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Harmful algal blooms (HABs) have been serious environmental problems in the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea in recent years. There has been an increase in occurrence of HABs in coastal waters of Hormuzgan Province (to the north of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea) in recent decade, due to eutrophication as a result of human activities. In this review, HAB phenomena in coastal waters of Hormuzgan Province are summarized, including, causative species, timing and the location of blooms during a 35-year time span from 1980 to 2015. This review illustrates that 436 algal blooms have been recorded in the north of the Persian Gulf, formed by 17 species of phytoplankton; 270 of harmful dinoflagellate (Margalefidinium polykrikoides) blooms have led to huge catastrophic impacts on the economy, environment, and society. In addition, most algal blooms (49%) have occurred in the coasts of Bandar Abbas. The data in this review suggest supporting the establishment of an algal bloom monitoring and control program in the coastal waters of the northern part of the Persian Gulf and Oman Sea (Hormuzgan Province)., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Algal bloom as a common phenomenon in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman had catastrophic effects on environmental, social, economic, and human health aspects from 2008 to 2009. Since 2008, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman Ecological Research Institute (PGSOERI) has monitored and managed algal blooms in the Hormuzgan coast along the northern Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Management strategies have included regular monitoring of chlorophyll, water quality, and remote sensing. In this regard, relevant departments and the Regional Organization for Protection of Marine Environment (ROPME) collaborated with each other to prevent and forecast algal blooms. We reviewed historical and current monitoring, mitigation, and management systems of algal blooms in the Hormuzgan coast. In addition, complications and challenges of algal bloom monitoring and management were also discussed. Documenting algal bloom monitoring and research, improving forecasting and modeling of blooms, educating the public and fishermen, developing a cooperative monitoring framework, and controlling pollution input entering the ROPME region are the main challenges of algal bloom management in the Hormuzgan coast.

The natural radioactivity levels in sediment samples of the northern coast of Oman Sea, covering the coastal strip from Hormoz canyon to Goatr seaport, as the first time has been determined. The results of measurements will serve as background reference level for Oman Sea coastlines. Sediments from 36 coastal and near shore locations were collected for analysis. Analysis on the collected samples were carried out to determine (235)U, (238)U, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs using two high purity germanium detectors with 38.5% and 55% relative efficiencies. The concentration of (235)U, (238)U, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs in sediment samples ranged between 1.01 and 2.87 Bq/kg, 11.83 and 22.68 Bq/kg, 10.7 and 25.02 Bq/kg, 222.89 and 535.07 Bq/kg and 0.14 and 2.8 Bq/kg, respectively. The radium equivalent activity was well below the defined limit of 370 Bq/kg. The external hazard indices were found to be less than 1, indicating a low dose., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)