6. Type of Environmental Problem

sink problems- contamination of soil, water, and air

   The smoke plumes containing carbon and soot were seen around the globe in India, Ethiopia, and Hawaii. In the Gulf region, the midday sky was darkened from plumes while the fires were still burning. People in the Gulf noticed an oil mist on plant leaves, which deprived them of sunlight. People were concerned about the affect of the fallout on the marine ecosystem and on air quality.
   Environmental impact predictions of the burning oil fields were varied. Some scientists predicted that the oil fields would blacken the skies of the entire region, possibly even the entire globe. They predicted something akin to a nuclear winter, and that the soot from the inefficient combustion of oil would be similar to that of the 1815 volcanic eruption in Tambora, Indonesia. These scientists had predicted, however, that the burning would occur in only 10 days, a much shorter time period than it actually took for the wells to burn. Other contingents of scientists insisted that the typical concentrations of pollutants in the air after the oil was burned off would be comparable to the concentrations in typical U.S. cities. The actual impact lay somewhere in between the two predictions.

Air Pollution

   The U.S. army and other agencies were concerned with the health risks of smoke and other emissions from the burning oil wells. The EPA collected samples of air from different sites in Kuwait in March 1991 and found that the air contained high levels of soot, but that in the short-run they were nothing more than an irritant. They concluded that the long-run depended upon the exact concentration of the smoke. The concentrations of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone were within the air quality standards of the MEPA, although the levels of these pollutants had increased significantly in the Gulf region. The concentration of inhalable toxic particulates in the air between May and October 1991, such as cadmium, lead, beryllium, and asbestos, exceeded the MEPA limits at most locations, although when the fires stopped burning, the concentrations lessened some. The combination of particulates with sulfur dioxide is particularly dangerous, as they have an effect greater than the sum of their separate effects. [3] Possible consequences of the inhalation of these various toxic chemicals include respiratory damage across the board, and chronic exposure can cause kidney damage and gastrointestinal disorders.
Another group of Arab scientists studied air sample in Riyadh before, during and after the Gulf War when the oil wells were fully capped. They found that the burning oil wells in the Gulf War actually increased the risk for cancer in the upper respiratory and digestive tracts in Kuwait and other exposed populations.[4]

   A sudden deterioration of environmental quality in this region was believed to have resulted from the recent Gulf War during which a large number of oil wells in Kuwait were set on fire. Heavy smokes containing various unknown materials traveled over the sky of Saudi Arabia including the city of Riyadh for several months until the burning oil wells were fully capped.[5]

   The study found, however, that several months after the oil wells were fully capped the particular quality of the air particulates that causes cancer went back to pre-war levels. The scientists are still concerned about the long-term effects of that short amount of exposure to air pollutants, and even more concerned about the pollutants that settled on the ground or entered the food chain and water cycle. Increased exposure to the toxic chemicals likely increased the risk of cancer and other health problems in the Gulf.

Water Pollution

   The biggest concerns came from the environmentalists who realized that ground water, one of the most important and life-dependent resources in the Middle East could have become contaminated. Studies were conducted on pollutants in Kuwaiti groundwater after the Gulf War. The scientists found that there was no significant increase in the concentration of nickel and vanadium, the main inorganic elements found in crude oil.[6] The extent to which heavy metals can seep into ground water is dependent upon the properties of the soil under the oil lake, and the specific gravity and meteorological factors at each site. Although eight different trace elements were found in different groundwater sites, all were below the limits set for irrigation by the National Academy of Sciences. Studies also concluded that the pollution caused by the oil spillage and septic system drainage did not affect the groundwater.

