Difference between revisions of "Red Sea" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:Red Sea.png|thumb|256px|Location of the Red Sea]]
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The '''Red Sea''' is an inlet of the [[Indian Ocean]] between [[Africa]] and [[Asia]]. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the [[Bab el Mandeb]] sound and the [[Gulf of Aden]]. In the north are the [[Sinai Peninsula]], the [[Gulf of Aqaba]], and the [[Gulf of Suez]] (leading to the [[Suez Canal]]). The Red Sea is a [[Global 200]] ecoregion.
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Occupying a part of the [[Great Rift Valley]], the Red Sea has a surface area of about 174,000 square miles (450,000 [[square kilometer|km²]]): being roughly 1,200 miles (1,900 km) long and, at its widest point, over 190 miles (300 [[kilometer|km]]) wide. It has a maximum depth of 8,200 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]] (2,500 m) in the central median trench and an average depth of 1,640 feet (500 m), but there are also extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and [[coral]]s. The sea is the habitat of over 1,000 [[invertebrate]] species and 200 soft and hard corals and is [[the world's most northern]] tropical sea.
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The Red Sea is one of the most [[Salinity|saline]] water bodies in the world, due to the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress. Salinity ranges between 3.6 and 3.8%.
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==Name==
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Red Sea is a direct translation of the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''Erythra Thalassa'' ({{polytonic|Ερυθρά Θάλασσα}}), [[Latin]] ''Mare Rubrum'', [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{Unicode|''Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar'' (البحر الأحمر), and [[Tigrinya language|Tigrinya]] ''Qeyḥ bāḥrī'' (ቀይሕ ባሕሪ)}}.
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The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-colored [[cyanobacteria]] ''[[Trichodesmium|Trichodesmium erythraeum]]'' near the water's surface. Some suggest that it refers to the mineral-rich red [[mountain]]s nearby which are called Harei Edom (הרי אדום). ''[[Edom]]'', meaning "ruddy complexion," is also an alternative [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] name for the red-faced biblical character [[Esau]] (brother of [[Jacob]]), and the nation descended from him, the [[Edomites]], which in turn provides yet another possible origin for ''Red Sea''.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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Another hypothesis is that the name comes from the [[Himyarite]], a local group whose own name means ''red''.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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Yet another theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name ''red'' is referring to the direction south, the same way the [[Black Sea]]'s name may refer to north. The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to the [[cardinal directions]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. [[Herodotus]] on one occasion uses Red Sea and Southern Sea interchangeably.{{fact}}
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A final theory suggests that it was named so because it borders the Egyptian Desert which the [[ancient Egypt]]ians called the ''Dashret'' or "red land"; therefore it would have been the sea of the red land.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
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The association of the Red Sea with the [[Bible|Biblical]] account of [[the Exodus]], in particular in the [[Passage of the Red Sea]], goes back to the [[Septuagint]] translation of the book of [[Exodus]] from [[Hebrew]] into [[Koine]], in which Hebrew ''Yam suph'' (ים סוף), meaning [[Reed Sea]], is translated as ''Erythra Thalassa'' (Red Sea). ''Yam Suph'' is also the name for the Red Sea in modern Hebrew.
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[[Image:Elifaz 152PAN.jpg|thumb|center|1000px|[[Eilat]] and the Red Sea with [[Jordan]] on the other side]]
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==History==
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The [[Egyptians]] were the first to attempt a mission of exploration in the Red Sea.
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The [[Bible]], in the book of [[Exodus]], famously tells the story of how [[Moses]] leads the [[Israelites]] across its headwaters, (presumably the [[Reed Sea]] which has since disappeared because of the Suez Canal water diversion) to freedom, by using the powers of [[God]] to [[Passage of the Red Sea|part the waters]]. There is no extant archaeological evidence to support this claim. The common misinterpretation of y'am Suf is the Red Sea, so people thought Moses crossed the Red Sea. If this really happened, they really crossed the Reed Sea, the real meaning of y'am Suf.
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It was a Greek sailor, [[Hippalus]], who conferred an international dimension upon the Red Sea in his manifesto on the voyage of the [[Eritrea]] Sea and thus opened it up to an immense and exclusive trade with [[Asia]]. It was only from the 15th century onwards that [[Europe]] began to show interest in this area. In 1798, [[France]] charged General [[Bonaparte]] with invading Egypt and capturing the Red Sea. Although he failed in his mission, the engineer J.B. [[Lepere]], who took part in it revitalized the plan for a canal which had been envisaged during the reign of the [[Pharaohs]]. The [[Suez Canal]] was opened in November 1869. At the time, the British, French, and Italians shared the trading posts. The posts were gradually dismantled following the [[First World War]]. After the [[Second World War]], the Americans and Soviets exerted their influence whilst the volume of oil tanker traffic intensified. However, the [[Six Day War]] culminated in the closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975. Still today, in spite of patrols by the major maritime fleets in the waters of the Red Sea, the Suez Canal has never recovered its supremacy over the Cape route, which is believed to be less vulnerable.
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==Oceanography==
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The Red Sea lies between arid land, [[desert]] and semi-desert. The main reasons for the better development of reef systems along the Red Sea is because of its greater depths and an efficient water circulation pattern, The Red Sea water mass exchanges its water with the [[Arabian Sea]], [[Indian Ocean]] via the [[Gulf of Aden]]. These physical factors reduce the effect of high salinity caused by evaporation and cold water in the north and relatively hot water in the south. 
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'''Climate:''' The [[climate]] of the Red Sea is the result of two distinct monsoon seasons; a northeasterly monsoon and a southwesterly monsoon. Monsoon winds occur because of the differential heating between the land surface and sea. Very high surface temperatures coupled with high salinities makes this one of the hottest and saltiest bodies of seawater in the world. The average surface water temperature of the Red Sea during the summer is about {{convert|26|C|F|0|lk=on}} in the north and {{convert|30|C|F|0|}} in the south, with only about 2 °C (3.6 °F) variation during the winter months. The overall average water temperature is {{convert|22|C|F|0|}}. The [[rainfall]] over the Red Sea and its coasts is extremely low averaging {{convert|0.06|m|in|2|abbr=on}} per year; the rain is mostly in the form of showers of short spells often associated with thunderstorms and occasionally with dust [[storms]]. The scarcity of rainfall and no major source of fresh water to the Red Sea result in the excess evaporation as high as {{convert|205|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} per year and high salinity with minimal seasonal variation.
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'''Salinity:''' The Red Sea is one of the most saline water bodies in the world, due to the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress. Salinity ranges between 3.6 and 3.8%.
