Media Gallery: Slideshow Z-A

  • Zooxanthellae
    Dec 3 2009 - 1:14pm
    Tiny plant-like organisms called zooxanthella live in the tissues of many animals, including some corals, anemones, and jellyfish, sponges, flatworms, mollusks and foraminifera. These microscopic...
  • This swimming snail is transparent and has shiny black eyes.

    Zooplankton Biodiversity
    Aug 29 2012 - 12:19pm
    Holozooplankton are animals that live adrift in the ocean waves for their entire lives. The researchers who took part in the Census of Marine Zooplankton, a project of the Census of Marine Life,...
  • X-ray of a white-rimmed stingray

    X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity
    Dec 17 2009 - 7:00pm
    Scientists in the Division of Fishes at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History use X-ray imaging to study the complex bone structure and diversity of fish. This image...

  • World Fisheries from Sea to Table
    Nov 18 2010 - 3:49pm
    Worldwide, fisheries touch our lives in countless ways. If well maintained, they can feed millions of people, generate jobs and income, help maintain long-standing community and cultural traditions,...
  • Very close to the seeps pH is lowest and water is most acidic. Corals cannot grow in these conditions - only seaweed can.

    Will Coral Reefs Survive Acidification?
    Aug 2 2012 - 3:34pm
    Nestled among the beautiful coral reefs of Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a place that could provide the key to our understanding of one of the biggest threats to coral reef survival: Ocean Acidification...

  • Under Arctic Ice
    Jan 4 2011 - 5:17pm
    Hidden beneath Arctic ice is a world few have ever seen. Take the icy plunge with a team of ice-loving scientists.
  • A healthy coral reef in Indonesia

    Two Views of Coral Reefs: Thriving and Threatened
    Dec 15 2009 - 12:19pm
    Coral reefs are beautiful, vibrant ecosystems that house roughly one quarter of all marine species and provide billions of dollars in products and services to humans each year. But they are also...

  • The Ocean Throughout Geologic Time, An Image Gallery
    Sep 20 2011 - 3:30pm
    Evidence shows that life probably began in the ocean at least 3.5 billion years ago. Photosynthesis began more than 2.5 billion years ago—the Great Oxidation Event. But it took hundreds of millions...
  • The People's Reef--Part of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef

    The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef
    Oct 14 2010 - 5:10pm
    The Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef, created by Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute For Figuring, weaves together strands of art, science, mathematics, and conservation. This beautiful...

  • The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Two Years Later
    Apr 20 2012 - 1:22pm
    On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the oil-drilling rig Deepwater Horizon caused the largest marine oil spill in US history, gushing nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil over the course of three...
  • Students study the effect of climate change on crabs.

    Teens Take Action on the Ocean & Climate
    Feb 8 2011 - 5:37pm
    What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from across the United States and Mexico are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local...

  • Studying Deep-Sea Corals
    Jun 9 2011 - 9:23am
    What happens to deep-sea coral samples after they are collected? In this image gallery, see some of the ways ocean scientists sort, measure, photograph, and study them. Learn more in the...