Ocean Science

Meet some of the researchers, watch new tools and technology in action, and tag along for expeditions and experiments as marine scientists study the ocean’s diverse environments and inhabitants and our impact on them.

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LATEST BLOG POSTS

The Discovery of Multispecies Communities of Seacows

Jan 26, 2012 - 10:26AMSirenians, or seacows, are a group of marine mammals that include manatees and dugongs. In the modern world, only one species of seacow is found in each world region, however, the fossil record tells a different story. According...

Surveying Life On Sea Turtles
Nov 8, 2011 - 1:24PM
“It is strange to think of a sea turtle as an ecosystem,” says Amanda...

New Archaeocetes from Peru Are the Oldes...
Sep 12, 2011 - 3:40PM
The evolution of whales represents one of the great stories in...

SPOTLIGHT

Under Arctic Ice

Hidden beneath Arctic ice is a world few have ever seen. Take the icy plunge with a team of ice-loving scientists.
MORE OCEAN SCIENCE

AUDIO / VIDEO

  • <p>The submersible Alvin carries scientists to the deep ocean. Find out what they discovered there.</p>

    Deep Ocean Explorers
  • <p>In this recorded webcast Dr. Alexandros Karamanlidis, the scientific coordinator for the <strong><a href="http://www.mom.gr/homepage.asp?ITMID=101&amp;LANG=EN">MOm/Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal</a></strong>, discusses his organization's efforts to study and to save the Mediterranean monk seal (<strong><em><a href="http://www.eol.org/pages/328633">Monachus monachus</a></em></strong>) from extinction.</p>

    Webcast: Race Against Time: Efforts to Protect the Critically Endangered Monk Seal
  • A profile shot of a Greenland shark's head

    Researching Greenland Sharks, Podcast
  • <p>In this video excerpt, Dr. Clyde Roper—squid expert-- explains how he developed a passionate interest in the giant squid, fueled by his early beginnings as a lobster fisherman off the coast of New Hampshire.</p>

    Clyde Roper: Squid Hunter - Eyeball to Eyeball
  • <p><strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-news/five-questions-carole-baldwin">Dr. Carole Baldwin</a></strong>, a research zoologist and fish expert with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, gives viewers an inside-look at the Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP).</p>

    Deep Reef Observation Project (DROP) 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
  • It is estimated that the March 11, 2011 earthquake in Japan was 1,000 times more powerful than the quake that struck Haiti in 2010. Watch as Smithsonian geologist Dr. Liz Cottrell explains this and more about the major earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

    Understanding the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
  • <p>The ocean is not as natural as it once was. Where there used to be large predators that we took for sea monsters, now there are tiny fish and jellyfish. But there are a few untouched places left in the ocean, remote oases of life where sharks are the kings of the underwater world. These last wild places can show us what we have lost, but also help us understand how the ocean works and how to preserve it.&nbsp;</p><p>To celebrate World Ocean Day, <strong><a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/field/explorers/enric-sala.html">National Geographic Ocean Fellow Enric Sala</a></strong> takes us on a virtual expedition of the biologically-rich waters of Chile, Costa Rica, and Kiribati.&nbsp;Sala is a marine ecologist who dedicates his career to restoring ocean health. A former professor at <strong><a href="http://ocean.si.edu/ocean-collaborators/scripps">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</a></strong>, his work includes exploration, research, <strong><a href="http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/08/death-and-the-sea-world-ocean-day-2011">communication</a></strong>, and policy.</p><p>This webcast was recorded at the <strong><a href="http://www.mnh.si.edu/">Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History</a></strong> on June 9, 2011.&nbsp;</p>

    The Last Wild Places In the Ocean Webcast
  • <p>Dr. Shivji explains how shark DNA is used as evidence to prosecute poachers.</p>

    Shark DNA Helps Catch Poachers
  • Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Rutgers University have researched the connection between the physical processes of the ocean and the life that lives there using a REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle.

    Exploring Ocean Life with an Underwater Vehicle
  • North Atlantic right whale

    One Species at a Time: North Atlantic Right Whale
  • In this presentation given at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on April 19, 2011, scientists discuss oil spill remediation, wildlife rescue and the health of the Gulf of Mexico and its fisheries one year after the oil spill.

