, water insolubility and slow degradation rates, debris has now become both ubiquitous and persistent in the marine environment. Overtime, plastic ultimately result in the generation of microplastics via photolytic, thermal and biological degradation processes. Although the potential threat of microplastics on marine ecosystems is well recognized, there is no baseline data available for the Arabian Gulf. The Environmental Science Center of Qatar University has now documented the first evidence for the prevalence of microplastics within the Arabian Gulf, specifically in the marine waters of Qatar Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Qatar has an arid climate and is situated midway along the western coast of the semi-enclosed Arabian Gulf. Qatar's coastline is particularly susceptible to marine debris due to the county's rapid urbanization and economic development. Surface seawater samples were collected from 12 stations during May 2015 research cruise of the RV Janan. An optimized and validated protocol was developed for the extraction of microplastics from plankton-rich samples without loss of microplastics present. Plankton present in seawater samples may readily mask the identification of microplastics and lead to an underestimation of the quantity of microplastics present. The protocol involved sample digestion using solutions of 1M NaOH, 10M NaOH, and 16M HNO3 in conjunction at different temperatures. Twenty mL of each solution was spiked with known quantities of reference polymer pellets, of varying diameters (63 μm to 4.70 mm) and used to digest the plankton biomass. The use of 1M NaOH proved to be a more efficient digestion treatment than 10M NaOH and 16M HNO3 solutions. Although 10M NaOH, and 16M HNO3 have been proven effective to mineralize plankton biomass, these solutions also resulted in some structural damage and discoloration of reference polymers with a low pH tolerance: polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyethylene, and nylon. After extraction, the microplastics were characterized using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. In total 30 microplastics were isolated from the mineralized samples, with an average concentration of 0.71 particles m^− 3 (range 0–3 particles m^− 3). Nine out of 30 were identified as polypropylene, with the majority either granular, sizes ranging from 125 μm to 1.82 mm, or fibrous, sizes from 150 μm to 15.98 mm. Microplastics were more prevalent in areas where nearby anthropogenic activities, including oil-rig installations and shipping operations, are present.

Physical oceanographic studies at the Environmental Science Center (ESC) entail observational and numerical aspects. The main objective of observational studies is to build a reference time series for Qatar's marine exclusive economic zone (EEZ), in which prominent spatial and temporal gaps in physical oceanographic knowledge exist due to scarcity of historical observational data. Numerical modelling studies are conducted to counteract the sparse nature of available marine observational data by complementing this space with simulated output. Numerical modelling of ocean circulation along with coupled atmosphere and marine ecosystem components involve high performance computational tools and model coupling interfaces. A high-resolution, multi-component regional numerical model capable of producing short and long-term data products for the Arabian Gulf and Qatar's EEZ is currently being implemented. The model system features a lower trophic level ecosystem module (nutrient-phytoplankton-zooplankton-detritus - NPZD) coupled to dynamical downscaling models of regional marine and atmosphere circulation. The output from this study is expected to: (i) provide a simulated picture of the present situation of Qatar's EEZ, as validated by historical and recent observational data; (ii) provide insight on the interaction among various components of the marine environment (i.e., atmosphere, ocean, ecosystem); (iii) predict regional marine physical-biogeochemical status as forced by forecasted natural and anthropogenic drivers; and (iv) assess and forecast marine resource availability for food, water, and renewable energy.

Phytoremediation is a natural phenomenon utilizing plants species to reduce or remove organic and inorganic pollutants from contaminated soil, water and sediment sources. Several studies were conducted to demonstrate the phytoremediation potentials of plants species, some of which are also found in Qatar as native or invasive plants. This study investigates the phytoremediation potentials of Zygophyllum qataranse and Salsola imbricata irrigated with a synthetic wastewater typical of oil and gas industry in a mixture of regular and peat moss soil at varying concentrations of heavy metals under greenhouse controlled conditions. Young seedlings of approximately similar weight and height were obtained from Qatar University field and used as starting materials. As an initial observation of tolerance to heavy metal stress, growth parameters such as height and number of branches were monitored and recorded throughout the experimental period of 42 days and a comparison was made for treatment and control plants in both species. Results indicated that the two species S. imbricata and Z. qataranse showed different patterns in response to the different heavy metals stress. Overall growth rate was (0.1; n = 4) for S. imbricata and (0.01; n = 4) for Z. qataranse, one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) confirmed no difference in the effect of the three variable heavy metals concentration used among the two plants, both species also exhibited differences in terms of above the ground biomass, S. imbricata recorded high leaves biomass compared to Z. qataranse, additionally, the leaves of this plant showed no visible signs of stress as opposed to that of Z. qataranse, which appears red after four weeks of irrigation. The root system in S. imbricata, forming typical rhizosphere may have played a key role in the better utilization of the surrounding organic contaminants with the aid of possible activity of associated microbes. Although both thrive in the same habitat naturally, there may actually be differences in their uptake and or tolerance mechanism. Consequently, the analysis and evaluation of measured growth parameters (Height and branches) indicates the potential of both plants as good phytoremediation agents. Further analysis of heavy metal concentration, which is currently ongoing to determine the bio-concentration and translocation factors of the metals between the roots and shoot tissues promise to prove further insight in to this study.

