Multiscale hydrodynamics modeling reveals the temperature moderating role of the Northern Red Sea Islands

A growing interest in the hydrodynamics of the Red Sea has been observed since the beginning of the 21st century. However, the interaction between the Gulf of Suez (GOS) and the Red Sea along with possible natural mitigation mechanisms of heat stress on its southern coral reef zones have not been adequately investigated. This study evaluated different Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) simulations of the Red Sea using a nesting approach in the southern parts of the GOS to elucidate the three-dimensional nature of thermal variability. The developed regional ROMS model simulated the general circulation patterns and sea surface temperature on the TSUBAME 3.0 supercomputer operated by the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Ultimately, remotely sensed satellite data of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) spanning the period 2016-2020 were used to validate the regional model results. A further challenge posed by the scarcity of distributed depth-varying temperature data on the northern islands' region was overcome by using an offline nesting approach (i.e., incorporating boundary conditions from the parent domain) to simulate the local 3-D thermal regimes. Intriguingly, the results of the nested model scenarios confirmed unique northern islands-enhanced thermal moderating mechanisms where islands act as barriers to the impacts of the relatively warmer water originating from the eastern boundary current. Additionally, this study introduces a new approach to applying higher-resolution models to the precise spatial and temporal representation of thermal indices in a way that surpasses the widely adopted remote sensing approaches. In short, multiscale modeling provides a valuable approach for assessing the thermal regimes around one of the most precious marine ecosystems in the world.

Automated summary

This study used the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) to simulate the hydrodynamics of the Red Sea and validated the model results using remotely sensed sea surface temperature data. The study revealed that the relatively warmer water in the southern parts of the Red Sea originated from the eastern boundary current, but the northern islands acted as barriers with unique thermal moderating mechanisms. Additionally, the study introduced a new approach of applying higher-resolution models to accurately represent the spatial and temporal variations of thermal indices. In conclusion, multiscale modeling provides a valuable method for assessing precious marine ecosystems.