A Roman fibula from a transcontinental port on the fringes of the Empire

This work provides a comprehensive description of the Scleractinian family Merulinidae (Verrill, 1865) of the Red Sea at species level based on skeletal structure for helping in evaluating and estimation of actual species diversity, as well as predicting their response to environmental changes. The present study is a first attempt to describe and illustrate the coral species of the family Merulinidae in the Farasan Islands (Saudi Arabian Coast). Moreover, coral reef terraces are investigated around El Quseir‐Marsa Alam area on the Egyptian Red Sea Coast. Overall, 42 scleractinian coral species from the family Merulinidae (Verrill, 1865) have been identified. They belong to 14 genera: Dipsastraea, Favites, Echinopora, Goniastrea, Coelastrea, Paragoniastrea, Paramontastraea, Astrea, Cyphastrea, Erythrastrea, Merulina, Platygyra, Leptoria, and Hydnophora. About 37 species are recorded for the first time from the Farasan Islands and 26 species from El Quseir‐Marsa Alam area, among them three species are recognized as new records. Two species are added to coral communities of the Red Sea (Goniastrea favulus and Paragoniastrea deformis), and six species were added to the fossil record of the Red Sea. The terminology, systematic classification, and the criteria of identification for all studied coral taxa are generally updated according to recent results. The known age and all recorded stratigraphic range of these species are illustrated and discussed. From the results, most of the corals are still living in the present Red Sea except for three species: Favites micropentagonus, Goniastrea favulus, and Paragoniastrea deformis. All species are extended down to the Pleistocene and a few to the Pliocene and Miocene.

Safaga and Qusseir are two important harbours on the Egyptian Proper Red Sea coast. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work to describe the sea level characteristics at these two ports. The study is based on hourly sea level records over 3 years (2012–2014). There are no missed data at Qusseir site, but Safaga dataset missed 25% of records (April–December 2014). The hourly water level ranged between 0.02 m and 1.70 m at Safaga and between 0.04 m and 1.03 m at Qusseir, with a mean sea level (MSL) of 0.56 m and 0.50 m at the two Harbours, respectively. The T_TIDE package was used to produce astronomical and residual elevations at the two Harbours. Results revealed that the two Harbours examine explicit semidiurnal tidal cycle, with a bit higher astronomical amplitudes in Safaga. Moreover, the two sites exhibit almost the same seasonal sea level trend with very slight differences. The monthly mean levels at the two Harbours are always below their averages except during the summer months. The principal features of the semidiurnal tides indicated a ratio of 1.3 and 1.5 between spring and neap ranges at Safaga and Qusseir, respectively. The most pronounced sea level range at Safaga Harbour was 0.50 m, while it was 0.60 m at Qusseir Harbour. The astronomical elevations fluctuated between − 0.55 m and + 0.71 m and between − 0.47 m and + 0.53 m in Safaga and Qusseir Harbours, respectively.

The present study revised taxonomy and occurrence of the ghost crabs (genus Ocypode) and fiddler crabs (genus Uca), belonging to family Ocypodidae collected from different localities of the Egyptian Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts. A total of six species were collected, comprised three species of ghost crabs, represented by Ocypode cordimanus, O. cursor, and O. saratan and three species of fiddler crabs, including Uca albimana, U. inversa, and U. tetragonon. With the exception of Ocypode cursor which was only recorded from the Mediterranean Sea, all other five species were collected from the Red Sea. All species of Ocypode construct permanent burrows in the supralittoral sandy shores, while Uca species live in permanent burrows in the upper intertidal zone of mud-flats and sandy mud areas around and within mangrove swamps only. The present results showed also that, the fiddler crab, Uca albimana, was recorded for the first time from South Sinai mangroves at Nabq (Gulf of Aqaba) and Ras Mohammed (northern Red Sea), increased ocypodid fauna at the most northern portions of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. These results denote to the northward distribution of this species and recommend re-investigating all Uca species collected previously from South Sinai, particularly U. inversa, deposited in all National Museum of Natural History of the world. Notes on habitats, color, size and geographical distribution, in addition to keys for identification were also given.

Blue carbon assessment in Avicennia marina sediments and vegetation along the Red Sea Coast of Egypt: Improving methods and insights

Statistical downscaling of global climate projections over the Egyptian Red Sea coast

Distribution of soil organic carbon in the mangrove Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. along the Egyptian Red Sea Coast

The present work aimed to investigate Echinoderm communities in the Red Sea Coast of Egypt. A survey on Echinoderms done during the period between February 2016 to August 2017. Fourteen sites (42 locations) were selected to represent all Egyptian Red Sea habitats (Seagrass, mangrove, coral reef, rocky, sandy and muddy shore). A total of 33 species of echinoderms belonging to 5 classes, 12 orders and 18 families were recorded. The study revealed that the Eudominant species in this survey were:Ophiocomascolopendrina, Diadema setosum, Echinometra mathaeiand Holothuria atra while the Dominant species included Linckia multifora, Ophiolepis cincta and Tripneustes gratilla. Echinoderms community showed different class and species composition in the investigated sites. Class Echinoidea recorded the highest percentage of species composition. Species richness of echinoderms ranged between three species in site 4 and twenty four species in site 1. Species diversity showed changes in different sites. The Shannon diversity (H') ranged from 0.06 to 2.24. Suez Gulf sites (sites 4, 5, 6 and 7) recorded the lowest values of diversity, while the highest value was recorded at Ras Mohamed site (site 3). The abundance and distribution differences in echinoderm communities were discussed.

