(Feb. 1, 2019)
I am once more writing our blog in mid-air, right now east
of Al-Kut, Iraq, on the way from Amsterdam to Kuwait. I am on the way to a
monthlong excursion with my Kuwaiti PhD students Amal Hasan and Hanan Al-Adilah,
exploring the marine algal biodiversity of Kuwait. In Kuwait, we will be joined
tonight by Ioanna Kosma, marine biologist and scientific diver from the
University of the Aegean in Mytilini, Lesvos Island, Greece and tomorrow by
Dr. Akira F. Peters, phycologist from Roscoff and Santec, Brittany, France. Our
hosts will be Dr. Dhia Al-Bader, phycologist at Kuwait University, with further
support from
Prof. Andreas Wolfram Henkel, likewise at Kuwait University. Also participating in the later part of the trip will be my brother, Hendrik,
Professor or Plant Biochemistry and Biophysics at the Czech Academy of Sciences and University of Southern Bohemia in Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic.
(Make sure to view the images full screen!
Just click on them, then move forward with the cursor buttons)
It is night outside, but the gigantic flares of oil and gas
installations in southern Iraq are clearly visible. This route is a novelty –
during my previous trips to the region in 2015-2016, Iraqi airspace was closed
for international airlines, which suggests that Iraq has now become safe enough
to fly across.
Our objective is to establish an inventory of all Kuwaiti
marine macrophytes, seaweeds and sea grasses, supported by DNA barcodes (Amal’s
PhD project), and to collect seaweeds for marine natural products research
(Hanan’s PhD project, supervised by Dr. Rainer Ebel and myself at Aberdeen). We
will also explore the marine vegetation in the vicinity of desalination plants
which provide all the drinking water of Kuwait and which, besides a massive
carbon footprint, release a hot, concentrated salty brine into coastal waters,
damaging marine life.
Amal, Hanan and I left Aberdeen this morning in beautiful
winter weather after what was the coldest night of the winter so far, with -7°C
in Aberdeen! I must say that I am also relieved to escape the BREXIT nightmare
in the UK for a few weeks.
(March 17, 2019)
A quiet Sunday back home in Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, is the occasion to complete the blog of our expedition to Kuwait.
We landed in Kuwait KWI in the evening of Feb. 1. Our first base was a hotel in Salmiya, a pleasant coastal suburb a bit east of downtown Kuwait City on the coast. We spent the first two days meeting our local friends and collaborators, especially Dhia and Andreas, organizing logistics and shopping for last pieces of equipment and supplies.
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Salmiya Marina, Kuwait City
In the early hours of February 2, 2019 |
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Waking up in Kuwait this morning. View of the Marina, Salmiya.
The dirt on the window is dust from the desert.
2 February 2019 |
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Waking up in Kuwait this morning... View of the Kuwait Towers from my room
2 February 2019 |
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Driving
up Arabian Gulf Street, the scenic coastal avenue between the
southeastern suburbs and Kuwait City, towards the Kuwait Towers - the
country's iconic landmark since the late 1970s.
Feb. 3 |
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market. (These people had no clue they were being photographed.)
February 3 |
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Sharq Fish Market
February 3
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Sharq Hawalli, Al'Asimah
Feb. 3 |
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Kuwaiti license plate
Sharq Hawalli, Al'Asimah
Feb. 3 |
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Sharq Hawalli, Al'Asimah
Feb. 3 |
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3 |
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3 |
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3 |
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Sharq Fishing Harbour with traditional wooden dhows
February 3 |
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The
house of the former British Political Agent, Lieutenant Colonel Harold
Richard Patrick Dickson. He and his wife Violet were very much liked by
the Kuwaitis. Violet was evacuated after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
and sadly died before the country was liberated. The house, now being
refurbished, is currently a museum (I managed to visit it in 2016).
Feb. 3 |
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The Gold Soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
3 February |
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Already the second dinner at our favourite Lebanese in Salmiya
3 February |
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Our accommodation in Salmiya
4 February |
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Our accommodation in Salmiya
4 February |
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View from our hotel in Salmiya
4 February |
We then moved to Khiran in the south of Kuwait, about 10 km north of the
border to Saudi Arabia, where Amal owns a holiday apartment or chalet,
on the shore of a recently-constructed lagoon. Ever since the
construction of the Palm Islands off the coast of Dubai in 2001, such
modifications of the coastline have become very popular in the countries
of the Arabian Gulf - especially in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait. Given the high value of real estate and the rapidly
increasing wealthy population in these countries, the main driver is
obviously to obtain more waterfront construction land by artificially
increasing the length of the coastline. Given the ease of access of this
artificial shore in front of Amal's chalet, this and other nearby
artificial canals and lagoons became obvious study sites. Ioanna,
Andreas and I had many opportunities to dive in these, revealing
interesting insight about these artificial marine habitats. We feel that
a thorough exploration of these artificial lagoons and canals would
deserve some serious further study, also because they are getting so
common throughout the Arabian Gulf Region and an obvious question is,
can they maybe be designed and built in a way that enhances desirable
marine biodiversity? Indeed, Andreas was our main support and guide for
diving during our entire trip to Kuwait, and he deserves special thanks
and mention here.
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Residential neighbourhood in Kuwait City
Feb. 4 | |
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Mina Al-Ahmadi, Kuwait's oil port and largest petrochemical complex
Feb. 4 |
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Mina Al-Ahmadi, Kuwait's oil port and largest petrochemical complex
Feb. 4 |
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Mina Al-Ahmadi, Kuwait's oil port and largest petrochemical complex
Feb. 4 |
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Our first lunch in Amal's chalet in Khiran
Feb. 4 | |
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| Ioanna experimenting whether the Law of Gravity also works in Kuwait |
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Inspection of our first snorkeling site in Khiran
4 February |
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A boat loaded with fish traps on a trailer
Khiran, 4 February |
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Water towers under construction Khiran,
4 February |
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Hanan and Amal cooking dinner for the crew
Khiran, 4 February |
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Since
scuba diving was not yet possible today, we decided to explore the
marine environment in front of Amal's chalet in Khiran. Numerous such
structures with artificial canals, lagoons and islands have been built
in the Arabian Gulf countries in the last 15 years, profoundly altering
the coastal topography. Little is known at present how marine life is
coping with these changes and what is actually living in these
artificial marine habitats...
5 February |
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...So Ioanna
and I spent the morning snorkeling in front of Amal's chalet! The
seabed is mostly silty and soft-bottom, covered in dense mats of
Cladophora...
5 February |
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Cladophora mats in the lagoon in Khiran Resort
5 February | |
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Cladophora mats in the lagoon in Khiran Resort
5 February |
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Lizardfish in the lagoon of Khiran resort
5 February |
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If a bit of rocky substrate is present, Sargassum can take hold.
5 February |
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Besides extensive Cladophora mats, filter feeders are common
5 February
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Looking out of the water at the surrounding chalets
5 February |
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Back from the sea... Inspection of our collection in the improvised lab in Amal's chalet
5 February |
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Lab work on the collection from our snorkeling survey in Amal's chalet
5 February |
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On
the way to today's 2nd snorkeling site - scenery in Khiran.