The soil borne fungus Rhizoctonia solani is a pathogen of many plants and causes severe damage in crops around the world. It primarily attacks below ground plant parts such as the seeds, hypocotyls, and roots, also capable to infect above ground plant parts (e.g. pods, fruits, leaves and stems). The most common symptom of Rhizoctonia disease is referred as “damping-off” characterized by non-germination of severely infected seed whereas infected seedlings can be killed either before or after they emerge from the soil. The study of the diversity of the isolates of R. solani in Qatar allows the structure of the populations to be determined and adapte control strategies against this pathogen to be established. R. solani attack many crops leading to great yield losses and to the downgrading of production. Six isolates of Rhizoctonia solani (R7, R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12) were obtained from different plant types (tomato, cucumber, eggplant, common bean and broad bean) and different locations in Qatar representing major agro ecological zones like Al-Shamal, Rod Rasheed, Shahnia and Omsalaal. They were cultured in 3 different media (water agar, corn meal agar and potato dextrose agar), there were no significant differences among isolates on water agar and corn meal agar whereas all isolates showed different characteristics on the potato dextrose agar i.e. color of the mycelium, density of the mycelium and sclerotia formation. The microscopic examination of the isolates was done. The angle of the mycelium (right angle or acute angle) was recorded. Internal transcribed spacer (ITS region) of the rRNA was amplified using the universal ITS-1 and ITS-4 primers that anneal to the flanking 18S and 28S rRNA gene Direct sequencing of the amplification products was carried out in both directions using the universal ITS-1 and ITS-4 primers. Comparison of partial rRNA ITS nucleotide sequence of all isolates showed 91% sequence homology between R8 and R10, 73% similarity between R7 and R11, R9 showed 63% homology between the other two subgroups, meanwhile isolate R12 showed 36% similarity with all other isolates. Molecular markers are important tools for the characterization of genetic diversity in fungal pathogens where morphological features are either absent or not sufficient to allow intraspecific characterization.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is increasingly released to the environment as a result of the extensive use of various industrial facilities. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report (2015), cumulative emissions of CO2 largely determine global mean surface warming by the late 21st century and beyond”. Different technologies can be applied for capturing and storing CO2 such as sequestration and carbonate mineral storage. Biominerals are of great importance due to their huge impact on the global biogeochemical cycle. Carbonates such as limestone and dolomite are important carbon reservoirs. Calcium carbonate formation and its burial in marine sediments account for approximately 80% of total carbon removal from the Earth's surface by abiotic and biotic precipitation. The biotic precipitation of calcium carbonates, is performed by various organisms, including bacteria, and has been widely reported and discussed in the literature, while, the formation of high-magnesium calcites is extremely challenging, due to the high level of hydration of Mg²⁺ ions, which promote the formation of Mg-free aragonite, rather than calcite. The dynamic evaporitic systems characteristic of sabkhas are crucial for the precipitation of minerals, and a role for microorganisms in sabkhas in the process of mineralization has been proposed. In this study the Dohat Faishakh Sabkha in Qatar was investigated for evidenc of the role of aerobic bacteria in mediating the formation of high magnesium carbonates and dolomite, two minerals that commonly occur in the sabkha sediments. 29 strains of aerobic microbes isolated from the sabkha and identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Salinivibrio, Staphylococcus and, primarily, Virgibacillus. All strains examined caused the pH of the artificial growth medium to increase from 7 to 8.5; however, not all were capable of mediating mineral formation. Only Salinivibrio and Virgibacillus spp. isolates mediated the formation of detectable solid phases within the agar plates. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDX), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses indicate that the solid phase produced in the presence of these bacterial strains is MgCa(CO3)2 with a MgCO3 mol% varying from 0% to 40%. The results of these laboratory experiments suggested that, in the Dohat Faishakh Sabkha, aerobic bacteria may contribute in the formation o very high Mg calcite, a mineral that is considered the precursor of ordered dolomite.

Casuarina equisetifolia L. is a widespread tree that has been known for its allelopathic potential causing biological inhibition on plant seed germination. Leaf extract of Casuarina equisetifolia L. was evaluated for its allelopathic influence on various plant crops. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to study its allelopathic effects on seed germination and seedling growth. Various concentrations of leaf extract (0, 1.25%, 2.5 and 5%) were prepared and used while in the greenhouse experiment, leaf powder was mixed with soil at concentrations of (0, 15, 30 and 45 g/kg soil). Results revealed that leaf aqueous extract of Casuarina equisetifolia L affected significantly seed germination of all selected plant crops under laboratory condition. Highest inhibition was observed with 5% concentration compared to control that was treated with distilled water. In addition, it was that leaf extract of Casuarina had maximum inhibitory effect on roots growth compared to shoots of the studied seedling. Greenhouse experiment demonstrated that C. equisetifolia exhibited significant allelopathic activity on wheat germination but did not affect plant growth characteristics based on all treatments. However, Casuarina leaf extracts showed positive effect on Mustard germination and plant growth. The inhibitory substances present in Casuarina equisetifolia L leaves could be used as a potential environmental friendly herbicide. However, allelopathy is a complex process where further studies should be done in order to understand types of chemical molecules, mode of action of the Allelochemicals on physiology and biochemical process of weeds and crop plants. Attention and effort should be made more in allelopathy now a days because of environmental protection issues as well as the need of organic food so allelopathy will have great value in sustainable agriculture in future.

