Oceans

Separated from his pod along the Pacific Coast, Luna befriended the people of remote Nootka Sound on the western shore of Canada’s Vancouver Island.

Befriending Luna the Killer Whale

How a popular Smithsonian story about a stranded orca led to a new documentary about humanity’s link to wild animals

None

On the Job

A lobsterman in Maine talks about the lure of working on the water

A gray reef shark swims over corals in remote Kingman Reef in the Line Islands. Researchers believe that a large number of sharks is indicative of healthy reefs.

Deep Trouble

Coral reefs are clearly struggling. The only debate for marine scientists is whether the harm is being done on a local or global scale

None

Turning the Tide

Our oceans are in trouble, says Nancy Knowlton. But it's not too late to do something about it

None

35 Who Made a Difference: Clyde Roper

He's spent his life chasing a sea monster that's never been taken alive

Oil platforms (above, the Spree tied to a Gulf of Mexico rig) serve as artificial reefs, attracting organisms with intriguing properties.

Medicine from the Sea

From slime to sponges, scientists are plumbing the ocean's depths for new medications to treat cancer, pain and other ailments

None

Iceberg Wrangler

When a million-ton iceberg threatens your $5 billion oil platform, who you gonna call? Jerome Baker

None

Lasting Impressions

Scientists cast tall shadows but find themselves hard pressed to explain the blues to Mongolians

None

Message in a Bottle

By studying objects cast up on our shores, researcher Curtis Ebbesmeyer traces the flow of ocean currents

None

Master of the Deep

Before Smithsonian scientists do underwater research, Michael Lang makes them seaworthy.

None

We're Scraping Bottom

As vessels around the world drag nets and dredges across the seabed, they slowly destroy the biome

None

Wiring the Jersey Coast

In one spot on the continental shelf, scientists aim to understand all that happens, 24 hours a day

None

Phenomena, Comment and Notes

Life not only thrives in the heat and violence of Earth's submarine volcanoes, it may have started there

Page 76 of 76