Posters

Poster Session 1, Monday,  October  3, 15:40–18:00

Poster 73

Seasonal carbon fluxes in the Red Sea

Carbon dynamics in the ocean play a fundamental role in the global carbon cycle and, thus, in regulating atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Until recently there has been little work on the carbon fluxes within the Red Sea, one of the warmest and most saline regions of the global ocean. Remote sensing and numerical modeling studies have shown that the Red Sea is dominated by mesoscale eddies, and demonstrates significant temporal and spatial variability at a range of scales. Using autonomous platforms, we initiated a sustained study of the physical and biogeochemical variability in the central Red Sea, one of the most oligotrophic subregions of the Red Sea. The goal of this effort is to understand the processes affecting carbon dynamics from the daily through interannual time scales, and from the sub-mesoscale through basin spatial scales, and vertically from the mixed layer into the mesopelagic zone (100 – >500m). Current results show that carbon fluxes within this region are controlled by several processes including eddy-driven processes and biologically-driven fluxes. The results presented here represent the first characterization of an annual cycle within the Red Sea attained through the a sustained AUV line, and are a first step in coupling this variability to longer term, interannual processes. This study aimed to characterize the different carbon pumps involved in the Red Sea and to contribute to our understanding of such event in the context of climate change. 

Mustapha Ouhssain, KAUST, [email protected]

Malika Kheireddine, KAUST, [email protected]

Burton Jones, KAUST, [email protected]