The Ministry of Environmental Protection publishes the national monitoring report of the Gulf of Eilat for the year 2020, carried out by the Inter-University Institute in Eilat * The sea surface temperature rose, enormous damage was caused to the reef in the great storm that swept soil and debris into the Gulf of Eilat
Detachment of corals from waste items in the Red Sea. Photo: Omari Ozami, Nature and Parks Authority
The Ministry of Environmental Protection publishes the national monitoring report of the Gulf of Eilat for 2020, carried out by the Inter-University Institute in Eilat, funded by the Ministry of Environmental Protection through the Marine Pollution Prevention Fund, and under the guidance of a scientific management committee headed by the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Prof. Nega Kronfeld-Shor .
The findings of this report, which were submitted by Dr. Yonatan Shaked and Prof. Ametsia Ganin, shed light for the first time on the extent of the pressures under which the marine environment is in the Gulf of Eilat, including the devastating effects of the extreme winter storm that occurred in Eilat in March 2020 (following the initial findings published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection in May 2020 ).
The main findings point to damage to the coral reefs, both due to the breaking of corals and coverings in sand blown up by the waves, and due to the impact of debris and parts of infrastructure that were swept from the beaches into the sea following the storm. The estimated damage measured is up to 22% reduction in the area of healthy corals and possibly even more in the shallow reef.
In addition, the increase in deep water temperature and sea surface temperature continues this year as well. The maximum temperature measured over the coral reef in 2020 was the highest measured since monitoring began, and stood at 29.1 degrees Celsius (the highest temperature measured before that was in 2012 and stood at 28.4 degrees).
The effects of the storm also emerge from the findings of the marine debris monitoring report, carried out by the Society for the Research of Seas and Lakes in the Mediterranean Sea and the Gulf of Eilat. This report was jointly funded by the "Clean Beach" program of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Energy as part of Israel's national monitoring, for the fourth year in a row.
Key findings emerging from the Eilat Bay monitoring program:
- The state of the coral reef: In March 2020, the city of Eilat faced an unusually strong southern storm, which wreaked havoc on Eilat's beaches. The coral reef in Eilat was also damaged by the storm, both due to the breaking of coral and coverings in sand that was blown up by the waves, and due to the impact of debris and parts of infrastructure that were washed away from the beaches into the sea. The damage to the reef was not uniform and the survey found that it was characterized by a loss of living cover of about 6% to 22%, depending on the site examined. Most of the damage was in the shallow reefs that are not included in the national monitoring that surveys reefs from a depth of 5 meters and above, so the real damage to the reef is probably greater.
- Concentrations of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and chlorophyll in the Bay of Eilat: The Bay of Eilat is poor in nutrients, which are a limiting factor for the growth of algae and corals, a situation that allows for the delicate balance between them, and gives the Bay of Eilat its properties (such as clear water). Any addition or subtraction from the natural concentration of nutrients in the sea water may cause extreme changes in the condition of the reef. Every few years during the winter season the layer of deep sea water, where the nutrients accumulate, mixes with the upper layer which cools and sinks. The nutrients that rise from the depth are transported with the currents out of the bay, which cleans the bay of excess nutrients. Due to the warming of the sea water, such mixing has not been observed in Eilat since 2012. In other words, excess nutrients discharged into the sea continue to accumulate in the water of the gulf. This finding is extremely worrying, since the excess of nutrients can cause the sea water to become cloudy and harm the delicate balance of the system. That is, the bay accumulates nitrogen and is not cleaned well enough.
- Water temperature: the trend of the increase in deep water temperature recorded in the previous surveys continues. At the same time, the sea surface temperature has also been increasing since 1988, at an average rate of about 0.036 degrees Celsius per year. This rate is three times higher than the global average calculated by the IPCC.
- Animals: In 2020, individuals of foraminifera (foraminifera, single-celled marine creatures) with deformations in their calcareous skeletal structure were found for the first time on the north coast. This deformity indicates a disturbance in the formation of the calcareous skeleton by these creatures. It is possible that the recorded increase in the acidity of the sea water affects the ability to deposit the calcareous skeleton of these species. If the phenomenon repeats itself, the reason for this should be checked. Also, the downward trend in the density of sea urchins in Eilat continues. Sea urchins feed on algae and therefore have an important role in maintaining the balance between corals and algae in the reef. During 2020, several arrivals of sea turtles to the shores of Eilat for the purpose of laying eggs were recorded. This event is very rare in Eilat. The amount of increases recorded in 2020 was small, but significantly greater than what has been recorded to date. It is not clear if this phenomenon will repeat itself in the coming years, but if it does, the possibility of turtles coming ashore, laying eggs, and guarding the eggs until hatching and the hatchlings enter the sea must be preserved. This has implications regarding the planning of the coastal area of Eilat.
- Debris: In 2020, for the first time, the Seas and Lakes Research Company conducted a debris survey on the bottom of the Gulf of Eilat (the findings of this survey are presented together with the Mediterranean findings in the debris monitoring report of the national monitoring program in the Mediterranean and not in the Eilat monitoring report). In order not to damage the coral reefs, the survey was done by photography by an underwater robot. The findings of the survey in Eilat indicated a very unusual concentration of about 350 thousand items of hard waste per km, a concentration 1,000 times higher than the concentration of waste at similar depths in the Mediterranean Sea. The composition of the waste scattered among and on the coral included many types of items, for example plastic bottles, disposable utensils and bottles of sunscreen, but also heavier waste that was washed into the sea during the 2020 winter storm, such as ropes and irons and even tanning beds.
About 90% Of the waste thrown into the sea in Israel - non-biodegradable plastic
The phenomenon of litter in the sea and on the beaches (Marine Litter) is a global problem and affects the beaches of the entire world. According to various estimates, about 8 million tons of plastic are thrown into the seas and oceans every year. In Israel it was found that up to 90% of the marine waste is plastic which is almost non-biodegradable. And at this rate, in 2050 there will be sea water Richer in plastic remains than in live fish.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection works, as part of the "Clean Beach" program, to maintain the cleanliness of the beaches and the sea, and the year 2020 was the cleanest year since the start of the "Clean Beach" index of the Ministry of Environmental Protection for the cleanliness of the open and undeclared beaches for bathing (2005), and this as a positive and consistent trend from 2017.
In order to reduce plastic waste on the beaches, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with the Ecotion association, launched an awareness campaign calling on the public to protect the coastal and marine environment for clean seas and beaches under the title: "Disposable - not in my sea!". The campaign calls on the public to leave the single-use plastic at home, equip themselves with reusable utensils and enjoy plastic-free beaches and seas.
The municipality of Eilat was the first to enact a municipal by-law prohibiting the introduction of disposable utensils into the coastal environment, an important step that sets a bar for more responsible public behavior and will lead to a reduction of marine waste. The Ministry of Environmental Protection encourages and helps other authorities to follow this path.
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