Distribution of living coccolithophore assemblages in the Gulf of Elat ('Aqaba)

Amos Winter*, Zeev Reiss, Boaz Luz

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

78 Scopus citations

Abstract

The bathymetric and seasonal distribution of coccolithophores between surface and 400 m depth in the northern and southern Gulf of Elat was investigated. Fifty-two coccolithophore species, seven of them described for the first time, were identified from 84 water samples collected during 1975-1976. Most of the species recorded were found in surface waters. High salinities in the Gulf of Elat seem to prevent the entrance of many common pelagic species. Standing crop was highest at the surface, decreasing rapidly with depth, except in the samples collected in February which were more homogeneous. Seasonally, the standing crop reached a maximum value in December, remaining lower throughout the rest of the year. Three coccolithophore assemblages, correlatable with the seasonal patterns of hydrological conditions in the Gulf, were identified. Two species, Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa ericsoni, appeared frequently in the Elat assemblages throughout the year. Standing crop is negatively correlated with insolation and is highest in November-December, comparable to that in the productive Equatorial Pacific. During the remainder of the year the lower standing crop approaches values known from the Transitional Zone of the Pacific. High species diversity (similar to the productive Equatorial Pacific) is correlated with high water temperature (summer) and low diversity (similar to that in the Transitional Zone of the Pacific) is characteristic of the relatively cool winter period. Judging from chlorophyll a data, coccolithophores constitute a major component of the phytoplankton and contribute greatly to primary production in the Gulf. The role of nutrient levels, which seem to be of importance for coccolithophores, is not yet well understood. This study should serve also interpretation of the paloceanography, on the basis of deep-sea cores, of tropical-subtropical regions like the Gulf of Elat.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)197-223
Number of pages27
JournalMarine Micropaleontology
Volume4
Issue numberC
DOIs
StatePublished - 1979

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