Scientific articles

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  • 2025

    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.

  • 2025

    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.

  • 2024

    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.

  • 2024

    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. 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 (2024). 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.

  • 2024

    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, "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.

  • 2023

    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. "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.

  • 2022

    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

    This study focuses on identifying which foraminifera respond systematically to the temperature stress that kills corals, and the potential for using foraminifera to develop new indices capable of quantifying long-term thermal impacts on reefs.