Declining nutrient availability and metal pollution in the Red Sea
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Nature Publishing Group
Date
2023-11-20Referencia bibliográfica
Cai, C., Huertas, A.D. & Agusti, S. Declining nutrient availability and metal pollution in the Red Sea. Commun Earth Environ 4, 424 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01097-6
Sponsorship
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) through funding (BAS/1/1072-01-01); Red Sea Research CenterAbstract
Reconstructing sediment accumulation rates reveals historical environmental shifts. We
analyzed 15 element concentrations and accumulation rates in two Red Sea sediment cores
over 500 years. Post-1870s, the South Red Sea experienced a significant drop in element
accumulation rates, with a noticeable decline in nutrients like magnesium (−8.52%), organic
carbon (−14.9%), nitrogen (−14.0%), phosphorus (−16.4%), sulfur (−17.2%), and calcium
(−17.8%). This suggests a potential reduction in nutrient inflow from the Indian Ocean,
possibly due to warming-induced ocean stratification. Conversely, the North Red Sea saw an
increase in all element accumulation rates after the 1870s, highlighting a rise in trace elements
such as iron (4.56%), cadmium (8.69%), vanadium (12.6%), zinc (13.8%), copper
(14.4%), chromium (17.6%), and nickel (19.5%), indicative of increased anthropogenic
coastal activities. We introduce the term “Cai-Agusti Marine Crisis Conflux” to encapsulate
the escalating thermal stress, nutrient depletion, and elemental pollution in the Red Sea,
underscoring potential risks to its ecosystems and global implications.