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'''Tidal range:''' In general tide ranges between {{convert|0.6|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} in the north, near the mouth of the Gulf of Suez and {{convert|0.9|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} in the south near the Gulf of Aden but it fluctuates between {{convert|0.20|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} and {{convert|0.30|m|ft|2|abbr=on}} away from the nodal point. The central Red Sea (Jeddah area) is therefore almost tideless, and as such the annual water level changes are more significant. Because of the small tidal range the water during high tide inundates the coastal sabkhas as a thin sheet of water up to a few hundred meters rather than inundating the sabkhas through a network of channels. However, south of Jeddah in the Shoiaba area the water from the lagoon may cover the adjoining sabkhas as far as {{convert|3|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} whereas, north of Jeddah in the Al-kharrar area the sabkhas are covered by a thin sheet of water as far as {{convert|2|km|mi|1|abbr=on}}. The prevailing north and northeastern winds influence the movement of water in the coastal inlets to the adjacent sabkhas, especially during storms. Winter mean sea level is {{convert|0.5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} higher than in summer. Tidal velocities passing through constrictions caused by reefs, sand bars and low islands commonly exceed 1-2 metres per second (3–6.5 ft/s).
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'''Current:''' In the Red Sea detailed current data is lacking, partially because they are weak and variable both spatially and temporally. Temporal and spatial currents variation is as low as {{convert|0.5|m|ft|1|abbr=on}} and are governed mostly by wind. In summer NW winds drive surface water south for about four months at a velocity of 15-20 cm per second (6–8 in/sec)., whereas in winter the flow is reversed resulting in the inflow of water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. The net value of the latter predominates, resulting in an overall drift to the northern end of the Red Sea. Generally the velocity of the tidal current is between 50-60 cm per second (20–23.6 in/sec) with a maximum of {{convert|1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} per sec. at the mouth of the al-Kharrar Lagoon. However, the range of north-northeast current along the Saudi coast is 8-29 cm per second (3–11.4 in/sec).
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'''Wind Regime:''' With the exception of the northern part of the Red Sea, which is dominated by persistent north-west [[winds]], with speeds ranging between {{convert|7|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}} and {{convert|12|km/h|mph|0|abbr=on}}., the rest of the Red Sea and the [[Gulf of Aden]] are subjected to the influence of regular and seasonally reversible winds. The wind [[regime]] is characterized by both seasonal and regional variations in [[speed]] and [[Direction (geometry, geography)|direction]] with average speed generally increasing northward.
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Wind is the driving force in the Red Sea for transporting the material either as suspension or as bedload. Wind induced currents play an important role in the Red Sea in initiating the process of resuspension of bottom sediments and transfer of materials from sites of dumping to sites of burial in quiescent environment of deposition. Wind generated current [[measurement]] is therefore important in order to determine the sediment dispersal pattern and its role in the erosion and accretion of the coastal rock exposure and the submerged coral beds.
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==Geology==
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[[Image:Dust red sea.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Dust storm]] over the Red Sea]]
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The Red Sea formed by [[Arabia]] splitting from [[Africa]] due to [[plate tectonics]]. This split started in the [[Eocene]] and accelerated during the [[Oligocene]]. The sea is still widening and it is considered that the sea will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of [[John Tuzo Wilson]]).
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Sometime during the [[Tertiary]] period the [[Bab el Mandeb]] closed and the Red Sea evaporated to an empty hot dry salt-floored sink. Effects causing this would be:-
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*A "race" between the Red Sea widening and [[Perim Island]] [[volcano|erupting]] filling the Bab el Mandeb with [[lava]].
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*The lowering of world [[sea level]] during the [[Ice Age]]s due to much water being locked up in the [[ice cap]]s.
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Today surface water temperatures remain relatively constant at 21–25 [[Celsius|°C]] (70–77 [[Fahrenheit|°F]]) and temperature and visibility remain good to around 660 feet (200 m), but the sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents.
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In terms of salinity, the Red Sea is greater than the world average, approximately 4 percent. This is due to several factors: 1) high rate of evaporation and very little precipitation, 2) a lack of significant rivers or streams draining into the sea, and 3) limited connection with the Indian Ocean (and its lower water salinity).
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A number of volcanic islands rise from the center of the sea. Most are dormant, but in 2007, [[Jabal al-Tair island]] erupted violently.
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==Living resources==
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[[Image:Anthia goldfish.JPG|thumb|200px|left|Red Sea coral and marine fish]]
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The Red Sea is a rich and diverse [[ecosystem]]. More than [[Fish of the Red Sea|1100 species of fish]]<ref name="fishbase">Froese, R., and D. Pauly. [http://www.fishbase.org/ FishBase.] 2003. Retrieved December 20, 2007.</ref> have been recorded in the Red Sea, and around 10% of these are found nowhere else.<ref>Siliotti, A. ''Fishes of the red sea'', Verona, Geodia, 2002. ISBN 8887177422</ref> This also includes around 75 species of [[List of deep water fish of the Red Sea|deepwater fish]].<ref name="fishbase"/> The rich diversity is in part due to the {{convert|2000|km|mi|-1|abbr=on}} of [[coral reef]] extending along its [[coastline]]; these [[fringing reef]]s are 5000-7000 years old and are largely formed of stony [[acropora]] and [[porites]] corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes [[lagoon]]s along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the [[blue hole]] at [[Dahab]]). These coastal reefs are also visited by [[pelagic]] species of red sea fish, including some of the [[List of red sea sharks|44 species of shark]].
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The special [[biodiversity]] of the area is recognized by the [[Egypt]]ian government, who set up the [[Ras Mohammed|Ras Mohammed National Park]] in 1983. The rules and regulations governing this area protect local wildlife, which has become a major draw for tourists, in particular for [[Scuba diving|diving]] enthusiasts.
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[[Scuba diving|Divers]] and [[snorkeler]]s should be aware that although most Red Sea species are innocuous, a few are [[Red Sea species hazardous to humans|hazardous to humans]].<ref name="book2">Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. ''Coral reef guide; Red Sea'', London, HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0007159862</ref>
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Other marine habitats include [[sea grass]] beds, [[salt pans]], [[mangrove]]s and [[salt marsh]]es.
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==Mineral resources==
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In terms of mineral resources the major constituents of the Red Sea sediments are as follows:
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*Biogenic constituents: 
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:Nannofossils, [[foraminifera]], [[pteropod]]s, siliceous fossils
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*Volcanogenic constituents:
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:[[Tuff]]ites, [[volcanic ash]], [[montmorillonite]], [[cristobalite]], [[zeolite]]s
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*Terrigenous constituents:
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:[[Quartz]], [[feldspar]]s, rock fragments, [[mica]], heavy minerals, [[clay minerals]]
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*Authigenic minerals:
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:[[Sulfide mineral]]s, [[aragonite]], Mg-[[calcite]], protodolomite, [[dolomite]], quartz, [[chalcedony]].
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*Evaporite minerals:
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:[[Magnesite]], [[gypsum]], [[anhydrite]], [[halite]], [[polyhalite]]
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*Brine precipitate:
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:Fe-montmorillonite, [[goethite]], [[hematite]], [[siderite]], [[rhodochrosite]], [[pyrite]], [[sphalerite]], anhydrite.
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==Desalination plants==
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There is extensive demand of desalinated water to meet the requirement of the population and the industries along the Red Sea.
  
