Pacific Ocean

A coral reef in Honolulu, Hawaii. Half of global coral coverage has disappeared since the 1950s.

Coral Reefs Host a Vast Diversity of Microbes

A two-year expedition at sea uncovered more than half a million varieties of microbial life in Pacific reef-dwelling organisms

Algae collected by the artist while free diving off Point La Jolla, California

Stunning Seaweed Prints Capture Life Underwater

Free diver Oriana Poindexter creates cyanotypes of kelp collected off the California coast

Researchers studied California two-spot octopuses both in the lab and in the wild for the new paper. 

Octopuses Can Rewire Their Brains to Brave Chilly Waters

To handle changing temperatures, the cephalopods make "astounding" RNA edits, researchers find

Researchers declare the onset of El Niño when the temperature of the water in the tropical Eastern Pacific is at least 0.9 degrees Fahrenheit (0.5 Celsius) above average for a three-month period.

El Niño Has Arrived

The natural climate pattern usually increases global temperatures and could lead to record-breaking heat

A shark swims near two paddle boarders off California's coast.

Great White Sharks Come Much Closer to Swimmers Than Thought in Southern California

Juvenile white sharks and humans overlap 97 percent of the time in some warm Pacific waters, a new study finds

A close-up of an urchin found on the deep-sea expeditions in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

These Mysterious Deep-Sea Creatures Live in a Potential Mining Zone

Scientists documented more than 5,500 animal species at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, but thousands more might remain undiscovered

The 144-foot Blythe Star coastal freighter

Lost for 50 Years, Mysterious Australian Shipwreck Has Finally Been Found

The "Blythe Star" sank off the coast of Tasmania in 1973, heralding improvements to the country's maritime safety laws

Using suction-cup sensors attached to three humpback whales, researchers captured video footage of the animals rolling around on the ocean floor.

Watch Whales Exfoliate Their Skin on the Ocean Floor

Migrating humpbacks used sand and rubble to slough off dead skin and barnacles, a behavior that may be both practical and social

Before they made their big flight to the South Pacific, the snails were adorned with dots of red, UV-reflective paint to help conservationists find them in the dark.

Scientists Reintroduce 5,000 Snails to French Polynesian Islands

The project's organizers say it's the largest-ever release of creatures that are extinct in the wild

Hawaiian monk seal Kaiwi and her pup lie face-to-face in the sand on Kaimana Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on April 20.

Newborn Monk Seal Pup and Mother Get 24/7 Police Protection

Wildlife officials closed down a popular Hawaiian beach to protect the pair of endangered mammals

Huge quantities of plastics make their way into oceans and other bodies of water.

The Pacific Garbage Patch Is Home to Coastal Species—in the Middle of the Ocean

These out-of-place organisms are thriving on floating trash, but they may compete with open-water species

Disney just announced that a live-action remake of its 2016 film Moana is in the works.

'Moana' Will Set Sail Again in Disney's Live-Action Remake

Dwayne Johnson will co-produce the film—and reprise his role as the demigod Maui

A group of snailfish swims between 7,500 and 8,200 meters below sea level. The deepest fish was filmed at 8,336 meters under the surface.

Behold the Deepest Fish Ever Filmed

A juvenile snailfish was caught on video more than five miles below sea level in waters south of Japan

Between 2013 and 2017, 90 percent of the sunflower sea star population was wiped out from a disease called Sea Star Wasting Syndrome.

These Sea Stars Are Literally Wasting Away—but They May Soon Receive Protection

Sunflower sea stars have been recommended for Endangered Species Act protection as disease leads them to “disintegrate into gooey masses”

Balloons can pollute the oceans, harm wildlife and get tangled in power lines.

Seaside California City Bans Balloons in Public

Laguna Beach has joined several other cities taking aim at ocean pollution, wildlife health, power outages and wildfires

A drawing of the extinct Steller's sea cow

An Extinct Sea Cow May Help the Restoration of California’s Dwindling Kelp Forests

Researchers are modeling out what the ocean may have looked like when the seaweed-munching mammal roamed the shores

The last surviving thylacine's skull

Remains of Last Surviving Tasmanian Tiger Discovered in Museum Cabinet

Researchers found the lost body of the female thylacine after 85 years

A house damaged by last week's earthquake.

What Made Indonesia’s Recent Earthquake So Deadly?

The 5.6-magnitude earthquake that rocked the island of Java last week has killed at least 321 people

The first juvenile collector urchin (Tripneustes gratilla) raised from a cryopreserved embryo.

A Graduate Student’s Research Could Help Stop the Spread of Invasive Seaweed in Hawai'i

For the first time, using cryopreservation to freeze sea urchin embryos may help restore coral reefs

Moai statues on Easter Island

Fire Irreversibly Damages Easter Island Statues

The isolated island is home to hundreds of the mysterious monuments

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