Deep-water corals record abrupt climate variability in the red sea: insights from δ234U and U-series chronology

The Red Sea occupies a climatically sensitive position at the intersection of the African monsoon, the Mediterranean westerlies, and the Afro–Asian dust belt. Its semi-restricted connection to the Indian Ocean renders the Red Sea highly responsive to shifts in atmospheric circulation and hydroclimate. Because of this, the basin has long been considered a natural laboratory for interrogating Quaternary climate variability in the Middle East.

We present new constraints on Red Sea paleoceanography and its capacity to record abrupt climate variability, using deep-water corals (DWCs) collected during submersible dives in the northern Red Sea. Uranium–thorium geochronology, clumped and stable isotopes, and radiogenic strontium measurements challenge the prevailing lowstand “basin sterilization” paradigm for the last glacial maximum. Instead, these data support a meaningful connection to the Indian Ocean throughout major sea level changes.

Building on this updated paleoceanographic context, we explore the potential of uranium-series disequilibria in DWC’s as a novel proxy for terrigenous input and hydroclimate. By studying the sensitivity of 234U/238U to weathering, riverine discharge, and dust flux, we develop a framework linking atmospheric circulation, Arabian rainfall, and seawater δ234U, and apply U–Th geochronology to resolve Late Quaternary variability. Together, these advances position DWC’s as a new archive for reconstructing abrupt hydroclimate events in a dynamically forced region.