7 April 2009 Following several closures of Palm Jumeirah beach and Jumeirah Beach Park near Burj Al-Arab Hotel due to a red tide alert, a group of AUD engineering students visited the two affected locations to test water quality and collect samples for further analysis at AUD’s environmental engineering lab. The field trip was supervised by Dr. Hosni Ghedira, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at AUD.

Commenting on the purpose of the field trip, Dr. Ghedira cited the need to expose the students to real issues and challenges facing the local aquatic environment. He added that such activities can provide the students with hands-on experience in environmental monitoring. It also allows them to capitalize on the presence of AUD’s newly established environmental engineering lab which is equipped with state-of-the-art measurement instruments for seawater, drinking water and wastewater testing, as well as lab analysis and field measurement.

Red tide is the result of an influx of a special type of algal bloom, turning the water to a reddish color. When severe, it can devastate marine plant and animal life. The dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration is a key parameter used to measure the effect of red tide on seawater quality. AUD students made several measurements and found a slight degradation of water quality in Jumeirah beach with a DO varying from 4.9 to 5.3 mg/L. The seawater quality in Al Sufouh beach was much better with a DO varying from 5.8 to 6.3 mg/L. An acceptable DO range for aquatic life is approximately 6 mg/L, but most plants and animals can grow and do well with a DO level of 5.2 mg/L or higher. A DO level below 5 mg/L can cause distress to the ecosystem and can negatively affect underwater organisms. A significant percentage of aquatic species can die when DO levels decrease below 3 mg/L.