The two
fuming smoke stacks belong to the Al-Zour electric power &
desalination plant.
5 February |
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Salsola sp., a highly salt- and drough-resistant genus of higher plants
5 February |
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Getting
ready for the next round of snorkeling - we explored the artificial
rocky shore and pillars of the 2 bridges in the background for attached
marine life
5 February |
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This artificial habitat turned out to be full of life - the shallow seabed is densely covered in these mussels
5 February |
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The seabed around the bridge is densely covered in filter-feeding invertebrates
5 February |
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The seabed around the bridge is densely covered in filter-feeding invertebrates
5 February |
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At ca. 7 m depth, the seabed next to the pillar of the bridge
5 February |
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Ioanna exploring the pillars supporting the bridge
5 February |
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... there was even a purple snail!
5 February |
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... there was even a purple snail!
5 February | |
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Another
snorkeling sortie in the artificial lagoon outside Amal's chalet...
there is something hiding beneath that lone Sargassum!
6 February |
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...a cuttlefish!
6 February |
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Cuttlefish beneath a Sargassum in the artificial lagoon outside Amal's chalet
6 February |
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Frithjof collecting Cladophora mats for Hanan's natural products research in the Aberdeen Marine Biodiscovery Centre
6 February 2019 |
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Ioanna collecting Cladophora mats for Hanan's natural products research in the Aberdeen Marine Biodiscovery Centre
6 February 2019 |
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Ioanna
with this morning's catch - about 10 kg of Cladophora mats for Hanan's
natural products research in the Aberdeen Marine Biodiscovery Centre
6 February 2019 |
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Traditional Kuwaiti lunch, cooked by Amal's grandmother
6 February |
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Traditional Kuwaiti lunch cooked by Amal's grandmother - delicious!
6 February |
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This morning's diving work - about 10 kg of Cladophora for Hanan's PhD
6 February |
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About to go under water again off Nuwaiseeb, the last village in southern Kuwait before the border with Saudi Arabia
6 February |
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Soft coral in shallow waters off Nuwaiseeb, the last village in southern Kuwait before the border with Saudi Arabia
6 February |
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Ioanna snorkeling at Nuwaiseeb
6 February | |
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Cormorants on a fish trap off Nuwaiseeb
6 February |
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| A model of this type of fish trap in the Bait Al-Othman Museum, 17 February |
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Halodule uninervis, one of the typical seagrasses of the Arabian Gulf
Nuwaiseeb, 6 February |
While based in Khiran, we had two snorkeling excursions to Nuwaiseeb - the last community in Kuwait before the border to Saudi Arabia. We found a very rich intertidal and shallow sublittoral - and a beautiful meadow of the seagrass
Halodule uninervis, which is typical of the Arabian Gulf.
Another highlight of our time in Khiran was the excursion with the patrol boat of the Kuwait Coast Guard, Dastoor, to the islands of Qarooh and Umm Al-Maradim, the former of which is ca. 35 km out in the Arabian Gulf. Qaruh owes its name to the large amounts of petroleum sediments in the area (
Qar in Arabic). It is the smallest of Kuwait's 9 islands, and also the furthest island from the Kuwaiti coast. We were impressed by the abundant corals at Qarooh. Like at all study sites, we collected substratum samples in sterile tubes, from which Akira will obtain live isolates using the Germling Emergence Method (
Peters AF, Couceiro L, Tsiamis K, Küpper
FC, Valero M, 2015: Barcoding of cryptic stages of marine brown algae
isolated from incubated substratum reveals high diversity in Acinetosporaceae
(Ectocarpales).- Cryptogamie-Algologie 36(1), 3-29). Special thanks go to Captain Hadi and his crew on the Dastoor.
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Leaving Khiran about the Coast Guard patrol boat Dastoor
7 February |
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Amal, Dhia and Akira aboard the Dastoor
7 February |
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Ioanna, Andreas and Yousef aboard the Dastoor
7 February |
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A large offshore transport and construction vessel owned by Dockwise,
a Dutch oil and gas service company providing logistical management of large and heavy structures
- seen en route from Khiran to Qaruh, 7 February |
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On the bridge of the Dastoor
7 February |
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Qaruh - Kuwait's furthest offshore island, about 1/4 of the distance between Kuwait and Iran in the Arabian Gulf
7 February |
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Approaching Qaruh
7 February |
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Diving down at the pier of Qaruh
7 February |
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Turf algae covering dead corals off Qaruh Island
7 February |
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Pearl
oysters are very common around Qaruh. In the old days, prior to the
discovery of oil, pearl oyster diving with primitive means was a major
economic activity in Kuwait and throughout the Arabian Gulf.
7 February |
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Corals off Qaruh Island
7 February |
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Corals off Qaruh Island
7 February |
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Andreas (right) and Ioanna (left) at work off Qaruh Island
7 February |
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Pencil sea urchin off Kubbar,
7 February |
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Tropical fish and some long-spined black sea urchins of the genus Diadema off Kubbar
(photo by Ioanna Kosma)
7 February |
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While
we were under water, the Coast Guard staff prepared a delicious
lunch
which was waiting for us once we got back onto the patrol boat
Dastoor
7 February |
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With Yousef aboard the Dastoor
7 February |
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Dhia, Akira, Ioanna, me and Amal aboard the Dastoor en route from Qaruh to Umm Al-Maradim
7 February |
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The harbour and Coast Guard station on Umm Al-Maradim
7 February |
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Since
it was difficult to launch the second dive from the Dastour, we used
this small speed boat to start our dive.
The support structure that can
be seen in the front of the boat is for a .50 caliber machine gun
- the
normal job of this boat is not to take marine scientists to their dive
sites!
7 February |
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About to start our dive
7 February |
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The anchor line of the buouy (next to which the boat dropped us) had obviously been in the water for a while - it had some beautiful hard corals growing on it!
7 February |
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Pencil sea urchin off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Porcelain snail with epiphytic algae off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Sea urchins and corals off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Pearl oysters, corals and sea urchins off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Our
algal surveys of Kuwait rely heavily on the Germling Emergence Method
developed by my long-time friend Akira Peters. For this, we dive with
sterile tubes which are filled with bits of substratum like sand, coral
or shell fragments, or even anthropogenic debris like pieces of fishing
line. The samples are subsequently incubated in the lab, yielding a wide
diversity of algal outgrowth which is normally
invisible to diving scientists. DNA barcoding enables a rapid
dereplication and identification of any novelties. This technique is
particularly suitable for remote study areas with limited time and
facilities for scientists.
