Oceans

Data from satellites and sensors show the Pacific Ocean conditions in March 2015, including an increase in warm waters (shown in red). The warming has strengthened since then, prompting agencies to declare 2015 an El Niño year.

El Niño Is Here, But It Can’t Help Parched California (For Now)

Three national agencies have confirmed that the natural phenomenon has arrived, but not in time to bring much-needed rains in the West

Revealing the Deep Secrets of Deepwater Waves

Scientists hope their study of 1,600-foot underwater waves can help improve climate modeling

Sinbad the Coast Guard dog surrounded by sailors.

The Adorable and Heroic Animals of the Museum of Maritime Pets

Telling the stories of dogs in sailor hats and cats in life jackets

Single-use cigarette lighters, collected by Mandy Barker, represent our transition to a consumerist, throw-away society.

This Artist Transforms Beach Trash Into Stunning, Majestic Images

Mandy Barker didn't have spend too much time on the shores to collect enough debris for her masterpieces

A worker rescues a severely oiled brown pelican along the Louisiana shore in June 2010.

The Gulf Oil Spill Isn't Really Over, Even Five Years Later

Two Louisiana scientists reflect on the event and how its lingering effects are continuing to change the Gulf Coast

Five Things The Gulf Oil Spill Has Taught Us About the Ocean

While researching the spill, scientists tracked deep-sea sharks, found new mud dragons, and discovered a type of ocean current

Droves of Elegant Blue Jellies Wash Up on Pacific Shores

Unusually strong winds have pushed Velella velellas, or "by-the-wind sailors," onto West Coast beaches by the thousands

This Man Plans to Spend a Year Living in a Giant Ball on an Iceberg

Adventurer Alex Bellini wants to watch a Greenland iceberg melt while he dwells in a "survival pod"

A blue whale surfacing in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Maybe the World's Loneliest Whale Isn't So Isolated, After All

Some evidence indicates that the singer of a higher-pitched whale song may not be alone

Urchin Spheres, (Echinoidea sp.), Thailand, Philippines, United States, Mexico.

10 Gorgeous Mosaics Made From Real Animal Specimens

Artist Christopher Marley's meticulous arrangements capture the incredible variety within families, genera and species

Ocean Acidification Could Have Driven Earth’s Biggest Mass Extinction

Study shows the world's oceans were dangerously acidic during the Permian Extinction Event

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Meet a Hermit Crab Who Has Shacked Up in a Lego

Weird things can become home sweet home when you are a tiny soft crustacean

This "Stars and Stripes" toadfish living in Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan is one member of a very noisy kind of fish

At Night, Fish Communicate With Special Calls, Whistles and Grunts

Dropping a hydrophone into an underwater cave helps researchers make sense of the din

Urchins Could Be the Next Victim of Sea Star Wasting Disease

The virus that has struck out Pacific sea star populations could now be affecting their Echinoderm cousins

Rehabilitated sea lion pups head back to the ocean after being released from The Marine Mammal Center in March.

California Sea Lions Are Starving, But Do They Need Our Help?

Instead of just rehabilitating the fuzzy pups, some ecologists say we should be focusing on the underlying troubles of climate change and fish declines

A Cape fur seal digs in to a blue shark.

Fur Seals Caught Preying on Sharks Off South Africa

The seals only consume the viscera, though, which may be why this particular type of predation took ecologists by surprise

A Malaysian boy and girl holding candles during the 60 minute Earth Hour 2012 celebration in Kuala Lumpur, March 31, 2012.

What Climate Change Will Mean for the People of Oceania

On many maps the ocean is colored a uniform, solid blue. But for those who live off the waters, the sea is places, roads, highways

Skiing toward the breaking waves on a slush-covered beach.

How "Slurpee" Waves Formed Along a Nantucket Beach

New England's record cold created the perfect conditions for waves of slush, offering an unusual opportunity to ski on the beach

Screen shot of video "Global ship traffic seen from space - FleetMon Satellite AIS and FleetMon Explorer"

See Shipping Traffic Move Through Straits Around the World

A visualization shows a week’s worth of vessel movement

Meltwater from the Brady Glacier (shown in the foreground) is seen in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. The water in the foreground in the southwest (bottom left) corner of the image is the Gulf of Alaska.

Alaska’s Freshwater Is Draining Into the Sea at an Astounding Rate

Satellite data shows that snow and glacial melt are partially to blame for an annual freshwater output 1.5 times that of Mississippi River

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