How Nuclear Techniques Help Study the Marine Environment in Kuwait
The sea is Kuwait's lifeline. The marine environment laboratory of the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) conducts a number of experiments on pollutants and contaminants using nuclear and isotopic techniques.
Saif Uddin, a senior research scientist at KISR’s Environment and Life Sciences Research Centre, is looking at seawater collected to be tested for pollutants.
Laboratory samples collected to analyse polonium, a radioactive chemical element, and lead in seawater.
The setup of an ocean acidification experiment. The tanks are connected to a computer system to control the pH value in the water, and then connected to heaters to ensure water temperature control. The experiment is designed to test the impact of ocean warming and acidification on marine organisms such as shrimp and corals.
Lamya Al-Musallam, a senior research associate at KISR, checks the pH level in the tanks, which is controlled by a system provided by the IAEA.
Shrimp broodstock collected from the Kuwait bay to obtain eggs and larvae for the ocean acidification experiment.
Shrimp grown in the Salmiyh Research Campus Laboratory, to see how they are adapting to ocean acidification.
KISR lab tanks in which algae is grown to assess the impact of ocean acidification.
Sufiya Sajid, a lab assistant, is checking algae growth in low pH seawater conditions.
Lamya Al-Musallam is studying the characteristics of shrimp larvae grown at the Salmiya Research Campus Laboratory.
Investigating the impact of ocean acidification also includes the measurement of alkalinity in seawater.
Saif Uddin prepares a plankton net for deployment to assess micro-plastics in seawater, another area of study at KSIR's marine environment laboratories.
Montaha Behbehani, an associate research scientist, is preparing the alpha spectrometry system for radionuclide determination in seawater samples.
Montaha Behbehani is loading samples for determination of polonium-210 levels in fish.
Montaha Behbehani is analyzing the alpha emitting radionuclides.
Saif Uddin explains how KISR works to assess the impact of ocean acidification and ocean warming on the marine environment in the Gulf region and how in the past 20 years, projects undertaken with IAEA support have contributed to sound policy regulations based on scientific data and evidence.
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Photos: Dean Calma/IAEA
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Special Thanks to the Staff of the Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research.
