![]() ![]() Time is of the essence because the northern Red Sea is warming about 0.45 degrees Celsius per decade-four times faster than the mean rate of global ocean warming-according to a 2017 study in the journal Scientific Reports. “I know that it has the potential to recover, if we allow it to,” she said.īut, she warned, that has to happen within about five years, as she anticipates the climate reaching 1.5 degrees of warming in the 2030s, and reef resilience needs to be bolstered as much as possible before that increase in heat arrives. A protection plan that mitigates existing impacts and prevents new ones would keep them that way for a few more decades. She said she’s seen the corals and fish stocks decline, but said that they are still in good shape compared to other reefs that have been devastated by recent ocean heat waves. “You have to take into consideration all stakeholders, from oil and gas to the shipping industry, to fishing, tourism and coastal development, and try to find the good middle between all of those, with the priority of protecting as many of these reefs as we can.”Ĭhallita, environmental manager at Egypt’s Chamber of Diving & Watersports has been diving in the area for 17 years and promotes Green Fins, a reef protection program focusing on reducing impacts to reefs from recreational diving and snorkeling. “What is needed are proper integrated coastal zone management plans that are enforced,” Challita said last November, looking out over the coastal reef zone near Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where the most recent U.N. The reefs in the northern Red Sea could show scientists how some other reefs might adapt to global warming, and perhaps even serve as a nursery for corals to restore reefs in other areas.Ī recent proposal for a vast new marine protected area encompassing the Red Sea’s reefs could be a step toward ensuring their survival, and the possibility of spreading the hope growing there to other coral ecosystems. Against the grim backdrop of climate models that project most coral reefs dying by the end of this century in overheating oceans, the northern end of the Red Sea may end up being one of the last places on Earth where those critical ocean ecosystems can survive, at least at least for a while, and perhaps longer if countries of the world manage to cap global warming and stabilize the climate. ![]() īy Chrissy Sexton, Earth.When Lina Challita dives along Egypt’s coast, she doesn’t just see a colorful array of corals and fish. The study is published in the journal Ocean Engineering. “Reef protected coastlines could still be at risk of larger waves if the coastal protection offered by reefs is reduced by coral degradation or sea level rise.” “The reefs reduce wave heights by half at the coastline,” said study co-author Omar Knio. However, the lowered safe elevation height was dependent on the presence of coral reefs located off the Red Sea coast, which act as a natural breakwater, providing protection from hazards such as flooding and erosion. “Although a relatively small drop, this leads to a saving of about 90 million cubic meters of fill material equating to about 500 million USD.” “Our high-resolution study allowed the minimum safe elevation in KAEC to be revised lower, from 4.0 meters to 2.3 meters,” said study co-author Ibrahim Hoteit. The computer model also accounted for other relevant information, such as atmospheric forcing and sea circulation. “We configured a high-resolution model using an unstructured grid, which allows us to vary the resolution of the model over the domain, from 60 kilometer cells out to sea, to cells as small as 60 meters near the coastline,” said Langodan. In order to predict extreme wave heights, the scientists used computer modeling to analyze how waves evolve as they pass across the shallow sea floor based on long-term data. “Yet with the wealth of wave and water-level observations and accurate bathymetry (water depth) near the coastline, combined with the advanced modeling and supercomputing capabilities available to us at KAUST, we extended the study to investigate the role of coral reefs in modulating the wave climate of this reef-sheltered region.” “The original task was to model the maximum wave heights to set the minimum safe floor elevation for structures and roadway design in the city,” explained study co-author Sabique Langodan. The findings provide insightful data for infrastructural modifications, and also emphasize the economic and ecological value of coral reefs. Using high-resolution modeling, the team set out to predict peak wave heights and storm surges for city planning in the King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) coastal zone. Researchers at KAUST are describing the valuable role of coral reefs in the Red Sea.
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