Oceans
Salty Sea Spray Keeps Lightning Strikes Away
Particles of sea salt in the air could stop clouds from charging up for a lightning strike
Oceans62 articles archived since 1845
Endangered Species
Everything You Know about Shark Conservation Is Wrong
Sharks need our help, but many widespread conservation messages are not based on scientific evidence
Oceans
Exploration Is Fundamental to Human Success
Discoveries inspire us, give us hope for a better future and pay off generously
Oceans
High-Tech Seafloor Mapping Is Finding Surprising Structures Everywhere
Giant coral towers, vast reefs and other formations are captivating explorers
Oceans
The Mystery of Milky Seas Is Finally Being Solved
Scientists are uncovering more about an eerie phenomenon that has bewildered seafarers for centuries
Oceans
What Does It Look Like when an Ecosystem Collapses? Kelp Can Show Us
After a mass algal die-off in the Pacific, researchers used satellites, undergrads, artificial intelligence and people wading in tide pools figure out what was lost—and how it might come back...
Oceans
Eerie Photo Proves the Existence of Milky Seas—A First
A night photograph taken from a sailboat near the island of Java validates a satellite image of a giant, glowing “milky sea”
Oceans
Discoveries from the Deep
Advances in robotics, sensing and genomics are accelerating findings of sophisticated life throughout the ocean depths
Oceans
Mystery, Discovery and Surprise in the Oceans
Bizarre sea creatures, a new view of the ocean, the race to the moon, and more
Oceans
Dive into a Vanishing Invisible Forest to See What Climate Has Changed
Our kelp forests are largely unobserved, but now they are vanishing. To understand why, scientists dive underwater and look down from space. Their research reveals a complex system at risk of collapse...
Oceans
Ocean Discoveries Are Revising Long-Held Truths about Life
New findings show that the ocean is much more intertwined with our lives than we ever imagined
Microbiology
Marine Microbe Lures Prey into Custom Slime Traps
These organisms’ private “mucospheres” play an outsize role in the planet’s carbon cycle
Pollution
Ocean Oil Slick Map Reveals Enough Greasy Patches to Cover France—Twice
An algorithm-aided analysis of satellite images reveals the size, distribution and sources of oil slicks at sea
Renewable Energy
Engineers Look to River and Ocean Currents for Clean Energy
The Department of Energy is helping to fund 11 projects that are designed to harness the power of moving water
Animals
Wiggling Whiskers Help Hungry Seals Hunt in the Dark
A new seal’s-eye view shows these specialized hairs in motion at sea
Oceans
Coral Reefs Are Struggling, but There Is Some Good News
Graphics show how reefs around the globe are faring
Defense
The Navy Extracted a Jet Fighter from 12,400 Feet below the Surface of the South China Sea
But the U.S. must probe even further to catch up with China’s access to the ocean’s deepest reaches
Oceans
Scientists Warn of Looming Mass Ocean Extinction
If greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed, temperature spikes could bring the first such mass extinction in 250 million years
Oceans
A Major Ocean Current Is at Its Weakest Point in 1,000 Years
Natural variations are currently the main cause, but climate change should continue to cause it to slow down
Oceans
Probiotics Could Help Save Overheated Corals
Think of the process as a kind of marine fecal transplant—except the restorative bacteria do not come from stool; they come from other corals.