    Lecture: One Year After the Gulf Oil Spill
  • <p>Dr. Clyde Roper discusses the fascinating anatomy of the giant squid in this excerpt of "Eyeball to Eyeball," an episode of Errol Morris' <em>First Person</em> television series.</p>

    Clyde Roper On the Over-Sized Anatomy of the Giant Squid
  • a marine iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus

    One Species at a Time: Marine Iguanas

  • Smithsonian Collections on Google Earth
  • An illustration of a giant squid (Architeuthis dux)

    One Species at a Time: Giant Squid
  • A real-time monitoring system helps to forecast and track tsunamis before they reach shore, giving people a chance to move to higher ground.

    What is a Tsunami? A Smithsonian Scientist Explains the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
  • Smithsonian Scientists Sail the Seven Seas: Deep-Sea Research 100 years ago on the US Fisheries Steamer Albatross

    Deep-Sea Research 100 Years Ago on the US Fisheries Steamer Albatross
  • Dr. Stefan Huggenberger from the University of Cologne gives a presentation about sound production in sperm whales this his presentation, "Moby Dick's Boom Box: Nasal Complex of Sperm Whales."

    Moby Dick's Boom Box: Sound Production in Sperm Whales
  • <p>Tube worms, crabs, shrimp, and other life forms thrive in the deep-sea ecosystem of hydrothermal vents.</p>

    Hydrothermal Vent Creatures
  • <p>Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's Dr. Chris Reddy studies the biological impacts of oil on a Massachusett's salt marsh that was inundated with oil after a spill in 1969.</p>

    Oil and Water Don't Mix, Even After 40 Years
  • <p>Meet Michael Lang, Scientific Diving Officer and head of the Smithsonian Marine Science Network.</p>

    Meet the Scientist: Michael Lang, Diving Officer
  • <p>Dr. Clyde Roper recounts the tale of his encounter with a giant squid specimen that was found washed up on a beach along the Massachusetts coast and its transport back to the Smithsonian’s national collections in Washington, DC.</p>

    Clyde Roper: Squid Hunter - Architeuthis
  • Take a dive in a submersible to find deep-sea corals with scientist Brendan Roark.

    Submersible Collects Deep-Sea Corals
  • <p>Learning about underwater vents, hot springs and the ecosystems that surround them</p>

    Submarine Volcanoes and Hydrothermal Vents
  • <p>Extracting DNA from fins helps scientists identify a shark's species and where it was born--information that is critical to conservation efforts.</p>

    Shark Fin Genetics
  • <p>The Census of Marine Life, a decade-long effort to catalog life in the sea, was completed in October 2010. Census researchers released the the most comprehensive inventory of ocean species to date.</p>

    Census of Marine Life Video Release
  • Dr. Jeremy Jackson presents his 'Brave New Ocean' talk at the National Museum of Natural History as part of the Changing Tides lecture series on World Ocean Day, 2010.

    Changing Tides - Brave New Ocean

IMAGE GALLERIES

  • Studying Deep-Sea Corals
  • The Baltic Sea faces challenges from pollution, algae blooms, over fishing, and invasive species.

    Biodiversity in the Baltic Sea
  • an orange sea star clinging to rocks in the ocean, documented by Census of Marine Life scientists

    Census of Marine Life: Wild and Wonderful Creatures

  • Exploring the Ocean with Robots and Submarines
  • x-ray image of a winghead shark

    X-Rays of Fish Reveal Diversity

  • Newly Discovered Deep-Sea Corals

PHOTOS

  • Deep-Sea Coral Sample

  • Manning Seamount Coral Colony

  • Taxonomic studies

  • ROV Collects Black Corals

  • Fan Sponge

  • Giant Squid Caught on Film

  • Early Eskimo Point

  • Ancient Maritime Archaic Indian Point

  • Archaeological Site Map of Hare Harbor

  • Map of the Magnitude 5.8 Virginia Earthquake of 2011

  • Submersible Launch

  • Training Future Scientists

  • Multibeam Sonar Screen

  • Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

  • Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Burn

  • Jorge Velez-Juarbe

  • Multispecies Communities of Seacows

  • Lophelia Pertusa Coral Polyps

  • X-Ray Image of a White-Rimmed Stingray

  • J. Murray Roberts, Coral Scientist

  • Collecting Deep-Sea Crabs

  • X-Ray Image of a Monterey Skate

  • Collecting Shallow-Water Specimens with the "Yabbie Pump"

  • Inside the Submarine

  • Dr. Carole Baldwin

  • Ceramic Pottery Recovered from Early Whaling Community

  • X-Ray Image of a Long-Spined Porcupine Fish

  • Woods Hole Scientists Respond to the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill