Type
ArticleAuthors
Raitsos, Dionysios E.Hoteit, Ibrahim

Prihartato, Perdana

Chronis, T.
Triantafyllou, G.
Abualnaja, Yasser
KAUST Department
Earth Fluid Modeling and Prediction GroupEarth Science and Engineering Program
Marine Science Program
Physical Science and Engineering (PSE) Division
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC)
Date
2011-07-19Online Publication Date
2011-07-19Print Publication Date
2011-07Permanent link to this record
http://hdl.handle.net/10754/552129
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Coral reef ecosystems, often referred to as “marine rainforests,” concentrate the most diverse life in the oceans. Red Sea reef dwellers are adapted in a very warm environment, fact that makes them vulnerable to further and rapid warming. The detection and understanding of abrupt temperature changes is an important task, as ecosystems have more chances to adapt in a slowly rather than in a rapid changing environment. Using satellite derived sea surface and ground based air temperatures, it is shown that the Red Sea is going through an intense warming initiated in the mid-90s, with evidence for an abrupt increase after 1994 (0.7°C difference pre and post the shift). The air temperature is found to be a key parameter that influences the Red Sea marine temperature. The comparisons with Northern Hemisphere temperatures revealed that the observed warming is part of global climate change trends. The hitherto results also raise additional questions regarding other broader climatic impacts over the area.Citation
Abrupt warming of the Red Sea 2011, 38 (14):n/a Geophysical Research LettersPublisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Journal
Geophysical Research LettersAdditional Links
http://doi.wiley.com/10.1029/2011GL047984ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1029/2011GL047984