Oceans
Science News for Students articles on oceans
- Earth
Hacking the planet
The big backup plan: Scientists reluctantly consider altering Earth’s climate to head off the catastrophic effects of global warming.
- Microbes
Mystery microbes of the sea
Biologists find archaea a true curiosity. They make up one of life’s three main branches. The two better known branches are bacteria and eukaryotes (u KARE ee oatz). That last branch includes animals, plants and fungi. But archaea have remained mysterious. Very little is known about them. In fact, their unique status wasn’t even recognized until relatively recently, in 1977.
By Douglas Fox - Earth
Nature’s coast guards
Barrier islands aren’t just for beach vacations — they protect coasts from storms and flooding.
- Environment
Home, plastic home
Some ocean life is moving into floating piles of plastic trash.
By Janet Raloff -
- Earth
Ahead of the wave
Scientists are working to predict — and tame — the tsunamis that can threaten some coastal communities
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- Climate
Climate’s troublesome kids
The recurring climate events El Niño and La Niña trigger long-lived changes to weather around the world.
- Earth
Less ice, more seawater
Shrinking ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, large-scale study confirms.
- Chemistry
Explainer: Ocean acidification
Here’s why shellfish and other animals in the sea suffer when the ocean is forced to absorb too much carbon dioxide.
- Climate
Watching our seas rise
Satellites, coral reefs, ancient Roman fishponds and sinking cities help us understand how humans are changing sea level.
By Douglas Fox - Microbes
Living long beneath the sea
Microbes in the mud beneath the seafloor may live millions of years, redefining what it means to be old and alive.