DNA barcoding of seven cone snail species from Red Sea coast of Egypt

Microplastics in marine invertebrates from the Red Sea Coast of Egypt: Abundance, composition, and risks

In 1995-8 the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Antiquities for Egypt (SCA), excavated an Ottoman period wreck at Sadana Island on the Red Sea coast of Egypt. The 50m long hull represents a form of wooden shipbuilding hitherto undocumented for this period. The finds included a large and diverse collection of Qing Dynasty Chinese export porcelain designed for an Islamic market, as well as coffee, aromatic resin, spices, earthenware water jars, green glass bottles and other remains of cargo dating to about 1765, from a time of changing trade patterns and renewed Ottoman interest in controlling Red Sea commerce. The location of the site demonstrates that Chinese porcelain and other goods were being transported by sea north of Jeddah, the port of Mecca, a point traditionally seen as the terminus of the sea trade from the Indian Ocean during this time. Commercial interaction on a global scale was common in the later eighteenth century, but this wreck represents a part of the world about which little is known; the origins of the ship are obscure, but her crew was Muslim. The project is also important as the first major shipwreck excavation to be undertaken in Egyptian waters.

Excavations at Berenike (Trogodytika) on the Red Sea coast of Egypt provide a foundation date in the third quarter of the third century BCE, which corroborates Pliny the Elder's (HN 6.33.168) claim that Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ca. 285/2–246 BCE) established the port. Named after Philadelphus' mother, Berenike is the only archaeologically attested Hellenistic-era Red Sea emporium. According to literary evidence, it was one of about a dozen founded by early Ptolemaic rulers along the African coast. Study of Berenike's artifacts and ecofacts has confirmed the presence of elephants and has provided data on the diet of the residents and the location, acquisition, and distribution of drinking water. Research has also documented industrial and economic activities. This report presents highlights of these studies.

Analysis of marine sediments of the studied localities provides investigators with data to characterise the composition of these sediments allowing for the identification of particular pollution sources. A study of texture, geochemistry, X-ray diffraction and natural radionuclide content of shallow marine sediments from Quseir harbour, Safaga harbour and El-Esh area in the Red Sea coast of Egypt was conducted for the purpose of assessing the possible influence of human activities on the composition of the sediments. The activity concentrations of the naturally occurring radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were measured by using γ-ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in all areas studied were found to be 71±6, 66±5 and 92±7 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 83±5, 71±7 and 162±23 Bq kg−1 for 232Th and 513±10, 493±20 and 681±28 Bq kg−1 for 40K, respectively. The results of the study presented were compared with corresponding results obtained in other coastal and aquatic environments in the Red Sea.

The living Tridacna maxima shell provides an example of a good substrate for many colonizing marine organisms (sclerobionts). Many factors affect the colonization choices of these organisms, such as morphology and size of the host shell, water depth (related to light penetration), suspended particulate load, and turbidity, among others. In addition to these factors, contamination plays an important role in the colonization choice along the coast of the Red Sea in Egypt. In the present study, 25 specimens of T. maxima shells of different sizes were collected at different depths from eight sites along the Egyptian Red Sea coast. There are two types of contamination at these sites. The first type results from anthropogenic activities, such as tourism, fishing, landfilling, shipping, renewal of ship operations, shipyards, dredging, and petroleum production; this type is represented by the El-Esh area, Hurghada Harbor, Safaga Harbor, and Quseir Harbor. The second type results from the natural inputs from wadis and is represented by the El-Esh area, Quseir Harbour, and Wadi El-Gemal, while the Abu Galawa Lagoon, the Abu Ghusun, and the Hamata Reefs represent uncontaminated areas (control areas). The present study documents the colonization phenomena on T. maxima shells at all of the study sites. These phenomena differed from one another in the abundance and diversity of sclerobionts, and unexpectedly, the contaminated areas recorded the highest abundance and diversity of colonizing organisms.

Detection of the submerged topography along the Egyptian Red Sea Coast using bathymetry and GIS-based analysis

The present study introduce an overview on the cladal structure of Symbiodinium population associated with some species of scleractinean corals and fire coral in the Egyptian Red Sea coast and discuss the possible consequences of recent climate changes on coral reefs. Cladal structure of Symbiodinium populations associated with eight keystone species of scleractinean corals and one species of fire coral that collected along Egyptian Red Sea coast, during 2012-2013, had been resolved based on 18S nrDNA and ITS2 genetic markers. Only Symbiodinium subclades C1 and A1 were identified from all examined species. Symbiodinium C1 was the dominant subclade that associated with 61% of coral samples. Results revealed that the studied pocilloporid corals were associated with Symbiodinium C1 and/or A1 while acroporids were only associated with Symbiodinium C1. The present data also indicated that Symbiodinium C1 occurred at high densities than A1 or A1+C1 combination. Because of the relative thermal susceptibility of clades C and A, the current study addresses that the recent climate changes may derive dramatic changes on community structure of coral reefs at the Red Sea.