| Above and Under the Red Sea: This unique photograph of shallow
Red Sea waters off the coast of Saudi Arabia gives us a glimpse of
both the coral reefs under the surface, and the texture and movements
of surface waters. On the left side of the image we see through the
water column to the reefs below the surface. On the right side of the
image, the sun reflects off of microscopic oily films formed by a
combination of natural biological sources and human activities on the
sea surface (visit Oceanography from the Space Shuttle for more
info). The films are concentrated by surface water movements and
variably dampen surface capillary waves, which effect how the sun’s
light is reflected. This creates patterns of brighter and darker
reflections when viewed from orbit. These patterns trace the complex
surface water dynamics along the coast. The Red Sea and Gulf of
Aden include over 17,400 km2 of coral reefs, or 6% of the world’s
total (World Atlas of Coral Reefs). The World Resources Institute has
estimated that 60% of the reefs in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf are
threatened by coastal development, overfishing, and the threat of oil
spills by the heavy tanker traffic. The stretch of reefs shown here
is near Qutu Island, south of Al-Qunfudhah, and is relatively
isolated compared to other reefs in the region. |