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[[Image:Red Sea.png|thumb|256px|Location of the Red Sea]]
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There are at least 18 desalination plants along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia which discharge warm brine and treatment chemicals (chlorine and anti-scalants) that may cause bleaching and mortality of corals and diseases to the fish stocks. Although this is only a localized phenomenon, it may intensify with time and have a profound impact on the fishing industry.
  
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The '''Red Sea''' is a [[gulf]] or basin of the [[Indian Ocean]] between [[Africa]] and [[Asia]]. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the [[Bab el Mandeb]] sound and the [[Gulf of Aden]]. In the north is the [[Sinai Peninsula]], the [[Gulf of Aqaba]] and the [[Gulf of Suez]] (leading to the [[Suez Canal]]). The sea is roughly 1900 km long and at its widest is over 300 km. The sea floor has a maximum depth of 2,500 m in the central median trench and an average depth of 500 m, but it also has extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and [[coral]]s. The sea has a surface area of roughly 438,000 or 450,000 km². The sea is the habitat of over 1000 [[invertebrate]] species and 200 soft and hard corals. The sea occupies a part of the [[Great Rift Valley]]. The Red Sea is [[the world's most northern]] tropical sea.
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The water from the Red Sea is also utilized by oil refineries and cement factories for cooling purposes. Used water drained back into the coastal zones may cause harm to the nearshore environment of the Red Sea.
  
