Natural hazards due to climate change have become the new norm in our cities. These events show the vulnerabilities of our cities to extreme conditions, mainly displayed as flash wadi flooding as a result of a short duration of intensive and eroded its shoreline along the coast, resulting in huge impacts, including human losses and urban and infrastructural damages. This study used the urban flood risk mitigation model through an open-source tool—Integrated Evaluation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-off (InVEST)—to estimate the amount of runoff due to two extreme rainfall events for each watershed considered. We used a digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS) to quantify the Al Khaboura shoreline erosion as a result of Shaheen’s storm surge. With the DSAS, the model showed that, during the short period of the event, the Al Khaboura coastal line was eroded by 16.33 m/y, representing 7.82% of its coastal line, up to a maximum erosion distance of 1428.5 m. The weighted linear regression showed the average mean rate of shoreline change of 6.79 m/y. These models could provide a clear picture of the city vulnerability to allow us to propose a corrective measure for interventions at local and regional scales.

Coastal areas and coastal communities are facing threats due to the impacts of climate change. Therefore, assessing their vulnerabilities and the potential for natural habitats to contribute to protecting coastal areas and communities is essential for effective long-term planning, sustainability, and resilient coastal management. This study modeled and mapped coastal vulnerability using the InVEST 3.9.1 model developed by the Natural Capital Project Coastal Vulnerability model to explore the role of natural habitats in mitigating coastal hazards in Southern Al Sharqiya and Al Wusta Governorates of the Sultanate of Oman. The results showed that the highest hazard classification > 2.67 represented 18% of the coastal distribution, the intermediate hazard classification ranging between 2.31 and 2.66 represented 38% of the coastal distribution, and the lowest hazard classification ranging between 1.22 and 2.30) represented 44% of the coastal distribution. These results, however, did not account for the role of natural habitats in coastal protection. In terms of the role of natural habitats in mitigating coastal hazards, the presence of natural habitats reduced the extent of the highest exposed shoreline by 14% and 8% for the highest and intermediate areas, respectively. Under the natural habitat’s scenario, the habitats could provide 59% protection for the coastal communities under the highest exposure category and 41% under the intermediate category. Under a no-habitat scenario, about 75% of the coastal communities are exposed and vulnerable to coastal hazards under the highest hazard exposure category and 25% under the intermediate category. These results demonstrate that it is critical, especially for policymakers, to enhance the protection of coastal ecosystems to achieve coastal resilience. This study buttresses the importance of coastal ecosystem assessments in ensuring coastal resilience and climate change adaptation processes for any coastal countries.

Witches’ broom disease has led to major losses in lime and alfalfa production in Oman. This paper identifies bioclimatic variables that contribute to the prediction of distribution of witches’ broom disease in current and future climatic scenarios. It also explores the expansion, reduction, or shift in the climatic niche of the distribution of the disease across the different geographical areas of the entire country (309,501 km²). The maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) and geographical information system were used to investigate the potential suitability of habitats for the phytoplasma disease. This study used current (1970–2000) and future projected climatic scenarios (2021–2040, 2041–2060, 2061–2080, and 2081–2100) to model the distribution of phytoplasma for lime trees and alfalfa in Oman. Bioclimatic variables were downloaded from WorldClim with ± 60 occurrence points for lime trees and alfalfa. The area under the curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the model’s performance. Quantitatively, the results showed that the mean of the AUC values for lime (16SrII-B) and alfalfa (16SrII-D) future distribution for the periods of 2021–2040, 2041–2060, 2061–2080, and 2081–2100 were rated as “excellent”, with the values for the specified time periods being 0.859, 0.900, 0.931, and 0.913 for 16SrII-B; and 0.826, 0.837, 08.58, and 0.894 for 16SrII-D respectively. In addition, this study identified the hotspots and proportions of the areas that are vulnerable under the projected climate-change scenarios. The area of current (2021–2040) highly suitable distribution within the entire country for 16SrII-D was 19474.2 km² (7.1%), while for 16SrII-B, an area of 8835 km² (3.2%) was also highly suitable for the disease distribution. The proportions of these suitable areas are very significant from the available arable land standpoint. Therefore, the results from this study will be of immense benefit and will also bring significant contributions in mapping the areas of witches’ broom diseases in Oman. The results will equally aid the development of new strategies and the formulation of agricultural policies and practices in controlling the spread of the disease across Oman.

The impact of urbanization on vegetation is poorly studied in sparsely vegetated desert steppe-type vegetation. This study investigates the spatial and temporal impacts of urbanization over 40 years on plant species in Dhofar’s mountains, plains, and bay areas. Satellite images covering 1978 to 2018 were used as Remote Sensing (RS) tools, along with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, to detect changes in vegetation patterns. The results showed an increase in urban development in Dhofar over the 40 years, reaching 173.3%, which contributed to the decline in vegetation cover of 36.4%. However, both percentages indicate that other factors, including climate change, have also impacted the vegetation. It was found that air temperature in the study area increased from 1978 to 2018 by 0.8°C, whereas precipitation decreased by 104 mm. The results also indicate a 23.2% and 18.5% reduction in plant species in coastal areas and mountains, respectively, between 1978 and 2018 due to the increase in urbanization. This warns of the impact of urban expansion on rare plant species in the governorate, as 48 plant species only found in Dhofar are threatened with extinction due to construction and urbanization. We recommend making the biodiversity of Dhofar a priority in developing any urban projects, especially at sites that house rare species.