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Saudi Arabian researchers discovered dozens of blue holes in the Red Sea. (Photo: Screengrab)

JAKARTA – Saudi Arabian researchers discovered dozens of blue holes in the Red Sea during a scientific expedition last year. Now marine exploration is being held again to explore many things behind it unique phenomenon the.

This natural phenomenon marks an important milestone in efforts to explore and conserve the oceans in Saudi Arabia.

Quoted from Al Arabiya, Friday (1/9/2023), blue holes are giant underwater sinkholes housing a variety of marine life, including coral, sponges, turtles, fish, dolphins, sharks, whales and other marine mammals. These geological formations extend hundreds of meters vertically into the ocean, making them difficult to access and explore.

In February 2022, the National Center for Wildlife partnered with the non-profit marine exploration organization OceanX and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) to embark on a four-month mission to produce the area’s first comprehensive survey.

“In the 21st century, we might get the impression that we have explored the oceans and there is no more room for discovery. But finding something like a blue hole, a globally unique feature, is still a surprise,” said Dr. Carlos Duarte, Avicenna Professor of Marine Science at KAUST, in a video released after the survey.

Blue holes are an interesting phenomenon because they are rich in biodiversity and coral reefs. However, there is so little oxygen in a blue hole that it is only home to creatures that are able to adapt to low-oxygen environments.

The discovery of blue holes provides scientists with the opportunity to unravel their ecological significance and to preserve and ensure the long-term health of these fragile ecosystems.

“That’s a really exciting and almost like a natural laboratory thing for us to study,” said Research Scientist at KAUST Dr. Shannon Klein.

The knowledge that scientists have about Red Sea only come from bathymetric surveys carried out two centuries ago.

“One of the main challenges we focus on is navigation maps or how deep some of these areas are within the coral maze that hasn’t been explored since 1888,” Klein said.

“We are really exploring things that haven’t been seen in over 100 years. This is really a true exploration of the southern Red Sea region to dive deep and characterize it from below, take samples and understand the environment down there.”

The National Wildlife Center, along with partners, will continue to carry out studies and research projects to understand how this invaluable marine environment can be protected. This is in line with the aim of Saudi Arabia’s Green Initiative to protect land and sea areas.

(msf)

2023-09-01 12:05:08
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