黑料社区

Ocean currents are the lifeblood of marine ecosystems

Ocean currents are the lifeblood of marine ecosystems

Ocean currents are the lifeblood of marine ecosystems
In the Red Sea, efforts are ongoing to rehabilitate key habitats, which are vital to the health of ocean currents. (NCW photo)
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Water is the essence of life, and its movement across the oceans, driven by powerful currents, connects marine ecosystems. Ocean currents, both on the surface and in deep waters, influence countless species and regulate the planet鈥檚 climate.

For 黑料社区, with its unique marine ecosystems along the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, understanding and protecting ocean currents is a critical mission led by the National Center for Wildlife, or NCW.

Ocean currents, often called the 鈥渃onveyor belts鈥 of the sea, transport heat, nutrients and oxygen, while connecting marine populations. Surface currents are mainly driven by wind, while deep ocean currents are shaped by differences in water density due to temperature and salinity variations.

These currents play a crucial role in shaping marine ecosystems, supporting biodiversity and maintaining the delicate balance of life beneath the waves.

For example, juvenile sea turtles in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea rely on ocean currents during their early-life stages. Hatchlings drift with these currents for the first few months, gaining protection and determining the foraging areas that they will return to as adults.

Similarly, coral reefs 鈥 among the most biodiverse habitats 鈥 depend on ocean currents to distribute larvae, supporting the survival of future generations and the overall health of the marine ecosystem.

However, changing ocean currents, a consequence of global climate change, pose significant challenges to marine life.

Shifts in current patterns can disrupt migration routes for species such as whales and eels, hinder the flow of essential nutrients and alter the range of coral reefs. For example, warming waters from shifting currents in Western Australia have been linked to widespread coral bleaching and seagrass loss.

As the steward of its natural heritage, 黑料社区 has a responsibility to protect its marine ecosystems and the global systems they support.

Mohammed Qurban

These impacts ripple through the marine food chain, affecting everything from plankton to apex predators such as sharks.

The National Center for Wildlife recognizes the crucial role of ocean currents in sustaining marine life and maintaining ecological balance. In the Red Sea, one of the world鈥檚 most biologically significant marine regions, the NCW studies and protects the connectivity of marine populations influenced by these currents.

In collaboration with regional partners, the NCW is leading efforts to rehabilitate key habitats, such as turtle nesting sites and coral reefs, which are vital to the health of ocean currents.

Additionally, the NCW is leading efforts to address the impacts of climate change on marine biodiversity. By closely monitoring changes in ocean circulation patterns, the NCW is developing strategies to mitigate disruptions to species migration, larval dispersal and habitat health.

These initiatives enhance the resilience of 黑料社区鈥檚 marine ecosystems and align with global biodiversity conservation goals, including the 30x30 pledge to protect 30 percent of the planet鈥檚 land and oceans by 2030.

Ocean currents offer important lessons, reflecting the interconnectedness of our actions and their consequences. By understanding and protecting these currents, we help to ensure the survival of species, the stability of ecosystems and the resilience of our planet in a changing climate.

As the steward of its natural heritage, 黑料社区 has a responsibility to protect its marine ecosystems and the global systems they support. The NCW is committed to advancing research, promoting sustainable practices, and fostering international collaboration to preserve the lifeblood of our oceans for future generations.

Tomorrow鈥檚 wild depends on our will today.

Mohammed Qurban is the CEO of the National Center for Wildlife.
 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

Book Review: The AI-Centered Enterprise

Book Review: The AI-Centered Enterprise
Updated 7 min 14 sec ago

Book Review: The AI-Centered Enterprise

Book Review: The AI-Centered Enterprise

What lies beyond ChatGPT for businesses?

In The AI-Centered Enterprise: Reshaping Organizations with Context-Aware AI, authors Ram Bala, Natarajan Balasubramanian and Amit Joshi argue that the next leap in artificial intelligence is not about flashy prompts, but rather perception, reasoning, and organizational transformation.

The book, published earlier this year, introduces the concept of 鈥渃ontext-aware AI,鈥 systems that do not just process information but understand it in real-time business scenarios.

These are tools that adjust to their environment, collaborate across teams, and make decisions with nuance; a significant step forward from today鈥檚 mostly predictive systems.

The authors, all professors and practitioners in the AI and analytics space, offer a clear roadmap for businesses to prepare.

Their proposed model, the 鈥3Cs鈥 鈥 鈥淐alibrate, Clarify, Channelize鈥 鈥 breaks down how leaders can align AI tools with company values, ensure teams understand how to use them, and direct efforts where they will have the most impact.

For readers in 黑料社区, where AI is central to Vision 2030 initiative, this book can serve as a strategic lens.

While it does not focus on the region, its practical insights are useful for decision-makers looking to scale AI responsibly across sectors such as healthcare, logistics, and government services.

