Coastal seagrass ecosystems occupy a small fraction of the global ocean yet make disproportionately large contributions to carbon capture and storage. In addition, they are increasingly promoted as blue carbon solutions within nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Despite this, most seagrass carbon budgets implicitly assume bottom-up control and very often neglect the functional role of large herbivores. Dugongs ( Dugong...

Introduction Pearl oyster ecosystems have played a central role in Bahrain’s marine economy and cultural heritage for centuries. Despite their ecological importance, systematic research on Bahrain’s pearl oyster beds is lacking since the early 1990s. In this study a detailed assessment of the benthic composition, pearl oyster community structure, population size, and pearl yield on pearl oyster beds is provided for Bahraini wa...

Bleaching events impact coral reef functionality and carbonate budget dynamics, which is reflected in reduced reef framework accretion, hindering reef ability to keep pace with sea-level rise projections. Reefs in the Arabian Gulf exist in harsh environmental conditions with seasonal temperatures ranging between 16 and 36 °C. Despite the high thermal thresholds (~ 35 °C) of corals in this region, extensive bleaching and high c...