Ocean science news, explainers, and statistics covering marine environments, currents, climate, coasts, seafloor research, and the changing global ocean.
Ocean water can look like an endless emergency water supply. It surrounds a boat, covers most of the planet and reaches the shore in waves. Yet a mouthful of seawater cannot meet a person’s drinking-water needs. Its dissolved salt turns the same liquid that seems useful into an added burden on the body. The result…
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Which living ocean animal has the greatest maximum adult mass? The blue whale leads easily, but the rest of a defensible heavyweight list is dominated by other whales. Several species that are shorter than the longest whales have stockier bodies and higher published maximum weights. This ranking uses the highest reported adult body mass for…
The ocean covers about 70% of Earth’s surface, yet its hidden spaces still outnumber the places people have studied closely. The answer to how much is undiscovered depends on the question being asked. A satellite map, a sonar survey, a camera dive and a biological sample each reveal a different part of the same vast…
Which animal sits at the top of the ocean food chain? The answer changes with the place, the prey and the connections that make up a food web. Ocean food webs have many branches, so one predator can eat prey from more than one level. Its position can also shift during its life. Scientists examine…
