Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Red Sea bed analysis'

Development of Middle Triassic red-bed plays is commonly hampered by a lack of understanding of the stratigraphic relationships between reservoir sandstones. This inadequacy reflects poor palynological recoveries and a general deficiency in understanding the controls on palynological preservation. The sedimentology and palynology of Triassic red-bed facies, from the UK North Sea and onshore analogues, are studied to determine the sedimentary controls on palynological preservation and to investigate whether palynology is useful in these facies, where other stratigraphic techniques do not always provide unique solutions. The Skagerrak Formation (Quadrants 22, 29 and 30) typically comprises ephemeral channel and sheet-flood deposits in the north, but includes sediments deposited in perennially wet, alluvial plain and lacustrine settings in the south. Further north (Quadrant 210), the Cormorant Formation comprises dry alluvial deposits. Onshore, the Bromsgrove Sandstone Formation is characterised by ephemeral channel deposits that pass progressively upwards into tidally-influenced, fluvial and estuarine deposits; these are partly comparable with sediments in the Tarporley Siltstone Formation. Palynological analysis reveals that, in the absence of palynomorphs, palynodebris and absolute organic concentration can distinguish between preservational regimes, and thus environment. Palynological preservation demonstrates a correlation with facies deposited in perennially wet, alluvial plain, lacustrine and tidally influenced settings. Organic assemblages distinguish between members in the Bromsgrove Sandstone Formation, and can subdivide members on palaeoenvironmental criteria, which is of local value in correlation. Palynological assemblages are mostly lacking where ephemeral depositional processes were dominant. The assemblages demonstrate a close relationship with sedimentary facies, their associations, and sediment colour, but the oxidation potential of pore fluids, during and soon after deposition, is an overriding control on organic preservation. These relationships are all beneficial for targeting sediments for further palynological analysis.

Palaeoecological data can provide key information on depositional environments. This may be critical to the interpretation of marine sedimentary cycles and the recognition of ancient cycles and sequences. Although many recent studies have attempted to combine palaeoecology and sequence stratigraphy, the sequence stratigraphic model is commonly used to provide a temporally constrained framework for the evaluation of ecological and evolutionary events. This study shows how palaeoecology can be used as a powerful tool in the development of sequence stratigraphic models. A palaeoecological study of three Lower Cretaceous successions (at Ericeira, Cascais, Cabo Espichel) from the southern part of the Lusitanian Basin, Portugal, provides a basis for this study. This palaeoecological analysis allowed the construction of a detailed picture of the effects of relative sea-level, and other environmental factors, on sedimentary succession evolution. The results of this palaeoecological analysis have been represented on a series of depositional facies trend diagrams. The depositional facies diagrams have then been used to develop the sequence stratigraphy of the southern part of the Lusitanian Basin. The study successions record the temporal changes, and along-strike variation, in the evolution of three mixed carbonate-siliciclastic systems. The base of all the successions represents the development of narrow shelf with minor wave reworking. Siliciclastics were introduced by sand and gravel-load river dominated deltas with little reworking of the sediment at the channel mouths. This was characterised by the development of a clastic beach-barrier at Ericeira and a 'cool-water' carbonate ramp at Cascais. At Cabo Espichel a coral biostrome developed where coral ecology was controlled by terrigenous sedimentation and turbidity. The upper part of the successions represent a change in the morphology of the basin. A broad, shallow, low energy carbonate shelf developed that dissipated wave energy. In the nearshore environment siliciclastics were prevalent. The shelf carbonates are characteristic of the 'cool-water' type carbonates of the Cretaceous Tethyan realm. The more proximal Ericeira and Cabo Espichel successions record the alternation between marginal marine siliciclastic and shallow-water marine carbonate environments. The Cascais succession is characterised by carbonate platforms with abundant coral and rudist bivalve faunas. Palaeoecological analysis and development of the depositional facies trend diagrams have allowed the identification of one mega-sequence (2nd order), six sequences (3rd order) and higher resolution sequences and parasequences (4th order). 2nd and 3rd order sequences are correlatable across the southern part of the Lusitanian Basin. They also correlate with previously published sequence chronostratigraphy for the Tethyan realm. The palaeoecological analysis indicates that 2nd and 3rd order sequences are controlled by allocyclic processes and that 4th order cycles (sequences and parasequences) were dominated by autocyclic processes. As a result 4th order cycles cannot be correlated across the basin. This study has shown that detailed palaeoecological analysis can reveal a detailed, and more accurate, picture of the controls on the development of a basin fill than sedimentology alone. Along with the depositional trend diagrams, these data can provide a powerful method for the development of a sequence stratigraphic model and aid to interpretation of a basin fill.

