While the Earth appears to be round when viewed from the vantage point of space, it is actually closer to an ellipsoid. However, even an ellipsoid does not adequately describe the Earth’s unique and ...

This image from CORA captures historical maximum water levels for California’s San Francisco Bay area. Water-level observations were previously only available from a few locations, tide gauge ...

Kelvin waves are difficult to see with the naked eye as they are large in scale, slow moving and don't break onshore like typical ocean waves. In this graphic, satellite radar altimetry measurements ...

The U.S. Ocean Enterprise, a thriving ecosystem of businesses connected to ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes monitoring, generates approximately $16.4 billion in revenue annually, according to NOAA's ...

The opah, the only known fully warm-blooded fish, is a valuable species for commercial and recreational fishermen. However, researchers do not have a full understanding of the basic biology and ...

This image shows the Chesapeake City tide station, an active water level gauge that is part of NOAA's National Water Level Observation Network, located in Chesapeake City, Md. The Center for ...

Extremophiles are organisms that live in "extreme environments," under high pressure and temperature. Bacteria often form on the rocks near the hydrothermal vents. Pictured is the Sully Vent in the ...

Throughout history, the shape of the Earth has been debated by scientists and philosophers. By 500 B.C. most scholars thought the Earth was completely spherical. The Greek philosopher Aristotle ...

Marine debris washed ashore in Kaho'olawe, Hawaii. While the phrase 'flotsam and jetsam' is often used to describe 'odds and ends,' each word has a specific meaning under maritime law. Flotsam and ...

Lionfish (also known as turkeyfish) have venomous spines that can be very painful. Viewed from the right angle, the ornate fins of the lionfish resemble turkey plumage. That's why 'turkeyfish' is one ...

Seas are found on the margins of the ocean and are partially enclosed by land. Here, you can see that the Bering Sea is part of the Pacific Ocean. Many people use the terms "ocean" and "sea" ...

When corals are stressed by changes in conditions such as temperature, light, or nutrients, they expel the symbiotic algae living in their tissues, causing them to turn completely white. Warmer water ...