\n Bombs and missiles have released heavy metals and harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. US-Israeli and Iranian strikes have hit oil facilities, igniting fires that covered Tehran in thick black smoke and oil-saturated rain<\/a>, exposing millions to pollution which could have long-lasting health impacts.\n <\/p>\n \n And these strikes are also affecting the Persian Gulf. Attacks on ships and oil infrastructure in the waterway have produced oil spills visible from space<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n A spill from a tanker has temporarily closed beaches in the Emirate of Umm Al Quwain with authorities working to contain the environmental impacts, according to an announcement<\/a> Thursday by the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.\n <\/p>\n \n It\u2019s not been confirmed whether the spill is linked to Iranian attacks but it\u2019s yet another sign of the huge risks faced by the Persian Gulf, one of the world\u2019s most delicate and unique marine systems.\n <\/p>\n \n As the conflict continues, experts are warning of a broader contamination crisis.\n <\/p>\n \n For months, cargo ships and oil tankers have been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping route for oil and gas between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.\n <\/p>\n \n The progression from vessel impact to environmental damage is clear to see in many cases, said Brian Barnes, who is part of a group of satellite oceanographers at the University of South Florida analyzing the effects of this war from afar.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cSome of the major ships that have been targeted, we see prolonged plumes, stretching for hundreds of kilometers away from the impact site,\u201d Barnes said.\n <\/p>\n \n The Persian Gulf has long suffered from oil pollution, but research<\/a> by Barnes and other scientists comparing March 2026, when fighting was intense, with the same period last year shows a sharp increase.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhat we\u2019re seeing is twice the amount of surface oil in the Persian Gulf area relative to what we would expect in the absence of a major conflict,\u201d Barnes said.\n <\/p>\n \n Although, he noted, satellite imagery can only show what is on the surface of the water and not the thickness of the oil, which would give a more accurate picture of the extent of the contamination.\n <\/p>\n \n What is harder to assess with limited physical access to the conflict-riddled waterway is the impact on marine wildlife.\n <\/p>\n \n The Persian Gulf hosts an ecosystem teeming with life. It is home to several species of sea turtles, hundreds of species of fish and the world\u2019s second-largest population of dugongs, or sea cows.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cOne of the world\u2019s largest whale shark congregations occurs close to the South Pars oil field where Qatar and Iran meet,\u201d said Bernhard Riegl, a professor at Nova Southeastern University who has studied the Persian Gulf for decades.\n <\/p>\n \n Sandy offshore islands and expansive seagrass beds make the Gulf an ideal habitat for nesting and breeding. Extensive mangrove forests and coral reef structures create protected nurseries for dolphins, seabirds, and whale sharks. Yet in springtime, traditionally the season for breeding, the war was raging.\n <\/p>\n \n Only the hardiest marine life survives in these waters. Not only is the Persian Gulf one of the world\u2019s hottest seas, but it also experiences sharp temperature changes throughout the year.\n <\/p>\n \n The water near Kuwait City, for example, goes from highs of around 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) in the height of summer to lows of around 16 degrees Celsius (60 Fahrenheit).\n <\/p>\n \n Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the UAE\u2019s special envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Nature, called for an end to attacks on the Gulf in an editorial<\/a> earlier this year.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cWhile the financial costs of damage can be calculated, the loss of ecosystems and species cannot. Once degraded, these systems may not recover,\u201d she wrote.\n <\/p>\n \u26c5 Get CNN Weather in your inbox<\/p>\n The forecast is just the beginning. We\u2019ll\u202fsend you expert coverage and the stories behind the weather \u2014 so you always know more than just the number. Sign up for the newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n \n Contamination in the Gulf brings unique challenges as the body of water is relatively shallow \u2014 the deepest areas are only around 360 feet \u2014 and it is small, at 93,000 square miles. It also has only one entry and exit point connecting it to the open ocean: the Strait of Hormuz, which leads into the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean beyond. This all means pollutants tend not to disperse or dilute easily.\n <\/p>\n \n No matter which country or vessel may be a target during this war, the repercussions will have wide impacts, Riegl said: \u201cIf we take a drop of oil and put it into the water on the Iranian side of the inflow into the Gulf, a year later it will be in Kuwait, two years later it will be on the Omani side of the Gulf and float out there.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n The 1991 Gulf War should be a cautionary tale, Riegl said. Retreating Iraqi forces set fire to hundreds of oil wells in Kuwait creating an environmental catastrophe felt throughout the Gulf.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cThe shorelines were devastatingly affected,\u201d Riegl said. \u201cIn fact, in many areas of Saudi (Arabia), if you go and dig in the sand, there\u2019s still old oil in there. It\u2019s just very hard to get rid of.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n An additional concern is the fact that tens of millions of Gulf residents rely on desalination plants, which convert seawater into drinking water.\n <\/p>\n![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/ap26071374904471-20261022125921859.jpg\")
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