Encounter: Ocean Odyssey

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms within a given area.

Bioluminescence is light emitted by living things through chemical reactions in their bodies.

Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.

Climate change is a long-term shift in global or regional climate patterns. Often climate change refers specifically to the rise in global temperatures from the mid 20th century to the present.

The Earth’s natural resources include air, water, soil, minerals, plants, and animals. Conservation is the practice of caring for these resources so all living things can benefit from them now and in the future.

A current is the steady, predictable movement of a fluid within a larger body of that fluid. Fluids are materials capable of flowing and easily changing shape.

An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a bubble of life.

An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction. Species become endangered for two main reasons: loss of habitat and loss of genetic variation.

The food chain describes who eats whom in the wild.

A food web consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem.

Global warming describes the current rise in the average temperature of Earth’s air and ocean. Global warming is often described as the most recent example of climate change.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a collection of marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. Marine debris is litter that ends up in the ocean, seas, and other large bodies of water.

A keystone species helps define an entire ecosystem. Without its keystone species, the ecosystem would be dramatically different or cease to exist altogether. 

Marine debris is litter that ends up in oceans, seas, and other large bodies of water.

A marine park is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity.

A marine protected area (MPA) is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity. Many MPAs allow people to use the area in ways that do not damage the environment.

A marine reserve is a type of marine protected area (MPA). An MPA is a section of the ocean where a government has placed limits on human activity.

A marine sanctuary is a general type of marine protected area.

A no-take zone is an area set aside by a government where no extractive activity is allowed. Extractive activity is any action that extracts, or removes, any resource.

The ocean covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface.

Ocean trenches are long, narrow depressions on the seafloor. These chasms are the deepest parts of the ocean—and some of the deepest natural spots on Earth. 

Oceanography is the study of all aspects of the ocean. Oceanography covers a wide range of topics, from marine life and ecosystems to currents and waves, the movement of sediments, and seafloor geology.

Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants.

A reef is a ridge of material at or near the surface of the ocean. There are natural and artificial reefs.

People often use the term “sea” to refer to the ocean. To geographers, a sea is a division of the ocean that is enclosed or partly enclosed by land.

Sustainable fishing guarantees there will be populations of ocean and freshwater wildlife in the future.

The New York-New Jersey Baykeeper's oyster restoration program is trying to rebuild oyster reefs within the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.

Kakani Katija is an ocean-focused bioengineer and National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Case study of the marine protected area at Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica.

Case study of the marine protected area of the Galápagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador.

Case study of the marine protected area at Point Sur State Marine Reserve and Point Sur State Marine Conservation Area, California.

Learn the risks our world's coral reefs are facing and what they mean for our future and the future of the ocean.

Marine microbiologist Dr. Douglas Bartlett and marine geologist Dr. Patricia Fryer share information obtained from the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition.

Erika Bergman is taking citizen science to a new level by inviting students to participate in her expeditions through video chats.

A short article on National Geographic Emerging Explorer Tierney Thys and her ocean sunfish research.

Dr. Christina Symons is a geologist mapping one of the last unexplored regions of Earth—the seafloor!

William Gilly is a Stanford University biology professor who specializes in research on the Humboldt squid.

Profile of marine mammal research biologist John Calambokidis.

Introduction to the types and goals of marine protected areas.

Michael Lombardi explains his deep-diving work and offers suggestions to students who hope to pursue a career in ocean exploration.

Dr. Robert Ballard is an ocean explorer who has discovered shipwrecks (including the R.M.S. Titanic!) as well as the weird world of hydrothermal vents.

Profile of Dr. Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence.

Download and print your favorite marine ecosystem illustrations.

Watch this video with your family and friends to learn small steps that have a big impact on the well-being of our oceans.

Scientists across the globe are trying to figure out why the ocean is becoming more violent and what, if anything, can be done about it. Ocean currents, including the ocean conveyor belt, play a key role in determining how the ocean distributes heat energy throughout the planet, thereby regulating and stabilizing climate patterns.

Loggerhead sea turtles face an uncertain future.

In this clip from Years of Living Dangerously, actor Joshua Jackson scuba dives along the Great Barrier Reef, an ecosystem at risk due to climate change.

An Encyclopedia of Life podcasts on pteropod "sea butterflies."

Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala reviews general facts about each ocean within the one world ocean.

Learn alongside Mel the fish!

A healthy ocean means a healthy planet!

How light dims in the ocean.

This sea star is a beautiful example of pentamerism, or being divided into five parts.

Bizarre or beguiling? The weird, wonderful life of the anglerfish.

These pretty swimmers are voracious predators.

One fishing crew's crazy ocean catch!

An enduring, and sustainable, Hawaiian tradition.