The Northern Red Sea (Shushah Island) Coral Health Inferred from Benthic Foraminifers
Nazik Öğretmen,
Carlos Angulo-Preckler,
Manuel Aranda,
Carlos M. Duarte,
Hildegard Westphal
Affiliations
Nazik Öğretmen
Center for Marine Sciences, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Carlos Angulo-Preckler
Marine Sciences Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
Manuel Aranda
Marine Sciences Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
Carlos M. Duarte
Marine Sciences Program, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
Hildegard Westphal
Physical Sciences and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia
The northeastern Red Sea (Saudi Arabia) is currently being transformed to become a global hub of economic activity and tourism. This transformation requires the development of pristine coastal areas into populated and dynamic settlements. At the same time, the northern Red Sea is considered a climate refuge for corals in changing climate conditions, and efforts to preserve and protect marine biodiversity are being proposed. Accordingly, foraminifers are an efficient tool to assess and monitor their associated coral reefs’ health. This study reports a modern-day health assessment of the corals of Shushah Island (Saudi Arabia) in the northeastern Red Sea as a reference for future monitoring as inferred by applying the FoRAM Index method. In general, our results revealed healthy conditions conducive to coral growth, yet some precautions and regular assessments are recommended.