Quseiral-Qadim lies on the Red Sea coast of Egypt, 8 kilometres north of the modern town of Quseir. The Romans, until 2nd century AD, Muslim Tradesmen some 1000 years later and probably Muslim Hajj pilgrims utilized this once ancient trading port until its demise in the late 15th-16th century when the Portuguese opened new trading routes via the Cape ofGood Hope. Essential rescue. archaeology was necessary at the site of the Muslim necropolis, which lay to the east ofthe main site and directly adjacent to a public beach area, due to the threat ofdevelopment ofthe nearby Movenpick Hotel Complex. However, the Egyptian Antiquities Authorities did not grant permission for the development and excavations ceased in its third season. 85 skeletons and a number of co-mingled remains were recovered and retained for bioarchaeological investigation prior to their re-interment at a nearby site. As the necropolis was categorically Muslim in nature, background research essentially encompassed the Islamic Religion, funerary and burial practice and Islamic concepts of both life and death. It is due to this research that assumptions have been made regarding possible causes ofdeath of the 85 individuals. Through the use of a discriminant anai1sis procedure it has been possible to speculate as to the geographical affiliation of a number ofthese individuals. It must be stressed however that no attempt was made to speculate on racial affiliations, simply geographical ones. This research attempts to fill the gap present in the archaeological record regarding Islamic human remains, Islamic funerary and burial practice and the likely migratory nature ofthe individuals once frequenting this location. There is a lack ofresearch with regards to this aspect ofIslamic archaeology, understandably due to political climates and the sensitivity of the subject; however research such as this is imperative for archaeology in the sense that it provides a necessary incite into away of life which does not differentiate between the theological and the secular, and ways in which Islam influences both Muslim attitudes to life and death.

The investigation of extreme precipitation events over the western coast of Saudi Arabia is necessary to estimate their potential impact on both socioeconomic activities and the regional environment. The current study aims at understanding the atmospheric dynamics leading to extreme precipitation, to improve weather forecasting in the target region and the development of long-term adaptation policies. Preliminary results reveal that extreme precipitation events in this region occur during the wet season (Nov–Jan). The synoptic mechanisms of these events are a function of the complex interaction between tropical, subtropical and middle-latitude dynamics. The synoptic dynamic processes were identified by a subjective study of the highest 30 extreme events. In addition, the weather circulation patterns (WCPs) of all extreme events were classified objectively by means of an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis based on the mean sea level pressure. WCPs were linked with synoptic dynamic processes and teleconnected with large-scale climate variability modes. Furthermore, WCPs, precipitation and data regarding other atmospheric variables from different regional climate models were used to investigate future changes in extreme precipitation events under climate change. The most important weather circulation patterns, which are associated with extreme precipitation events, were identified. The possibility of extreme precipitation events increases with great uncertainty.

Pterois volitans and Pterois miles, two species of lionfish from the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, have become prolific invaders of reef, hard bottom, mangrove, and sea grass habitats along the United States Atlantic coast and Caribbean. Their route and timing of introduction is poorly understood. However, historical sightings and captures have been robustly documented since their introduction. This study presents an in-depth analysis of these records based on spatial location, dates of arrival, and physical factors present at capture sights. A stage map was created showing the progression of the invasion as a series of current-driven and proximity-based recruitment periods based on the observed invasion pattern. Using a model that was developed for this study, the relationship between depth, salinity, temperature, and current was examined, finding the latter to be the most influential parameter for transport to new areas. Temperature and extreme depth are perceived as the only limiting factors in the invasion. This predictive model can be applied to other species and locations.

