![An image of the Sant Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History](/sites/default/files/styles/01_contributor_image/public/2008_1268_OceansHall_22Sept.jpg.webp?itok=n_vlGPKL)
Smithsonian Ocean Team
The Ocean is important to all life, including yours. Join us.
Welcome to the Ocean Portal – a unique, interactive online experience that inspires awareness, understanding, and stewardship of the world’s Ocean, developed by the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and more than 20 collaborating organizations.
You are among the first wave of visitors to the Portal, an experience which we hope will empower you to shape and share your personal Ocean experiences, knowledge, and perspectives.
The input you provide through feedback modules and comment boxes will help us to shape future Ocean Portal content and functionality. Like the Ocean, which is made of millions of marine species, your comments, questions, and clicks will help to bring the Portal closer to the vastness and variety of the Ocean itself.
![Map showing the range of the eastern and western populations of Atlantic bluefin tuna and their spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Tuna-Spawning-Map-cropped-full_1.jpg.webp?itok=1owu8BSb)
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Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
![The Line Islands are one of the most remote places in the Pacific Ocean.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/line_islands_full_0_0.jpg.webp?itok=R-6VYE3N)
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Expedition to the Line Islands
![These Smithsonian field stations enable scientists worldwide to conduct long-term studies on mangrove ecosystems.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/OP_Map_rev1-small_1.jpg.webp?itok=UxHvJGWu)
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Smithsonian Research Stations
![A rendering of an underwater marine scene depicting life ~145-65 million years ago, when rudist clams were the major reef builders.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/6_09_M-01G-01_Rudist_mural-full_0.jpg.webp?itok=SbYJl48Z)
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Long Before Coral, Mollusks Built the Ocean's Reefs
![Colorful corals and brittlestars on Manning Seamount off the New England coast.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/2_08-P-06-G-01-040415085048JM-full_1.jpg.webp?itok=XY4V9B77)
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Seamounts: Underwater Oases
![Alvin, Gulf of Alaska Seamount Expedition Alvin, a human occupied vehicle (HOV), returns to the ship after a dive.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/expl0127_full_0.jpg.webp?itok=_1LJXKaH)
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From Submarines to Robots: Exploring the Deep Ocean
![A beach clean-up in Malaysia brings young people together to care for their coastline.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/InternationalBeachCleanUp_0.jpg.webp?itok=JzhteNp8)
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How You Can Help the Ocean
![A diver cares for the reef by cleaning up discarded fishing gear and garbage.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/NachoumDiverCleansUpDebris_0.jpg.webp?itok=oJeeGui3)
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Reef Rescue: Protect Coral Reefs with Your Actions
![Ruth Meadows examines specimens as part of her Teacher at Sea experience. NOAA Teacher at Sea Ruth Meadows sorts specimens aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow as part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge Ecosystem (MAR-ECO) project.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/sep2009_scitech_0.jpg.webp?itok=IpjlRoEE)
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NOAA Teacher at Sea Ruth Meadows
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Terms of Use for Media on the Ocean Portal
![Cover of the Book Citizens of the Sea](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/cover_2.jpg.webp?itok=L3ZWCWld)
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Citizens of the Sea
![Dampier explored this area of Western Australia and named it Shark Bay because of the "abundance" of sharks in the waters. It is now a World Heritage site.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/IMG_0383-main_0.jpg.webp?itok=8Jozq2hF)
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Around the World Again...and Again
![Dr. Robert Ballard with an ROV](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/robert-ballard-ocean-hero_1.jpg.webp?itok=S5hrtcY8)
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Five Questions for Robert Ballard
![A red deep-sea fish specimen.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Picture1_full_2.jpg.webp?itok=LG0Urr_T)
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The Whalefish Mystery
![The robotic underwater glider Scarlet Knight crossed the Atlantic over the course of several months in 2009.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Glider-map-7.jpg.webp?itok=vwhk4BOC)
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Underwater Robots Explore the Ocean
![David Barouh displays fresh fish for sale at Seattle’s Pike Place Market](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Pike-Place-Fishmonger-FISH05-FPO_2.jpg.webp?itok=neV3dJeD)
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Sustainable Seafood Glossary of Terms
![J. Murray Roberts studies and maps the cold-water corals known as Lophelia in the North Atlantic.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/murray_full.jpg.webp?itok=148UB052)
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Exploring the Blue Planet with J. Murray Roberts
![Black coral, primnoid coral, and feather stars flourish deep on the pristine Davidson Seamount.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/diverse_deep_sea_coral_colony_full.jpg.webp?itok=55bEE-Qu)
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Amy Baco-Taylor: Passionate about Deep-Sea Corals
![Dr. Brendan Roark discusses different methods of sampling deep-sea corals with undergraduate students at Texas A&M University.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/training_future_scientists.jpg.webp?itok=kjpWkOAP)
