The ocean covers more than 70% of Earth’s surface and contains 97% of the planet’s water. This vast, critical reservoir supports a abundance of life and helps regulate Earth’s climate.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is the world's premier independent organization dedicated exclusively to ocean research, technology, and education. We combine state-of-the-art science, engineering, and ship operations to unravel the mysteries of the deep and devise science-based solutions to planet-wide problems.
Explore how the ocean shapes life on Earth. It sustains us, surprises us, and holds mysteries we're only beginning to understand. Dive into key topics here.
The deep ocean is dynamic, with shifting currents and layers influencing climate, ecosystems, and global ocean processes.
The deep ocean is more dynamic than you think – Woods Hole ...
Ocean acidification is a reduction in the pH of the ocean over an extended period of time, caused primarily by an increase of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Discover the Ocean Learning Hub—your gateway to trusted ocean science content. Easily explore by topic, media type, grade level, and educational standards.
Understanding how the ocean works is foundational to understanding life on this planet and to the discipline of oceanography. Get to know the big systems of the ocean: its cycles, circulation, zones, and connection to the atmosphere. Learn about ocean chemistry, life and landscapes on the seafloor, plate movements, shorelines, and icy regions.
Ocean warming enhances hurricane activity, bleaches coral reefs and melts Antarctic sea ice. That warming has been off the charts for the past year.
Hawaii is turning ocean plastic into roads to fight pollution The ocean plastic that washes up on Hawaii’s beaches is recycled into asphalt to pave roads. The roads are then tested for ...
The ocean is a vast and critical reservoir that supports a diversity of life, helps regulate climate, provides a large amount of the planet’s oxygen, and stores an abundance of carbon dioxide. NASA satellite, airborne, and in-situ missions and projects are constantly collecting data about the global ocean.
Hundreds of studies have missed how much the oceans are rising By Nikk Ogasa Oceans
NASA's ocean circulation data provide accurate measurements to track and understanding the large-scale movement of waters in the ocean basins.
Dive in and find answers to your deepest ocean questions. Why is the ocean blue? What causes ocean waves? Get the facts and increase your ocean knowledge.
Incredible diversity exists in the ocean, from microscopic organisms to the largest animals on Earth.