Remote sensing has become an essential tool to improve data collection and spatial analysis in the geosciences. Identification of passive margin structures that are exposed along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, and their control on landforms has been hampered by limited data resolution and restricted access to this arid and inaccessible region. A major challenge lies in distinguishing features in the landscape that formed due to long-term tectonic activity and erosion from those features that modified the landscape recently. The goals of this thesis were to determine to what degree the study area is currently tectonically active, and what major hazards might affect the touristically developing coastal region. This study deals with the structural and geomorphological evolution of the rift-related structures and their impact on the sediment distribution and landforms variation in the northern Quseir area. In such a remote desert area, field and remote morphostructural analysis are needed to understand the structural and geomorphological evolution. The current study is mainly based on high-resolution QuickBird image analysis and field investigation. Field mapping was limited to one season, owing to acute safety concerns in the Eastern Desert. In the study area, the pre-rift stratigraphy includes Pan-African basement rocks overlain by pre-rift clastic and carbonate successions that range in age from Cambrian to Eocene. Syn-rift clastic and carbonate rocks range in age from Late Oligocene to recent and show depositional patterns controlled by fault systems. The field area exposes a section of a tectonically uplifted, amagmatic sedimentary sequence, which formed due to passive-margin-related rifting of the Red Sea: the Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary units that fill the 7-km wide coastal strip are perfectly exposed as tilted fault blocks. The results of my field mapping and structural analysis show that the fault architecture of the area is dominated by a large NW-SE-striking fault system. A series of SE-dipping normal faults are consistent in cross-section with listric fault geometry, rooting into an E-dipping detachment at depth. Our mapping also revealed that left-steps in at least one of the major NS- striking faults are accommodated by a flower structure, but not by SW-NE-oriented cross faults as previously proposed in a neighboring area. Thus seismic activity is more likely to occur on the large NW-striking normal faults, leading to potentially larger Magnitude earthquakes than previously recognized in the area. The left-step may act as a barrier to rupture propagation and should be examined in more detail. The northwestern Red Sea coast is part of the straight coastal segment that is generally characterized as seismically inactive. However, during the geological field mapping, I found evidence for Plio-/Pleistocene vertical coastal uplift, likely due to earthquake-related coastal and offshore faulting. Pliocene marine deposits emerged recently due to sea level-drop and earthquake-related uplift. Even the presence of up to five distinct Pleistocene coral terraces implies that at least some of the coastal uplift was seismogenic, because terraces of the same age can be found at different elevations along strike. Presumably, some of the seawarddipping, N-S-striking normal faults are active today, despite the lack of recent instrumental seismicity. These findings imply long recurrence intervals for active faults in the northern Quseir area. These results differ from previously published results for the adjacent Quseir-Um Gheig sub-basin area, were E-W-striking strike-slip faults were mapped to offset the N-Sstriking faults, and had been inferred as earthquake-generating faults by Abd El-Wahed et al. (2010). Based on our mapping, we postulate that the large rift-parallel normal faults are seismogenic. Drainage network evolution within the study area is often structurally controlled and the nature of these controls was examined in this study. The Wadi Siatin stream channel network is classified in a relatively simple way, based on the high-resolution satellite data, with dendritic, and rectangular considered the most fundamental channel geometries. It was possible to distinguish the different morphological elements of the network, as well as the anomalies that affect the patterns. This analysis revealed, in the northern Red Sea area basins, the existence of old structures whose successive reactivations have left their mark on the drainage network. Comparison of joint systems direction with the directions of the main trunk stream channel of Wadi Siatin shows that the channel is highly affected by tectonic jointing. First-order channels follow easily erodable faults. Investigations concerning the relationship of stream-flow orientation with geological structure in the Wadi Siatin Basin shows that, generally, the least influenced flows are those of first-order which are governed simply by the valley side slopes on which they developed. However, in certain geological and geomorphological situations, there are clear exceptions to this generalization. Certainly, locally, geological control of these small streams may be even higher than in many streams of higher order. In the peripheral parts of the Basin, expansion of drainage into the available space has obviously been easiest along lines of weakness and, as a consequence of this, streams of the first order come to exhibit a high degree of adjustment to the underlying structure. The maximum structural control is reached by the streams of the third order. Towards the higher orders, the influence of local structure becomes weaker.

