Look at a Saudi island .. the first such find in the Red Sea

In a discovery that is the first of its kind in the Red Sea region, a team of marine science and environmental experts from the Red Sea Development Company managed to uncover a huge coral colony south of the island of ‘Al Waqadi.

The company explained that the island is estimated to be around 600 years old and over 10 meters high, according to the Saudi News Agency (SPA).

The age of the coral reefs was determined by measuring the size and number of rings that grow on the outer structure of the colony each year, in addition to the presence of giant sequoias.

Huge habitat for a number of fish

The colony is a historical reference for past centuries, noting that the colony will allow scientists, through scientific methods, to read the rings of coral reefs and know the temperature of the ocean in previous years and its chemical composition at this time. era.

Additionally, the Red Sea Company said the find highlights the beauty of marine life on Al-Waqadi Island, west of the Red Sea Project, the world’s most ambitious tourist destination.

She highlighted the importance of these coral colonies in forming a home for a large number of fish and non-vertebrate animals, noting that there are several reasons that affect the life cycle of coral reefs, as they die if buried by sediment or covered. by algae that thrive in polluted aquatic environments, or when their ecosystem is disturbed by fishing.

coral bleaching

Also, it affects its life by being affected by the phenomenon of coral bleaching, which is linked to abnormally high water temperature, and its prevalence increases with increasing ocean water temperature due to the change. climate.

Coral bleaching can result in the death of host corals, as well as many other marine organisms that live with and affect coral reefs.

The Red Sea Company will strive to improve coral reef environments and increase their ecological diversity in the project area, calling on communities to conserve all sea creatures without exception by reducing threats to marine life such as pollution and overfishing.