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== Name ==
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== Facts and figures at a glance ==
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The sea was called the "Arabian Gulf" in most European sources up to the 20th century. This was derived from older Greek sources. [[Herodotus]], [[Straban]] and [[Ptolemy]] all call the waterway "Arabicus Sinus", while reserving the term "Sea of Erythrias" (Red Sea) for the waters around the southern [[Arabian Peninsula]], now known as [[Indian Ocean]].
 
  
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The name of the sea does not indicate the colour of the water. It may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-coloured [[cyanobacteria]] ''[[Trichodesmium]] erythraeum'' near the water surface. Some suggest that it refers to the [[mineral]]-rich red [[mountain]]s nearby ''harei edom''. Edom, meaning "ruddy complexion", is also an alternative [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] name for the red-faced biblical character [[Esau]] (brother of [[Jacob]]), and the nation descended from him, the [[Edomites]], which in turn provides yet another possible origin for ''Red Sea''.
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:* Length:  ~{{convert|1900|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} - 79% of the eastern Red Sea with numerous coastal inlets
  
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There is also speculation that the name Red Sea came from a mistranslation of what should have been the Reed Sea in the [[Bible|Biblical]] story of [[the Exodus]]. The [[Sea of Reeds]] (in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''Yâm-Sûph'') is often mistranslated as the "Red Sea".
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:* Maximum Width:  ~ 306–354 km (190–220 mi)– Massawa (Eritrea)
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:* Minimum Width:  ~ 26–29 km (16–18 mi)- [[Bab el Mandeb]] Strait (Yemen)
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:* Average Width:  ~ {{convert|280|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}
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:* Average Depth:  ~ {{convert|490|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
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:* Maximum Depth:  ~{{convert|2850|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}
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:* Surface Area: 438-450 x 10² km² (16,900–17,400 sq mi)
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:* Volume: 215–251 x 10³ km³ (51,600–60,200 cu mi)
  
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One hypothesis is the name comes from the [[Himarites]], a local group whose own name means "red."  Another theory favored by some modern scholars is the name "red" is referring to the direction "south," the same way the [[Black Sea]]'s name may refer to "north." The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to points on the compass.
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:* Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow (under 100 m/330 ft), and about 25% is under {{convert|50|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} deep.
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:* About 15% of the Red Sea is over {{convert|1000|m|ft|-2|abbr=on}} depth that forms the deep axial trough.
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:* Shelf breaks are marked by coral reefs
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:* Continental slope has an irregular profile (series of steps down to  ~{{convert|500|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=/}})
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:* Centre of Red Sea has a narrow trough (~ {{convert|1000|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=/}}; some deeps may exceed {{convert|2500|m|ft|0|abbr=on|disp=/}})
  
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==Physical properties==
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==Some of the research cruises in the Red Sea==
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[[Image:Dust red sea.jpg|thumb|300px|Dust storm over the Red Sea]]
 
  
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Surface water temperatures remain relatively constant at 21-25[[celsius|°C]] and temperature and visibility remain good to around 200 m, but the sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents. The sea was created by the division of Africa from the [[Arabia|Arabian peninsula]], a movement which began around 30 million years ago. The sea is still widening and there are small [[volcano|volcanic features]] in the deeper parts, it is considered that the sea will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of [[Tuzo Wilson]]).
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Numerous research cruises have been conducted:
  
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Sometimes during the [[Tertiary]] period the [[Bab el Mandeb]] was closed and the Red Sea was an empty hot dry salt-floored sink.
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:*Arabia Felix (1761-1767)
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:*Vitiaz (1886-1889)
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:*Valdivia (1898-1894)
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:*Pola (1897-98) Southern Red Sea and (1895/96 – Northern Red Sea
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:*Ammiraglio Magnaghi (1923/24)
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:*Snellius (1929 –1930)
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:*Mabahiss (1933-1934 and 1934-1935)
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:*Albatross (1948)
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:*Manihine (1849 and 1952)
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:*Calypso (1955)
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:*Atlantis and [[Research Vessel Vema|Vema]] (1958)
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:*Xarifa (1961)
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:*Meteor (1961)
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:*Glomar Challenger (1971)
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:*Sonne (1997)
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:*Meteor (1999)
  
 
==Tourism==
 
==Tourism==
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The sea is known for its spectacular [[Scuba diving|dive]] [[diving locations|sites]] such as Ras Mohammed, Elphinstone, The Brothers and Rocky Island in Egypt, and less known sites in Sudan such as Sanganeb, Abington, Angarosh and Shaab Rumi (see photo above).
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The sea is known for its spectacular [[Scuba diving|dive]] [[diving locations|sites]] such as [[Ras Mohammed]], [[SS Thistlegorm]] (shipwreck), [[Elphinstone, Egypt|Elphinstone]], [[The Brothers, Egypt|The Brothers]] and [[Rocky Island]] in [[Egypt]], [[Dolphin Reef]] in [[Eilat]], [[Israel]] and less known sites in [[Sudan]] such as [[Sanganeb]], [[Abington, Sudan|Abington]], [[Angarosh]] and [[Shaab Rumi]] (see photo above).
  
