Coral Ecology

Stopping the Spread

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Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 4 Whenever crown of thorns starfish (COTS) are reported, we never know if they will still be in the same location or how much they have moved. In part, this depends on how quickly a …

Fiji Field Report

Between, 2 June 2013 – 28 June 2013, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation conducted a research mission to the Lau Province of Fiji as part of the Global Reef Expedition. The research focused on coral reefs surrounding 11 …

Gili Goes COTS Collecting

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Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 2 In May of this year we began receiving emails from marine biologists based in the Maldives requesting assistance to manage the growing crown of thorns starfish (COTS) populations. Although COTS have been seen here …

Maldives: A Country of Contrast

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Expedition Log: Maldives – Day 1 From the window of our airplane, I gaze in amazement at the expanse of high rise buildings crowded onto the tiny, low lying Indian Ocean island of Male, the capital of Maldives. Home to …

2014 Annual Report

2014 marked the fourth year of our historic Global Reef Expedition. On our journey around the world’s coral belt we have been rewarded with scientific discoveries and concerned by the pace and scale of the coral reef crisis. During the …

Success Was Worth the Wounds

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Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 12 As we bandage our wounds, wash and pack our gear, and prepare for our departure, we take time to discuss the outcomes of our project with our partners in Aitutaki. Since discovering and …

BIOT Field Report

Between 7 March 2015 and 3 May 2015, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation conducted two coral reef research missions to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) as components of our Global Reef Expedition (GRE) program. Our primary objectives …

After the Fire

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Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 11 After a drove of crown of thorns starfish (COTS) moves through the reef, all that remains are the stark white coral skeletons. These quickly become covered in a green and brown fuzz of …

Faster Than a Speeding Bullet?

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Expedition Log: Cook Islands – Day 10 Juvenile and adult crown of thorns starfish (COTS) do not walk on their arms. Instead, they have thousands of tiny tube feet which occur along the grooves underneath each arm. Operated hydraulically using …