When thinking of "human connections" with the ocean, most people would think about pollution or overfishing. But humans are also explorers and scientists, artists and writers. Explore how the ocean has influenced human culture and how you can get involved.

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Salmon Recycling: Waste Not, Want Not

May 8, 2013 - 12:14PMAs a research diver for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), one of my jobs is to make sure that people and companies working in the fish industry don’t dump too much waste in the ocean. On my first dive at an underwater...

Release Your Inner Blue Poet
Apr 11, 2013 - 10:11AM
April is National Poetry Month here in the United States. We'd like you to...

Underwater WWII Wrecks – Pollution or Cu...
Jan 15, 2013 - 1:26PM
2012 marked the 70th anniversary of a series of World War II battles in the...

SPOTLIGHT

Raven Spirit: A Native American Canoe's Journey

Under a watchful raven’s eye, this handmade Tlingit canoe became a symbol of the ocean and of Alaska’s Native peoples. Over...
MORE HUMAN CONNECTIONS

AUDIO / VIDEO

  • After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, WHOI scientists aboard the R/V Endeavor found and mapped a plume of hydrocarbons beneath the surface of the Gulf using the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry.

    Science in a Time of Crisis: Searching for the Plume
  • Watch this short video tutorial to learn how to do light painting. Painting with light is a photographic technique that can be used in the classroom to help students understand bioluminescence.

    Light Painting Tutorial
  • a bowhead whale and her calf, seen from above

    Bowhead Whale: One Species at a Time
  • Ice divers look for holes in a melt pond in order to enter the frigid waters.

    Ice Divers Prepare to Plunge
  • <p>In this video, Smithsonian research zoologist Dr. Martha Nizinski takes viewers with her as she searches for crustaceans in the <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-science/deep-ocean-exploration">deep sea</a></strong>. This work is part of the <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/blog/summer-sub-drop-down-discovery">Deep Reefs Observation Project</a></strong> (DROP), you can read more about it in the "<strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/category/blog-category/summer-sub">Summer in a Sub</a></strong>" blog series.</p>

    Searching for Crustaceans in the Deep Sea
  • Podcast: Dr. Brian Huber on Building the Sant Ocean Hall

    Podcast: Dr. Brian Huber on Building the Sant Ocean Hall
  • An illustration of a giant squid (Architeuthis dux)

    Giant Squid: One Species at a Time
  • <p><strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/when-art-meets-science-hyberbolic-crochet-coral-reef">The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef</a></strong> brings together mathematics, marine science, craft, and community activism in an effort to raise awareness about the threat to coral reefs worldwide. Watch the archived webcast of the panel discussion from March 12, 2011 on "Stories from the Reef," the impact of community projects on conservation efforts.</p>

    Webcast: Stories from the Reef
  • "Sampling the Source" describes successful efforts by WHOI scientists to obtain the only samples of oil and gas directly from the broken riser pipe and blow-out preventer and return them to the surface at pressure.

    Science in a Time of Crisis: Sampling the Source
  • <p>In Washington, D.C., Chilton and other members of the Native community launch the canoe.</p>

    The Official Canoe Launch

  • World Oceans Day 2012 - Live Webcast

  • Ocean - A Dance About Science and Conservation
  • <p>View the winning video from the National Ocean Science Bowl.</p>

    National Ocean Science Bowl winning video
  • <p>Nearly twenty years after the <em>Titanic </em>wreck site was discovered,&nbsp;Dr. Robert Ballard and a team of researchers return to the site to survey the wreckage and conduct scientific analysis of the ship's deterioration.</p>

    The Titanic Wrecksite

IMAGE GALLERIES

  • X-ray of a white-rimmed stingray

    X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity

  • Deep Ocean Census of Marine Life
  • The Baltic Sea faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species.

    Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea
  • a photograph of a bioluminescent squid at Sunset Reef Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

    Ocean Views from Nature's Best Photos
  • A painting of Reverend Moses Harvey of Newfoundland buying a dead giant squid caught by fishermen in 1874

    From Mermen to Architeuthis, Our Fascination with the Giant Squid
  • The People's Reef--Part of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

    The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef
  • Scientist tagging a great white shark

    Collaborator Research
  • An oceanic whitetip shark swims near a biologist in the Bahamas.

    Image Gallery: Swimming with Sharks
  • Students study the effect of climate change on crabs.

    Teens Take Action on the Ocean & Climate
  • a wrasse cleaning a butterflyfish

    Image Gallery: The Perfect Underwater Photo

  • Discoveries in Australia and New Guinea
  • Map of Smithsonian science research field stations

    Smithsonian Research Stations

  • Archaeologists Investigate an Early Whaling Community
  • A bird sits atop an outcrop of rocks surrounded by turbulent water.

    Blue on the Big Screen

PHOTOS

  • Carnival of the Blue Logo

  • Bow of an Icebreaker

  • The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

  • Inside the Wave, Makena Beach, Maui

  • Caribbean Reef Shark

  • The OP Community Manager

  • Students and the Scarlet Knight

  • Light Painting of a Jellyfish

  • Deep Sea Drilling Vessel Chikyu

  • Raven Keeps Watch over Carver

  • Myoung-Won Kwon

  • Pearl and Hermes Atoll Coral

  • Artist Shih Chieh Huang

  • Blue Shark