Umm Al-Maradim,
7 February
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Corals off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Corals off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Corals with epiphytic algae (Colpomenia) off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 Februay |
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Corals and sea urchins off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Corals and sea urchins off Umm Al-Maradim Island
7 February |
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Long-spined sea urchin (Diadema setosum?) with
Pseudochromis sp., likely Pseudochromis aldabraensis
Umm Al-Maradim,
7 February |
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Interestingly,
the only macroscopically visible macroalgae, Colpomenia sp. and an
ectocarpoid, can withstand the intense grazing pressure of sea urchins
around the island
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February |
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Interestingly,
the only macroscopically visible macroalgae, Colpomenia sp. and an
ectocarpoid, can withstand the intense grazing pressure of sea urchins
around the island
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February |
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Interestingly,
the only macroscopically visible macroalgae, Colpomenia sp. and an
ectocarpoid, can withstand the intense grazing pressure of sea urchins
around the island
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February |
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Interestingly,
the only macroscopically visible macroalgae, Colpomenia sp. and an
ectocarpoid, can withstand the intense grazing pressure of sea urchins
around the island
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February |
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Interestingly,
the only macroscopically visible macroalgae, Colpomenia sp. and an
ectocarpoid, can withstand the intense grazing pressure of sea urchins
around the island
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February | |
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Black sea urchins and coral debris at ca. 2 m depth
Umm Al-Maradim, 7 February |
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Stepping ashore on Umm Al-Maradim Island.
I should add that the bottle at our feet was a Johnny Walker Black Label! Totally illegal in Kuwait.
(We only found it there, honestly!)
7 February |
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We
had planned the end of the dive to land on Umm Al-Maradim Island. The
island is covered in salt- and drought-tolerant vegetation and is
populated by birds and sea turtles.
7 February |
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The Kuwait Coast Guard Station on Umm Al-Maradim
7 February |
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The
patrol boat Dastoor moored in the naval and Coast Guard base at Umm
Al-Maradim.
This boat took us to 2 very interesting sites today.
7 February |
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Sunset above the Arabian Gulf, aboard the Dastoor en route from Umm Al-Maradim to Khiran
7 February |
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Andreas aboard the Dastoor en route from Umm Al-Maradim to Khiran
7 February |
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On the bridge of the Dastoor en route from Umm Al-Maradim to Khiran
7 February |
While in Khiran, we had 3 rainy days. A good time for writing papers and catching up on other office work! Amal had the great idea that I should buy a Kuwaiti SIM card for my smartphone during our second day in Salmiya, which was blessing since it meant that we had constant internet access on all our laptops and other devices, using my smartphone as a WiFi hotspot.
One day, on 8 February, we explored the main canal in Khiran - first, Andreas and I dived at the breakwater outside the Al-Zour power station and desalination plant. Conditions were quite difficult with 1 m visibility at the most.
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About to explore the underwater environment of the breakwater protecting the Al-Zour Power Station, Khiran
8 February |
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Sand dollar close to the breakwater protecting the Al-Zour Power Station, Khiran
8 February |
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Ectocarpoid algae on the breakwater protecting the Al-Zour Power Station, Khiran
8 February |
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Breakwater protecting the Al-Zour Power Station, Khiran
8 February |
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Surfacing from our dive at the breakwater protecting the Al-Zour Power Station, Khiran
8 February |
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Marine and beach litter is a huge, ubiquitous problem in Kuwait
8 February |
The second dive on 8 February took Ioanna and me to the center of the Khiran Canal, close to the main road bridge going into Khiran.
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Asparagopsis (?) in a mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Coral in a mussel bed at approx. 7 m depth, Khiran
8 February |
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Seastar in mussel bed, Khiran
8 February |
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Pinna shell in mussel bed, Khiran
8 February |
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Coral in mussel bed, Khiran
8 February |
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Corals and Pinna shell in mussel bed, Khiran
8 February |
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Pinna shell in mussel bed, Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Bryozoans? Khiran
8 February |
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Cuttlefish, Khiran
8 February |
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Seastar, Khiran
8 February |
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Epiphytic algae on discarded fishing gear, Khiran
8 February | |
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Sargassum with epiphytes, Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Khiran
8 February |
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Kuwait's National Day was approaching! Decorations on private houses, Khiran,
9 February |
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Shopping mall with numerous restaurants where we often went for lunch or dinner in Khiran,
9 February |
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Ioanna drying seaweed herbarium specimens between newspapers on the balcony of Amal's chalet in Khiran,
9 February |
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| Menu of a restaurant in Khiran. Note the wine and the "Arabian Campion". | | 10 February |
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| That's how we go diving in Kuwait! Elevator in the building with Amal's chalet, 10 February |
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| Sand dollar in algal mat in the lagoon outside Amal's chalet in Khiran, 10 February |
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Another rainy day in Khiran: Great for office and lab work.
11 February |
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Another rainy day in Khiran
11 February |
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After the heavy rain of the last few days, there where poddles - or rather lakes? - everywhere in this otherwise very dry country!
12 February |
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Negotiating shore access in the south of Khiran,
12 February |
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Lone Sargassum off the coast of Khiran
12 February |
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Hormophysa cuneiformis off Khiran
12 February |
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Shallow sublittoral off Khiran
12 February |
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Halodule uninervis seagrass meadow off Khiran
12 February |
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Sea urchins can often be seen carring small stones or seashells on their spines
Khiran, 12 February |
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Pinna shell, Khiran
12 February |
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Hormophysa cuneiformis off Khiran
12 February |
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Hormophysa cuneiformis off Khiran
12 February |
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Padina sp. off Khiran
12 February |
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A mixed seagrass meadow of Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis off Khiran
12 February |
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A mixed seagrass meadow of Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis off Khiran
12 February |
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A mixed seagrass meadow of Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis off Khiran
12 February |
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Pinna shell in a mixed seagrass meadow of Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis off Khiran
12 February |
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Pinna shell in a mixed seagrass meadow of Halophila ovalis and Halodule uninervis off Khiran
12 February |
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Coral in a seagrass meadow off Khiran
12 February |
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Stepping ashore after snorkeling off the Khiran coast
12 February |
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Stepping ashore after snorkeling off the Khiran coast
12 February |
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Stepping ashore after snorkeling off the Khiran coast
12 February |
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| Every excursion is followed by lab work, which can take much longer than the time spent in the field or under water! Khiran, 12 February |
Part
of our objectives (in preparation for a project funded by the Kuwait
Foundation for the Advancement of Science, KFAS) was also to conduct
preliminary surveys at the brine outfalls of the desalination plants of
Al-Zour and Doha East/West. Being a very arid country without any usable
natural freshwater resources, Kuwait relies entirely on seawater
desalination for meeting its demand for drinking / tap and industrial
water, using Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSFD) coupled to electric
power generation, powered by burning heavy fuel oil. Besides substantial
emissions of carbon dioxide and other atmospheric pollutants, this
generates a hot brine of concentrated sea salts, which is released back
into shallow coastal sea waters. Led by Dhia, we are exploring how
seaweed and seagrass communities are affected by the outfall of hot and
salty brine.The
Doha East/West plants are next to the military base of Camp Doha, which played a central role in the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
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On the way to the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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On the way to the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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The white current marks the brine outfall of the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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The white current marks the brine outfall of the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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The future vs. the past of power generation in Kuwait! Also Kuwait will have to massively reduce its use of fossil fuels,
and ultimately bring it to zero.
Al-Zour, 12 February |
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Akira sampling an outfall at the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant north of Khiran
12 February |
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During the walk back, a local made Akira a tasty present of a couple of fried crickets. Well, ehmmm, I and everybody else politely abstained...
Khiran, 12 February |
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Akira had crickets for dinner. Everybody else politely abstained.
