Environmental Setting for Reef Building in the Red Sea

Churchill, James H.; Davis, Kristen A.; Wurgaft, Eyal; Shaked, Yeala

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-05802-9_2

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 145 publications

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“…Such low sea level likely resulted in aerial exposure of at least the upper portions of the coral colonies, perhaps during both of the January spring tides. Aerial exposure due to extreme low tides has occasionally been reported in the northern Red Sea (Fishelson, 1973 ; Kotb et al, 2004 ; Loya, 1975 ), but it rarely occurs in winter months as sea level tends to be 0.3–0.4 m higher due to seasonal changes in wind patterns (Abdulla & Al‐Subhi, 2021 ; Churchill et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reef flat lies at a depth typically of 0.5–1.5 m, though extreme events can cause even shallower depths. The Red Sea generally experiences low sea level variability, but it varies seasonally with average depths tending to be greater in the winter (Abdulla & Al‐Subhi, 2021 ; Churchill et al, 2019 ). The reef flats in the region are dominated by Stylophora pistillata (Rich et al, 2022 ) and it appeared to be the sole branching species on the Cement Wreck reef flat.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coral bleaching due to cold stress on a central Red Sea reef flat

Rich

Carvalho

Berumen

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Ocean warming is leading to more frequent coral bleaching events. However, cold stress can also induce bleaching in corals. Here, we report observations of a boreal winter bleaching event in January 2020 in the central Red Sea, mainly within a population of the branching coral Stylophora pistillata on an offshore reef flat. Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) rarely fall below 24°C in this region, but data loggers deployed on several nearby reef flats recorded overnight seawater temperatures as low as 18°C just 3 days before the observations. The low temperatures coincided with an extremely low tide and cool air temperatures, likely resulting in the aerial exposure of the corals during the night time low‐tide event. The risk of aerial exposure is rare in winter months, as the Red Sea exhibits seasonal fluctuations in sea level with winter values typically 0.3–0.4 m higher than in summer. These observations are notable for a region typically characterized as a high‐temperature sea, and highlight the need for long‐term monitoring programs as this rare event may have gone unnoticed.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coral bleaching due to cold stress on a central Red Sea reef flat

Rich

Carvalho

Berumen

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Seagrass meadows occur on shallow (< 2 m deep) reef ats or coastal embayments, and contain several species (Thalassia hemprichii, or mixed meadows of predominantly Halophila stipulacea with Halodule uninervis and Halophila ovalis). Monospeci c mangrove stands of Avicennia marina (the dominant species in this region) in this area grow in narrow fringes in shallow water (< 1 m deep) along portions of the coastline, and typical tidal amplitudes in the central Red Sea range from daily uctuations of < 25 cm (Churchill et al 2019) to seasonal uctuations of approximately 40 cm (Pugh and Abualnaja 2015).…”

Section: Study Site and Sh Surveysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of coastal vegetated habitats for tropical marine fishes in the Red Sea

Dunne

Coker

Kattan

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Marine vegetated habitats such as seagrass, mangroves, and macroalgae are common in tropical coastlines globally, providing habitats for a diversity of organisms. Many tropical fish use these habitats, including juvenile fish and species found on coral reefs. Understanding the use of these habitats by different fish species and life stages is fundamental to spatial planning, fisheries management, and conservation. While previous studies have focused on the habitat potential of seagrass, macroalgae, or mangroves for coral reef fish independently, it is important to consider their combined roles, as tropical seascapes are often mosaics of such habitats. In this study, we evaluated habitat associations across life stages for fish species in coral reefs, seagrasses, macroalgae, and mangroves in Saudi Arabia’s central Red Sea. Through in situ visual surveys, we documented 36% of local coral reef fish species in one or more vegetated habitats, with the fraction of coral reef species utilizing macroalgae or seagrass much greater than that of mangroves (29%, 18%, and 6%, respectively). Mangroves hosted mainly juvenile fish (83% of observed population) and macroalgae hosted the largest proportion of herbivores (39% of observed population), suggesting that each environment offers different combinations of resources (food and shelter), and a mix of these habitats could support biological connectivity across a seascape. Species targeted by local fisheries made up 37% of the species documented in vegetated habitats. The use of multiple habitat types by juvenile and commercially important fishes in the Red Sea underscores the need for a holistic approach to habitat protection.

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“…SSH data were visualized by removing the daily climatological (1993-2018) mean of the entire southern Red Sea (south of 21 °N). This was done because sea level variations in the Red Sea are dominated by a seasonal pattern (Churchill et al, 2019) that would obfuscate shorter-term and spatial variations. 9…”

Section: Remote Sensing Datamentioning

confidence: 99%