ocean health

I Live in the Desert, So Why Care About the Ocean?

Written by

As a resident of Saudi Arabia, I’m frequently met with puzzled looks when I express my passion for ocean conservation. People often wonder why someone living in a desert would be concerned about the health of the oceans. Similarly, despite being surrounded by endless stretches of sand, my father founded an ocean conservation foundation. But the truth is, the desert and the ocean are more connected than meets the eye. From influencing weather patterns to supporting biodiversity, the ocean’s impact extends far beyond coastal regions, reaching even the heart of the desert.

Living in the heart of Saudi Arabia, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the ocean. After all, our vast deserts dominate the landscape, covering about 95% of the country. But did you know that Saudi Arabia boasts a coastline stretching over 2,500 kilometers along the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf? Despite the desert’s prominence, the health of our oceans directly impacts life in the desert and beyond…

Identifying Foraminifera With Riley Ames

Written by

My name is Riley Ames, and I am a second-year oceanography and marine biology student at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. I have been working in the marine geosciences laboratory studying foraminifera since 2022, and I spend most of my time outside of class in the lab. I greatly enjoy my work there; in fact, I have discovered my passion for micropaleontology through my work on benthic foraminifera. I currently work on the identification of foraminifera. Primarily, I worked on completing the New Caledonia…

Joining Forces for Marine Conservation

Written by

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation have reached a momentous agreement to work together to safeguard our oceans. Recognizing their mutual interest in protecting ocean health for current and future generations, the two foundations formalized their partnership by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) at the Third Foundations Dialogue meeting in Monaco. The signing ceremony was graced by the presence of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and Her Royal Highness Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan.

Organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, the Foundations Dialogue Group provides a platform for the philanthropic community to collaborate and work together to move the needle towards ocean conservation. The Third Foundations Dialogue Meeting is being hosted by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort from June 14-16. It provides a unique opportunity for foundations to collaborate and see how they could align their efforts to achieve the bold ambitions of the United Nations Ocean Decade for Sustainable Development, known as the “Ocean Decade.”

Measuring reef health from space

Written by

With compelling evidence that we have lost half of the world’s tropical coral reefs over the last few decades, there is an urgent need to understand their overall health. Without this basic information to use as a baseline, it is near impossible to mount a response to the so-called global reef crisis. The most straightforward method we have for monitoring reefs is conducting SCUBA diver surveys. However, this type of field work is logistically and financially challenging to execute on large scales, so developing a new method to monitor reefs remotely is key.

In attempt to find a solution, Anna Bakker combines the fields of remote sensing, computer science, and ecology to measure reef health from space. Recently, Anna published a paper in Coral Reefs, which utilized the Living Oceans Foundation’s Global Reef Expedition field dataset to build a model that can predict coral cover and other metrics of coral reef health using open-source satellite data.

Our Living Oceans: Threats to Our Oceans, now playing on EarthxTV!

Written by

Throughout the Global Reef Expedition, the Living Oceans Foundation observed signs of declining ocean health and its impact on coral reefs and coastal marine ecosystems. What are the biggest threats to our ocean, and what can be done to protect it?

Find out in the 4th episode of Our Living Oceans, now playing on EarthxTV!

Tune in to hear from experts from the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and our fellow scientists and conservation leaders working around the world to protect and restore ocean health.

This episode features many scientists and partners who joined us on the Global Reef Expedition, as well as renowned marine scientists Dr. Daniel Pauly, Dr. Ben Halpern, and Dr. Nancy Knowlton. In this episode, you will also hear from celebrated deep-sea explorer, Her Deepness Dr. Sylvia Earle, about her hopes for the future of our ocean.

Watch Our Living Oceans online or on the EarthxTV app today, and discover the hidden life within our living oceans.

Watch “Our Living Oceans” on EarthXTV

Written by

EarthxTV presents a new original series, airing on September 6th that reveals the hidden life within our oceans. In partnership with the Khaled bin Sultan Oceans Foundation (KSLOF), Our Living Oceans engages scientists, conservationists, and local leaders from around the world who are working to preserve, protect and restore ocean health. Episodes feature HRH Princess Hala bint Khaled bin Sultan, National Geographic explorer-in-residence Dr. Sylvia Earle, Dr. Ved Chirayath of the NASA Ames Research Center and many more at the front line of ocean research, education and outreach.

Documentaries to Inspire and Educate

Written by

Happy Earth Day!

This year for Earth Day, the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation is asking you to pledge to learn more about the threats to ocean health. The world is, after all, a Blue Planet.

One way you can do this is by watching documentary films that educate you about critical ocean issues and inspire you to take action. We have selected a few of our favorites below that are currently streaming, one for each day of Earth Week. These films address the biggest threats to our ocean—such as overfishing, climate change, and pollution—but they also showcase what is being done to save them. We encourage you to pick one of these films to watch tonight in celebration of Earth Day.

Maps

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation produces high-resolution coral reef habitat maps of previously unmapped, remote coral reef systems around the world. The maps we create are a product of extensive scientific research. We use a process that involves …