Waste audit has proved to be a valuable first step in development of a viable waste minimization and recycling program. Waste characterization has been successfully used at many educational institutions in the United States and elsewhere for advancing campus sustainability plan. As part of the requirements for the special topic course: “Solid and Hazardous Waste Management,” taught by the first author at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, in Spring 2016, students conducted waste audit of selected buildings on the campus. The designated buildings were visited before performing the waste audit and a questionnaire was used to record vital information about each building. Using common materials along with a portable electronic balance, the students sorted the waste into various categories to determine relative amount of each type generated at a particular building. The audit was conducted twice at each of the four buildings to obtain an average value. While the waste stream at the four buildings consisted essentially of paper, plastics, metals, and food waste, it was found that the relative abundance of each of type of waste was a function of the purpose and use of the building. Details of the waste audit procedure, materials and methods, along with discussion of the results obtained are included in the presentation. Results of the waste audit should provide baseline data for developing a sound waste minimization and recycling program at Qatar University. This information, combined with assessment of energy and water use on the campus, would serve as major steps in reduction of greenhouse gases by preventing recyclables from ending up in landfills; saving natural resources by increased recycling; and conservation of energy and water resources. Recommendations are made for expanding waste audit to cover all buildings on the campus to obtain comprehensive data for advancing Qatar University's sustainability plan. We recommend that a concerted effort be initiated to encourage the campus community to sort paper, plastic, metal, and food waste before tossing them into the trash receptacles; avoid co-mingling the waste, and to practice energy and water conservation.

Microalgae are photosynthetic microorganisms that can grow in different environments (sea water, fresh water, waste water soil, rocks….) and under various conditions (Light, pH, temperature, salinity….). During their phases of growth, they produce a variety of metabolites such as lipids, proteins and carbohydrates in large amounts over a short period of time. These metabolites can be processed into both biofuels and other useful bioproducts. Microalgal lipids can be converted to biodiesel via process called transesterification. The use of biodiesel will decrease the emission of harmful gases, which can help in reducing the greenhouse effects and global warming. It is nontoxic, biodegradable and has the potential to replace the conventional diesel fuel. The isolation of autochthonous microalgae, with high lipid-contents and biomass productivities, is a crucial aspect of the development of commercial production of microalgae-based biodiesel as well as food security. This is especially important for deployments in climates such as are found in Qatar, a peninsula in the west Arabian Gulf, which is characterized by an extreme desert climate. 53 autochthonous strains of microalgae were isolated from various freshwater, marine and terrestrial environments in Qatar that led to the establishment of the Qatar University Culture Collection of Cyanobacteria and Microalgae (QUCCCM). Strains were identified via ribotyping and characterized in terms of growth rate and lipid production. The molecular identification of the isolated strains showed a biodiversity and 13 different known genera were identified. Among them, Chlorella is the most abundant freshwater known genus (22.64%), followed by Chlorocystis (13.21%). Growth rate study evidenced a thermo and halotolerant Nannochloris isolate QUCCCM31. The strain is able to tolerate 45°C and wide salinity range 35–100 ppt. Determination of lipid content and lipid profiling indicated the presence of promising strains for biodiesel production such as Nannochloris sp. (strain QUCCCM31) with a promising FAME profile for biodiesel production. This study proved a biodiversity inside the Qatar University Culture collection with strains having different applications such as Biofuel as an environmental friendly alternative to the fossil fuel, and/or source of food and feed.

FTIR smog chamber experiments were performed to investigate the atmospheric fate of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 (1,1,1,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene). The experiments were performed to study reactions of E-CF3CH = CHCF3 or Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 with Cl atoms, OH radicals, and O3 in 700 Torr of N2/O2 diluents at 296 ± 2 K. The study determined the Cl atom, OH radical, and O3 kinetics and the mechanism of the atmospheric oxidation of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. The main atmospheric fate for both compounds is reaction with OH radicals. Atmospheric chemistry of the reaction of Z-CF3CH = CHCF3 with OH and OD radicals were investigated by Baasandorj et al. in 2011, no other previous studies are available. The results of the present study are compared to the findings of Baasandorj et al. assessing the atmospheric impact of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. Infrared spectra were recorded, and the atmospheric lifetimes, the radiative forcings and global warming potentials (GWP) of the two butenes were calculated. This study provides a comprehensive description of the atmospheric fate of E- and Z-CF3CH = CHCF3. We present here the first results on the atmospheric chemistry of E-CF3CH = CHCF3 and of the Cl- and O3-initiated chemistry of Z-CF3CH = CHCF3.