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Coral Scientist Brendan Roark: On an Urgent Mission
![Scientist Martha Nizinski examines a sample of the deep-sea coral Lophelia pertusa, collected 600-m (1,969-ft) deep off the coast of the southeastern United States.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Martha-with-coral-sample-full.jpg.webp?itok=f7kEavCO)
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Martha Nizinski: Hooked on Deep-Sea Corals
![Auster gets ready to study fish predators at Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Georgia.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Auster_head-shot-full.jpg.webp?itok=VhSLBqrt)
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Peter Auster: The Gee Whiz Factor
![Sound artist Halsey Burgund performs his composition Ocean Voices.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/HalseyBurgund_w.JPG.webp?itok=MZsrZLSs)
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Five Questions for Halsey Burgund, Creator of Ocean Voices
![The Sant Ocean Hall is the National Museum of Natural History's largest exhibit, providing visitors with a unique and breathtaking introduction to the majesty of the ocean](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Smithsonian_Sant_Ocean_Hall.jpg.webp?itok=ElEsqMmS)
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World Oceans Day 2014 Events
![Colorful underwater animals highlighted with a white background.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Biocubes_Board_Book_Horiz_Collage-01.jpeg.webp?itok=hSoosmeo)
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Biocubes: Life In One Cubic Foot
![Riftia tubeworm (Riftia pachyptila) colonies near hot spring.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/riftia6_750px_MBARI_0.jpg.webp?itok=SrVgUKyv)
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The Microbes That Keep Hydrothermal Vents Pumping
![A shortfin mako glides through the waters off the coast of California.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Shark_by_Brian_Skerry.jpg.webp?itok=pkKccNVW)
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The State of Sharks, 40 Years After Jaws
![This portrait of William Dampier hangs in London’s National Gallery in recognition of his contribution to natural history.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/014_Dampier_full_0_0.jpg.webp?itok=QH_8UL4e)
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William Dampier - The Pirate Who Collected Plants
![A great white shark in the waters of the coast of Guadelupe, Mexico.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/GennaroGWShark_0.jpg.webp?itok=Kl642whE)
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The results are in...
![Polar bear siblings in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area near Hudson Bay spar playfully during migration.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/CosgriffPolarBears_0.jpg.webp?itok=9arzppif)
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Help us pick the next OP stars
![Satellite view of the Gulf Coast oil spill off of Louisiana, April 29, 2010.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/GulfOilSlickNASA_0.jpg.webp?itok=8ltRK3WN)
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State of Emergency in the Gulf
![A bull shark's ability to prey on many different species is helped by its capacity to survive in both freshwater and saltwater.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Bull_shark.jpg.webp?itok=YsY49Okh)
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Smithsonian Stunt Turns Ocean Hall into Living Aquarium
!["Break On Through" was taken by Wendy Wolf at California's Pfeiffer Beach. This photo was a winning selection in the Portraits of Planet Ocean Flickr contest.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/BreakOnThrough.jpg.webp?itok=qbn9BIaJ)
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Break On Through
!["December in Malibu" by Andrew Richards](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/December_in_Malibu_droobietuesday.jpg.webp?itok=EHoev3xA)
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December in Malibu
![A wave curls near the shore.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/curling_wave.jpg.webp?itok=8DuR-FTn)
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Shooting the Waves: Tips from a Surf Photographer
![You can explore the Curasub from your computer! Inspect, launch, board and recover to get an idea of what it's like to mann an underwater submersible.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Screen_Shot_2015-05-27_at_3_11_59_PM.png.webp?itok=Hu_kTkql)
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Take a Virtual Submarine Dive to the Deep
!["Ocean sunfish" by Mark Harris](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/mark_harris_sunfish.jpg.webp?itok=D-uVLiLI)
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Chasing a Basking Shark
![Photograph of the underside of a gelatinous octopus with a bright yellow bioluminescent ring around her mouth.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/2_09-P-08-G-01-full_1.jpg.webp?itok=01D05kh_)
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Ocean Today Every Full Moon
![Earth as seen from a satellite.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/globe_1.jpg.webp?itok=fYIj_5ww)
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The Time For Earth Optimism is Now
![An adult and child visitor participate in an activity at the Natural History Museum](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/nmnh_wod_visitors.jpg.webp?itok=9H5UveS1)
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World Ocean Day Events 2018
![The 1903 blue whale in the Natural History Museum](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/NMNH_Kellogg.jpg.webp?itok=6ocGU5_-)
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A Century of Whales at the Smithsonian
![A screenshot of a map with links to stories on the side.](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_small/public/2023-11/Screen_Shot_2020-04-20_at_4_46_26_PM.png.webp?itok=rSb5DVtz)
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