area c.453 000 km²/175 000 sq mi. NW arm of the Indian Ocean, between the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia; occupies the rift valley which stretches S into the African continent; connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Suez Canal; divided into the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba by the Sinai Peninsula (NW); a narrow sea, up to 360 km/225 mi wide, 2335 km/1450 mi long; maximum depth, 2200 m/7200 ft near the centre; many islands; coral reefs parallel to shores; high salinity; name probably derives from reddish seaweed found here; major trade route, especially since Suez Canal (1869).
Occupying a part of the Great Rift Valley, the Red Sea has a surface area of roughly 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. 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 regarded as one of the most saline water bodies in the world that is governed by the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress in the Red Sea.
Red Sea is a direct translation of the Latin Mare Erythraeum, Arabic Al-Baḥr Al-Aḥmar (البحر الأحمر), and Tigrinya Qeyḥ bāḥrī (ቀይሕ ባሕሪ).
The name of the sea does not indicate the color of the water, because it is not red in color.
There is also speculation that the name Red Sea came from a mistranslation of what should have been Reed Sea in the Biblical account of the Exodus.
History
The Egyptians were the first to attempt a mission of exploration in the Red Sea. However, 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.
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.
Climate: The climate of the Red Sea is the result of two distinct monsoon seasons; The average surface water temperature of the Red Sea during the summer is about 26°C in the north and 30°C in the south, with only about 2°C variation during the winter months. The rainfall over the Red Sea and its coasts is extremely low averaging 0.06 m per year; 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 per yr and high salinity with minimal seasonal variation.
Salinity: The Red Sea is regarded as one of the most saline water bodies in the world that is governed by the effects of the water circulation pattern, resulting from evaporation and wind stress in the Red Sea. The central Red Sea (Jeddah area) is therefore almost tideless, and as such the annual water level changes are more significant.
Current: In the Red Sea detailed current data is lacking, partially because they are weak and variable both spatially and temporally. In summer NW winds drive surface water south for about four months at a velocity of 15-20 cm per sec., whereas in winter the flow is reversed resulting in the inflow of water from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea.
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 and 12 km per hr., the rest of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are subjected to the influence of regular and seasonally reversible winds.
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.
Geology
The Red Sea formed by Arabia splitting from Africa due to continental drift. The sea is still widening and it is considered that the sea will become an ocean in time (as proposed in the model of Tuzo Wilson).
Sometimes 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.Today surface water temperatures remain relatively constant at 70–77 °F (21–25 °C) 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.
Living Resources
Red Sea holds one of the most spectacular coastal and marine environments of the world and has a rich biodiversity
The sea is known for its biological characteristics including its rich fauna and flora, particularly coral reefs and numerous fish species has a number of unique marine habitats, including sea-grass beds, salt-pans, mangroves, coral reefs 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.Desalination Plants
The Red Sea water is an essential asset. 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.
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: ~1900 km - 79 % of the eastern Red Sea with numerous coastal inlets Maximum Width: ~ 306 – 354 km – Massawa (Eritrea) Minimum Width: ~ 26 – 29 km -Strait Bab al Mandeb (Yemen) Average Width: ~ 280 km Average Depth: ~ 490 m Maximum Depth: ~2850 m Total surface Area: 438 x 103- 450 x 103 km² Volume: 215 x 103 –251 x 103 km³ Approximately 40 % of the Red Sea is quite shallow (under 100 m) whereas about 25 % of the Red Sea is under 50 m deep. About 15 % of the Red Sea is over 1000 m 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) Centre of Red Sea has a narrow trough (~ 1000 m; some deeps may exceed 2500 m)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 1999Tourism
The sea is known for its spectacular dive sites such as Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm (ship wreck), 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 was "discovered" as a diving destination by Hans Hass in the 1950s, and by Jacques-Yves Cousteau later. Popular tourist resorts include Sharm-El-Sheikh and Hurghada (and recently Marsa Alam) in Egypt, as well as Eilat, Israel in an area known as the Red Sea Riviera.
Bordering countries
Bordering countries are:
Northern shore: Egypt Israel Jordan Western shore: Sudan Egypt Eastern shore: Saudi Arabia Yemen Southern shore: Somalia Djibouti EritreaTowns and cities
Towns and cities on the Red Sea coast include:
Aqaba العقبة , Arkiko ሕርጊጎ, Assab ዓሳብ, Dahabدهب , Eilat אילת , Hala'ib حلايب , Al Hudaydah الحديدة, Hurghada الغردقة, Jeddahجدة , Marsa Alamمرسى علم , Massawa ምጽዋ, Nuweiba نويبع , Port Safaga ميناء سفاجا , Port Sudan بورت سودان , Sharm el Sheikh شرم الشيخ , Suakin سواكن, El Suweis السويس , Taba الطور, El-Tor الطور
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