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Impacts of UV radiation on corals and other organisms in the Red Sea

Project

Project Details

Program
Marine Science
Field of Study
​Marine Science
Division
Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering
Faculty Lab Link
https://www.kaust.edu.sa/en/study/faculty/susana-agusti
Center Affiliation
Red Sea Research Center

Project Description

UV radiation has been identified as a key abiotic stressor in the marine environment, particularly in waters characterized by high optical transparency. One such environment is the Red Sea basin that, due to consistently minimal concentrations of UV-attenuating substances, has an exceptionally high transparency to UV radiation. This optical property and the proximity of the basin to the equator means that Red Sea organisms are exposed to intense, damaging levels of UV radiation.This project will investigate the effects of UV on scleractinian corals and other organisms in the Red Sea. ​

About the Researcher

Susana Agusti
Professor, Marine Science
Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division

Affiliations

Education Profile

  • Ph.D., Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, 1989
  • B.Sc., Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, 1982

Research Interests

Professor Agusti is a biological oceanographer. Her research focuses on the ecology of photosynthetic plankton and the metabolic balance of the oceans. She has conducted research in the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Southern Ocean. Now she is also studying the Red Sea. Her present goals focus on evaluating the impact of global change in the oceans. She aims to test the vulnerability of planktonic communities to warming, as well as to other stressors associated withA global change suchA as increased UVB radiation, persistent pollutants and ocean acidification. She also studiesA other related aspects, suchA as stressors' joint effects and theA adaptation of Red Sea organisms to global change.

Selected Publications

  • Garcia-Corral, L.S., S. Agusti, A. Regaudie-de-Gioux, F. Iuculano, P. Carrillo-de-Albornoz, P. Wassmann and C.M. Duarte. 2014. Ultraviolet radiation enhances Arctic net plankton community production. Geophysical Res. Letters 41, doi:10.1002/2014GL060553.
  • Agusti, S. , Llabres, M.M., Carreja B., Fernandez M. , Duarte, C.M. 2014. Contrasting sensitivity of marine biota to UV-B radiation between Southern and Northern hemispheres. Estuaries and Coasts. DOI: 10.1007/s12237-014-9790-9.
  • Echeveste, P., A. Tovar-SA¡nchez, S. Agusti. 2014. Tolerance of polar phytoplankton communities to metals. Environmental Pollution, 185: 188-195.
  • Duarte, C.M., A. Regaudie-de-Gioux, J. M. Arrieta, A. Delgado-Huertas, S. Agusti. 2013. The Oligotrophic Ocean Is Heterotrophic. Annual Review of Marine Science 5: 551a-69.
  • Agusti, S., and C.M. Duarte. 2013. Phytoplankton lysis predicts dissolved organic carbon release in marine plankton communities. Biogeosciences 10: 1259a-1264.
  • LlabrA©s, M., J. Dachs, S. Agusti. 2012. Transference of Atmospheric Hydroxyl Radical to the Ocean Surface Induces High Phytoplankton Cell Death. Photochemistry and Photobiology 88: 1473a-1479.

Desired Project Deliverables

​Bibliographic search and bibliometric analysis.Design of field and laboratory experiments.Apply molecular laboratory techniques to evaluate UV effects on e.g. DNA damage, symbiosis state, lipid peroxidation, etc.Write final report summarizing the project work and key findings.
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