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Observations and biogeochemical modeling reveal chlorophyll diel cycle with near-sunset maxima in the Red Sea
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  • Yixin Wang,
  • Matthew R. Mazloff,
  • Ariane Verdy,
  • Ivana Cerovecki,
  • Patrick Naylor,
  • George Krokos,
  • Ibrahim Hoteit
Yixin Wang
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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Matthew R. Mazloff
UCSD
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Ariane Verdy
UCSD
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Ivana Cerovecki
University of California San Diego
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Patrick Naylor
UCSD
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George Krokos
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
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Ibrahim Hoteit
King Abdullah Univerity of Science and Technology

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

The Red Sea is an extremely warm tropical sea that hosts diverse ecosystems; thus, it is important to understand its ecology in the context of global warming. Using a coupled physical–biogeochemical model validated against in situ data, we provide the first report on the diel cycle (i.e., diel variability) in the Red Sea chlorophyll (CHL) concentration, revealing near-sunset CHL maxima at 17h ± 1h local time over the entire basin. This CHL peak time is considerably later than those reported in most other oceans, suggesting low grazing rates in this high-irradiance tropical sea. Model-based analyses reveal that CHL diel cycle is predominantly controlled by irradiance, whereas longer-timescale (e.g., seasonal) CHL variability is regulated by nutrient availability, suggesting a light-limited biological production at diel timescale. The identified CHL diel cycle comprises a fundamental component of the Red Sea ecology and has implications for CHL remote sensing and in situ measurements.
14 Jul 2023Submitted to ESS Open Archive
20 Jul 2023Published in ESS Open Archive