Warmer waters in the Southern Ocean have led to the loss of Antarctic ice during past interglacial times. The shells of foraminifera are preserved in Ross Sea sediment, which is collected in cores. Benthic species from Site U1523 inform us about changing water masses and current activity, including incursions of Circumpolar Deep Water. Warm water planktic species were found in sediment samples from four intervals within 3.72–1.82 million years ago, indicating warmer than present conditions.

The Red Sea hosts exceptionally diverse marine environments despite elevated salinities. Distributions of benthic foraminifers were used to assess the ecological status of coral reef environments in the Ras Mohamed Nature Reserve, south Sinai. Sediment samples collected in mangrove, shallow-lagoon, and coral reef habitats yielded 95 foraminiferal species. Six species, five hosting algal symbionts, made up ~70 % of the specimens examined, indicating water quality suitable for reef accretion.