Science Articles, Publications, and Annual Reports

Publications

Research to Support Marine Conservation

Publications

Research to Support Marine Conservation

PUBLICATIONS

Research That Drives Real-World Impact

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has conducted extensive marine research, contributing to hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific publications and producing a wealth of reports, maps, and management resources. Our research provides critical insights into the health and resiliency of coral reefs worldwide, supporting conservation efforts, policy decisions, and sustainable management of coastal marine ecosystems.

In addition to peer-reviewed studies, we have published reports summarizing our scientific findings in key locations, atlases mapping coral reef and coastal marine habitats, and resources designed to assist marine managers in safeguarding their reefs. These publications have been shared with governments, conservation organizations, and local communities to help guide marine conservation initiatives.

Marine Atlases

Our atlases of coral reefs and other shallow-water marine habitats are a showcase of our work in a region, containing comprehensive color maps of the seafloor along with a summary of our scientific findings on the health and resiliency of their marine ecosystems.

Atlases are a final product of our scientific research, the culmination of all of our coral reef surveys and mapping activities, available in a form governments can use to make decisions about how they use their coastal lands and waters. To date, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation has published three Atlases, the Red Sea Atlas, the Bahamas Atlas, and the Atlas of the Amirantes:

Red Sea Atlas

Over a four-year period, the Living Oceans Foundation led a massive marine habitat research mission in the Red Sea. The results of our surveys are published in the Atlas of Saudi Arabian Red Sea Marine Habitats, the first-ever atlas covering all of Saudi Arabia’s coral reef habitats in the Red Sea. It is available for download in both English and Arabic.

The Bahamas Atlas

The Atlas of Shallow Marine Habitats of Cay Sal Bank, Great Inagua, Little Inagua, and Hogsty Reef, Bahamas, is the result of months of underwater research to survey and map the seafloor. The Bahamas Atlas combines advanced satellite imagery, aerial photography, and data from hundreds of research dives into the first high-resolution coral reef ecosystem maps of many Bahamian reefs.

The Atlas of the Amirantes

In 2005, the Living Oceans Foundation traveled to the Seychelles, a 115-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to study the impact of an El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) ocean warming event on their coral reefs. The Atlas of the Amirantes contains high-resolution benthic habitat maps that were created from this research project for the purpose of aiding the Seychelles government in marine conservation efforts and management plans, the result of months of underwater research to survey and map the seafloor.

Final Reports

These reports are the final reports we create following an ocean research expedition. They include coral reef site descriptions, relevant data and observations, research images, survey method details, and data analysis. Please download these reports and share them freely.

Annual Reports

Each year, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation publishes an annual report highlighting our key achievements, activities, and financials as we work to protect and preserve ocean health around the world. Click on the images below to download the full report.

Scientific Publications

We are committed to making our research accessible to those working to protect the ocean. Scroll down to browse our publications by location and/or research topic to explore our findings. If you need additional information, you can request data to support your marine research and conservation efforts.

Machine‑Learning Algorithms for Identifying Climate‑Resilient Corals in the Republic of Palau

Mayfield, A.B., Dempsey, A.C. Machine-learning algorithms for identifying climate-resilient corals in the Republic of Palau. Discov Oceans 2, 45 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44289-025-00080-7

The paper highlights innovative research supported by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation that demonstrates how artificial intelligence can be used to identify corals most likely to survive climate change.

Foraminifera Record Historical Coral-Algal Phase Shifts on Caribbean Coral Reefs

Kalman, A., Humphreys, A. F., Adams, Z., Ames, R., Marín, A. R., Dempsey, A. C., & Purkis, S. J. (2025). Foraminifera record historical coral-algal phase shifts on Caribbean coral reefs. Marine Environmental Research, 211, 107437. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2025.107437

This publication, based on our work with the University of Miami for our "Protist Prophets" project, demonstrates how a new foraminiferal bioindicator provides a valuable tool for reconstructing the historical trajectories of Caribbean reefs, even in the absence of historical monitoring data.

