# Explainer - ARGO.net Science Canonical URL: https://www.argo.net/explainer/ RSS feed: https://www.argo.net/explainer/feed/ ## Published Stories - [In 1962 engineers launched a 355-foot research platform that flooded its tanks until 300 feet pointed straight down, turning FLIP into a nearly motionless ocean laboratory that served scientists for 61 years before its 2023 retirement](https://www.argo.net/in-1962-engineers-launched-a-355-foot-research-platform-that-flooded-its-tanks-until-300-feet-pointed-straight-down-turning-flip-into-a-nearly-motionless-ocean-laboratory-that-served-scientists-for-6/index.html.md): 2026-07-25 - Ocean scientists need a steady platform when their instruments are tracking faint sounds, subtle currents and the exchange between sea and sky. FLIP answered that need in an... - [In 1974, Alvin and two French submersibles descended into the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, made 44 dives and collected 100,000 photographs and 3,000 pounds of rock while giving scientists a close view of how new ocean crust takes shape](https://www.argo.net/in-1974-alvin-and-two-french-submersibles-descended-into-the-mid-atlantic-ridge-made-44-dives-and-collected-100000-photographs-and-3000-pounds-of-rock-while-giving-scientists-a-close-view-of-how-n/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - In 1974, a deep ridge in the Atlantic became a working field site for people inside small research vehicles. Three submersibles reached the seafloor near the Azores and... - [In 1872 HMS Challenger left Portsmouth with six scientists and 243 crew members, traveled nearly 127,000 kilometers over almost four years, made 492 depth soundings and returned with a global record that helped establish modern oceanography](https://www.argo.net/in-1872-hms-challenger-left-portsmouth-with-six-scientists-and-243-crew-members-traveled-nearly-127000-kilometers-over-almost-four-years-made-492-depth-soundings-and-returned-with-a-global-record-t/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - For nearly four years, HMS Challenger carried a small scientific team through waters that had rarely been measured beyond the surface. The converted Royal Navy corvette left Portsmouth... - [In 1857, James Alden found a deep valley in Monterey Bay while sounding from the Coast Survey Steamer Active, revealing the first known seafloor canyon before sonar existed and giving mariners an early glimpse of the hidden terrain beneath California’s central coast](https://www.argo.net/in-1857-james-alden-found-a-deep-valley-in-monterey-bay-while-sounding-from-the-coast-survey-steamer-active-revealing-the-first-known-seafloor-canyon-before-sonar-existed-and-giving-mariners-an-earl/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - In 1857, a set of depth measurements in Monterey Bay produced a surprise that no sailor could see from the deck. James Alden, commanding the Coast Survey Steamer... - [In 1958 USS Nautilus slipped beneath the Arctic ice on a secret second attempt, carried 116 people across the geographic North Pole and emerged near Greenland after nuclear propulsion solved the endurance problem that had stopped earlier submarines](https://www.argo.net/in-1958-uss-nautilus-slipped-beneath-the-arctic-ice-on-a-secret-second-attempt-carried-116-people-across-the-geographic-north-pole-and-emerged-near-greenland-after-nuclear-propulsion-solved-the-endur/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - For the 116 people aboard USS Nautilus, the Arctic Ocean offered no reliable way to surface, communicate, or turn around quickly. Thick ice sealed off the sea above... - [Indian Ocean facts](https://www.argo.net/indian-ocean-facts/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - The Indian Ocean helps set the rhythm of life for hundreds of millions of people. Its seasonal winds help shape rainfall over East Africa, the Indian subcontinent and... - [In 1961 CUSS I held position in 11,673 feet of Pacific water and drilled through 558 feet of sediment into basalt, proving deep-ocean drilling could work and launching a field while Project Mohole’s goal of reaching Earth’s mantle remained out of reach](https://www.argo.net/in-1961-cuss-i-held-position-in-11673-feet-of-pacific-water-and-drilled-through-558-feet-of-sediment-into-basalt-proving-deep-ocean-drilling-could-work-and-launching-a-field-while-project-moholes/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - In 1961, a converted drilling barge named CUSS I hovered above the Pacific near Guadalupe Island, Mexico, with nearly 2.2 miles of water beneath it. The vessel drilled... - [In 1934 William Beebe and Otis Barton descended 3,028 feet off Bermuda inside the cable-hung Bathysphere and their telephone reports of luminous animals opened a view of the deep ocean that no