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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

A lionfish with elongated spines and red and white stripes swims through a reef.

Eight of the Worst Marine Invaders, According to Scientists

Andre Rovai measures mangrove growth in forest

Meet the Scientist Uncovering How Mangroves Can Help the U.S. Military

Over a dozen blue crabs with red pincers piled in a wooden basket

Cannibalism Takes Major Bite Out of Young Blue Crabs, but the Shallows Offer a Refuge

Close-up of a bright green patch of seagrass under bright blue water

Eight Weird Facts About Seagrass (and Why It’s Essential)

Left: Black and white image of a young man sitting at a desk, examining bird bones and holding a bird skull. Right: A young woman in an orange safety vest bends over a stream, collecting a water sample in a bottle.

Six Ways the Smithsonian Shaped Environmental Science in 60 Years

A woman wearing a straw sun hat stands on a dock with a forest behind her, holding out a plastic water bottle and smiling.

How Volunteers Helped Train Satellites to Health-Check the Chesapeake

A brown river otter walks beside a white tree, with autumn leaves covering the ground.

River Otters Unfazed by Parasites, Poop While Eating

A woman in a red shirt stands on a wooden blue canoe beside a mangrove shoreline, unwinding a fishing net.

Local Women’s Voices Often Missing in Marine Protection

Head and shoulders photo of Denise Breitburg, a woman with glasses and shoulder-length gray hair, with forested mountains in the background.

Wait, the Ocean Is Losing Oxygen? Q&A With Denise Breitburg

A swarm of yellow fish and silver fish with yellow tailfins swim around a coral reef

Adult Fish Aren't Truly 'Protected' in Many Marine Protected Areas

Black monkey perches in a tree staring directly at camera

Eight Weird and Wondrous Discoveries From 2023

Underwater photo of a pink and gold coral reef in bright blue water, with small blue and yellow fish. A blurry reflection of the reef appears in the water at the top of the photo.

New Study Reveals Large Holes In America’s Ocean Protection. Here’s How We Can Fix Them.

Corals as far as the eye can see, with dark blue fishes swimming above

U.S. Needs to Diversify Marine Protected Areas to Reap Full Benefits

Orange scalefin anthias fish swarm in front of a fire coral in the Red Sea's Ras Mohammed Marine Park, Egypt. (Credit: Alex Mustard, Ocean Image Bank).

Reef Robots. Predicting Marine Life Like Weather. Meet the Ocean of 2030.

Cownose rays are migratory animals that come into the Chesapeake in summer and swim to Florida for the winter. (Credit: Jay Fleming/SERC)

For The First Time, Biologists Track Cownose Rays To Florida And Back

A Chinese mitten crab found in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, in 2007. Chinese mitten crabs are most recognizable by their brown, spiny shells and furry “mittened” claws. (Credit: SERC)

Wanted: The Hunt for Chinese Mitten Crabs Is Back On

Male Bocon toadfish of Panama attract mates by singing in a series of “grunts” and “boops.” (Credit: Study authors)

The Ugly Fish That Sings Its Own Song

SERC marine biologist Brianna Tracy holds a plate with marine life pulled from a dock in San Francisco. (Credit: Kristen Minogue/SERC)

Citizen Science: Help Spot Invaders With Your Smart Phone

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