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The Red Sea was "discovered" as a diving destination by [[Hans Hass]] in the 1950s, and by [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]] later.
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The Red Sea became known a sought-after diving destination after the expeditions of [[Hans Hass]] in the 1950s, and later by [[Jacques-Yves Cousteau]]. Popular tourist resorts include [[Sharm-El-Sheikh]] and [[Hurghada]] (and recently [[Marsa Alam]]) and [[Dahab]] in [[Egypt]], as well as [[Eilat]], [[Israel]] in an area known as the [[Red Sea Riviera]].
  
 
==Bordering countries==
 
==Bordering countries==
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* Western shore:
 
* Western shore:
 
** [[Sudan]]
 
** [[Sudan]]
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** Egypt
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** [[Egypt]]
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** [[Eritrea]]
 
* Eastern shore:
 
* Eastern shore:
 
** [[Saudi Arabia]]
 
** [[Saudi Arabia]]
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** [[Djibouti]]
 
** [[Djibouti]]
 
** [[Eritrea]]
 
** [[Eritrea]]
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** [[Somalia]]
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** [[Somaliland]]
  
 
==Towns and cities==
 
==Towns and cities==
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Towns and cities on the Red Sea coast include: [[Assab]], [[Massawa]], [[Hala'ib]], [[Port Sudan]], [[Port Safaga]], [[Hurghada]], [[El Suweis]], [[Sharm el Sheikh]], [[Eilat]], [[Aqaba]], [[Dahab]], [[Jeddah]], [[Al Hudaydah]], [[Marsa Alam]].
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Towns and cities on the Red Sea coast include:
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{{col-begin}}
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{{col-4}}
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* {{flagicon|Jordan}} [[Aqaba]] (العقبة)
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* {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Arkiko]] (ሕርጊጎ)
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* {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Asseb]] (ዓሳብ)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Dahab]] (دهب)
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* {{flagicon|Israel}} [[Eilat]] (אילת)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Hala'ib]] (حلايب)
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{{col-4}}
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* {{flagicon|Yemen}} [[Al Hudaydah]] (الحديدة)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Hurghada]] (الغردقة)
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* {{flagicon|Saudi Arabia}} [[Jeddah]] (جدة)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Marsa Alam]] (مرسى علم)
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* {{flagicon|Eritrea}} [[Massawa]] (ምጽዋ)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Nuweiba]] (نويبع)
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{{col-4}}
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Port Safaga]] (ميناء سفاجا)
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* {{flagicon|Sudan}} [[Port Sudan]] (بورت سودان)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Sharm el Sheikh]] (شرم الشيخ)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Soma Bay]] (سوما باي)
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* {{flagicon|Sudan}} [[Suakin]] (سواكن)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Suez|El Suweis]] (السويس)
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{{col-4}}
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Taba (Egypt)|Taba]] (طابا)
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* {{flagicon|Egypt}} [[Al-Qusair]] (القصير)
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* {{flagicon|Saudi Arabia}} [[Yanbu]] (ينبع)
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{{col-end}}
  
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{{credit|31413373}}
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==See also==
  
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* {{wikitravel}}
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* [[Red Sea Riviera]]
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* [[Suez Canal]]
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* [[Robert Moresby]]
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* [[Passage of the Red Sea]]
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* [[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]
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* [[M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98]] ferry disaster
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==Notes==
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<references/>
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==References==
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*Hamblin, W. Kenneth, and Eric H. Christiansen.  ''Earth's Dynamic Systems'', 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-13-745373-6
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{{coor title dm|22|00|N|38|00|E|region:EG_type:adm1st}}
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[[Category:Geography]]
 
[[Category:Bodies of water]]
 
[[Category:Bodies of water]]
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[[Category:Geography]]
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{{credits|178965245}}
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{{images OK}}
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{{ready}}

Revision as of 16:27, 20 December 2007


File:Red Sea.png
Location of the Red Sea

The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden. In the north are the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal). The Red Sea is a Global 200 ecoregion.

Occupying a part of the Great Rift Valley, the Red Sea has a surface area of about 174,000 square miles (450,000 km²): being roughly 1,200 miles (1,900 km) long and, at its widest point, over 190 miles (300 km) wide. It has a maximum depth of 8,200 feet (2,500 m) in the central median trench and an average depth of 1,640 feet (500 m), but there are also extensive shallow shelves, noted for their marine life and corals. The sea is the habitat of over 1,000 invertebrate species and 200 soft and hard corals and is the world's most northern tropical sea.

The Red Sea is one of the most saline water bodies in the world, due to the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress. Salinity ranges between 3.6 and 3.8%.

Name

Red Sea is a direct translation of the Greek Erythra Thalassa (Ερυθρά Θάλασσα), Latin Mare Rubrum, Arabic Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar (البحر الأحمر), and Tigrinya Qeyḥ bāḥrī (ቀይሕ ባሕሪ).

The name of the sea may signify the seasonal blooms of the red-colored cyanobacteria Trichodesmium erythraeum near the water's surface. Some suggest that it refers to the mineral-rich red mountains nearby which are called Harei Edom (הרי אדום). Edom, meaning "ruddy complexion," is also an alternative Hebrew name for the red-faced biblical character Esau (brother of Jacob), and the nation descended from him, the Edomites, which in turn provides yet another possible origin for Red Sea.[citation needed]

Another hypothesis is that the name comes from the Himyarite, a local group whose own name means red.[citation needed]

Yet another theory favored by some modern scholars is that the name red is referring to the direction south, the same way the Black Sea's name may refer to north. The basis of this theory is that some Asiatic languages used color words to refer to the cardinal directions[citation needed]. Herodotus on one occasion uses Red Sea and Southern Sea interchangeably.[citation needed]

A final theory suggests that it was named so because it borders the Egyptian Desert which the ancient Egyptians called the Dashret or "red land"; therefore it would have been the sea of the red land.[citation needed]

The association of the Red Sea with the Biblical account of the Exodus, in particular in the Passage of the Red Sea, goes back to the Septuagint translation of the book of Exodus from Hebrew into Koine, in which Hebrew Yam suph (ים סוף), meaning Reed Sea, is translated as Erythra Thalassa (Red Sea). Yam Suph is also the name for the Red Sea in modern Hebrew.

Eilat and the Red Sea with Jordan on the other side

History

The Egyptians were the first to attempt a mission of exploration in the Red Sea.

The Bible, in the book of Exodus, famously tells the story of how Moses leads the Israelites across its headwaters, (presumably the Reed Sea which has since disappeared because of the Suez Canal water diversion) to freedom, by using the powers of God to part the waters. There is no extant archaeological evidence to support this claim. The common misinterpretation of y'am Suf is the Red Sea, so people thought Moses crossed the Red Sea. If this really happened, they really crossed the Reed Sea, the real meaning of y'am Suf.

It was a Greek sailor, Hippalus, who conferred an international dimension upon the Red Sea in his manifesto on the voyage of the Eritrea Sea and thus opened it up to an immense and exclusive trade with Asia. It was only from the 15th century onwards that Europe began to show interest in this area. In 1798, France charged General Bonaparte with invading Egypt and capturing the Red Sea. Although he failed in his mission, the engineer J.B. Lepere, who took part in it revitalized the plan for a canal which had been envisaged during the reign of the Pharaohs. The Suez Canal was opened in November 1869. At the time, the British, French, and Italians shared the trading posts. The posts were gradually dismantled following the First World War. After the Second World War, the Americans and Soviets exerted their influence whilst the volume of oil tanker traffic intensified. However, the Six Day War culminated in the closure of the Suez Canal from 1967 to 1975. Still today, in spite of patrols by the major maritime fleets in the waters of the Red Sea, the Suez Canal has never recovered its supremacy over the Cape route, which is believed to be less vulnerable.

Oceanography

The Red Sea lies between arid land, desert and semi-desert. The main reasons for the better development of reef systems along the Red Sea is because of its greater depths and an efficient water circulation pattern, The Red Sea water mass exchanges its water with the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean via the Gulf of Aden. These physical factors reduce the effect of high salinity caused by evaporation and cold water in the north and relatively hot water in the south.

Climate: The climate of the Red Sea is the result of two distinct monsoon seasons; a northeasterly monsoon and a southwesterly monsoon. Monsoon winds occur because of the differential heating between the land surface and sea. Very high surface temperatures coupled with high salinities makes this one of the hottest and saltiest bodies of seawater in the world. The average surface water temperature of the Red Sea during the summer is about 26 °C (79 °F) in the north and 30 °C (86 °F) in the south, with only about 2 °C (3.6 °F) variation during the winter months. The overall average water temperature is 22 °C (72 °F). The rainfall over the Red Sea and its coasts is extremely low averaging 0.06 m (2.36 in) per year; the rain is mostly in the form of showers of short spells often associated with thunderstorms and occasionally with dust storms. The scarcity of rainfall and no major source of fresh water to the Red Sea result in the excess evaporation as high as 205 cm (81 in) per year and high salinity with minimal seasonal variation.

Salinity: The Red Sea is one of the most saline water bodies in the world, due to the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress. Salinity ranges between 3.6 and 3.8%.

Tidal range: In general tide ranges between 0.6 m (2.0 ft) in the north, near the mouth of the Gulf of Suez and 0.9 m (3.0 ft) in the south near the Gulf of Aden but it fluctuates between 0.20 m (0.66 ft) and 0.30 m (0.98 ft) away from the nodal point. The central Red Sea (Jeddah area) is therefore almost tideless, and as such the annual water level changes are more significant. Because of the small tidal range the water during high tide inundates the coastal sabkhas as a thin sheet of water up to a few hundred meters rather than inundating the sabkhas through a network of channels. However, south of Jeddah in the Shoiaba area the water from the lagoon may cover the adjoining sabkhas as far as 3 km (2 mi) whereas, north of Jeddah in the Al-kharrar area the sabkhas are covered by a thin sheet of water as far as 2 km (1.2 mi). The prevailing north and northeastern winds influence the movement of water in the coastal inlets to the adjacent sabkhas, especially during storms. Winter mean sea level is 0.5 m (1.6 ft) higher than in summer. Tidal velocities passing through constrictions caused by reefs, sand bars and low islands commonly exceed 1-2 metres per second (3–6.5 ft/s).