12 February |
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After a successful day in the field - preparing herbarium specimens, writing notebooks
and logging data in Amal's chalet in Khiran, 12 February
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After the intense rain of the last few days, lakes everywhere in the desert!
Seen from the main highway from Saudi Arabia to Kuwait City, 13 February |
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Another day of snorkeling off Khiran. On this occasion, we collected live seagrasses for Dhia's physiological experiments with brine from a desalination plant outfall.
12 February |
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Another day of snorkeling off Khiran. On this occasion, we collected
live seagrasses for Dhia's physiological experiments with brine from a
desalination plant outfall.
12 February |
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Another day of snorkeling off Khiran. On this occasion, we collected
live seagrasses for Dhia's physiological experiments with brine from a
desalination plant outfall.
12 February |
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Pinna shell in a Halodule / Halophila seagrass meadow off Khiran
12 February |
During our last day in Khiran (13 February), we conducted more scuba diving surveys in the main canal. We had come to realize that this totally artificial, recently established habitat had become home to quite a diverse marine life, which would deserve further study.
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| Pinna shell and mussels off Khiran |
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Mussel bed, Khiran
13 February |
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Sargassum with epiphytes, Khiran
13 February |
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Filamentous red algal epiphytes
Khiran, 13 February |
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| Khiran, 13 February |
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| Khiran, 13 February |
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| Khiran, 13 February |
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Ioanna trying to photograph a sea feather
Khiran, 13 February |
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Sea feather
Khiran, 13 February |
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Sea feather
Khiran, 13 February |
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Ioanna in action
Khiran, 13 February |
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Cuttlefish
Khiran, 13 February |
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Cuttlefish
Khiran, 13 February |
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Cuttlefish
Khiran, 13 February |
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Sea feather
Khiran, 13 February |
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Nudibranch
Khiran, 13 February |
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Nudibranch
Khiran, 13 February |
 |
Mussel bed
Khiran, 13 February |
 |
Bryozoans?
Khiran, 13 February |
 |
Plastic littering the seabed
Khiran, 13 February |
 |
Sea feather
Khiran, 13 February |
 |
Andreas was waiting for us on the shore when we surfaced - with the characteristic double plume of smoke from the Al-Zour Power & Desalination Plant in the background
13 February |
 |
Sunset above Khiran - the moment when Ioanna and I surfaced from our dive
13 February |
After 10 days in Khiran, we moved our main base to Mahboula, a southern coastal suburb of Kuwait City, and close to the marine lab of Kuwait University in Fintas. From there, we explored the entire central and northern coasts of the country - again, very much with the help of Andreas, who took us to deserts of northern Kuwait with his Hummer H3.
 |
Lakes everywhere after the recent heavy rain! It seems that when it rains, the desert soil does not absorb the water so easily.
Just north of Khiran, 14 February |
 |
Driving from Khiran on the coastal highway towards Kuwait City
14 February |
 |
Mina Al-Ahmadi
14 February |
 |
Mina Al-Ahmadi
14 February |
 |
Mina Al-Ahmadi
14 February |
 |
Moving
house in Kuwait: after 10 days in Khiran, we moved our base to Mahboula
/ Fintas, SE of Kuwait City this morning, close to the marine lab of
Kuwait University. The SUV was packed to the roof.
14 February |
 |
Our desperate search for a rental car in Kuwait this morning. This one seems slightly used.
14 February
|
 |
The Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre (JACC), informally known as the Kuwait Opera HouseArabian Gulf St, Shuwaikh, Kuwait, 14 February
|
 |
Avicennia
mangroves at Al-Sulaibikhat, Kuwait Bay. Unfortunately the site is
heavily impacted by marine plastic litter; this could be a wonderful
urban coastal protected area. The Doha East / West Desalination &
Power Plants can be seen on the horizon in the center.
14 February |
 |
Plastic litter is a huge problem in Kuwait
Seashore at Al-Sulaibikhat,14 February |
 |
Perimeter
wall and watch tower of Camp Doha, formerly the main US base in Kuwait
(which played a central role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq)
14 February |
 |
Perimeter
wall and watch tower of Camp Doha, formerly the main US base in Kuwait
(which played a central role in the 2003 invasion of Iraq)
14 February |
 |
Ioanna with Andreas' Hummer outside the perimeter
wall of Camp Doha, with the smoke stacks of the Doha East / West Desalination & Power Plants.
14 February |
 |
The brine outfall of the Doha East / West Desalination & Power Plants has the flow rate of a small river! The warm and hypersaline brine, leftover from seawater desalination, impacts the marine environment - which is the subject of our KFAS research project, led by Dhia Al-Bader.
14 February |
 |
The
brine outfall of the Doha East / West Desalination & Power Plants
has the flow rate of a small river! The warm and hypersaline brine,
leftover from seawater desalination, impacts the marine environment -
which is the subject of our KFAS research project, led by Dhia Al-Bader.
14 February |
 |
Dhow shipyard, Doha
14 February |
 |
Dhow shipyard, Doha
14 February |
 |
View from Doha towards Kuwait City at sunset. The new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah Causeway can be seen on the left and in the center, it will be the longest bridge in the world.
14 February |
On one such excursion on 15 February, Andreas drove us to Al-Jahra and from there to the northwestern desert of Kuwait, to the Camel Hills (an inofficial name given to the area by Andreas and his expat friends). On the way, we passed the American bases of Camp Virginia and Camp Buehring. The intense rain this winter meant that there were countless flowers blooming in the desert - which almost looked like a green meadow! The abundant vegetation also constituted a feast for the many camels, who, even though they belong to Bedouins, have a semi-wild life. The Camel Hills offered some spectacular scenery and, again, many wildflowers and some other interesting wildlife (such as a colony of harvester ants). We were reminded of the troubled recent past when we came across earth berms erected as fortifications, assault rifle bullets in the sand and an abandoned lookout tower. In the afternoon, we had a very friendly encounter with Bedouins, who shared some fresh camel milk with us and who let Ioanna ride on one of their camels. We also came across a ghost town of plywood houses - as Andreas explained, they are a training ground of US forces for practicing urban warfare. From the distance, we saw a convoy of American flatbed trucks which are used for transporting tanks and other heavy equipment. We then came across several oil wells, active and inactive, and related installations - pipelines and oil lakes of about 100-200 sq m surface, which have the purpose of releasing potential overpressure from the system.
 |
Leaving Kuwait City for a day excursion to the desert
15 February |
 |
Jaber al-Ahmad International Stadium
15 February |
 |
During the colder season, especially around the National Holiday at the end of February, many Kuwaitis live the tradition of their ancestors, leaving their homes in the city for a few days or weeks of camping in the desert.
Near Jahra, west of Kuwait City, 15 February |
 |
On the way to the desert!
15 February |
 |
On the way to the desert!
15 February |
 |
On the way to the desert!
15 February |
 |
Encounter in the desert
15 February |
 |
Encounter in the desert
15 February |
 |
Encounter in the desert
15 February |
 |
Encounter in the desert: Akira is very popular!
15 February |
 |
Road side near Camp Virginia
15 February |
 |
"Welcome to Camp Virginia", one of the US bases in the desert
15 February |
 |
Stray dogs near Camp Virginia
15 February |
 |
Bedouin camp near Camp Virginia
15 February |
 |
After the abundant rainfall this winter, the desert is quite green!