Pollution and Marine Life

   The 4-8 million barrels of oil that Saddam Hussein spilled into the Gulf to throw off invading allied forces mostly drifted to the northern Saudi coastline. At first, an oil slick covered the Persian Gulf in the South. The oil and soot from the burning oil wells that eventually contaminated the watershed combined with the oil directly spilled into the Gulf created oil sludge in the water. If its toxicity did not kill the animals in the habitat, it suffocated them.
   The burning oil wells affected weather in the Gulf, to the extent that particulate and smoke density in the air significantly decreased the temperature 10 degrees Celsius in one day due to the change in solar and UV radiation. The lessened solar radiation affected the temperature of the water in the Gulf by about 3 degrees Celsius, which is enough change in temperature to destroy certain fish species which have only a 1 degree thermal tolerance limit.[7] The Saudi Fisheries Company announced in 1992 that the shrimp and prawn fishing industries had lost over 55 million USD. Since shrimp reproduce in the spring when water temperature rises, the decrease in temperature could have thrown off reproductive activities. In fact, plankton larvae numbers significantly declined as well in 1992.[8] Likely, the thick plumes and soot deposits on the water surface in the Gulf had a lot to do with the change in the marine environment. Additionally, the oil that spilled into the Gulf directly and through the watershed destroyed coral reefs and other marine life.

Pollution and Animal Life

   Migratory birds confused the oil lakes for bodies of water and died as a result. Many wildlife were driven from the land from the noises of war, however, their new obstacles are the unexploded landmines under the broken gravel and sand surface. The breakage of the desert topsoil (mostly from tanks, but also from oil lakes) led directly to more desert storms and less spring vegetation growth.[9]
   Many of the soldiers involved in the Gulf War have reported various symptoms including weakness, fatigue, headaches, respiratory problems, skin rashes, lesions, and giving birth to post-war seriously ill babies, etc. Doctors have grouped these mysterious symptoms as a sickness known as Gulf War Syndrome; but they are unsure of its specific cause. Speculations range from depleted uranium dust to diesel fumes, to toxic paints and pesticides, to inoculations, to chemical and biological weapons (which were supposedly unused in the Gulf War). It is likely that Gulf War Syndrome has something to with the environmental saturation of various known and unknown chemicals from the burning oil fields.

7. Type of Habitat

dry

   Kuwait is an arid and harsh environment, but it has not always been that way. Kuwait used to be very biologically diverse. The natural ecosystem of Kuwait has been tremendously impacted by the growth of the human population. Overgrazing and uprooting woody shrubs for fuel consumption are the factors that have destroyed most of the natural vegetation and wildlife.
The gulf marine environment can be considered a closed lake in a desert area because of its slow rate of water exchange with the Gulf of Oman, making pollution and over-fishing more serious survival problems. Deserts exist all around the Gulf except for the northern Shatt Al-Arab delta and the southern Zagros limestone rock coastal mountains.
   The entire Gulf region is hot and dry in the summer and cool in the winter. Small rains come in the short, 2-month winters and 3-month springs. The main winds come from the northwest all year long. The winds from the southeast bring dust from the Arabian Desert, usually before the main winds. Additionally, dust and sandstorms begin in Iraq and move eastward into Kuwait.

8. Act and Harm Sites:

9. Type of Conflict

Interstate

10. Level of Conflict

high

11. Fatality Level of Dispute (military and civilian fatalities)

12. Environment-Conflict Link and Dynamics:

direct

   People in Iraq, Kuwait, and other Gulf States depend on a healthy ecosystem for physical survival. They require clean air and water in order to live healthy lives. When oil became a useful fuel and the Gulf States realized that they could make a lot of money from the naturally rampant resource, the economies of the Gulf States became dependent upon the oil wells. The Gulf States colluded to keep oil prices high, however Kuwait did not always follow the production caps set by the cartel. Additionally, territorial disputes and oil well ownership on the border between Iraq and Kuwait caused friction. Iraq invaded Kuwait and blew up over 700 oil wells, causing massive devastation to the soil, air, plants, animals, water, etc. Since the ecosystem is not limited by geopolitical boundaries, the environmental devastation reached at minimum all of the Gulf States, including Iraq itself. The long-term effects to human life are still unknown, however the smoke from the fires could be seen from around the globe and from space. Soldiers and individuals exposed to the air pollution have reported mysterious maladies.

13. Level of Strategic Interest

regional

14. Outcome of Dispute:

15. Related ICE and TED Cases

Water in Ancient Mesopotamia
Great Plains Buffalo
Kuwait
Marsh
SomWaste
IranIraq
IraqSanc

16. Relevant Websites and Literature