Current: In the Red Sea detailed current data is lacking, partially because they are weak and variable both spatially and temporally. Temporal and spatial currents variation is as low as 0.5 m (1.6 ft) and are governed mostly by wind. In summer NW winds drive surface water south for about four months at a velocity of 15-20 cm per second (6–8 in/sec)., whereas in winter the flow is reversed resulting in the inflow of water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea. The net value of the latter predominates, resulting in an overall drift to the northern end of the Red Sea. Generally the velocity of the tidal current is between 50-60 cm per second (20–23.6 in/sec) with a maximum of 1 m (3 ft) per sec. at the mouth of the al-Kharrar Lagoon. However, the range of north-northeast current along the Saudi coast is 8-29 cm per second (3–11.4 in/sec).

Wind Regime: With the exception of the northern part of the Red Sea, which is dominated by persistent north-west winds, with speeds ranging between 7 km/h (4 mph) and 12 km/h (7 mph)., the rest of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are subjected to the influence of regular and seasonally reversible winds. The wind regime is characterized by both seasonal and regional variations in speed and direction with average speed generally increasing northward.

Wind is the driving force in the Red Sea for transporting the material either as suspension or as bedload. Wind induced currents play an important role in the Red Sea in initiating the process of resuspension of bottom sediments and transfer of materials from sites of dumping to sites of burial in quiescent environment of deposition. Wind generated current measurement is therefore important in order to determine the sediment dispersal pattern and its role in the erosion and accretion of the coastal rock exposure and the submerged coral beds.

Geology

Dust storm over the Red Sea

The Red Sea formed by Arabia splitting from Africa due to plate tectonics. This split started in the Eocene and accelerated during the Oligocene. The sea is still widening and it is considered that the sea will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of John Tuzo Wilson).

Sometime during the Tertiary period the Bab el Mandeb closed and the Red Sea evaporated to an empty hot dry salt-floored sink. Effects causing this would be:-

  • A "race" between the Red Sea widening and Perim Island erupting filling the Bab el Mandeb with lava.
  • The lowering of world sea level during the Ice Ages due to much water being locked up in the ice caps.

Today surface water temperatures remain relatively constant at 21–25 °C (70–77 °F) and temperature and visibility remain good to around 660 feet (200 m), but the sea is known for its strong winds and tricky local currents.

In terms of salinity, the Red Sea is greater than the world average, approximately 4 percent. This is due to several factors: 1) high rate of evaporation and very little precipitation, 2) a lack of significant rivers or streams draining into the sea, and 3) limited connection with the Indian Ocean (and its lower water salinity).

A number of volcanic islands rise from the center of the sea. Most are dormant, but in 2007, Jabal al-Tair island erupted violently.

Living resources

Red Sea coral and marine fish

The Red Sea is a rich and diverse ecosystem. More than 1100 species of fish[1] have been recorded in the Red Sea, and around 10% of these are found nowhere else.[2] This also includes around 75 species of deepwater fish.[1] The rich diversity is in part due to the 2,000 km (1,240 mi) of coral reef extending along its coastline; these fringing reefs are 5000-7000 years old and are largely formed of stony acropora and porites corals. The reefs form platforms and sometimes lagoons along the coast and occasional other features such as cylinders (such as the blue hole at Dahab). These coastal reefs are also visited by pelagic species of red sea fish, including some of the 44 species of shark.

The special biodiversity of the area is recognized by the Egyptian government, who set up the Ras Mohammed National Park in 1983. The rules and regulations governing this area protect local wildlife, which has become a major draw for tourists, in particular for diving enthusiasts.

Divers and snorkelers should be aware that although most Red Sea species are innocuous, a few are hazardous to humans.[3]

Other marine habitats include sea grass beds, salt pans, mangroves and salt marshes.

Mineral resources

In terms of mineral resources the major constituents of the Red Sea sediments are as follows:

  • Biogenic constituents:
Nannofossils, foraminifera, pteropods, siliceous fossils
  • Volcanogenic constituents:
Tuffites, volcanic ash, montmorillonite, cristobalite, zeolites
  • Terrigenous constituents:
Quartz, feldspars, rock fragments, mica, heavy minerals, clay minerals
  • Authigenic minerals:
Sulfide minerals, aragonite, Mg-calcite, protodolomite, dolomite, quartz, chalcedony.
  • Evaporite minerals:
Magnesite, gypsum, anhydrite, halite, polyhalite
  • Brine precipitate:
Fe-montmorillonite, goethite, hematite, siderite, rhodochrosite, pyrite, sphalerite, anhydrite.

Desalination plants

There is extensive demand of desalinated water to meet the requirement of the population and the industries along the Red Sea.

