Ocean science news, explainers, and statistics covering marine environments, currents, climate, coasts, seafloor research, and the changing global ocean.
A diplomatic effort to restore passage through the Strait of Hormuz now centers on a practical question: how could commercial ships move safely through a waterway that has become a flashpoint? The route is the sea exit from the Persian Gulf and a disruption there can quickly reach far beyond the two countries on its…
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NOAA’s estuary food-pyramid material starts with a simple observation that governs ponds, rivers, marshes and seas: every bite carries energy that entered the ecosystem earlier. An aquatic food chain traces one possible route for that energy. A tiny alga may be eaten by a zooplankton animal, which may be eaten by a small fish, which…
Earth looks blue from space because the ocean spreads across most of its surface and plunges for kilometers below it. That depth gives the ocean an astonishing share of the planet’s water. NOAA estimates that it contains about 1.335 billion cubic kilometers, or about 321 million cubic miles, of water. The estimate combines the immense…
The ocean’s great depth makes direct observation difficult and turns detailed mapping into a long-term global challenge. Pressure rises rapidly below the surface, while darkness and distance complicate every expedition. A single average helps put that scale in perspective: the ocean is 3,682 meters deep, or 12,080 feet. That is nearly 3.7 kilometers and a…
