A recent study by Earth Scientists and Oceanographers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has revealed that surface temperatures in the Red Sea might be cooling, rather than rising.
"Analysis of long term data sets shows that the current high warming rates of the Red Sea appears to be a combined effect of global warming and natural long-duration changes in sea surface temperature (SST).
"Our study has revealed a sequence of alternating positive and negative trends in Red Sea surface temperatures. Over the next decades, the trends indicate a cooling phase that may counter the effects of global warming," says Professor Ibrahim Hoteit, Associate Professor of Earth Science and Engineering.
Hoteit and colleagues in the Red Sea Modeling and Forecasting Group used KAUST supercomputer Shaheen II and state of the art equipment in the KAUST Visualization Core Laboratories to analyze over a hundred years of satellite data.
The data reveals how the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) strongly influences surface temperatures in the Red Sea. Counter to global trends related to climate change, the research points to a cooling phase over the next few decades.
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