The lines of plants designate the shore of the poddles that existed here recently.
15 February |
 |
Road to Camp Buehring
15 February |
 |
Watch tower near Camp Buehring
15 February |
 |
Beetles in the desert near Camp Buehring
15 February |
 |
Beetles in the desert near Camp Buehring
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Lookout post, Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
View from the lookout post pictured before, Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Andreas' faithful Hummer
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Camel Hills
15 February |
 |
Andreas then discovered a colony of ants! Camel Hills,
15 February |
 |
Ant colony, Camel Hills
15 Feb |
 |
Ant colony, Camel Hills
15 Feb |
 |
Ant colony, Camel Hills
15 Feb |
 |
Bitter apple (Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including colocynth, bitter cucumber, desert gourd, egusi, vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a viny plant native to the Middle Eastern and North African deserts.
Camel Hills, 15 February |
 |
Fruit of a colocynth, with a bullet cartridge of an assault rifle for size comparison. This area had abundant military litter.
15 February |
 |
Unfortunately, plastic litter is ubiquitous in the desert
15 February |
 |
Inactive oil well, Camel Hi
15 February |
 |
Apart from the Camel Hills and Mutla Ridge, Kuwait is mostly flat desert.
Somewhere in NW Kuwait near the Iraqi border, 15 February |
 |
Another highlight then was a meeting with 2 Bedouins and their camels.
15 February |
 |
The Bedouins were very hospitable and let Ioanna ride one of their camels.
15 February |
 |
Camel offspring
15 February |
 |
They then milked one of their camels and presented us with a bottle of camel milk!
15 February |
 |
Tasty fresh camel milk, directly at the source!
15 February |
 |
Convoy of US military flatbed trucks, led by a Cougar H
15 February
|
 |
Training facility of the US military in the desert
15 February |
 |
Training facility of the US military in the desert
15 February |
 |
Training facility of the US military in the desert
15 February |
 |
Dried up oil lake, a safety feature to discard over pressure associated with many oil wells in Kuwait.
15 February |
 |
Pipeline marker in the desert
15 February |
 |
Oil well
15 February |
 |
Back in the hotel: A bottle of camel milk, present from the Bedouins whom we met in the desert today (together with my little present for the community of British expats in Kuwait, which, as I was told, is strongly anti-BREXIT).
15 February |
We had a moving to the
Al-Qurain Martyrs' Museum, which was the house of the resistance cell which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
 |
Al-Qurain. An Iraqi tank of this model (T-55) shelled the building.
16 February |
 |
Al-Qurain.
House of the resistance cell, which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
16 February |
 |
Al-Qurain.
House of the resistance cell, which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
16 February |
 |
Al-Qurain.
House of the resistance cell, which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
16 February |
 |
Al-Qurain.
House of the resistance cell, which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
16 February |
 |
Al-Qurain.
House of the resistance cell, which was tragically discovered and
destroyed by the Iraqis 4 days before the arrival of the Americans and
Allies in February 1991.
16 February |
 |
| Saddam
Hussein ordered the wanton destruction of oil-related facilities, in
order to halt the Allied advance. This included opening the tanker
loading facilities at Mina Al-Ahmadi, causing the worst oil spill in
human history... |
 |
...and the lighting of numerous oil wells in the Burgan Oil Field (the world's 2nd largest).
Al-Qurain, 16 February |
 |
Visit
to the Al-Qurain Martyrs Museum, Kuwait City. The house in the
background was the hideout of a Kuwaiti resistance cell during the Iraqi
occupation in 1990-91. Tragically, they were discovered and most of
them were killed by the Iraqi forces in the ensuing battle - only 4 days
before the liberation of Kuwait by the Americans and Allies in February
1991.
16 February |
 |
Visit
to the Al-Qurain Martyrs Museum, Kuwait City.
16 February |
 |
Our next stop: The Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Our next stop: The Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Γλυκούλια ζωάκια: Desert hedgehogs in the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
Γλυκούλια ζωάκια: Desert hedgehog in the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
African Penguins, Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Note that one of the penguin ladies is named "Moza" - a reverence to the wife of the Emir of Qatar!
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
Kuwait Scientific Center, Salmiya
16 February |
 |
REUSE,
an excellent exhibition for environmental education in the Kuwait
Scientific Center, focusing on the country's plastic garbage crisis and
other environmental issues
16 February |
 |
The historic ships exhibition of the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
The historic ships exhibition of the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
The historic ships exhibition of the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
The historic ships exhibition of the Kuwait Scientific Center
16 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Scientific Center to nearby highrises
16 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Scientific Center along the shore towards the Kuwait Towers
16 February |
 |
Downtown Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Downtown Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Downtown Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
The Ikaros Stone with Greek writing from Failaka Island
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
Stone sculptures from the Greek temple on Failaka Island
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
Greek coins showing Alexander the Great from Failaka Island
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
Folio from an Indian holy Qu'ran, written neat naskh script, India, 11AH.
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
Indian holy Qu'ran, written by Ali Baqer to Janab Badshah Bakeen. Written in neat naskh script, India, 1249 AH.
Kuwait National Museum
16 February |
 |
View from outside the Kuwait National Museum towards to the Liberation Tower,
16 February |
 |
Al Sadu House, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Al Sadu House, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Historic house belonging to Dhia Al-Bader's family, Kuwait City. In fact, it was built by Yousif Al-Bader, Dhia's great great great grandfather! This is now the oldest building in Kuwait City.
16 February |
 |
Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City
16 February |
 |
Visiting the soukh, Mubarakiya, Kuwait City. The slogan "Free Kuwait" commemorates the liberation in 1991.
16 February |
Mahboula was a good base for our activities. We greatly enjoyed the hotel with its very authentic Kuwaiti food. The latter is very different from other types of Arabic food which are known in the western World (mostly Lebanese and Moroccan). Reflecting ancient maritime links with the Indian Ocean, with its stews and spices it is indeed more reminiscent of Indian food. We explored the nearby shore in Fintas, close to the impressive Marine Science Center of Kuwait University.
 |
Beach in Fintas, SE of Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
The brown alga Iyengaria (a poorly known genus typical of the northern Indian Ocean)
in the sublittoral off Fintas, SE of Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
The brown alga Padina in the sublittoral off Fintas, SE of Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
Rush hour traffic in Mahboula, on the way to the Bait Al-Othman Museum
17 February |
The highlight of the day - in fact, one of the most memorable moments of the whole trip - was when, after
28 years, Hendrik's painting showing Saddam Hussein opening and
torching Kuwait's oil wells has found a permanent home for public
display in the Bait Al-Othman Museum in Hawally, Kuwait City. He had
painted this in February 1991 in his high school art class at the
Geschwister-Scholl-Gymnasium when he and his classmates were asked by the teacher to put their feelings about the dramatic events in the Gulf into art.