More guidebook than manifesto, 鈥淭he AI-Centered Enterprise鈥 avoids jargon and balances case studies with actionable ideas.

It will not dazzle readers chasing science-fiction futures, but it is a timely read for professionals who want to lead, not just react, in the age of intelligent systems.
 


British MPs demand full details of US consulting firm鈥檚 role in Gaza

British MPs demand full details of US consulting firm鈥檚 role in Gaza
Updated 4 min ago

British MPs demand full details of US consulting firm鈥檚 role in Gaza

British MPs demand full details of US consulting firm鈥檚 role in Gaza
  • Boston Consulting Group created models to estimate the costs of relocating Palestinians from the territory, and helped set up controversial Israeli-led aid operation
  • Head of the UK鈥檚 Business and Trade Committee writes to company鈥檚 CEO demanding information about all work related to the conflict in Gaza

LONDON: A parliamentary committee in the UK has demanded that a major US consulting firm provides full details of its activities related to Gaza, after it emerged the company helped set up a controversial Israeli-led aid operation.

Boston Consulting Group was also asked to provide details of the work it carried out on models to estimate the costs of a widely-condemned Israeli and US plan to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to other countries.

Liam Byrne, chairperson of the Business and Trade Committee, requesting the information to BCG鈥檚 CEO, Christoph Schweizer, as part of the 鈥渟crutiny of the UK鈥檚 commercial, political and humanitarian links to the conflict.鈥

The Financial Times  that the consultancy had built a financial model for the reconstruction of Gaza, which included an estimate of the likely cost of the voluntary relocation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.

It also said BCG had helped establish the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US and Israeli-backed aid-distribution program in the territory. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to access humanitarian supplies at the foundation鈥檚 distribution sites since they started operating in May.

In a statement , Schweizer said the lead partner involved in the work carried out by BCG had been 鈥渆xplicitly told not to do any work related to Gaza reconstruction.鈥

He added: 鈥淭he project fell well outside our standards for work that we accept. But the ban was ignored, and the work was secretively conducted anyway.鈥

He said an internal investigation began in May, two of the partners involved were subsequently 鈥渆xited鈥 from the company and BCG did not receive any fees for the work.

Byrne, an MP from the UK鈥檚 ruling Labour Party, sent a number of questions for BCG to answer about its work on Gaza 鈥渋n light of the high level of public and parliamentary concern.鈥

He wrote: 鈥淲e are aware of recent reports regarding BCG鈥檚 engagement with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and associated modeling of the costs of relocating Palestinians from Gaza.鈥

He asked for a 鈥渄etailed timeline鈥 of BCG鈥檚 involvement with the foundation, the scope of its engagement, and the identities of the clients and partners involved. He requested details of other organizations, companies or individuals engaged by BCG in relation to the aid-distribution program, and more details about the type of the 鈥渦nauthorized鈥 work the company said was carried out.

Byrne also asked for more information about the work related to the development of models for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza, including the identities of those who commissioned the work and whether any UK-based organizations were involved.

He gave BCG until July 22 to respond, 鈥済iven the seriousness of these issues and the high level of public interest.鈥

Nearly 58,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023 during Israel鈥檚 war on Gaza, including more than 500 in recent weeks as they attempted to obtain food aid from Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites. The organization, which was set up to replace UN aid-distribution mechanisms, has been condemned by humanitarian chiefs for politicizing aid.

US and Israeli-backed proposals to relocate the Palestinian population of Gaza to other countries, which emerged at the start of the year, were widely condemned by governments in the region and beyond.


Saudi communications minister meets with international leaders to advance Saudi role in AI

Saudi communications minister meets with international leaders to advance Saudi role in AI
Updated 15 min 47 sec ago

Saudi communications minister meets with international leaders to advance Saudi role in AI

Saudi communications minister meets with international leaders to advance Saudi role in AI

GENEVA: Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha held a series of high-level meetings during his official visit to Switzerland, aimed at strengthening the Kingdom鈥檚 global role in promoting inclusivity in the era of artificial intelligence, innovation, and digital economy development.

The minister met with UN International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The two discussed the Kingdom鈥檚 longstanding partnership with the union spanning more than 76 years.

The minister also met with Algerian Minister of Post and Telecommunications Sid Ali Zerrouki, to expand partnership opportunities in the areas of digital governance, AI, and digital infrastructure.

