Research Article| March 01, 2010 The paradox of tropical karst morphology in the coral reefs of the arid Middle East S.J. Purkis; S.J. Purkis * 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA *E-mail: purkis@nova.edu. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar G.P. Rowlands; G.P. Rowlands 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B.M. Riegl; B.M. Riegl 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P.G. Renaud P.G. Renaud 2Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, 8181 Professional Place, Suite 215, Landover, Maryland 20785, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information S.J. Purkis * 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA G.P. Rowlands 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA B.M. Riegl 1National Coral Reef Institute, Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Center, Dania Beach, Florida 33004, USA P.G. Renaud 2Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, 8181 Professional Place, Suite 215, Landover, Maryland 20785, USA *E-mail: purkis@nova.edu. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 21 Sep 2009 Revision Received: 30 Sep 2009 Accepted: 02 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (3): 227–230. https://doi.org/10.1130/G30710.1 Article history Received: 21 Sep 2009 Revision Received: 30 Sep 2009 Accepted: 02 Oct 2009 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation S.J. Purkis, G.P. Rowlands, B.M. Riegl, P.G. Renaud; The paradox of tropical karst morphology in the coral reefs of the arid Middle East. Geology 2010;; 38 (3): 227–230. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G30710.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Despite differences in reef growth between the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, a common distinctive pattern of polygonal sills surrounding ponded depressions consistently occurs in shallow water. Viewed from a satellite, these seafloors are reticulated and maze like. Despite little current rainfall, this patterning is best explained by karst dissolution of limestone during periods of lower sea level. This is a paradox since such fine-scale karstification is confined to areas with considerably more precipitation than currently observed in Arabia. We resolve this apparent contradiction by developing a Pleistocene–Holocene chronology of sea level and climate for the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, and through the use of pattern analysis and computer simulation, reveal the mechanism of formation for these structures. We demonstrate that this patterning can be taken as a Quaternary signature of paleohumidity in the now hyperarid Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.