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BLOG POST Arctic Sea Ice: A New Low? At a recent staff meeting a Smithsonian colleague mentioned that one of his pastimes this summer has been keeping tabs on the Arctic sea ice. The question that's on many Arctic-watchers' min...MORE STORIES


	AUDIO MORE AUDIO Greenland Shark: One Species at a Time Scientists know the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) moves slowly in th...
	ARTICLE MORE STORIES Arctic Ocean Diversity The ArcOD project brought together existing information about the diversity of A...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Deep-Water Larvacean Found in Arctic waters, this rare deep-water species of larvacean, Oikopleu...

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					Humpback Whale in Antarctic Waters Apr 4, 2013 - 9:22AMHumpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) can be found in Antarctic waters during the spring and summer in the Southern hemisphere, where they gorge on their main food source: tiny krill. How do they locate the small prey and...

A Pair of Sea Butterflies

Feb 15, 2013 - 10:56AM

This pair of sea butterflies (Limacina helicina) flutter not far from the...

Deep-Water Larvacean, or “Sea-Tadpole”

Dec 10, 2012 - 10:20AM

In the icy waters of the Arctic, a deep-water larvacean (aka “sea tadpole”...

SPOTLIGHT


The Sant Ocean Hall: Life at the Poles Exhibit At the Poles, Life Thrives Located beside the Shores and Shallows gallery (which highlights different kinds of coastal...

Emperors of Antarctica Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Scripps scientist Gerald Kooyman's expeditions have documented climate-induced changes to emperor penguin habitat in Antarctica. Learn more about life at the poles or check out this emperor penguin chick with mother.	Walrus Rests on Ice Mar 23 2010 - 2:31pm Walruses use sea ice as platforms on which to nurse their young and launch their dives for clams and other bottom-dwellers. Each spring, walruses move northward to stay close to these perches as ice melts in the south -- but as more and more sea ice melts because of climate change, they may not...
Cold Water Diving with WHOI Jul 15 2011 - 5:00pm "Cold-Water Diving: Going to Extremes for Research" is a video produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) that shows the focus needed to do scientific work in cold water. The gear is bulkier and heavier, cold affects dexterity and capacity, and dives must be shorter yet still get the...	ROV Video of Stunning Creatures Jan 7 2011 - 3:53pm Using an ROV (Remotely-Operated Vehicle) equipped with a high-definition video camera, scientists can observe the life that flourishes beneath the Arctic ice. On this expedition, they discovered creatures, like this Narcomedusa jelly, that were previously unknown.
Counting Creatures Jan 6 2011 - 10:56am Ice divers use a quadrat to study the density of creatures living on the underside of Arctic ice floes. A quadrat is a standardized square used to take sample measurements that allow researchers to get an accurate estimate of the number of particular animals living in a larger space.	A Pair of Sea Butterflies Feb 15 2013 - 10:56am This pair of sea butterflies (Limacina helicina) flutter not far from the ocean's surface in the Arctic. Sea butterflies are a type of sea snail, but instead of dragging themselves around the seafloor with a muscular foot, they flap their adapted feet like butterfly wings! They are very small—...
Bowhead Whales Jan 6 2011 - 3:24pm The bowhead whale has a massive, bow-shaped skull to break through thick Arctic ice, and more blubber than any other whale.	A Striped Deep Sea Worm Apr 4 2013 - 12:38pm In Antarctica's Southern Ocean swims a beautiful polychaete (bristly worm) called Tomopteris carpenteri, which is adorned with alternating red and transparent bands. The largest species in its genus, it it found throughout the water column, including the deep sea, where this photo was taken by...
Humpback Whales in Antarctica: What Are the Whales Doing? Feb 7 2013 - 12:01pm Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) are the most abundant baleen whale in the nearshore waters around the Antarctic Peninsula. They, along with millions of penguins, seals, seabirds, and other whales, feed primarily on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) during summer months.	Arctic Sea Jelly Jun 18 2012 - 9:37am Chrysaora melanaster, one of the largest jellyfish commonly found in the Arctic, swims underneath the Arctic ice. Its tentacles can stretch to more than 3 meters long and pack a mean sting for humans.
Polar Bears: One Species at a Time Jun 28 2011 - 2:25pm The Encyclopedia of Life and Atlantic Public Media bring us another installment of the podcast, One Species at a Time. In this podcast, host Ari Daniel Shapiro relates two close calls with polar bears. Listen as Heather Cray recalls how, dumped by a storm on a small Arctic island,...	Amphipod Under Arctic Sea Ice Jan 6 2011 - 3:36pm Several species of amphipod like this one, Gammarus wilkitzkii, live permanently within Arctic sea ice. These animals are endemic, meaning they only live here. They acclimate to a wide range of salt levels in the water using a physiological response called osmoregulation.
Deep-Water Larvacean Jul 27 2012 - 9:35am Found in Arctic waters, this rare deep-water species of larvacean, Oikopleura gorskyi, eats by filtering particles from the seawater it drifts through. Larvaceans build 'houses' around themselves made of protein that helps them filter the water even better. And when the filters in its house...	Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea Oct 12 2011 - 4:56pm In the spring of 2011, a research crew from Oceana spent two months in the brackish Baltic Sea. The Baltic faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species. Oceana researchers gathered data, samples, photographs, and videos with the goal of proposing an...
Ice Divers Prepare to Plunge Jan 5 2011 - 4:43pm It takes special equipment and many warm layers of clothing to dive safely beneath Arctic sea ice. Ice divers look for holes in a melt pond in order to enter the frigid waters.	Humpback Whale in Antarctic Waters Apr 4 2013 - 9:22am Humpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) can be found in Antarctic waters during the spring and summer in the Southern hemisphere, where they gorge on their main food source: tiny krill. How do they locate the small prey and maneuver their large bodies to eat? Scientists are looking at those...