 


WOOHOO, a restaurant operated by an AI chef, to open in Dubai soon

WOOHOO, a restaurant operated by an AI chef, to open in Dubai soon
Updated 31 min 52 sec ago

WOOHOO, a restaurant operated by an AI chef, to open in Dubai soon

WOOHOO, a restaurant operated by an AI chef, to open in Dubai soon
  • AI 鈥楥hef Aiman鈥 to create data-driven flavour combinations
  • The restaurant that bills itself as 鈥渄ining in the future鈥 is set to open in September

DUBAI: In Dubai, your dinner might soon come with a side of source code.
WOOHOO, a restaurant that bills itself as 鈥渄ining in the future,鈥 is set to open in September in central Dubai, a stone鈥檚 throw from the world鈥檚 tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Food at WOOHOO will be assembled by humans, for now, but everything else 鈥 from the menu to ambience to service 鈥 will be designed by a culinary large-language-model called 鈥淐hef Aiman.鈥
Aiman 鈥 a portmanteau of 鈥淎I鈥 and 鈥渕an鈥 鈥 is trained on decades of food science research, molecular composition data and over a thousand recipes from cooking traditions around the world, said Ahmet Oytun Cakir, one of WOOHOO鈥檚 founders.

Food prepared using the recipe from "Aiman", the AI Chef is served on a plate, at the Trove Restaurant in Dubai on July 8, 2025. (REUTERS)

While Chef Aiman can鈥檛 taste, smell or interact with his dishes like a chef normally would, the model works by breaking cuisine down to its component parts like texture, acidity and umami, and reassembling them into unusual flavour and ingredient combinations, according to Aiman鈥檚 developers.
These prototypes are then refined by human cooks who taste the combinations and provide direction, in an effort led by renowned Dubai-based chef Reif Othman.
鈥淭heir responses to my suggestions help refine my understanding of what works beyond pure data,鈥 Aiman explained, in an interview with the interactive AI model.
The goal, Aiman鈥檚 creators say, is not to supplant the human element of cooking but to complement it.
鈥淗uman cooking will not be replaced, but we believe (Aiman) will elevate the ideas, creativity,鈥 said Oytun Cakir, who is also chief executive of hospitality company Gastronaut.
Aiman is designed to develop recipes that re-use ingredients often discarded by restaurants, like meat trimmings or fat, he said.
Longer term, WOOHOO鈥檚 founders believe Aiman could be licensed to restaurants across the globe, reducing kitchen waste and improving sustainability. (Reporting by Luke Tyson Editing by Ros Russell)


RSF attack on shelter in Sudan鈥檚 El-Fasher leaves 8 dead, says doctor

RSF attack on shelter in Sudan鈥檚 El-Fasher leaves 8 dead, says doctor
Updated 46 min 22 sec ago

RSF attack on shelter in Sudan鈥檚 El-Fasher leaves 8 dead, says doctor

RSF attack on shelter in Sudan鈥檚 El-Fasher leaves 8 dead, says doctor
  • Since losing control of the capital Khartoum to the army in March, the RSF has stepped up attacks on El-Fasher and its surrounding displacement camps

PORT SUDAN: Sudan鈥檚 paramilitary Rapid Support Forces killed eight civilians in an attack on a bunker sheltering dozens in the besieged western city of El-Fasher, a doctor said Thursday.
Nearly all of Darfur, the vast western region of Sudan, remains under RSF control, with communications and media access cut off since the RSF鈥檚 war with the army began in April 2023.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands, triggered the world鈥檚 largest hunger and displacement crisis, and devastated the northeast African country.
鈥淭he RSF bombed a shelter where citizens had taken refuge using a drone, late on Tuesday night,鈥 the doctor told AFP from El-Fasher Teaching Hospital, one of the city鈥檚 last functioning health facilities.
They spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety, as health workers have been repeatedly targeted, using a satellite Internet connection to circumvent the communications blackout.
North Darfur state鈥檚 capital, El-Fasher, is the only major city in Sudan鈥檚 vast Darfur region still outside RSF control, despite a siege that began in May last year.
Since losing control of the capital Khartoum to the army in March, the RSF has stepped up attacks on El-Fasher and its surrounding displacement camps 鈥 where famine has already been declared 鈥 in an attempt to consolidate its hold on Darfur.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned of the plight of the city鈥檚 trapped civilians, who shelter from shelling in makeshift bunkers dug in courtyards and in front of houses.
The bunker bombed on Tuesday had been 鈥渟heltering dozens of people,鈥 an eyewitness told AFP.
The city鈥檚 resistance committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating frontline aid across the country, said El-Fasher was rocked by RSF artillery throughout Wednesday.
El-Fasher鈥檚 estimated one million people survive with barely any access to food, water or health care, with critical infrastructure decimated by a lack of maintenance and fuel shortages.
The United Nations said this week that nearly 40 percent of children under five in El-Fasher were suffering from acute malnutrition, including 11 percent with severe acute malnutrition.
Aid sources say an official famine declaration is impossible given the lack of access to data, but mass starvation has all but gripped the city.
Since the war began, the UN estimates 780,000 people have been displaced from El-Fasher and its surrounding displacement camps, including half a million in April and May following a series of brutal RSF attacks.
Of the 10 million people currently internally displaced in Sudan 鈥 the world鈥檚 largest displacement crisis 鈥 nearly 20 percent are in North Darfur.