Simulations reveal unexpected connections in the Red Sea basin that could help marine conservation.
The southern Red Sea is more readily connected with the Indian Ocean than with the northern Red Sea, according to simulations carried out at KAUST. This helps explain genetic patterns seen in the Red Sea and highlights the need for a collaborative regional approach to marine conservation.
The Red Sea is home to one of the longest coral reef systems on the planet and a wide diversity of marine life. Previous studies have identified a clear genetic break in the Red Sea between northern and southern parts of the sea. While this could be partially explained by the north-south environmental gradient in the Red Sea, the contribution of physical connectivity within the Red Sea remained unclear.
An international team led by KAUST researchers used particle tracking simulations to investigate the physical connectivity within the Red Sea and with nearby regions. They simulated the release of millions of particles in the southern Red Sea using a circulation-based particle tracking model to trace the movement of the particles back in time to figure out where they had come from.
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