 |
Donation of Hendrik's painting to the Bait Al-Othman Museum in Hawally, Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
| The painting showing Saddam Hussein torching Kuwait's oil wells and causing the biggest oil spill in human history |
 |
Equipment of a pearl diver, Bait Al-Othman Museum in Hawally, Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
Arabian coffee pots, Bait Al-Othman Museum, Hawally, Kuwait City
17 February |
 |
Reception at Bait Al-Othman Museum following the donation of Hendrik's painting
17 February |
 |
Leaving the Bait Al-Othman Museum for dinner, following the donation of Hendrik's painting
17 February |
 |
Dinner in Salmiya upon the invitation of Khaled and Hanan
17 February |
A very memorable excursion took us to Failaka. Thanks to Amal's cousin who owns a very nice boat, we were independent. We set off from Souq Sharq, next to the Sharq Fish Market. Within a bit less than an hour, we reached the harbour of Failaka. The name is derived from the Greek word "Φυλάκιο" = "outpost", testimony to its past as a Greek colony founded in the context of Alexander the Great's expedition. With Amal's support, I had visited Failaka before in April 2016. Then, the local police department on the island had provided us with a vehicle and driver (since Amal and her relative, Prof. Hasan Al-Ashkanani, had worked as archaeologists on Failaka) and subsequently invited us for a traditional Kuwaiti lunch in the police station. I was very touched when several of the police officers still remembered me (which also indicated how few foreigners come to Failaka). On this occasion, Amal managed to borrow a vehicle from a friend, which enabled us to visit the ruins of the Greek and Dilmun-era town on Failaka. Impressive! A Greek colony, even with a small temple, on a hill overlooking the Arabian Gulf. Failaka was as lush green as the mainland, or even more. Seeing a herd of white camels having a feast on a beautiful green, wet meadow full of blue irises, which otherwise would be desert, was quite a sight. We then drove on to the former resort consisting of abandoned chalets, where we sampled the intertidal. A bit further, we came across a parking site of abandoned Iraqi hardware - tanks, artillery pieces and military vehicles. Failaka saw a brief, fierce battle during the Iraqi invasion in August 1990. During the liberation of Kuwait, the Iraqi occupation forces surrendered to the Americans thanks to effective psy-war operations of the latter. Still, the devastation of the Iraqi invasion is all to obvious in Failaka - many buildings are shelled and some have collapsed, and many others are riddled with bullet holes. We finally came to a very interesting rocky shore with intertidal and numerous tidal pools, and a nearby tidal lagoon, on the north coast (from where the Subiya Desalination and Power Plant is visible), enabling very rich collections. We left Failaka under a full moon - an unforgettable sight - with a cormorant visibly enjoying itself.
 |
| Sharq Marina, Kuwait City, 18 February |
 |
| Sharq Marina, Kuwait City, 18 February |
 |
Leaving Sharq Marina for Failaka Island
18 February |
 |
Leaving Sharq Marina for Failaka Island
18 February |
 |
Leaving Sharq Marina for Failaka Island
18 February |
 |
Arrival in the harbor of Failaka
18 February |
 |
Arrival in the harbor of Failaka
18 February |
 |
Arrival in the harbor of Failaka
18 February |
 |
Arrival in the harbor of Failaka
18 February |
 |
Police HQ, Failaka Island
18 February |
 |
Police HQ, Failaka Island
18 February |
 |
Summer house of a former Emir on a hill likely covering an archaeological site.
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Summer house of a former Emir on a hill likely covering an archaeological site.
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Greek temple, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Greek temple, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Greek temple, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Greek ruins, Failaka
18 February |
 |
The devastation caused by the Iraqi invasion in 1990 is still very obvious in Failaka - pictured here: The former bank.
18 February |
 |
White
camels having a feast on a beautiful green, wet meadow full of blue
irises,
which otherwise would be desert: quite a sight!
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
White
camels having a feast on a beautiful green, wet meadow full of blue
irises,
which otherwise would be desert: quite a sight!
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Wet meadow full of blue
irises,
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Wet meadow full of blue
irises,
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Wet meadow full of blue
irises,
Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Imitated Greek columns at the entrance to the former, 1980s resort on Failaka's south shore.
18 February |
 |
South shore of Failaka - one of our two sampling sites.
18 February |
 |
South shore of Failaka - one of our two sampling sites.
18 February |
 |
Our team on the south shore of Failaka - one of our two sampling sites.
18 February |
 |
With love from Saddam Hussein: Discarded Iraqi military hardware, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Discarded Iraqi military hardware, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Discarded Iraqi military hardware, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Salsola sp. on north shore of Failaka, our 2nd sampling site
18 February |
 |
Our 2nd sampling site on the north shore of Failaka,
18 February |
 |
Our 2nd sampling site on the north shore of Failaka,
18 February |
 |
Our 2nd sampling site on the north shore of Failaka,
18 February |
 |
Our 2nd sampling site on the north shore of Failaka - with the smoke stacks of the Subiya Power & Desalination Plant in the distance.
18 February |
 |
Having a break during field work at our 2nd sampling site on the north shore of Failaka,
18 February |
 |
| I was the only one to go snorkelling on the shore of Failaka. Due to the proximity of the Shatt Al-Arab, the water here is more silty than at the other sites in Kuwait that we had visited, and the algal flora mostly consisted of filamentous green seaweeds. Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Filamentous green seaweeds, off Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Sunset on the north shore of Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Tidal pool on the north shore of Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Tidal pools on the north shore of Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Akira trying to rescue the moon from the water
Failaka Island |
 |
| Tidal pool on the north shore of Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Full moon above Failaka, 18 February |
 |
| Full moon above Failaka, 18 February |
 |
Skull of a pilot whale which I found on the north shore of Failaka (and subsequently donated to the collection of the Kuwait University Marine Lab in Fintas)
18 February |
 |
Memories of 1990-1991. After the Battle of Failaka in August 1990 and subsequent occupation,
many of the buildings were never repaired or rebuilt. |
 |
Cormorant and moonlight reflecting on the waves, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Cormorant and moonlight reflecting on the waves, Failaka
18 February |
 |
Moonlight reflecting on the waves, Failaka
18 February |
 |
| Departure from Failaka under a full moon, 18 February |
 |
| Departure from Failaka under a full moon, 18 February |
 |
| Return to Kuwait City by night, 18 February |
 |
| Return to Kuwait City by night, 18 February |
 |
| Return to Sharq Marina, Kuwait City, by night, 18 February |
 |
| Return to Sharq Marina, Kuwait City, by night, 18 February |
The next day, we were hoping to go on another expedition with the friendly crew of the Coast Guard vessel Dastoor, diving around some of the smaller islands in the Gulf, but the weather turned out to be too poor. Instead, we went to work in the Kuwait University Marine Lab in Fintas, followed by another visit to the Dower Power & Desalination Plants.
 |
The Kuwait Coast Guard's main base in Fintas. Here, we were about
to embark on the Kuwait Coast Guard vessel Dastoor for another day of
diving surveys around Kuwait's small islands in the Arabian Gulf, but the trip had to be cancelled due to poor weather. We will try again on the 21st. 19 February
|
 |
Instead, we went to work in the beautiful Kuwait University Marine Lab which is literally next door to the Sabah Al-Ahmad Coast Guard Base in Fintas.
19 February |
 |
Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas,
19 February |
 |
Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas,
19 February |
 |
Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas,
19 February |
 |
Yes, recycling has started here!
Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas,
19 February |
 |
Yes, recycling has started here!
Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas,
19 February |
 |
Kuwait City is totally clogged up with traffic!
19 February |
 |
Kuwait City is totally clogged up with traffic!
19 February |
 |
Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Dhia's car parked outside Camp Doha and the Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Brine outfall of the Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Brine outfall of the Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
Doha Power & Desalination Plants,
19 February |
 |
View from Doha towards the new causeway and Kuwait City,
19 February |
 |
Evening traffic in Mahboula - on the way to Andreas' birthday dinner
20 February |
Memorable days followed one another. The next day, Dhia invited our whole team for a festive breakfast to the restaurant in the sphere of one of the Kuwait Towers, on the occasion of the birthdays of Amal and Akira!
 |
| Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| View from the Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| Birthday breakfast, Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| View from the Kuwait Towers over the Dasman Palace complex, 20 February |
 |
| View from the Kuwait Towers over the Dasman Palace complex, 20 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Towers over the Dasman Palace complex and the more recent high rise buildings of Kuwait City including the world's first twisted skyscraper,
20 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Towers along Arabian Gulf Street towards Salmiya,
20 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Towers along Arabian Gulf Street towards Salmiya,
20 February |
 |
View from the Kuwait Towers along Arabian Gulf Street towards Sharq,
20 February |
 |
Happy Birthday, Amal!
Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
Happy Birthday, Akira!
Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
One of the rare photos showing me (by Hanan Al-Adilah). We had a great time!
20 February |
 |
| Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
| Kuwait Towers, 20 February |
 |
Driving down Arabian Gulf Street from the Kuwait Towers to the marine lab in Fintas
20 February |
 |
Selfie with Hanan in her car
20 February |
 |
| Back to the Marine Lab in Fintas, 20 February |
 |
| Kuwait University Marine Lab in Fintas, 20 February |
On 21 February, we again had the support of the coast guard who gave
us again the patrol boat Dastoor and a diving support speed boat for
surveying the seabed near Kubbar Island. Kubbar has some more coral
reefs, even though they seemed to be in less good shape than at Qarooh
and Umm Al-Maradim. Ioanna and I managed to do the deepest dive of the
entire trip at Kubbar - to 35.7 m - where we collected more substratum
samples for Akira's germling emergence work. The dive was technically very challenging - strong current and very poor visibility. Beneath 20 m it was completely dark! This dive dramatically illustrated the hydrology of the Arabian Gulf - naturally eutrophic and high in silt / sediment, very different from the Red Sea, open Indian Ocean or Mediterranean. While we were in the water,
Dhia, Akira and Hendrik explored Kubbar on foot and cleaned the beaches
of plastic litter. Like on Failaka, the lush green vegetation on Kubbar was exceptional! Special thanks to Cptn. Mubarak of the Kuwait Coast
Guard! I had to remember that Kubbar, after Qaruh a few days earlier,
was among the first parts of Kuwait liberated by US forces during
Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
 |
| Leaving the harbor of the Sabah Al-Ahmad Coast Guard Base in Fintas, 21 February |
 |
En route to Kubbar Island - a floating oil loading structure for supertankers
21 February |
 |
| Supertanker parked in the Gulf off Fintas, 21 February |
 |
| First sight of Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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Badge of the Kuwait Coast Guard Divers who supported us today.
21 February |
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Two members of the Kuwait Coast Guard Divers who supported us today.
21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Dead coral on the beach, Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Bug, Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Coast Guard Interceptor boat of the dive unit on the shore of Kubbar, 21 February |
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Rendez-vous between the dive unit's interceptor boat and the Dastoor in the Gulf off Kubbar for transferring crew,
21 February |
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| Rendez-vous between the dive unit's interceptor boat and the Dastoor in the Gulf off Kubbar for transferring crew, 21 February |
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Ioanna
at work at 35.8 m off Kubbar. Unlike the Mediterranean or the Red Sea,
the Arabian Gulf is very silty and plankton-rich, resulting in poor
visibility. Together with often high currents and strong seasonal
temperature extremes, this can result in a challenging environment for
divers.
21 February |
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Ioanna
at work at 35.8 m off Kubbar. Unlike the Mediterranean or the Red Sea,
the Arabian Gulf is very silty and plankton-rich, resulting in poor
visibility. Together with often high currents and strong seasonal
temperature extremes, this can result in a challenging environment for
divers.
21 February |
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| First view after re-surfacing from our dive: we signalled to the crew on the interceptor boat to come and pick us up from the water. 21 February |
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After
our dive to 35.8 m with one of the samples collected.
It will be
interesting to see whether any seaweeds will grow out of these!
21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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| Kubbar Island, 21 February |
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View from our hotel in Mahboula,
22 February |
One evening, Hanan's family invited us to their coastal home in Bnaider, on the coast between Ahmadi and Khiran,
for a traditional evening and dinner party in a tent. Thank you for your
great hospitality!
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Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Tea and Arabian coffee - evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Even the police joined the party!
Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Dune vehicle,
Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
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Dune vehicle,
Evening with Hanan's family in Bnaider, between Ahmadi and Khiran on the coast
22 February |
A final highlight was a day excursion on 23 February with Andreas and his hummer to the north of Kuwait - Mutla Ridge, Subiya, the coast opposite Bubiyan Island, towards and then westwards along the Iraqi border to Abdaly, and then back Kuwait City. Leaving Kuwait City in the morning, our first stop was Mutla Ridge - with 1,004 feet ( 306 metres) altitude, this is the highest point in Kuwait. The area had seen fighting in the last days of February 1991, testimony of which were numerous pieces of shrapnel, bullets etc. stuck in the rocks which Andreas showed us during our brief hike. In terms of topography and together with the Camel Hills / Udairi area in NW Kuwait, this is one of the most interesting and scenic places in Kuwait with canyons, mesas and buttes.
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Camping Kuwaitis just south of Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Camping Kuwaitis just south of Mutla Ridge, 23 February |
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| Oil field at Subiya, 23 February |
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| Oil field at Subiya, 23 February |
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| Salt flat at Subiya, 23 February |
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| Salt flat at Subiya, 23 February |
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| Salt flat at Subiya, 23 February |
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| Salt flat at Subiya, 23 February |
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Salt lake at Subiya - Akira collected some samples here.
23 February |
An interesting site then was a supposedly strictly off-limits, fenced-off structure. Since the gate in the fence was wide open, we took this as an invitation to check it out. It turned out to be an oil lake of the same design that we had previously seen in the Udairi area - a catchment area for oil spilled out of wells during episodes of overpressure. The oil collected in it was still liquid.
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| Outside an oil lake in Subiya, 23 February |
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| Oil lake in Subiya, 23 February |
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Ioanna at the oil lake in Subiya
23 February |
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Oil lake in Subiya - the splash is from a rock thrown in by a team member. It nicely illustrated the viscosity of the oil.
