Environmental Constraints for Reef Building in the Gulf

The Gulf is a peripheral basin of the Indian Ocean, at roughly 23°50′–29°52′ degrees northern latitude. It harbors extensive coral growth in one of the highest latitude locations in the world (Table 2.1). Due to its high-latitude position, its shallow nature, and its position within the great desert belt, the Gulf and its corals are exposed to extremes in temperature, salinity and other physical factors (Kinsman 1964a, b; Sheppard et al. 1992). But despite a seemingly hostile climate, corals endure and have been shown to exhibit remarkable resilience and vitality even if faced by some of the most extreme environmental conditions corals have to endure anywhere. This chapter will outline the most important physical constraints on reef building.