Deep oxygen-depleted depressions in a Red Sea coral reef sustain resistant ecosystems.

ABSTRACT: Persistent oxygen-depleted zones in the ocean are known primarily from enclosed basins in temperate regions or the open ocean (including oxygen minimum and limiting zones) (1). However, little is known about the possibility of such zones forming in tropical coastal domains, even though the combination of warmer temperatures and complex geological features in some tropical regions makes their occurrence more likely (1, 2). Here, we report two subsurface oxygen-depleted zones within deep (>490 m) depressions of the Red Sea's Difaht Farasan-a carbonate platform hosting the world's third largest contiguous tropical coral reef system. One zone maintains suboxic oxygen levels (∼11-14 µmol O₂ kg⁻¹), while the other sustains oxygen levels below detection (<2 µmol O₂ kg⁻¹). Th

SUBMITTER: Klein SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879519 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature