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Oceans

Quest was purchased by explorer Ernest Shackleton for a Canadian Arctic expedition that was later aborted. He then set his sights on his fourth Antarctic expedition, but he died on the way. The ship was later used for seal hunting off Newfoundland and Labrador.

New Close-Up Images Reveal the Wreckage of Ernest Shackleton’s Last Ship, Now Draped in Discarded Fishing Gear and Teeming With Life

The vessel “Quest,” found in 2024 off the coast of northeastern Canada, has become a home for corals, anemones and fish. It also holds the leftovers from decades of commercial fishing that happened above it after it sank

Gripping onto the edge of an iceberg in East Greenland, a polar bear looks out across the sea ice and sniffs the air. “The scene reflects a landscape that never stays still, where ice fractures, drifts and reforms around it,” photographer Rhiannon Lawler of the United Kingdom writes in a caption. Lawler captured the photo with a drone, keeping a safe distance from the animal.

These 16 Splendid Aerial Views Capture Wildlife From Above, Revealing the Beauty and Mystery of Nature

The second International Aerial Photographer of the Year contest selected its winners and 101 top images. Here’s a selection of the photos that spotlight animals from a new perspective

Researchers observed seafloor movement at the Southeast Indian Ridge, denoted by the yellow line.

In a First, Scientists Witness the Seafloor Spread in Real Time, Giving Them a Rare Glimpse at a Mysterious Geologic Process

Across a matter of days in 2024, the seafloor in part of the Indian Ocean dropped by about 13 feet, and roughly 5.7 billion cubic feet of molten rock rose to the crust’s surface, according to a new study

Gray whales, like this one that washed up dead in Los Angeles in April 2025, are grappling with malnutrition and ship strikes.

Nearly 150 Gray Whales Have Been Found Dead Along North America’s Pacific Shore This Year, Prompting Scientists to Sound the Alarm

The population of eastern gray whales, which migrate annually along the West Coast between the Arctic and Mexico, has been declining in recent years. Conservationists say 2026 could be one of the deadliest years on record for the marine mammals

Ammonites swam in the Western Interior Seaway that once covered a large portion of North America. These iridescent fossils from South Dakota, around 69–72 million years old, preserve inner shell layers made of aragonite, the same mineral that gives pearls their luster.

An Ancient Sea Once Split North America Down the Middle. The Beautiful Multicolored Ammonite Shells From Its Waters Are So Perfectly Preserved That They Still Shimmer Today

Spectacular marine fossils tell the story of the long-gone Western Interior Seaway and the planet’s past aquatic life

Earth is currently experiencing an occurrence of the El Niño climate pattern.

Could We Mitigate Super El Niños by Artificially Changing the Climate? A New Study Indicates Yes

Researchers used computer models to see what would have happened had scientists caused marine cloud brightening in the face of strong past El Niños

Scientists analyzed about 25 years' worth of data from the Fram Strait, a passageway where the Arctic and Atlantic oceans meet.

The Arctic Ocean May Have Passed a Crucial Tipping Point That Could Harm Food Webs and Worsen Climate Change

Sea ice loss seems to have triggered a decline in the nutrient nitrate, affecting the tiny organisms that form the foundations of marine food chains and absorb atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study

Scientists think sperm whales entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Strait of Gibraltar roughly 20,000 years ago, then began to spread east.

Sperm Whales Living in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea Seem to Have Developed a Distinct Dialect From Those in the West

All Mediterranean sperm whales were thought to be part of one cultural group, identifiable by a unique pattern of clicks, or a coda. But sound recordings suggest that eastern creatures use a sped-up version of the western whales’ coda

Strange, metallic-looking spheres recently washed ashore in Queensland, Australia.

Strange Spheres Washed Ashore on an Australian Beach. Authorities Say They’re Probably ‘Space Balls’—Empty Fuel Vessels From a Rocket

The shiny objects—each roughly twice the size of a basketball—began to appear on July 3. Authorities initially worried that they were hazardous but have since determined that they’re likely safe bits of space junk

Two dolphins swim up to the camera. The recognized images from this year's Ocean Conservancy Photo Contest all feature animals.