person had previously seen alive](https://www.argo.net/in-1934-william-beebe-and-otis-barton-descended-3028-feet-off-bermuda-inside-the-cable-hung-bathysphere-and-their-telephone-reports-of-luminous-animals-opened-a-view-of-the-deep-ocean-that-no-person/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - The stakes were plain as the small sphere dropped beneath the Atlantic off Bermuda in 1934. At 3,028 feet, the sea pressed against its hull with a force... - [What is sargassum? The seaweed that makes a floating ocean habitat](https://www.argo.net/what-is-sargassum-the-seaweed-that-makes-a-floating-ocean-habitat/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Ocean currents gather Sargassum into loose golden-brown rafts that drift across the sea. Each raft begins as a tangle of branches, leaflike blades and tiny round floats. Wind... - [Upwellings bring the ocean’s deep pantry to the surface](https://www.argo.net/upwellings-bring-the-oceans-deep-pantry-to-the-surface/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Wind along a coast can move surface water out to sea and open a path for water from far below to rise. That water carries nutrients that have... - [Ocean gyres: Earth’s slow-moving rings that organize the sea](https://www.argo.net/ocean-gyres-earths-slow-moving-rings-that-organize-the-sea/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Ocean gyres trace some of the largest moving patterns on Earth. From space, they resemble broad loops drawn across entire ocean basins. A bottle, a drifting buoy, or... - [Ocean currents move heat, life and weather around Earth](https://www.argo.net/ocean-currents-move-heat-life-and-weather-around-earth/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - The ocean has invisible pathways that cross whole basins, curl along coasts and dive to the seafloor. They carry warm water away from the tropics and return colder... - [In 1947 six men left Callao on the balsa raft Kon-Tiki and crossed the Pacific for 101 days before a coral reef at Raroia ended a voyage that showed the journey was physically possible](https://www.argo.net/in-1947-six-men-left-callao-on-the-balsa-raft-kon-tiki-and-crossed-the-pacific-for-101-days-before-a-coral-reef-at-raroia-ended-a-voyage-that-showed-the-journey-was-physically-possible/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - For six men on a low raft of balsa logs, the Pacific offered no harbor, engine, or second chance. On April 28, 1947, Thor Heyerdahl and five companions... - [In 1985 a camera sled followed Titanic’s debris trail 12,500 feet below the Atlantic after French sonar narrowed a vast search field and a single boiler seen before dawn on September 1 led the international team from Argo’s live video to the wreck](https://www.argo.net/in-1985-a-camera-sled-followed-titanics-debris-trail-12500-feet-below-the-atlantic-after-french-sonar-narrowed-a-vast-search-field-and-a-single-boiler-seen-before-dawn-on-september-1-led-the-intern/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - For 73 years, RMS Titanic lay beyond the reach of searchers in a cold, lightless part of the North Atlantic. Its final position was uncertain across a broad... - [In 1969 six men spent more than 30 days drifting 1,444 nautical miles within the Gulf Stream aboard the Ben Franklin submarine, while Apollo 11 drew the public eye toward the Moon and the quiet voyage tested life and science in a closed vessel](https://www.argo.net/in-1969-six-men-spent-more-than-30-days-drifting-1444-nautical-miles-within-the-gulf-stream-aboard-the-ben-franklin-submarine-while-apollo-11-drew-the-public-eye-toward-the-moon-and-the-quiet-voyage/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Thirty days inside a powerful ocean current placed six men and their research vessel in a setting that few people had ever experienced. In the summer of 1969,... - [Continental shelves form Earth’s submerged coastal plains](https://www.argo.net/continental-shelves-form-earths-submerged-coastal-plains/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Beneath the water beyond many coastlines lies a landscape that once belonged to dry land. It begins at the shoreline and slopes gently seaward, often so gradually that... - [Seafloor spreading builds Earth’s vastest mountain chain](https://www.argo.net/seafloor-spreading-builds-earths-vastest-mountain-chain/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Nearly 65,000 kilometers of underwater mountains trace the places where Earth's plates pull apart. Along this global ridge system, seafloor spreading steadily adds fresh oceanic crust. The process... - [Ocean zones: five layers of a living vertical world](https://www.argo.net/ocean-zones-five-layers-of-a-living-vertical-world/index.html.md): 2026-07-24 - Beneath the ocean's bright