There are at least 18 desalination plants along the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia which discharge warm brine and treatment chemicals (chlorine and anti-scalants) that may cause bleaching and mortality of corals and diseases to the fish stocks. Although this is only a localized phenomenon, it may intensify with time and have a profound impact on the fishing industry.

The water from the Red Sea is also utilized by oil refineries and cement factories for cooling purposes. Used water drained back into the coastal zones may cause harm to the nearshore environment of the Red Sea.

Facts and figures at a glance

  • Length: ~1,900 km (1,181 mi) - 79% of the eastern Red Sea with numerous coastal inlets
  • Maximum Width: ~ 306–354 km (190–220 mi)– Massawa (Eritrea)
  • Minimum Width: ~ 26–29 km (16–18 mi)- Bab el Mandeb Strait (Yemen)
  • Average Width: ~ 280 km (174 mi)
  • Average Depth: ~ 490 m (1,608 ft)
  • Maximum Depth: ~2,850 m (9,350 ft)
  • Surface Area: 438-450 x 10² km² (16,900–17,400 sq mi)
  • Volume: 215–251 x 10³ km³ (51,600–60,200 cu mi)
  • Approximately 40% of the Red Sea is quite shallow (under 100 m/330 ft), and about 25% is under 50 m (164 ft) deep.
  • About 15% of the Red Sea is over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) depth that forms the deep axial trough.
  • Shelf breaks are marked by coral reefs
  • Continental slope has an irregular profile (series of steps down to ~500 m/1,640 ft)
  • Centre of Red Sea has a narrow trough (~ 1,000 m/3,281 ft; some deeps may exceed 2,500 m/8,202 ft)

Some of the research cruises in the Red Sea

Numerous research cruises have been conducted:

  • Arabia Felix (1761-1767)
  • Vitiaz (1886-1889)
  • Valdivia (1898-1894)
  • Pola (1897-98) Southern Red Sea and (1895/96 – Northern Red Sea
  • Ammiraglio Magnaghi (1923/24)
  • Snellius (1929 –1930)
  • Mabahiss (1933-1934 and 1934-1935)
  • Albatross (1948)
  • Manihine (1849 and 1952)
  • Calypso (1955)
  • Atlantis and Vema (1958)
  • Xarifa (1961)
  • Meteor (1961)
  • Glomar Challenger (1971)
  • Sonne (1997)
  • Meteor (1999)

Tourism

The sea is known for its spectacular dive sites such as Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm (shipwreck), Elphinstone, The Brothers and Rocky Island in Egypt, Dolphin Reef in Eilat, Israel and less known sites in Sudan such as Sanganeb, Abington, Angarosh and Shaab Rumi (see photo above).

The Red Sea became known a sought-after diving destination after the expeditions of Hans Hass in the 1950s, and later by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Popular tourist resorts include Sharm-El-Sheikh and Hurghada (and recently Marsa Alam) and Dahab in Egypt, as well as Eilat, Israel in an area known as the Red Sea Riviera.

Bordering countries

Bordering countries are:

Towns and cities

Towns and cities on the Red Sea coast include:

  • Flag of Jordan Aqaba (العقبة)
  • Flag of Eritrea Arkiko (ሕርጊጎ)
  • Flag of Eritrea Asseb (ዓሳብ)
  • Flag of Egypt Dahab (دهب)
  • Flag of Israel Eilat (אילת)
  • Flag of Egypt Hala'ib (حلايب)
  • Flag of Yemen Al Hudaydah (الحديدة)
  • Flag of Egypt Hurghada (الغردقة)
  • Flag of Saudi Arabia Jeddah (جدة)
  • Flag of Egypt Marsa Alam (مرسى علم)
  • Flag of Eritrea Massawa (ምጽዋ)
  • Flag of Egypt Nuweiba (نويبع)
  • Flag of Egypt Port Safaga (ميناء سفاجا)
  • Flag of Sudan Port Sudan (بورت سودان)
  • Flag of Egypt Sharm el Sheikh (شرم الشيخ)
  • Flag of Egypt Soma Bay (سوما باي)
  • Flag of Sudan Suakin (سواكن)
  • Flag of Egypt El Suweis (السويس)
  • Flag of Egypt Taba (طابا)
  • Flag of Egypt Al-Qusair (القصير)
  • Flag of Saudi Arabia Yanbu (ينبع)

See also

  • Travel guide to Red Sea from Wikitravel
  • Red Sea Riviera
  • Suez Canal
  • Robert Moresby
  • Passage of the Red Sea
  • Periplus of the Erythraean Sea
  • M/V al-Salam Boccaccio 98 ferry disaster

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Froese, R., and D. Pauly. FishBase. 2003. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
  2. ↑ Siliotti, A. Fishes of the red sea, Verona, Geodia, 2002. ISBN 8887177422
  3. ↑ Lieske, E. and Myers, R.F. Coral reef guide; Red Sea, London, HarperCollins, 2004. ISBN 0007159862

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Hamblin, W. Kenneth, and Eric H. Christiansen. Earth's Dynamic Systems, 8th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998. ISBN 0-13-745373-6

Coordinates: 22°00′N 38°00′E

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