Books, Film & The Arts | Smithsonian Ocean

Colorful illustrations of ocean invertebrates from Ernst Haeckel.

Illustration of colorful nudibranchs from Ernst Haeckel.

Art Forms in Nature

Images of marine species from Ernst Haeckel, famous science illustrator.

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Featured Content

A piece of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef exhibit.

Article

When Art Meets Science: The Hyberbolic Crochet Coral Reef

A dish of halibut

Article

America’s ever-changing relationship with seafood

Black and White photo of the Western Flyer on the ocean.

Video

Western Flyer: A New Chapter

The colorful parrotfish sculpture is made entirely of ocean plastic trash.

Article

Turning Ocean Trash to Treasure

“This shark was cruising low along the reef known as Alcyone. Her left eye was glancing up toward other hammerheads when I took this shot from below.” -- Nature's Best photographer, Alan Studley.Equipment Used to Capture the Shot: Nikon D300; Tokin

Slideshow

Ocean Views from Nature's Best Photos

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.

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Books, Film & The Arts Articles

The Amazon River carries all the rainwater that lands in the Amazon rainforest, covering some 2.1 million square miles, into the ocean. And with it, it carries vital nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon.

Article

Thirty Days to Submission: How I Made a Video for Ocean180

red and yellow flowers

Video

Climate Change Education in Coastal Carolina

A school of akule (Hawaiian for bigeye scad) explode into a camera's frame.

Article

Following the Akule

The Ocean of Life by Callum Roberts, US cover

Article

Five Questions for Callum Roberts, Author and Professor

a blue embroidery shows zigzag stitching in a cirlce

Article

Sea Sounds Embroidered in Silk

Wooden painted fish on a school fence.

Audio

Chinook Salmon: One Species at a Time

A wave curls near the shore.

Article

Shooting the Waves: Tips from a Surf Photographer

Caribbean reef sharks swim over a coral reef in the Bahamas.

Article

Swimming With Sharks

A sculpture of a giant octopus made of ocean debris

Article

Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea

First Place (High School age group): What Goes On Your Plate by Ruofei Rao, Age 17, New Zealand

Slideshow

2016 Living Oceans Foundation “Science Without Borders” Challenge

Brian Skerry sits on a 20 foot high underwater tripod to photograph the Aquarius Habitat off Florida.

Article

Portraits of Planet Ocean – Behind The Photographs

A close up of a grey whale face

Slideshow

Nature's Best Photography 2018