The Coral Reefs of the Red Sea

The coral reefs stretch along the coastline of the Red Sea, and consist of multiple types of coral reefs, including fringe reefs, atolls and pinnacles (Riegl and Piller, 1999) . However, in a new effort to map coral reefs along Saudi Arabia, scientists are observing structures and shapes that they “don’t even have name for” (Lovett, 2010). Thus, it seems that there is still much to study of the area.

Source: http://bikyamasr.com/15608/saving-egypts-coral-reefs/#!wp-prettyPhoto[g15608]/0/

The coral reefs of the Red Sea are a truly unique place in the world. It’s already been mentioned how the region is one of the hottest and driest. These conditions make for coral reefs that tend to have higher adaptability to these intense temperatures and salinity (Fishelson, 1972). Additionally, this ecosystem can have better adaptability to occasional turbidity, which is caused by dust storms from nearby arid deserts surrounding the Red Sea (Acker et al., 2008), as seen below.

Source: http://www.eosnap.com/duststorms/dust-storm-blows-sand-over-red-sea/

Besides the occasional dust storm, however, the coral reefs of the Red Sea enjoy quite clear water, which is important for reef development. This is due to the low river discharge and rain in the area, preventing much sediment erosion and runoff (Han & McCreary Jr., 2001). Additionally, the Red Sea is connected to the Indian Ocean only through the Strait of Bab el-Madeb, and thus, is protected from the stronger currents and tides (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011) . All these unique conditions have led to an area that has allowed coral reefs to thrive.

Source: Reaka et al. 2008

The flourishing of coral reefs in the Red Sea has resulted in very high levels of biodiversity and endemism. In several studies, the coral reefs in the Red Sea rank high on both species richness and endemic levels, when compared to other coral reefs as seen in the table above (Reaka et al., 2008). There are both species of coral and species of coral fish that are endemic, including species such as dottybacks and butterfly fish (Roberts et al., 1992). In fact, the biodiversity of the Red Sea is considered the second highest, with up to 17% of Red Sea fishes projected to be endemic to only that area (Roberts et al., 1992). With these high levels of biodiversity and endemism, this area has been designated as one of the Global 200 Ecoregions, and thus, is an extremely important ecosystem to preserve (Olson and Dinerstein, 1998).

Source: http://www.dive-the-world.com/reefs-and-parks-red-sea-formation-and-endemism.php

Today, the Red Sea's coral reefs are considered relatively healthy, with more than 50% live coral cover on average (Wielgus et al. 2004). Of course, human activity in the area has damaged its conditions over the years, but so far, it has remained fairly stable. However, today, it faces many uncertainties over its future, as human development is advancing and the world populations continue to grow.