After around five months of search in the Red Sea, the Decade Expedition announced that it has discovered several new ecosystems and rare maritime species.
The expedition involved 126 researchers and was launched by the National Center for Wildlife. The discoveries were featured in 77 new research papers.
The announcement was made during the “Red Sea Decade Expedition”, a symposium that hosted specialized maritime experts and scientists from around the world, and concluded in Riyadh on Monday.
The expedition was aimed at exploring the unique biodiversity along the Saudi coasts, from bacteria to whales, in addition to creating a database on the statuses of ecosystems and the endangered species that need protection.
The researchers detected over 10 blue holes, incubating unique ecosystems. For the first time ever, the DNA sequencing results confirmed the presence of great white sharks in the Red Sea. The expedition unveiled thousands-years-old active thermal vents and…