Our Chief Scientist, Dr. Sam Purkis, returned to the Red Sea to participate in another OceanX research mission in the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba. The OceanX research mission complemented the foundation’s earlier work in the region, which we conducted 15 years ago. Whereas in 2007, the foundation focused on mapping the shallow-water reef systems of the northern Red Sea and setting a baseline for their health and vitality, the focus of the latest expedition was on the deep-water system, which extends from the mesophotic zone down to the abyssal plains of the Red Sea. This new focus allowed the underpinnings of the shallow-water reefs to be examined and shed light on the incredibly high diversity of reef morphology observed in the waters offshore Saudi Arabia. It also led to the discovery of the first brine pool discovered along the coast in the Gulf of Aqaba.
2025-2026 B.A.M. Student Voices
Throughout the Bahamas Awareness of Mangroves (B.A.M.) and Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) programs, we evaluate each phase of the mangrove education and restoration process to better understand how students are learning, growing, and connecting with their coastal environments.
Before the programs begin, students share what they already know about mangroves and how they feel about them. As the program progresses, we continue to gather feedback to see how their knowledge evolves from identifying mangrove species and understanding food webs to recognizing the role mangroves play in coastal protection and climate change mitigation.
But the surveys go beyond science content.
We also ask students…
