Skip to main content
Log in

Nutrients and biomass distribution in the Gulf of Aqaba (Elat), Red Sea

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The distribution of phosphate, nitrate and silicate values obtained from 300 samples and of biomass determined by displacement volume in about 1,900 vertical plankton hauls (65, 200 and 330 μm) collected from 8 oceanographic station during 1974–1975 in the Gulf of Aqaba (Elat) are summarized and illustrated by crosssections. Generally, the Gulf is poor in nutrients and the data indicate that it is filled with upper (150 m) Red Sea waters, flowing in over the sill of Tiran. Nutrient content of the upper and deep waters immediately outside the sill are well within the known range of those in the northern Red Sea. Biomass values are relatively low in the Gulf are generally similar to those reported from the northern Red Sea. Both nutrients and biomass values display seasonal and bathymetric variations in the Gulf and outside the sill.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Allan, T.D. and C. Morelli: The Red Sea. In: The sea, Vol. 4. pp 493–542. Ed. by A.E. Maxwell. New York: Wiley Interscience 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Bé, A.W.H. and O.R. Anderson: Preservation of planktonic Foraminifera and other calcareous plankton. Monogr. oceanogr. Methodol. 4, 250–258 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • —, J.M. Forns and O.A. Roels: Plankton abundance in the North Atlantic Ocean. In: Fertility of the sea, pp 17–50. Ed. by J.D. Coslow. New York: Gordon & Breach 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Delalo, E.P.: Distribution of the zooplankton biomass in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, winter 1961/62. [In Russ.] Okeanologicheskiye issled. 15, 131–139 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery, K.O.: Sediments of the Gulf of Agaba (Eilat). In: Pagers in marine geology, pp 257–273. Ed. by R.L. Miller. New York: Macmillan Co. 1963

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, G.M.: Geology and geochemistry of reefs, carbonate sediments, and waters, Gulf of Aqaba, (Elat), Red Sea. J. sedim. Petrol. 38, 895–919 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gapishko, A.I.: Seasonal changes in Gulf of Aden zooplankton in 1965–1966. Oceanology, Wash. [transl. of Okeanologija, Mosk.] 11, 399–403 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordeyeva, K.T.: Quantitative distribution of zooplankton in the Red Sea. Oceanology, Wash. [transl. of Okeanologija, Mosk.] 10, 867–871 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasshoff, K.: Zur Chemie des Roten Meeres und des Inneren Golfs von Aden nach Beobachtungen von F.S. “Meteor” während der Indischen Ozean Expedition 1964/65. “Meteor” ForschErgebn. 6, 1–76 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J.K.: New bathymetric chart of the Straits of Tiran. Israel J. Earth-Sci. 24, 69–72 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimor, B.: Plankton relations of the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. In: Ecological studies, analysis and synthesis, Vol. 3. pp 221–544. Ed. by B. Zeitzschel. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • — and B. Golandsky: Microplankton of the Gulf of Elat: aspects of seasonal and bathymetric distribution. Mar. Biol. 42, 55–67 (1977)

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinker, J., C. Kropach, H. Harpaz, I. Levanon and Z. Reiss: DCPE-Data Collecting Program in the Gulf of Elat, Report No. 1. In: Fourth Report of the Heinz Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory, pp 46–54. Ed. by Z. Reiss and I. Paperna. Elat: Heinz Steinitz Marine Biology Laboratory 1975

    Google Scholar 

  • —, Z. Reiss, C. Kropach, I. Levanon, H. Harpaz, E. Halicz and G. Assaf: Observations on the circulation pattern in the Gulf of Aqaba (Elat), Red Sea. Israel J. Earth-Sci. 25, 85–103 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mergner, H. und H. Schuhmacher: Morphologie, Ökologie und Zonierung von Korallenriffen bei Aqaba, (Golf von Aqaba, Rotes Meer). Helgoländer wiss: Meeresunters. 26, 238–358 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Morcos, S.A.: Physical and chemical oceanography of the Red Sea. Oceanogr. mar. biol. A. Rev. 8, 73–202 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Neumann, A.C. and D.A. McGill: Circulation of the Red Sea in early summer. Deep-Sea Res. 8, 223–235 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  • Oren, O.H.: A note on the hydrography of the Gulf of Eylath. Bull. Sea Fish. Res. Stn Israel 30, 3–14 (1962)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ponomareva, L.A.: Quantitative distribution of zooplankton in the Red Sea as observed in the period May-June 1966. Oceanology, Wash. [transl. of Okeanologija, Mosk.] 8, 240–242 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Por, F.D., H. Steinitz, I. Ferber and W. Aron: The biota of the Red Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean (1967–1972); a survey of the marine life of Israel and surroundings. Israel J. Zool. 21, 459–523 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiss, Z., E. Halicz and L. Perelis: Planktonic Foraminiferida from recent sediments in the Gulf of Elat. Israel J. Earth-Sci. 23, 69–105 (1974)

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, A.A.: An improved apparatus for determining plankton volume. Fish. Bull. Un. S. Africa 6, 23–26 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, H.-E.: Some new records of hydroids from the Gulf of Aqaba with zoogeographical remarks on the Red Sea area. J. mar. biol. Ass. India 13, 27–51 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • —: Die vertikale Verteilung und tägliche Migration der Hydromedusen (Hydrozoa: Coelenterata) in der Bucht von Eilat (Rotes Meer). Mar. Biol. 18, 61–68 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Steedman, H.F.: General and applied data on formaldehyde fixation and preservation of marine zooplankton. Monogr. oceanogr. Methodol. 4, 103–154 (1976)

    Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO: Standardization of zooplankton sampling methods at sea. Monogr. oceanogr. Methodol. 2, 153–159 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinogradov, M.E.: Vertical distribution of the oceanic zooplankton [transl. from Russian by A. Mercado and J. Salkind; 1970] 339 pp. Jerusalem: Israel Program for Scientific Translations 1968

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyrtki, K., E.B. Bennett and D.J. Rochford: Oceanographic atlas of the International Indian Ocean Expedition, 531 pp. Washington, D. C.: National Science Foundation 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Yashnov, V.A.: A new model of a volume meter for rapid and precise plankton evaluation under field conditions [In Russ.]. Zool. Zh. 38, 1741–1744 (1959)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by O. Kinne, Hamburg

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Klinker, J., Reiss, Z., Kropach, C. et al. Nutrients and biomass distribution in the Gulf of Aqaba (Elat), Red Sea. Mar. Biol. 45, 53–64 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388977

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00388977

Keywords

Navigation