Ocean science news, explainers, and statistics covering marine environments, currents, climate, coasts, seafloor research, and the changing global ocean.
The Pacific Ocean food web begins with organisms too small to see from a boat and ends with animals that can cross entire ocean basins. Sunlit surface waters support phytoplankton, microscopic algae that convert light and dissolved carbon dioxide into living tissue. Zooplankton graze on those cells, small fish eat the grazers and larger hunters…
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Ready for ocean trivia with answers you can trust? The 25 questions below cover geography, depth, waves, chemistry, climate, exploration and marine life. Each answer comes first, followed by a short explanation that separates established measurements from estimates and avoids familiar ocean myths. The figures here use current agency or institutional references, but mapping coverage…
Abiotic factors in the ocean are the nonliving parts of the environment that influence marine organisms. They include the water’s temperature and salt content, the light that reaches each depth, water pressure, dissolved gases, acidity, nutrients, currents and the material on the seafloor. Living components are biotic factors, from microscopic plankton to large fish. The…
Six stages could help mission planners choose aquanauts who are physically ready for underwater life and psychologically prepared for long periods in a sealed habitat. The proposed process first identifies serious health risks, then looks for people with the personal qualities needed to live and work with a small crew. A peer-reviewed study published in…
