The Status, Threats, and Resilience of Reef-Building Corals of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea

Bruckner, Andrew W.; Dempsey, Alexandra C.

doi:10.1007/978-3-662-45201-1_27

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Although details have yet to be published, bleaching has been reported near Farasan (Monroe et al, ). We have also observed MHWs of high intensity over the northern NRS, and some bleaching was confirmed at Ras Qisbah (eastern northernmost coast) in 2006 (Bruckner & Dempsey, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…Studies have suggested that the NRS to be a thermal refuge for corals, as they can withstand temperatures far above their mean summer maximum SST (Fine et al, 2013;Osman et al, 2018). Indeed, the few bleaching events observed were mostly categorized as mild (1%-10% of coral cover bleached) (Bruckner & Dempsey, 2015;Kotb et al, 2008;Osman et al, 2018), while corals in the central and southern RS have experienced widespread bleaching events (Monroe et al, 2018;Osman et al, 2018). However, our results provide evidence for the recent emergence (since 1998) and rapid increase in MHWs in the NRS, to a point that they are more frequent than those in the SRS.…”

Section: A Probable Emerging Susceptible Region For Bleachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine heatwaves reveal coral reef zones susceptible to bleaching in the Red Sea

Genevier

Jamil

Raitsos

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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As the Earth's temperature continues to rise, coral bleaching events become more frequent. Some of the most affected reef ecosystems are located in poorly monitored waters, and thus, the extent of the damage is unknown. We propose the use of marine heatwaves (MHWs) as a new approach for detecting coral reef zones susceptible to bleaching, using the Red Sea as a model system. Red Sea corals are exceptionally heat‐resistant, yet bleaching events have increased in frequency. By applying a strict definition of MHWs on >30 year satellite‐derived sea surface temperature observations (1985–2015), we provide an atlas of MHW hotspots over the Red Sea coral reef zones, which includes all MHWs that caused major coral bleaching. We found that: (a) if tuned to a specific set of conditions, MHWs identify all areas where coral bleaching has previously been reported; (b) those conditions extended farther and occurred more often than bleaching was reported; and (c) an emergent pattern of extreme warming events is evident in the northern Red Sea (since 1998), a region until now thought to be a thermal refuge for corals. We argue that bleaching in the Red Sea may be vastly underrepresented. Additionally, although northern Red Sea corals exhibit remarkably high thermal resistance, the rapidly rising incidence of MHWs of high intensity indicates this region may not remain a thermal refuge much longer. As our regionally tuned MHW algorithm was capable of isolating all extreme warming events that have led to documented coral bleaching in the Red Sea, we propose that this approach could be used to reveal bleaching‐prone regions in other data‐limited tropical regions. It may thus prove a highly valuable tool for policymakers to optimize the sustainable management of coastal economic zones.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: A Probable Emerging Susceptible Region For Bleachingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine heatwaves reveal coral reef zones susceptible to bleaching in the Red Sea

Genevier

Jamil

Raitsos

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Reports and photos available through various websites reveal a maximum of 23 arms for the Pacific species, whereas the Red Sea species has a maximum of only 13-14 arms (e.g., [24]). However, since the number of arms increase with age and size, this character appears to be of minor importance.…”

Section: Morphologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Persistent Gaps of Knowledge for Naming and Distinguishing Multiple Species of Crown-of-Thorns-Seastar in the Acanthaster planci Species Complex

2017

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Nearly a decade ago, DNA barcoding (partial mitochondrial COI gene sequences) showed that there are at least four species in the Indo-Pacific within what was previously conceived to be a single Crown-of-Thorns-Seastar (COTS) species, Acanthaster planci. Two of these species-A. planci Linnaeus, 1758, distributed in the North Indian Ocean, and A. mauritiensis de Loriol, 1885, distributed in the South Indian Ocean-have been already unequivocally named. In contrast, the Pacific COTS (proposed name: A. solaris (Schreber, 1795) and the COTS from the Red Sea (still to be named) require further taxonomic work. COI barcoding sequences and Barcode Identification Numbers (BINs) are available for all four COTS species in the global Barcode of Life Database (BOLD). We recommend depositing voucher specimens or tissue samples suitable for DNA analyses when studying any aspect of COTS, and use BINs to identify species, to ensure that no information is lost on species allocation until unequivocal Linnean names are available for the Pacific and Red Sea species as well. We also review the differences between COTS species with respect to morphology, ecology, and toxicity. Future studies should widen the current biogeographic coverage of the different COTS species by strategically sampling neglected areas, especially at the geographic distribution limits of each species, to enhance our understanding of the diversity of this reef coral predator.

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“…Hence, there is a great need to study if and how the UV‐A and UV‐B attenuation properties vary, particularly in the central and southern Red Sea, since those areas experience more intense incident UV and higher sea surface temperatures (SSTs) than the Gulf of Aqaba . High SST can exacerbate the damaging effects of UV on marine biota, including key species such as scleractinian corals and other reef organisms , which are of particular importance to the Red Sea .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal Gradient of UV Attenuation Along the Highly Transparent Red Sea Basin

Overmans

Agustı́

2019

Photochem & Photobiology

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The tropical and subtropical oceans experience intense incident ultraviolet radiation (280–400 nm) while their water columns are thought to be highly transparent. This combination represents a high potential for harmful effects on organisms, yet only few reports on the UV penetration properties of oligotrophic tropical waters exist. Here, we present the pattern of UV attenuation over a wide latitudinal range of the oligotrophic Red Sea. We recorded spectroradiometer profiles of PAR and UV, together with chlorophyll‐a (Chl‐a) and light absorption by chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) to determine the contribution of phytoplankton and CDOM toward UV attenuation. Transparency to UV exhibited a distinct latitudinal gradient, with the lowest and highest diffuse attenuation coefficients at 313 nm (K d (313)) of 0.130 m−1 and 0.357 m−1 observed at the northern coast off Duba, and in the south close to the Farasan islands, respectively. Phytoplankton and CDOM both modulated UV attenuation, but CDOM was found to be the key driver despite the lack of riverine inputs. We confirm that ultraviolet radiation can reach deeper into the Red Sea than previously described, which means its potential to act as a stressor and selective driver for Red Sea organisms may have been underestimated to date.

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The Status, Threats, and Resilience of Reef-Building Corals of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea

Cited by 19 publications

References 18 publications

Marine heatwaves reveal coral reef zones susceptible to bleaching in the Red Sea

Marine heatwaves reveal coral reef zones susceptible to bleaching in the Red Sea

Persistent Gaps of Knowledge for Naming and Distinguishing Multiple Species of Crown-of-Thorns-Seastar in the Acanthaster planci Species Complex

Latitudinal Gradient of UV Attenuation Along the Highly Transparent Red Sea Basin

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