Bleached white coral as far as the eye can see.

Climate Change

Preview

Swimmers brave the waters in the shadow of a coal-fired power plant. Coal plants like this one emit CO2 into our atmosphere which is warming the planet and altering the chemistry of the ocean.

Climate Change Overview

Are you a student researching climate change or someone looking to learn more about climate change and the ocean? This overview dives into everything to know.

Read More

Featured Content

These schools of colorful reef fish call Raja Ampat, the global centre of fish diversity, home.

Nature’s Secret Weapon Against Climate Change

Close-up photograph of translucent coral polyps, showing the symbiotic algae living inside.

Zooxanthellae and Coral Bleaching

An Argo float transmits data

Taking the Ocean’s Temperature

A bluefin trevally swims in Hawaii’s Maro Coral Reef, part of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.

Two Views of Coral Reefs: Thriving and Threatened

On average, Arctic sea ice has decreased by four percent per decade since the late 1970s.

Sea Level Rise

Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.

See climate change lesson plans see all lesson plans

Climate Change Articles

Polar bears are threatened by a lack of sea ice.

Climate Change at the Poles

A beach clean-up in Malaysia brings young people together to care for their coastline.

How You Can Help the Ocean

A diver cares for the reef by cleaning up discarded fishing gear and garbage.

Reef Rescue: Protect Coral Reefs with Your Actions

Sea bass flock to a tropical coral reef in the Red Sea.

5 Simple Things You Can Do for the Ocean

A decomposing sea star loses its grip on a rock.

Sickly Starfish: A Q&A with Dr. Chris Mah

The Greenland glacier Jakobshavn Isbrae is massive, at around 40 miles long and more than a mile thick.

Up Close and Personal With the Fastest Glacier in the World

The Block Island wind farm is the first operational offshore wind farm in the United States. It consists of five wind turbines which powered up in December 2016 and were connected to the mainland energy grid in May 2017.

An Ocean of Energy: Bringing Offshore Wind to America

Tiny organisms found on ARMS

Traveling Around the World to Study the Future of the Ocean

Tiny organisms found on ARMS

From Field to Lab: How Carbon Seeps Provide a Chance to See Future Impacts of Ocean Acidification

A diver cares for the reef by cleaning up discarded fishing gear and garbage.

Resolve to Protect the Ocean

An underwater photo of coral recovering from a bleaching event.

A Pleasant Surprise: The Recovery of Bleached Panamanian Corals

A photo of an oyster cage, out of the water, covered in sea squirts.

Alaska Vulnerable to Invasive Species from Warmer Waters

Banner Credit

The Ocean Agency / XL Catlin Seaview Survey / Richard Vevers