This study focused on the management of the red sea urchin Loxechinus albus fishery in Chile. The main objective was to design, construct, implement and assess a computer-based simulation model to analyse the biological effects, socio-economic consequences and spatial dynamics resulting from coastal management plans applied to this resource under the system of AMEBR. This was accomplished by using systems dynamics (SD) and geographical information systems (GIS) modelling, in a process of model development, run, optimisation, sensitivity analysis and risk management, and a series of field-based activities carried out at the cove of Quintay. The GIS model developed for allocating sea urchins restocking sites offered a flexible, cost-effective, user-friendly and descriptive technique for support decision-making on management of this species and other benthic resources. Final site selection for restocking was based on the identification, quantification and selection of higher suitability¦availability combinations (site categories). This map showed 16 different suitability¦availability combinations or site categories, ranging from 4¦100 to 8¦100 (suitability points¦availability %). These had an average of 6.44¦69.37 (covering an area of 82.5 Ha overall equivalent to 81.21% of the study area. This site classification demonstrated high heterogeneity between options, and revealed the full variety of alternatives for decision-making. More importantly, the generally high suitability indexes as well as available area emphasised the prospects for restocking sea urchins in this study area. Over and above of the quantitative outcomes obtained from running the GISRM (suitable and available restocking sites) and the BSESM (alternative strategic management plans), the case study-based analysis made it possible to disclose the wider issues related to the red sea urchin coastal management. These results demonstrated the biological inefficiency of traditional size/seasonal restriction-based approach (macro-scenario 1) for sustainable management of the target species. More importantly, final outcomes strongly suggested that a combination of adaptive restocking-based enhancement activities and flexible exploitation constituted a highly attractive approach (macro-scenario 3) for stock management of this fishery in terms of harvestable stock and related incomes. However from the economic analysis, stocking was also found to be economically unfeasible, being a rather cost intensive exercise negatively affected by high natural mortality rates. A single-variable optimisation analysis demonstrated that a higher survival rate is needed to generate sufficient profits to cover major restocking costs and a positive payment, or a cost reduction is essential to make up for the loss. On top to these practical constraints, based on the distinctive modest economic situation prevailing for most Chilean coves and hence their limited capacity to pay for stocking material, unless adequate and constant funding is available to support artisanal associations, they are very unlikely to develop mass release programmes. Given the economic (i.e.: high operating costs) and technical (i.e.: low survival rates) limitations conditioning stocking-based management cost-effectiveness and applicability, wide implementation of mass releases as a major approach for management of the red sea urchin fishery is very unlikely to take place in Chile. This study presents a methodology and offers a tool to design, evaluate and optimise coastal management plans for the red sea urchin in a dynamic, interactive, systematic, integrated and flexible way. The optional strategic management plans proposed on this study may not be applied equally to any AMEBR, as they are the outputs arising from a single cove-specific analysis. Still, the complete methodological framework and analysis procedures developed may be applied to run the BSESM and optimise management of a red sea urchin fishery at any other AMEBR case of study.

Chapter 2: This chapter introduces the five study sites (Ras Al‐Qasabah; Al Wajh; Yanbu; Farasan Banks; and Western Farasan Islands) along with the fieldwork and detailed benthic mapping and bathymetry mapping conducted in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. In the Western Farasan Islands two candidate mapping technologies were compared. Firstly, the QuickBird multispectral satellite sensor and secondly the CASI‐550 airborne hyperspectral sensor. In processing the CASI imagery, it was necessary to customize processing to correct for an unusual across‐track artifact caused by lens condensation. On the basis of cost, logistical constraints, spectral reliability, and project needs, multispectral imagery was found to be the most appropriate technology for regional‐scale mapping. Over 20,000 sq. km of high quality QuickBird imagery were amassed across the five study sites. This represents approximately half the shallow water (<20 m) environment of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. The work presented in this chapter provides a blueprint for processing such large image data sets. Maps with a minimum mapping unit (MMU) of 7.5 sq. m, and a thematic resolution of fifteen habitat classes were produced at an overall accuracy (Tau statistic) of 70%. The five study sites were found to differ substantially in terms of the type, quantity and spatial arrangement of habitats present. The study illustrates the power of remote sensing for delivering regional‐scale audits of coral reef environments. Chapter 3: Coral reefs and their associated accumulations of carbonate sediment adopt particularly complex planform geometries atop the coastal shelf of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea. By assembling 95,000 sq. km of remote sensing data into a GIS, this study aims to relate the morphology of these shallow‐water depositional environments to processes that sculpt the coastal zone. A typology is developed that sorts carbonate systems into end‐members on the basis of their morphology and relationship to the coastline. The resulting GIS was interrogated for spatial patterns in the distribution and abundance of the end‐members. While several depositional morphologies are present throughout the length of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, the occurrence of others is restricted to narrow regions of latitude. Such differences in distribution can be explained in process‐terms by the rift tectonics of the Red Sea basin, spatial variability in the presence of sub‐seafloor evaporites, and the input of siliciclastic detritus onto the coastal shelf via wadis. This chapter provides a foundation for understanding the morphological diversity of shallow‐water carbonate systems in both the modern ocean and rock record. Chapter 4: In this chapter a framework is proposed for spatially estimating a proxy for coral reef resilience using remote sensing. Data spanning over 20,000 sq. km of coral reef habitat were obtained using the commercial QuickBird satellite, and freely available imagery (NASA, Google Earth). Principles of coral reef ecology, field observation, and remote observations, were combined to devise mapped indices. These indices capture important and accessible components of coral reef resilience. Indices are divided between factors known to stress corals, and factors incorporating properties of the reef landscape that resist stress or promote coral growth. The first‐basis for a remote sensed resilience index (RSRI), an estimate of expected reef resilience, is proposed. Developed for the Red Sea, the framework of the analysis is flexible and with minimal adaptation, could be extended to other reef regions. The chapter illustrates how remote sensing can be used to deliver more than simply habitat maps of coral reefs. Chapter 5: In this chapter, a fundamental measure of coral reef health, coral cover, is assessed in relation to two physical parameters, water depth and wave height. Light availability declines rapidly with depth, which influences the photosynthetic productivity of coral. Where waves break, they produce a severe increase in marine turbulence, and generate currents that may extend beyond the surf zone. The study is focused on the Farasan Banks where some 4000 sq. km of reef habitat are spread across 12,000 sq. km of the Saudi Arabian coastal shelf. The size of the system creates logistical challenge for standard field‐based monitoring methodologies, such as SCUBA surveys. Here, rapid video assessments were employed to deliver measures of coral health across eight percentage cover classes at 472 locations. Whilst water depth can be reliably derived from satellite, assessing wave height is problematic since the parameter is both spatially and temporally variable. Using daily, satellite derived meteorology, a spatially explicit wave model was developed spanning the nine year period from 1999 to 2008. For the majority of the video sites in the Farasan Banks, coral cover was found to be <11%. This statistic hides the counter trend, however that there are robust patterns in higher coral abundance that can be characterized by water depth and wave height. In the inshore, wave height had little bearing on coral cover, instead video sites with a high coral cover were found with a greater probability in shallow (<9m, reef environments. In the offshore, wave exposure exercises stronger control on coral cover than in the inshore, such that video sites with a coral cover greater than 50% were exclusively found in areas where significant wave height exceeds 2 m. The water depth at which the highest coral cover occurs is also deeper offshore than inshore. Once quantified, the conservative behavior of coral cover with respect to water depth and hydrodynamic exposure offers relevant insight to the management of coral reef environments at regional extent. Chapter 6: Carbonate sequence stratigraphy is founded on the principle that changes in relative sea level are recorded in the rock record by the accumulation of sediment with relative‐water‐depth dependent attributes. While at the scale of a shelf‐to‐basin transect, facies clearly stratify by water depth, the relationship blurs for depths <40 m, the most vigorous zone of carbonate production, where the intrinsic processes of storm and wave reworking influence the seabed through submarine erosion and sediment redistribution. Remote sensing imagery, field observations, and hydrodynamic models for two reef‐rimmed shore‐attached carbonate platforms in the Red Sea show neither water depth nor energy regime to be reliable indicators of facies type when considered in isolation. Considered simultaneously, however, the predictive power of the two variables rises significantly. The results demonstrate it to be an oversimplification to assume a direct link between palaeo‐water depth and depositional lithofacies diversity, while highlighting the importance of hydrodynamics in directing the accumulation of carbonate sediments in the shallow photic zone. While the size distributions of facies in the two focus areas, Al Wajh and Ras Al‐Qasabah, follow power laws, no direct relationship between the lateral continuity of the facies belts and water depth or wave height are reported. The work is relevant for the interpretation of meter‐scale subtidal carbonate cycles throughout the geologic record.

Infectious disease has always been and will continue to be a heavy burden on human society worldwide. Terrestrial actinobacteria, notable as a source of antibiotics, have been well investigated in the past. In constrast, marine actinobacteria, especially sponge-associated species, have received much less attention and isolates are sparse. With the aim of studying and discovering novel marine actinobacteria, 11 different species of sponges were collected from the Central Red Sea in Saudi Arabia and cultured with three different types of media. 16S rRNA gene-sequencing revealed that among all 75 isolated bacterial strains 13 belonged to the order actinomycetales. These 13 actinomycetes fall into four different families and can be assigned to six different genera. Antibiotic activity tests using disc diffusion assay were performed against Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus sp.), Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli), fungi (Fusarium sp.) and West Nile virus NS3 protease. Nine strains presented different level of bioactivity against these pathogens. These findings provide evidence that actinomycetes are presented in marine sponges and that they have the potential to be good candidates in the search for new effective antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral compounds.

One contemporary issue experienced worldwide is the climate change due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Microbial Electrochemical Systems pose as an alternative for energy generation. In this technology, microorganisms are primarily responsible for electricity production. To improve the performance it is reasonable to think that bacteria from diverse environments, such as the brine pools of the Red Sea, can be utilized in these systems. Samples from three brine pools: Atlantis II, Valdivia, and Kebrit Deeps, were analyzed using Microbial Electrochemical Cells, with a poised potential at +0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) and acetate as electron donor, to evaluate the exoelectrogenic activity by the present microorganisms. Only samples from Valdivia Deep were able to produce a noticeable current of 6 A/m2. This result, along with acetate consumption and changes on the redox activity measured with cyclic voltammetry, provides arguments to con rm the presence of exoelectrogenic bacteria in this environment. Further characterization using microscopy and molecular biology techniques is required, to obtain the most amount of information about these microorganisms and their potential use in bioelectrochemical technologies.

The characterization of petrophysical properties such as porosity and permeability of carbonate reservoirs for understanding their heterogeneous nature is essential to enhance reservoir modelling and exploration. In the early development stages of carbonate rocks, early diagenesis features fundamental changes in the porosity and permeability systems which will likely yield enormous influence on the subsequent diagenesis, and hence the petrophysical properties of potential limestone reservoirs. From a Late Pleistocene (MIS5) reefal core limestone from Al Wajh, Shurayrah Island, Northern Red Sea, KSA, detailed petrographic image analysis of thin sections, laboratory measurements of porosity and permeability and x-ray computed tomography (CT) of core plugs and whole core sections, were used for the identification, analysis and visualization of the pore types, pore network and pore connectivity. Analyzed x-ray CT scan images reveal the pore types, pore network and pore connectivity in 2D and 3D. A separate in-depth facies and diagenesis study using thin section images coupled with x-ray CT image analysis, shows lithofacies and microfacies types control most of the early diagenesis hence porosity and permeability. This thesis hopes to open a pathway to understanding pore and pore throat structures as well as the porosity-permeability relationship in young carbonate rocks before deep burial to enhance reservoir modelling and characterization of analogues

The field of marine population connectivity is receiving growing attention from ecologists worldwide. The degree to which metapopulations are connected via larval dispersal has vital ramifications for demographic and evolutionary dynamics and largely determines the way we manage threatened coastal ecosystems. Here we addressed different questions relating to connectivity by integrating direct and indirect genetic approaches over different spatial and ecological scales in a coral reef fish in the Red Sea. We developed 35 novel microsatellite loci for our study organism the two-band anemonefish Amphiprion bicinctus (Rüppel 1830), which served as the basis of the following approaches. First, we collected nearly one thousand samples of A. bicinctus from 19 locations across 1500 km along the Saudi Arabian coast to infer population genetic structure. Genetic variability along the northern and central coast was weak, but showed a significant break at approximately 20°N. Implementing a model of isolation by environment with chlorophyll-a concentrations and geographic distance as predictors we were able to explain over 90% of the genetic variability in the data (R2 = 0.92). For the second approach we sampled 311 (c. 99%) putative parents and 172 juveniles at an isolated reef, Quita al Girsh (QG), to estimate self-recruitment using genetic parentage analysis. Additionally we collected 176 juveniles at surrounding locations to estimate larval dispersal from QG and ran a biophysical dispersal model of the system with real5 time climatological forcing. In concordance with model predictions, we found a complete lack (c. 0.5%) of self-recruitment over two sampling periods within our study system, thus presenting the first empirical evidence for a largely open reef fish population. Lastly, to conceptualize different hypotheses regarding the underlying processes and mechanisms of self-recruitment versus long-distance dispersal in marine organisms with pelagic larval stages, I introduce and discuss the concept of “origin effects”, providing the theoretical background to some of the questions that have arisen during this research. Overall, this thesis has generated significant new insights into the patterns of coral reef fish connectivity, specifically for the Red Sea, where such information has previously been scarce.