The climate crisis is stressing marine life, affecting food chains and seafood safety.
Kuwait uses nuclear science to monitor oceans and ensures the resilience of marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
The sea is Kuwait's lifeline. It provides food for its people and is a major source of income for many. However, as the climate crisis worsens, there is a growing concern about how warmer, more acidic waters are affecting the marine ecosystem and impacting seafood safety.
The IAEA has worked with the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) for more than ten years to develop and apply nuclear techniques for monitoring the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. The data gathered is used to inform the policies needed to ensure the resilience of marine ecosystems and coastal communities.
KISR uses radio-ligand receptor binding assays to analyze the increasing occurrence of toxic algae and biotoxins, partly caused by climate change, and the impact on seafood. As the ocean becomes warmer and more acidic, marine organisms also become less resistant to additional stressors, like pollutants. Using nuclear techniques, researchers can determine the uptake rates of such pollutants in marine organisms.
With IAEA support, KISR used radiotracers to discover that the polonium levels in crustaceans have not increased, although the uptake by fodder phytoplankton had increased. Research on other metals, like copper and mercury, is ongoing.
Studies conducted with shrimp, an important food source for many fish species, showed that although ocean acidification did not affect the size of the shrimp, it increased the amount of food the shrimp need to survive. Shrimp were observed to adapt over successive generations to increasingly acidic water.
Artificial radiotracers are substances that are ‘labelled’ with radioactive material, so the movement of the substances can be tracked. Naturally occurring radionuclides in the ocean, such as polonium, lead or tritium, are also used as radiotracers.
The presence of radiotracers and the rate of their decay can help scientists track the movement of contaminants in the ocean, their uptake by organisms and their accumulation in the food chain.
Innovative experimental radiotracer applications are used to analyze the effect of ocean acidification on calcifying marine organisms, like molluscs and crustaceans, and to study the uptake of heavy metals by marine organisms.
Innovative experimental radiotracer applications are used to analyze the effect of ocean acidification on calcifying marine organisms, like molluscs and crustaceans, and to study the uptake of heavy metals by marine organisms.
At COP28, IAEA and KISR launched a joint research project to support ocean health using KISR’s new research vessel ‘AlMostakshif’ ('The Explorer') to monitor the impact of ocean acidification, marine microplastic pollution, emerging contaminants such as ‘forever chemicals’ and radioactive pollution in the Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea, and beyond.
This joint research and capacity building exercise will contribute to the understanding of possible impacts on marine environments and help inform climate change policymaking.
KISR is a key scientific hub in the ARASIA region. It has been designated as an IAEA Collaborating Centre to provide support to neighbouring countries for coastal and marine science. It is also part of the IAEA Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre network.
The IAEA promotes nuclear-based solutions to preserve and restore the environment from climate-related weather events and disasters through the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, adaptation to and monitoring of the adverse consequences of climate change.
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The IAEA looks forward to strengthening and establishing partnerships to support Member States towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the implementation of the Paris Agreement in areas such as energy, sustainable land use, climate smart agriculture, food production systems, analysis of global greenhouse gas emissions, water management, and oceans and coastal protection. The IAEA brings together experts, coordinates research, and fosters cooperation between countries to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.
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