These 11 Wildlife Images From the Ocean Conservancy’s Photography Contest Showcase the Wonder of Earth’s Waters

Seals, penguins and fish are featured in the nonprofit’s annual competition to inspire care for the world’s oceans

Ernest Shackleton, Robert Falcon Scott and Edward Adrian Wilson on the British National Antarctic Expedition, also known as the Discovery Expedition, on November 2, 1902.

A New Expedition Will Create 3D Digital Twins of Polar Shipwrecks Tied to Voyages of Rival Explorers Who Raced to the South Pole

Robert Falcon Scott led an expedition aboard the ship ‘Terra Nova’ and Ernest Shackleton led one from the ship ‘Quest’—but neither explorer got to plant the first flag in the heart of Antarctica

The "cold blob," shown in blue near the top, is also called the Atlantic "warming hole."

As the Ocean Warms, a ‘Cold Blob’ in the Atlantic Has Puzzled Scientists. It Might Be a Warning Sign About a Key Current System

A patch of water south of Greenland and Iceland has cooled by nearly 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. A new study suggests that it shows a crucial system of ocean currents is weakening, which could alter Earth’s climate

A North Atlantic right whale swims with dolphins around its head in the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary east of Boston.

Speed Limits for Ships Protect Endangered Right Whales From Vessel Strikes. Could the Animals Survive Without Them?

Since 2008, rules requiring ships to slow down to avoid collisions with North Atlantic right whales have reduced fatalities of the critically endangered animals. Now, NOAA is calling the regulations into question, raising concerns for the mammals’ future

The technology uses thermal cameras and artificial intelligence to detect whales based on the water spewed from their blowholes, which is slightly warmer than the surrounding water.

Gray Whales Are Getting Struck by Ships in San Francisco Bay. Could This New A.I.-Powered Tech Save Them?

The recently launched system involves two thermal cameras that can detect gray whales up to four miles away, giving ships enough time to slow down or change course—and avoid running into the marine mammals

A coral reef in the southern Andaman Sea, in Southeast Asia

Scientists Identify Swaths of Coral Reefs That Might Be Able to Withstand Climate Change, Offering New Avenues for Conservation

New research has mapped more than 64,000 square miles where the crucial habitat seems to be somewhat protected from the impacts of the warming ocean

Animation showing the surface water temperature changing in the Pacific Ocean from January 1 through June 8.

The ‘Super’ El Niño Has Arrived. Here’s How It Might Affect the World’s Weather and Economy

The naturally occurring climate pattern, characterized by warm surface water in the Pacific Ocean, that has just started could be one of the strongest ever recorded, according to experts

Goblin sharks have elongated snouts and extendable jaws, which they use to snatch prey.

‘Ugliest Shark on the Planet’: See the Elusive Goblin Shark, Filmed for the First Time in Its Deep-Sea Habitat

Scientists spotted the enigmatic creatures in 2019 and again in 2024, marking the first times they’ve been observed alive in the wild. The sightings drastically expand the animals’ known geographic and depth range

Scientists explored a tiny portion of the site during more than 30 dives with a submersible.

Scientists Discover the World’s Largest, Deepest Whale Graveyard, Where Cetacean Remains Have Been Piling Up for Five Million Years

The massive necropolis, located deep in the southeastern Indian Ocean, is teeming with marine life supported by the whale carcasses, including many suspected new species

The new species was named Microeledone galapagensis ​​​​​​in honor of the location where it was collected.

Cool Finds

‘Cute Little Guy’: Scientists Discover a Tiny Blue Species of Octopus by the Galápagos Islands

The palm-size creature was spotted and collected during a research expedition more than a decade ago, but scientists have just identified it as a previously undescribed species

Many of the delicate ceramics are still intact.

Cool Finds

A Shipwreck ‘Almost Beyond Belief’ Stunned Archaeologists in Norway With Its Cargo of Intact Porcelain Dishes and Luxury Goods

So far, archaeologists have recovered 40 artifacts from the discovery, an 18th-century shipwreck that likely will yield thousands more treasures

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