Burt’s group use the thermally extreme Arabian/Persian Gulf as a natural laboratory to study the possible future implications of climate change on coral reef organisms, with current projects ongoing in a number of countries throughout the Arabian region as well as elsewhere. The Gulf has also experienced rapid and extensive growth in coastal urbanization in the past several decades, and Burt’s research has explored the ecological implications of the increasingly urbanized seascapes in the region. He also advises a number of state and national agencies in the region on conservation of coastal ecosystems and more sustainable coastal development practices.