Oceans

Deciding what, exactly, constitutes a wilderness in the ocean is not completely figured out, though some researchers are trying to find an answer.

Why the Ocean Needs Wilderness

A new study finds that only 13 percent of the ocean can be classified as "wilderness." But what does this even mean?

One of the meg's fearsome teeth, shown here in this extreme close-up.

The Real Science Behind the Megalodon

As <I>The Meg</i> hits theaters, dive into what we <i>really</i> know about this chompy predator

The Santa Monica State Beach is an allegory of North American consumerism. Every morning, cleaners collect chip bags, takeout containers, plastic straws, and more, hiding tonnes of trash from beachgoers who may never know the magnitude of the problem.

Are We Grooming Beaches to Death?

Urban beaches worldwide have less garbage than remote beaches, but less life too. The City of Santa Monica hopes to change the image of a clean beach.

Closeup of a stomatopod crustacean

Why Mantis Shrimps, Not Sharks, Might Be the Most Amazing Predators in the Sea

The crustaceans have superpowers other animals can only dream of

A starfish and barnacles along the side of a formerly sunken wall

A Photographer Documents the Effects of Climate Change on Maine's Intertidal Zones

A marine biology student at Northeastern University captures the vulnerable organisms that have to survive high and low tide

The "dense garbage carpet" that is washing onto Montesinos Beach in Santo Domingo

Waves of Garbage Are Washing onto a Beach in the Dominican Republic

The trash was pushed onto Montesinos Beach by a recent storm, but environmentalists say the scene is becoming all the more common

The link between sunscreen and skin protection is watertight. Unfortunately, many common sunscreens may be devastating for the health of coral reefs.

Can We Create Sunscreen That Protects Both Humans and Coral Reefs?

Sunscreen is vital for skin protection. But researchers are finding that even 'reef-friendly' versions may pose serious environmental threats

An ice-loving Weddell seal, equipped with headgear and ready to assist oceanographers.

How Data-Gathering Seals Help Scientists Measure the Melting Antarctic

Stumped on how to take the temperature of the ocean floor, oceanographers turned to the cutest, most competent divers they knew

A Roman fish processing factory in the city of Baelo Claudia

Romans May Have Hunted Whales to Extinction in Their Home Waters

New analysis suggests that right and gray whales were not only once present in the Mediterranean Sea but likely common in the region

Recyclable lids will be used on all Starbucks cold drinks except the Frappuccino.

Starbucks Vows to Ditch Plastic Straws by 2020. How Will the Oceans Change?

Straws make up a small portion of ocean waste, but banning straws can be an important first step to cutting down on other plastics

The Boquera brothers (above, Fèlix) are the fourth generation in their family to work the sea off the Costa Brava of Catalonia.

How a Fallback to Historic Traditions Might Save Catalonia’s Red Shrimp Fishery

The Boquera brothers, two fishermen from the Costa Brava, are part an innovative management plan that combines science with maritime skills and knowledge

Marc Fries examines a magnetic board looking for iron particles recovered from the sea floor.

A Research Ship Is Hunting Meteorite Fragments Off the Coast of Washington

The research ship E/V Nautilus is combing through samples and sediment hoping to recover the first space rock from the ocean floor

How the Belize Barrier Reef Beat the Endangered List

An oil drilling moratorium, development restrictions and fishing reform has helped the 200-mile-reef come off Unesco's endangered world heritage sites list

At Surf Ranch in May (where Kelly Slater leaned into a cutback), 5,000 spectators gathered to watch 25 world-class surfers compete for prize money.

Engineering the Perfect Wave

A technology breakthrough allows surf legend Kelly Slater to manufacture the same wave over and over again

The Epic Quest to Ride the World’s Biggest Wave

Welcome to the new Mt. Everest of surfing, a notoriously dangerous break off the coast of Portugal

From glow-in-the-dark squid to the terrifying stoplight loosejaw, creatures of the deep have evolved their own living light time and time again.

Why Bioluminescence Evolved to Be Red Light, and Blue

The laws of nature constrict living light to a few hues, which also happen to be quite patriotic

Scientists at the Smithsonian's Museum Support Center in Suitland, Maryland extract a giant squid from its original formalin preservative.

Operation Calamari: How the Smithsonian Got Its Giant Squids

After a decade on view, these cephalopod specimens have a growing fan base

This striped dolphin, photographed in the Gulf of Corinth, may be grieving a relative. A new study examines the evidence.

Study Suggests Dolphins and Some Whales Grieve Their Dead

An analysis of 78 instances of cetaceans paying attention to their dead suggests grief may be part of being a highly social animal

The early life stages of these oceanic behemoths are a mystery to researchers.

Teeming Manta Ray Nursery Discovered in the Gulf of Mexico

Almost all of the rays in the area are rarely seen juveniles, which can reach wingspans of 23 feet when they grow up

A narwhal being capture and tagged for the study

Researchers Record the Sounds of the Elusive Narwhal

<i>Skreee---click----whirrr.</i>

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