Oceans

Coastal regions and islands are vanishing due to a lethal combination of erosion, sea rise and subsidence, or the slow sinking of land over time. The network of 1200 coral islands and atolls that makes up the Maldives in the Indian Ocean is ground zero.

What Are All The Ways That Land Can Disappear Beneath Your Feet?

From sinkholes to liquefaction, we look at how solid earth can shrink and elude our grasp

How Do Sea Lions Swim, Glide and Sometimes Even Nab Humans?

These living torpedoes pull themselves through the water using their front flippers, unlike other ocean creatures

Boaty McBoatface. It is not a boat and it has no face. Please discuss.

Boaty McBoatface Completes Its First Mission

The little submarine named by the Internet investigated the icy deep waters of Antarctica's Orkney Channel

A large number of ancient marine species, including the massive megalodon shark, disappeared in a marine extinction event roughly 2 million years ago.

Researchers Find Ancient Extinction Event Among Large Marine Creatures

More than a third of large ocean-dwelling species disappeared roughly 2 million years ago

This bleached reef near Guam shows what happens when ocean temperatures rise.

Unesco-Protected Reefs Could Be Destroyed by 2100

Over 70 percent of world heritage reefs were damaged during the recent bleaching event

Though some reefs may soon get reprieve, not all are in the clear.

The Latest Bleaching Event May Be Over, But Reefs Are Still in Danger

Places like Guam and Hawaii could soon face more hot water

Pyrosoma atlanticum floating off of Santa Cruz Island.

Hordes of Gelatinous “Sea Pickles” Are Invading the West Coast

Usually a rare creature, no one yet knows the reason for the influx of the light-emitting creatures

Basket of Gulf Shrimp

Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" May Grow to the Size of New Jersey This Year

Shrimp and fish may suffer as excess rain and nutrients produce one of the largest oxygen-poor zones to date

This mass of ocean fossils was found in Montana, which used to be covered by a gigantic body of water.

Scientists Are Putting Tens of Thousands of Sea Fossils Online

The Western Interior Seaway is gone, but not forgotten

This adorable orca could be plotting its next heist.

Crafty Killer Whales Are Harassing Alaskan Fishing Boats

Hungry orcas are making off with tens of thousands of pounds of cod and halibut

The sun may get all the attention, but our lunar lodestar helps creatures navigate the swells and tides of ocean life.

How Moonlight Sets Nature's Rhythms

Lunar luster triggers mating orgies, guides travelers and even can even provoke magical transformations

In 2001, Smithsonian scientists Doug Owsley and Kari Bruwelheide traveled to the Grove in Glenview, Illinois, Robert Kennicott's boyhood home, to open the naturalist's casket and determine the cause of his death.

Smithsonian's Behind-the-Scenes 'Sidedoor' Podcast Returns for Second Season

New episodes explore a 150-year-old cold case, the history of beer, war photography and more

A spiny crab pulled up by the Investigator team

Australian Expedition Dredges Up Crazy Creatures From the Deep Sea

After a month exploring Australia's deepest ocean, researchers found over 300 new species of toothy, blobby and glowing animals

Louie, having one last drink at the bar before heading home.

132-Year-Old Lobster Earns a Pardon from the Pot

Louie, a 22-pound crustacean born during the Cleveland administration, returned to the sea after 20 years living at Peter's Clam Bar

Traditional Polynesian Vessel to Complete Round-the-World Journey

The Hōkūleʻa’s crew did not use any modern navigational devices, instead relying on the stars, waves, and clouds to guide them

Thank tiny phytoplankton for this brilliant bloom.

The Strait That Separates Europe and Asia Turned a Brilliant Turquoise

The Bosphorus and Black Sea are even more beautiful thanks to phytoplankton

Rare Two-Headed Porpoise Found in North Sea

Only nine other cases of conjoined cetacean twins have ever been documented

The American Lobster, 'Homarus americanus,' found on the northern area of the Atlantic coast of America.

Climate Change, and Cod, Are Causing One Heck of a Lobster Boom in Maine

The complex relationships between humans, lobster, and cod are creating boom times--for now

Marine algae blooms like these in the northern Ross Sea are often vast enough to be visible from space.

Who Owns Antarctica's Pristine Oceans?

How humans finally stopped squabbling and protected one of the world's most pristine marine areas

A man dives in the Coral Triangle off Ghizo, Solomon Islands, in 2011.

Three Things to Know About the Coral Triangle, the Ocean's Biodiversity Hot Spot

At more than a billion acres of ocean, the Coral Triangle is one of the world's biggest and most important marine regions

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