Late Holocene "Turn-Off" of Coral Reef Growth in the Northern Red Sea and Implications for a Sea-Level Fall.

ABSTRACT: Coral reefs, known for their remarkable diversity, serve a pivotal function in modulating the global oceanic carbon cycle and act as natural barriers that protect coastlines from erosion and storm surges by dissipating wave energy. Despite their importance, their sensitivity to temperature fluctuations, sea-level shifts and anthropogenic changes in the future is highly unknown. In this study, we create a comprehensive documentation of coral growth, sedimentology and ecology spanning the middle to late Holocene in the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba, northern Red Sea. We then integrate these findings with a reconstruction of the area's environmental conditions over time. The findings reveal a noticeable hiatus of reef growth between 4400 and 1000 years BP (Before Present; "present" being defined as 195

SUBMITTER: Feldman B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11815541 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature