Indian Ocean

Workers inside one of nine trenches excavated during the recent dig season this January.

A Buried Ancient Egyptian Port Reveals the Hidden Connections Between Distant Civilizations

At the site of Berenike, in the desert sands along the Red Sea, archaeologists are uncovering wondrous new finds that challenge old ideas about the makings of the modern world

Wedge-tailed shearwaters surprised scientists by showing up after rats were eradicated on Tromelin Island—a place, in the Indian Ocean, where the seabirds hadn’t been documented breeding before.

After Rats Were Eradicated From This Small Island, Seabirds Thrived

Tromelin Island became a safe place for birds once the invasive mammals were eliminated

After several attempts to dolphin-proof the bait, the team finally figured out a solution: a mesh bait pouch.

Watch Dolphins Outsmart Crab Traps in First-Ever Footage

Bottlenose dolphins in Australia have been snatching fish used to bait crabs—and adapting to fishers' attempts to thwart them

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins off the coast of Western Australia

Male Dolphins Have (Lots of) Wingmen

To find a mate, male dolphins work together in complex social networks that dwarf those of any other animal, except humans, study finds

Satellite image of the “milky seas” event that occurred near the coast of Java in August 2019.

First Images of Mysterious 'Milky Seas' Captured

Bioluminescent bacteria are likely responsible for this rare luminous event covering thousands of square miles of ocean

Hawksbill turtles often take circuitous routes to reach foraging sites, according to new research.

Migrating Sea Turtles Don’t Really Know Where They’re Going

New research finds that many hawksbill turtles take meandering routes to reach foraging sites in the Indian Ocean

Hammerhead sharks have are considered critically endangered.

More Than a Third of Shark Species Are Now Threatened With Extinction

Overfishing, habitat loss and climate change are behind the 'desperate' decline

There are many reasons to be worried about the state of the world’s oceans. But some scientists say it’s important to point to successes, in order to motivate people to take further, evidence-based action.

Seven Reasons to Be Optimistic About the World's Oceans

The health of the ocean is under threat, but these good-news stories deserve attention too

This image from Seabed 2030 shows how much of the seafloor has been mapped, with black areas representing places without data yet.

Can Scientists Map the Entire Seafloor by 2030?

Two non-profit organizations are betting that with the help of research institutions, private vessels and new technologies, they can do just that

A pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) crosses the Indian Ocean and passes near Mirissa, Sri Lanka.

Using Nuclear Bomb Detectors, Scientists Overhear the Secret Songs of a Never-Before-Seen Pygmy Blue Whale Population

The new group is named 'Chagos' after the islands close to where the melodies were detected

The Southern Ocean is defined by a swift undertow called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) that flows from West to East around Antarctica.

National Geographic Officially Recognizes the Southern Ocean as World's Fifth Ocean

The organization's cartographers will now label a total of five oceans on their maps and atlases

Individuals located in the Comoros Islands may have descended from the coelacanth population in Madagascar.

Madagascar May Be Stronghold for Ancient Fish With 420-Million-Year History

Fishermen from the island nation caught a number of rare coelacanths off the coast using gillnets

An oceanic whitetip shark swimming in the open ocean. This species was common in the 1970s but its population has since declined by 98 percent, according to a new study.

Oceanic Sharks and Rays Have Declined 70% Since 1970

Fishing fleets have indiscriminately slaughtered sharks for decades and a new study catalogues the environmental damage done

The group’s identification also highlights how much of ocean life—even when it comes to the largest sea creatures—has yet to be discovered.

Scientists Eavesdrop on New Population of Blue Whales Singing in the Indian Ocean

Scientists have identified a previously unknown blue whale song, suggesting that a distinct population had long gone undetected

The Schmidt Ocean Institute’s submersible SuBastian, which was responsible for several discoveries in 2020, is retrieved from the water.

The Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020

From the discovery of a giant coral reef pinnacle to a shocking estimate of plastics on the seafloor, these were the biggest marine moments of the year

Indian fishermen row their boat on the Bay of Bengal.

Undersea Earthquakes May Help Us Take the Ocean’s Temperature

The technique could allow for more accurate and comprehensive monitoring of the world’s warming oceans and track climate change

Alvin, a remotely operated submersible, drills for samples of the deep sea floor in 2014.

Deep-Sea Microbes Exert the Least Amount of Energy Possible to Survive

Giving a whole new meaning to doing the “bare minimum”

A deep-sea starfish attached to what is called a polymetallic nodule. These nodules are being targeted by the burgeoning deep-sea mining industry for their mixture of valuable metals including manganese, cobalt, copper and nickel.

Deep-Sea Mining’s Environmental Toll Could Last Decades

A study of microbial communities at the site of a 1989 deep-sea mining test suggests the fragile ecosystem may take half a century to fully recover

This siphonophore may be the longest ever recorded.

Watch This Giant, Eerie, String-Like Sea Creature Hunt for Food in the Indian Ocean

Researchers shared a video of this massive siphonophore, one of the longest of its kind ever recorded

A rock samples collected during a 2010 drilling expedition in the South Pacific that found microbes in the sea floor.

Microbes Living in Deep Sea Rocks Spawn More Hope for Life on Mars

Starved of resources, these hardy bacteria still eke out a living, suggesting life forms could survive in the harsh habitats on other planets

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