Remotely Sensed Spectral Variability Predicts Reef Fish Diversity

Bakker, A.C.B., Gleason, A.C.R., Dempsey, A.C., Bachman, S., Burdick, D., Tarano, A.M., Chirayath, V., & Purkis, S.J. (2024). “Remotely sensed spectral variability predicts reef fish diversity.” Ecological Indicators, 169, 112823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112823

This study combines UAV-based fluid lensing imagery and multispectral satellite data with fish biodiversity datasets the Living Oceans Foundation collected during the Global Reef Expedition to demonstrate how spectral variability can serve as a proxy for reef biodiversity, paving the way for non-invasive, large-scale biodiversity monitoring that complements traditional field-based surveys.

Remotely sensed habitat diversity predicts species diversity on coral reefs

Anna C. Bakker, Arthur C.R. Gleason, Alexandra C. Dempsey, Helen E. Fox, Rebecca H. Green, Sam J. Purkis, (2024). “Remotely sensed habitat diversity predicts species diversity on coral reefs,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Volume 302, 2024, 113990, ISSN 0034-4257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.113990.

KSLOF's Chief Scientist, Dr. Sam Purkis, worked with his Ph.D. student, Dr. Anna Baker, to develop a new way to use satellites to analyze global reef biodiversity.

Evaluation of the Allen Coral Atlas benthic habitat map product for New Caledonia using representative habitat observations from a multi‑species fishery assessment

Serge, A., Maële, B., Stéphane, G. et al. (2024). “Evaluation of the Allen Coral Atlas benthic habitat map product for New Caledonia using representative habitat observations from a multi-species fishery assessment.” Coral Reefs. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-024-02481-0.

Serge Andrefouet, a scientist who joined us on the Global Reef Expedition, assessed the accuracy of the Allen Coral Atlas's coral reef habitat maps in New Caledonia, and compared it to other reef maps, including the ground-truthed maps we created on the Global Reef Expedition, and found our maps to be more accurate.

The 2022 Hunga-Tonga Mega-tsunami: Near-Field Simulation of a Once-in-a-Century Event

Sam J. Purkis, Steven N. Ward, Nathan M. Fitzpatrick, James B. Garvin, Dan Slayback, Shane J. Cronin, Monica Palaseanu-Lovejoy, and Alexandra Dempsey (2023). “The 2022 Hunga-Tonga Mega-tsunami: Near-Field Simulation of a Once-in-a-Century Event.” Science Advances.

KSLOF's Chief Scientist, Dr. Sam Purkis, used bathymetry data collected on the Foundation's Global Reef Expedition to model the size of the tsunami to hit Tonga in January of 2022. He and found that it was similar in size to the one caused by the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.

Environmentally-Driven Variation in the Physiology of a New Caledonian Reef Coral

Mayfield, A.B.; Dempsey, A.C. Environmentally-Driven Variation in the Physiology of a New Caledonian Reef Coral. Oceans 2022, 3, 15–29. https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans3010002

This publication by one of our former fellows and our Director of Science Management studies the physiology of 'pristine' corals in New Caledonia just before the onset of severe annual bleaching events, so that future generations might know how these corals functioned in their last bleaching-free year.

Tsunamigenic Potential of an Incipient Submarine Landslide in the Tiran Straits

Purkis, S. J., Ward, S. N., Shernisky, H., Chimienti, G., Sharifi, A., Marchese, F., et al. (2022). Tsunamigenic potential of an incipient submarine landslide in the Tiran Straits. Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL097493. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097493

KSLOF Chief Scientist, Dr. Sam Purkis, released a study of the potential impacts of a tsunami in the Red Sea.

A New Foraminiferal Bioindicator for Long-Term Heat Stress on Coral Reefs

Humphreys, A.F., Purkis, S.J., Wan, C. et al. A New Foraminiferal Bioindicator for Long-Term Heat Stress on Coral Reefs. J. Earth Sci. 33, 1451–1459 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-021-1543-7

KSLOF Chief Scientist, Dr. Sam Purkis, worked with our partners at the University of Miami to develop a way to use benthic foraminifera as bioindicators for reef health.

Amphistegina lobifera Foraminifera Are Excellent Bioindicators of Heat Stress on High Latitude Red Sea Reefs

Humphreys, A.F., Abdulla, A., Sherman, S. et al. Amphistegina lobifera foraminifera are excellent bioindicators of heat stress on high latitude Red Sea reefs. Coral Reefs 41, 1211–1223 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-022-02264-5

This study that the relative abundance of Amphisteginidae foraminifera—specifically Amphistegina lobifera—closely tracks heat stress in the Red Sea, and can serve as a thermal bioindicator.