surface lies a vertical world that changes dramatically with depth. Sunlight fades, water pressure rises and the animals that can survive there become very... - [In 1960 Trieste descended nearly seven miles into Challenger Deep, heard a crack at 32,400 feet and still spent 20 minutes on the ocean floor](https://www.argo.net/in-1960-trieste-descended-nearly-seven-miles-into-challenger-deep-heard-a-crack-at-32400-feet-and-still-spent-20-minutes-on-the-ocean-floor/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA Ocean Exploration's historical account preserves Jacques Piccard's description of the January 23, 1960 descent of the Trieste bathyscaphe to Challenger Deep. Piccard and U.S. Navy Lt. Don... - [In 1992 nearly 29,000 bath toys fell into the North Pacific, then their years-long drift helped scientists track currents around the world](https://www.argo.net/in-1992-nearly-29000-bath-toys-fell-into-the-north-pacific-then-their-years-long-drift-helped-scientists-track-currents-around-the-world/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA's Mapping Friendly Floatees lesson turns a 1992 cargo accident into a map of moving water. A container of almost 29,000 plastic bath toys went overboard in the... - [In 1997 hydrophones 2,000 miles apart heard a sound across the Pacific so powerful it became the Bloop and years of Antarctic recordings eventually linked its acoustic signature to immense icebergs cracking and breaking apart](https://www.argo.net/in-1997-hydrophones-2000-miles-apart-heard-a-sound-across-the-pacific-so-powerful-it-became-the-bloop-and-years-of-antarctic-recordings-eventually-linked-its-acoustic-signature-to-immense-icebergs-cr/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA's account of the 1997 Bloop begins with a listening network that captured remote acoustic evidence. Researchers using underwater microphones in the southern Pacific caught an exceptionally strong... - [In 1977 scientists descended to the Galapagos Rift and found a deep-sea ecosystem living without sunlight, rewriting the rules of life on Earth](https://www.argo.net/in-1977-scientists-descended-to-the-galapagos-rift-and-found-a-deep-sea-ecosystem-living-without-sunlight-rewriting-the-rules-of-life-on-earth/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - The 1977 Galápagos Hydrothermal Expedition sent geologists into a dark stretch of Pacific seafloor and revealed warm, mineral-rich water escaping from fresh lava. Around those openings, the team... - [In 1968 Alvin sank 5,000 feet with lunch still inside and when the submersible was recovered 10 months later the sandwich was still edible](https://www.argo.net/in-1968-alvin-sank-5000-feet-with-lunch-still-inside-and-when-the-submersible-was-recovered-10-months-later-the-sandwich-was-still-edible/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution records an unlikely result from a 1968 accident: the research submersible Alvin sat on the seafloor for 10 months with a bologna sandwich in... - [11 countries with coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans](https://www.argo.net/11-countries-with-coasts-on-both-the-atlantic-and-pacific-oceans/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - The International Hydrographic Organization maintains a standard for naming and dividing oceans and seas. That standard helps explain why 11 countries can be counted as having Atlantic and... - [Why the Indian Ocean is the warmest ocean](https://www.argo.net/why-the-indian-ocean-is-the-warmest-ocean/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - Sunlight warms the ocean surface most strongly near the Equator and the NOAA scientific report identifies the tropical Indian Ocean as having the warmest surface waters among the... - [The ocean conveyor belt moves heat, salt and nutrients around Earth](https://www.argo.net/the-ocean-conveyor-belt-moves-heat-salt-and-nutrients-around-earth/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA's ocean conveyor overview describes a hidden system that links chilly northern seas to waters thousands of miles away. This slow, globe-spanning movement redistributes key properties through the... - [What is the Coriolis effect and why does it shape ocean currents?](https://www.argo.net/what-is-the-coriolis-effect-and-why-does-it-shape-ocean-currents/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA's National Ocean Service explains that the Coriolis effect curves the paths of moving air and water as Earth turns. That curve helps organize broad wind belts, storm... - [How many oceans are there on Earth?](https://www.argo.net/how-many-oceans-are-there-on-earth/index.html.md): 2026-07-23 - NOAA's Ocean Service describes Earth as one connected global ocean that is usually divided into five named ocean basins. Their names are Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Southern.... - [11 strange Pacific Ocean finds, formations, and phenomena](https://www.argo.net/11-strange-pacific-ocean-finds-formations-and-phenomena/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA Ocean Exploration identified the much-discussed golden orb found near Alaska in 2026 as the basal remnant of the giant anemone Relicanthus daphneae. That answer captures the appeal... - [Ocean chemistry is reshaping the planet’s carbon conveyor](https://www.argo.net/ocean-chemistry-is-reshaping-the-planets-carbon-conveyor/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - A 2025 NOAA analysis in Global Biogeochemical Cycles found signs that ocean acidification is changing a feedback in the global carbon cycle. The result matters because the sea... - [Ocean dead zones form when oxygen runs out](https://www.argo.net/ocean-dead-zones-form-when-oxygen-runs-out/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA describes hypoxia as water with too little dissolved oxygen to support many marine animals. In coastal areas, this oxygen loss can create an ocean dead zone, a... - [Ocean acidification is changing the chemistry that builds shells](https://www.argo.net/ocean-acidification-is-changing-the-chemistry-that-builds-shells/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA's Ocean Acidification Program tracks a quiet chemical shift across the sea. As the ocean absorbs more carbon dioxide from the air, seawater holds more hydrogen ions and... - [Hydrothermal vents turn seafloor cracks into deep-ocean oases](https://www.argo.net/hydrothermal-vents-turn-seafloor-cracks-into-deep-ocean-oases/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA Ocean Service describes hydrothermal vents as places where seawater enters cracks in the ocean crust, heats underground and rises back to the seafloor. The process can create... - [Ocean trenches form where Earth’s crust bends and sinks](https://www.argo.net/ocean-trenches-form-where-earths-crust-bends-and-sinks/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA's NCEI describes the Mariana Trench as the product of a slow collision between ocean plates. One plate bends, then descends into Earth's mantle, drawing the edge of... - [How ocean currents steer climate around the world](https://www.argo.net/how-ocean-currents-steer-climate-around-the-world/index.html.md): 2026-07-22 - NOAA Ocean Service explains that ocean currents move seawater from place to place and help regulate climate by carrying warm water away from the Equator and cold water... - [How the Moon and Sun pull Earth’s oceans into a tidal rhythm](https://www.argo.net/how-the-moon-and-sun-pull-earths-oceans-into-a-tidal-rhythm/index.html.md): 2026-07-20 - NOAA's National Ocean Service explains in its tides overview how gravity turns entire oceans into slow-moving waves. This regular rise and fall shapes coastal ecosystems, changes water depths... - [New Horizons spent nine years racing toward Pluto, swept through its historic encounter in hours, then needed 15 months to send the complete record of that brief passage back across billions of miles to Earth](https://www.argo.net/new-horizons-spent-nine-years-racing-toward-pluto-swept-through-its-historic-encounter-in-hours-then-needed-15-months-to-send-the-complete-record-of-that-brief-passage-back-across-billions-of-miles/index.html.md): 2026-07-14 - NASA's New Horizons mission compressed years of engineering and navigation into several crucial hours near Pluto. According to NASA's official data return report, the spacecraft later needed more... - [Mangroves: Protecting Coasts and Sustaining Life](https://www.argo.net/mangroves-protecting-coasts-and-sustaining-life/index.html.md): 2026-04-25 - Mangrove forests might not look impressive at first. Their tangled roots rise out of muddy, dark water and their thick trunks crowd the shoreline. The air is hot,... - [How Whales Shape Ocean Ecosystems](https://www.argo.net/how-whales-shape-ocean-ecosystems/index.html.md): 2026-04-25 - When a whale surfaces from the dark water and breathes into the open air, it may seem like just a brief moment in a vast, empty sea. In... - [Why Coastal Cities Changed Human History](https://www.argo.net/why-coastal-cities-changed-human-history/index.html.md): 2026-04-25 - Stand on a shoreline and the logic of a city begins to feel almost inevitable. A coast is more than a boundary - it is a threshold. It... - [How Ocean Air Can Affect the Human Body](https://www.argo.net/how-ocean-air-can-affect-the-human-body/index.html.md): 2026-04-25 - Stand near the shoreline for even a minute and your body registers the change almost immediately. The air feels heavier with moisture. Your lips catch a trace of... - [What Seaweed Reveals About Eating Healthy](https://www.argo.net/what-seaweed-reveals-about-eating-healthy/index.html.md): 2026-04-21 - For years, seaweed has been arranged in dark green ribbons on rice, folded around sushi, dipped into soup, or left on the plate's edge. It is now gaining... - [Volcanoes Beneath the Sea Form New Land](https://www.argo.net/volcanoes-beneath-the-sea-form-new-land/index.html.md): 2026-04-21 - Far beneath the ocean's surface, hidden from view, powerful forces are constantly reshaping our planet. Most of Earth's volcanic activity happens out of sight, deep under the ocean.... - [Why Some Coastlines Wear Away Faster Than Others](https://www.argo.net/why-some-coastlines-wear-away-faster-than-others/index.html.md): 2026-04-21 - Stand on two beaches just a few miles apart and the contrast can be striking. One may look wide, calm and stable, while the other shows crumbling cliffs,... - [Why Some Deep-Sea Animals Glow in the Dark](https://www.argo.net/why-some-deep-sea-animals-glow-in-the-dark/index.html.md): 2026-04-21 - The ocean remains a place where eyes stays essential far beneath the reach of daylight. In the darkness, animals make their own light. The sea holds the great... - [What Causes Ocean Waters to Rise From Below](https://www.argo.net/what-causes-ocean-waters-to-rise-from-below/index.html.md): 2026-04-20 - The ocean may look calm on the surface, but beneath it lies a dynamic world of constant motion. Water doesn't just move across the seas. Some currents travel... - [How Ocean Currents Help Regulate Earth’s Climate](https://www.argo.net/how-ocean-currents-help-regulate-earths-climate/index.html.md): 2026-04-20 - Earth's climate is always moving. The tropics get strong sunlight, while the poles lose more heat than they receive. The planet stays balanced because air and ocean water... - [What Makes Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents So Unusual?](https://www.argo.net/what-makes-deep-sea-hydrothermal-vents-so-unusual/index.html.md): 2026-04-19 - Far below the reach of sunlight, the seafloor can split open and release jets of mineral-rich water into the dark. Around those openings, called deep-sea hydrothermal vents, the... - [What Happens When Coral Reefs Begin to Dissolve](https://www.argo.net/what-happens-when-coral-reefs-begin-to-dissolve/index.html.md): 2026-04-19 - Coral reefs look solid, almost permanent. From a distance they seem like underwater stone cities, full of color and motion, built to last for ages. Yet their strength... - [How Microplastics Mix With Pollution in the Ocean](https://www.argo.net/how-microplastics-mix-with-pollution-in-the-ocean/index.html.md): 2026-04-19 - The ocean is full of motion. Currents sweep across basins, waves grind coastlines and tiny fragments of human-made material drift through it all. Some of those fragments are... - [Why Heavy Metals Build Up in Ocean Food Chains](https://www.argo.net/why-heavy-metals-build-up-in-ocean-food-chains/index.html.md): 2026-04-19 - The ocean has a quiet way of concentrating trouble. Tiny traces of metal can drift through water at levels so low they seem almost meaningless, then end up... - [How Extra Nutrients Trigger Algal Blooms](https://www.argo.net/how-extra-nutrients-trigger-algal-blooms/index.html.md): 2026-04-19 - A slick of bright green on a lake can look almost unreal. Seen from shore it can pass for paint, pollen, or a strange summer stain. In water,... - [Why Some Coastal Waters Turn Green or Red](https://www.argo.net/why-some-coastal-waters-turn-green-or-red/index.html.md): 2026-04-18 - Seen from a beach, coastal water can look like it changes moods overnight. One week it glows blue-green in the sun. A few days later it turns murky... - [Why Is the Ocean Salty?](https://www.argo.net/why-is-the-ocean-salty/index.html.md): 2026-04-18 - Take a sip of seawater and your mouth gets the answer before your brain does. The ocean holds a huge load of dissolved minerals and that gives it... - [How Rising Acidity Changes Ocean Water](https://www.argo.net/how-rising-acidity-changes-ocean-water/index.html.md): 2026-04-18 - The ocean looks steady from the shore. Under the surface, though, it is constantly trading gases with the air above it. That exchange has always been part of... - [What Low Oxygen Does in the Sea](https://www.argo.net/what-low-oxygen-does-in-the-sea/index.html.md): 2026-04-18 - The sea looks full of motion. Waves roll. Fish flash by. Plankton bloom and vanish. Beneath all that movement sits a quiet requirement, dissolved oxygen. Every breathless patch... - [How Carbon Moves Between the Air and the Ocean](https://www.argo.net/how-carbon-moves-between-the-air-and-the-ocean/index.html.md): 2026-04-18 - Every day, the planet runs a huge exchange program at the sea surface. Carbon slips out of the air, into the ocean, back to the air again and...