Oceans
Oceans Break Heat Record for Fourth Year in a Row
The world’s oceans hit their warmest levels on record for the fourth consecutive year in 2022, fueling sea-level rise and contributing to climate disasters
Oceans51 articles archived since 1845
Conservation
China and Russia Continue to Block Protections for Antarctica
For the sixth year in a row, nations failed to agree on any new marine protected areas in the fragile Southern Ocean around Antarctica
Oceans
Rare Red Sea Brine Pool Holds Secrets of Past Natural Disasters
An ultradense pool of salty water at the bottom of the ocean holds a pristine record of hundreds of years of tsunamis, earthquakes and floods
Oceans
Who Owns the Ocean’s Genes? Tension on the High Seas
Countries are struggling with how to share genetic code from myriad ocean creatures, which could lead to billion-dollar drugs
Oceans
Hope for New Drugs Arises from the Sea
Compounds that marine creatures make to defend themselves could yield lifesaving medicines
Oceans
See Delicate Rib Vortices Encircle Breaking Ocean Waves
These little-studied mini twisters form beautiful loops under the water’s surface
Animals
Greatest Migration on Earth Happens under Darkness Every Day
Trillions of tiny animals may be coordinating their movements in ways that affect every organism on the planet
Animals
Fantastic Sea Creatures Photographed Up Close and Personal
Sea angels, telescope fish and blanket octopuses can be real monsters
Oceans
How the Ocean Sustains Complex Life
Detailed data about a host of physical and chemical forces are shaping a new view of the sea
Oceans
Salty Sea Spray Keeps Lightning Strikes Away
Particles of sea salt in the air could stop clouds from charging up for a lightning strike
Endangered Species
Everything You Know about Shark Conservation Is Wrong
Sharks need our help, but many widespread conservation messages are not based on scientific evidence
Oceans
Exploration Is Fundamental to Human Success
Discoveries inspire us, give us hope for a better future and pay off generously
Oceans
High-Tech Seafloor Mapping Is Finding Surprising Structures Everywhere
Giant coral towers, vast reefs and other formations are captivating explorers
Oceans
The Mystery of Milky Seas Is Finally Being Solved
Scientists are uncovering more about an eerie phenomenon that has bewildered seafarers for centuries
Oceans
What Does It Look Like when an Ecosystem Collapses? Kelp Can Show Us
After a mass algal die-off in the Pacific, researchers used satellites, undergrads, artificial intelligence and people wading in tide pools figure out what was lost—and how it might come back...
Oceans
Eerie Photo Proves the Existence of Milky Seas—A First
A night photograph taken from a sailboat near the island of Java validates a satellite image of a giant, glowing “milky sea”
Oceans
Discoveries from the Deep
Advances in robotics, sensing and genomics are accelerating findings of sophisticated life throughout the ocean depths
Oceans
Mystery, Discovery and Surprise in the Oceans
Bizarre sea creatures, a new view of the ocean, the race to the moon, and more
Oceans
Dive into a Vanishing Invisible Forest to See What Climate Has Changed
Our kelp forests are largely unobserved, but now they are vanishing. To understand why, scientists dive underwater and look down from space. Their research reveals a complex system at risk of collapse...
Oceans
Ocean Discoveries Are Revising Long-Held Truths about Life
New findings show that the ocean is much more intertwined with our lives than we ever imagined
