Articles tagged as Pacific Ocean | Smithsonian Magazine

Surveys show that 55 percent of reefs surveyed were severely affected by high water temperatures, with half of those expected to die

April 20, 2016

New Research

Watch a Massive Swarm of Crabs Scuttling Along The Ocean Floor

Marine biologists say this behavior has never been seen before

April 13, 2016

Silverside fish are among the species protected by a new West Coast commercial fishing ban on foraging fish.

Trending Today

NOAA Just Moved to Protect Puny Fish

Why a new ban is a big deal for the ocean’s tiniest creatures

April 5, 2016

Art Meets Science

What’s Over the Horizon? These New Maps Will Show You

Andy Woodruff’s line of sight maps show what you’re facing from any coastline in the world

April 1, 2016

Some of the coral bleaching near Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef

Age of Humans

Massive Bleaching Event Hits the Great Barrier Reef

Warm ocean temperatures have impacted large swaths of the Great Barrier Reef in the last month, part of a worldwide coral die-off

March 22, 2016

Figure from the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, Germany

New Research

New Study Details Interbreeding of Ancient Humans With Evolutionary Cousins

Genetic analysis shows multiple periods of inbreeding—trysts that may have given ancient humans the genetic tools they needed to survive

March 18, 2016

Cool Finds

Deep-Sea Robot Spies Ghostly, Unknown Octopus

Previously-undiscovered octopus spotted hanging out on the ocean floor

March 7, 2016

A 19th-century illustration depicts a scene off the coast of Peru, where bird poop, or guano, was harvested as a valuable agricultural fertilizer.

How the Gold Rush Led to Real Riches in Bird Poop

The ships carrying gold miners to California found a way to strike it rich on the way back with their holds full of guano

February 17, 2016

Scientists expect about 10,000 whales to visit Hawaii’s tropical waters this winter—but they’re taking their time

January 4, 2016

Scientists tracked the growth of young whales compared to images taken last year.

Cool Finds

Drones Captured These ‘Killer’ Whale Family Portraits

Not just beautiful, these photos show that raising killer whale calves is a family affair

October 27, 2015

Cool Finds

Marine Biologists Find Rare Nautilus For The First Time In 30 Years

The “Crusty Nautilus” was believed to have gone extinct.

August 31, 2015

The larger Pacific striped octopus uses unique prankster shoulder-tapping techniques to lure shrimp prey within arms' reach.

New Research

Tropical Octopus Definitely Mates Beak-to-Beak

Larger Pacific striped octopus couples engage in a host of behaviors unheard of among other octopuses

August 12, 2015

The Cape Hatteras Light of North Carolina, on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Lonely, Lifesaving Job of Lighthouse Keepers, Revealed at the National Lighthouse Museum

A new museum in Staten Island tells the stories of men and women who ran lighthouses throughout America’s history and shows off some unique antiques

August 7, 2015

Scripps oceanographer Eric Terrill and BentProp founder Pat Scannon investigate the main fuselage of a TBM Avenger lost 70 years ago during a bombing mission near Palau.

Cool Finds

Divers Turn to Robots for Help Scouring the Pacific for Long-Lost WWII Soldiers

An ongoing effort to recover those missing in action teams military historians, volunteers and scientists

July 17, 2015

Healthy ochre sea stars (Pisaster ochraceus)

Cool Finds

This Beer Was Brewed to Save Sea Stars

A new ale sends some proceeds to research on sea star wasting syndrome

May 22, 2015

Cleanup efforts are underway at Refugio State Beach after more than 100,000 gallons of crude oil spilled

May 22, 2015

The "South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area" or spacecraft cemetery, as it's affectionately dubbed, is located in the middle of nowhere, thousands of miles off the coast of New Zealand.

There’s a Spacecraft Cemetery in the Pacific

The middle of the Pacfic Ocean is one of the two places spacecrafts are laid to rest

May 21, 2015

An underwater pipeline was the culprit for a crude oil spill in the Pacific

May 20, 2015

Cool Finds

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

April 17, 2015

The as-yet-unnamed new volcanic island in Tonga, explored by GP Orbassano.

What’s It Like to Take the First Photos of a New Volcanic Island?

Meet the man who climbed to the top and took these stunning shots

March 27, 2015