Gulf War 1990-1991 war and it's affects on natural life - Essay Example

Persian Gulf War of 1991 The Persian Gulf War of 1991 had devastating environmental damage in the Middle East. After the coalition forces attacked Iraq, the Iraq military opened valves and directed oil in sea and land. Large quantities of oil ended up at the Sea Island near Kuwait. The oil moved towards Saudi Arabia and it started endangering the fragile habitats and mangrove forests. Furthermore, intertidal zones started being destroyed (Finlan 91). The areas that were destroyed acted as feeding grounds for the birds, fish, and shrimps.

Therefore, this had a devastating effect on the ecosystem. According to United Nation Environmental Program, approximately 25-30 million barrels of crude oil was directed to sea. In addition, approximately 14 thousands tones of toxic smoke were released to the atmosphere. This led to acid rain. In addition, land spills became rampant. The Kuwait desert was left being inhabitable and people had to move to other areas. However, the water ecosystem was the most affected. Once the rain fell, all water that had oil was drained into the sea.

This led to mass death of various sea inhabitants. This affected the aquatic food chain. Fish industry in Kuwait was thriving before the war. For instance, it was yielding approximately 120 thousands tones of fish each year (Finlan 92). However, this figure dropped drastically. This is because most of the fish died because of lack of adequate oxygen. In addition, plants were unable to thrive in the water because it was covered with oil. This made some fish to migrate to other areas. Other species that were also affected by the oil spill include hawksbill turtles, dugongs, migratory birds, and sea snakes.

By the time the war ended, the damage on sea was more than land. Works CitedFinlan, Alastair. The Gulf War 1991. Oxford: Osprey Pub, 2003. Print.