23 February |
The next stop was the head of the new bridge crossing the channel to Bubiyan Island. I had previously visited this area in April 2016 with Dhia. This is one of the places on the Kuwaiti coastline which has some mangrove trees (planted for coastal protection and creating wildlife habitat). But, given the proximity to Iraq and Iran, it is also a very sensitive area which is the reason why the Kuwaiti army has a camp at the ramp of the bridge. To be correct, I wanted to be sure to have proper authorization to sample there - the obvious place was to ask in the military camp. So I walked straight into it! The Kuwait Army soldiers guarding the access to the
Bubiyan Bridge (Bubiyan itself is still closed) and the area were most hospitable and guided us into this restricted area for
surveying the seashore with the mangrove trees and seaweeds growing there – and
afterwards they invited us for lunch, Arabian coffee and shisha into their camp
and didn’t want to let us go anymore. Wonderful moments, they were clearly
delighted about having unexpected visitors. Shukran, Cptn. Mansour! I'll be back!
Their colleagues further north, in the
last Army post before the Iraqi border, were more nervous and signalled us to
turn back which we did. That area, just south of the Iraqi border and the port
of Umm Qasr beyond it, has the best salt marshes and coastal wetlands that I
have seen in Kuwait. I just wish that at least some of this will be preserved
despite the pharaonic construction projects (so far only freeways, but
obviously as a prelude to massive urbanization) that have started also in that
area.
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Orobanche sp., a root parasite, in the desert near Bubiyan Bridge.
23 February |
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Orobanche sp., a root parasite, in the desert near Bubiyan Bridge.
23 February |
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Orobanche sp., a root parasite, in the desert near Bubiyan Bridge.
23 February |
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| Bubiyan Bridge, 23 February |
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| Mangrove trees at Bubiyan Bridge, 23 February |
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| Mangrove trees at Bubiyan Bridge, 23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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After surveying the marine vegetation of the area: Shisha, Arabian coffee, tea and lunch with the soldiers.
23 February |
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The gate of the Kuwait Army camp at Bubiyan Bridge. The sign reads "Mubarak Joint Task Force HQ".
23 February |
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A few days later, Cptn. Mansour (commander of the camp) sent me this greeting via WhatsApp.
I really would like to visit him again.
23 February |
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Ship destroyed by Iraqi invasion forces in 1990-1991.
23 February |
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Mosque in the desert, between Bubiyan Bridge and the Iraqi border,
23 February |
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Andreas and Hendrik trying to figure out where to drive next using their GPS devices.
On the coast near the Iraqi border, 23 February |
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The military post on the coast at the Iraqi border.
The soldier on guard here at the entrance was less welcoming and made us understand to get lost.
23 February |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Andreas' Hummer, tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border,
23 February |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Cricket in the desert at the Iraqi border,
23 February |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and salt marsh at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, with Andreas' Hummer and 3 team members walking around,
23 February |
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Tidal creek and desert at the Iraqi border, 23 February.
This were the most pristine salt marsh areas that we got to see during the entire trip. |
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The border crossing to Iraq, just south of the port of Umm Qasr. At present, this crossing remains closed. The only operational crossing between Iraq and Kuwait is further west, at Abdaly-Safwan.
23 February |
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The Iraqi port of Umm Qasr is so close that the cranes and vessels there are clearly visible across the flat desert from Kuwait, with only a fence in between. This is Iraq's only functional sea port.
23 February |
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Oil field in the desert near Abdaly,
23 February |
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Date palm plantation near Abdaly. The farms here are irrigated with recycled water from Kuwait City.
23 February |
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Oil field in the desert near Abdaly,
23 February |
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Oil drilling equipment on a truck near Abdaly,
23 February |
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Oil field near Abdaly in the north of Kuwait,
23 February |
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Highway
80 from Kuwait City and Abdaly to the Iraqi border and on to Basrah.
German viewers of this image will find a certain humor in seeing the
truck on the right - it obviously belonged to a well-known German
supermarket chain, EDEKA, before finding a new 2nd hand life and
ferrying stuff from Kuwait to Iraq.
23 February |
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Highway
80 from Kuwait City and Abdaly to the Iraqi border and on to Basrah.
23 February |
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Power lines at Hwy 80 from Abdaly to Kuwait City,
23 February |
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| Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas, 24 February |
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| Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas, 24 February |
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| Kuwait University Marine Lab and, behind the harbor, the Sabah Al-Ahmad Coast Guard Base, Fintas, 24 February |
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| Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas, 24 February |
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| Our team members at work! Kuwait University Marine Lab, Fintas, 24 February |
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| Residential housing in Mahboula, 24 February |
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Avenues Mall - until recently, this was the biggest shopping mall in the Gulf Region.
24 February |
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Avenues Mall - until recently, this was the biggest shopping mall in the Gulf Region.
24 February |
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Avenues Mall - until recently, this was the biggest shopping mall in the Gulf Region.
24 February |
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Avenues Mall - until recently, this was the biggest shopping mall in the Gulf Region.
24 February |
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Avenues Mall - until recently, this was the biggest shopping mall in the Gulf Region.
24 February |
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Yes, there is beer in Kuwait! It's even the authentic Budweiser - but, of course, without alcohol.
Avenues Mall, 24 February |
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| Turkish dinner of our team, Avenues Mall, 24 February |
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| Avenues Mall, 24 February |
Our final day started with Hanan taking us to Fahaheel, with a beautiful new marina, cultural and leisure area on the coast.
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| Fahaheel, 25 February |
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| Fahaheel, 25 February. This is just north of Kuwait's oil port, Mina Al-Ahmadi, part of which is visible on the horizon. |
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| Fahaheel, 25 February |
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| Fahaheel, 25 February |
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| View from Fahaheel to Mina Al-Ahmadi, 25 February |
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| Fahaheel, 25 February |
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| Fahaheel, 25 February |
In the afternoon, Amal took us to the National Day celebrations which had started that day (and which were about to last 2 more days). Driving from Mahboula via Fintas to Salmiya and then on Arabian Gulf Street to Kuwait City, the roadside was lined with crowds of people partying. Children and adults alike had fun in water-bombing and spraying passing cars. Dhia told me afterwards that she also very much enjoys such fun and that next year, I would be her target!
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Arabian coffee on the street, National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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Splash! National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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Splash! National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
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National Day celebration, Salmiya,
25 February. |
After a Persian dinner, it was time to say farewell! After the last bit of packing and saying farewell, Akira and I headed to the airport, while Ioanna was to fly home one day later (and Hendrik had already left late on the 23nd).
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| Leaving KWI in the early hours of 26 February |
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| Landing for stopover in AMS Amsterdam-Schiphol, 26 February |
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| Leaving AMS for the final leg to ABZ Aberdeen, 26 February |
A very big THANK YOU to our Kuwaiti friends for their outstanding hospitality - to Dhia Al-Bader and her husband Tareq, to Hanan Al-Adilah and her family and husband, and to Amal Hasan and her family. And of course, special thanks to Andreas for being such a good guide, host, and logistics support for most of our explorations around the coast and islands of Kuwait!
PS. The Marler Zeitung, a newspaper in Marl, Germany, reported about our expedition to Kuwait:
http://mobil.marler-zeitung.de/staedte/marl/45770-Marl~/Wie-ueberleben-Pflanzen-Marler-forscht-im-salzigen-Meer-und-der-gruenen-Wueste;art996,2312395?fbclid=IwAR2x1Dppoya_VuPqJ2XrNBoqugFqzlxTchOnlhcduLHlynd1e3OQvHIc9Dk
