The government of the Marshall Islands has protected a huge area of ocean around two remote atolls. The step is designed to protect important marine and bird life, and to help scientists learn more about the area. The government says it's their first marine protected area (MPA), but it won't be their last.
Posts tagged as “oceans”
Scientists have discovered that a male humpback whale traveled over 8,100 miles (13,000 kilometers) across three oceans. The journey is the longest known trip for a humpback whale. It's likely that the whale made the trip in search of a mate.
The world's oldest known wild bird is an albatross named Wisdom. She's around 74 years old, and has recently returned to her nesting place in the Midway Atoll. Wisdom may be old, but she's still active. She has just laid her first egg in four years.
Scientists on a National Geographic research trip to the Solomon Islands have discovered the world's largest coral. The single coral colony, made up of around one billion tiny creatures, is so large that it can be seen from space.
Australian scientists have come up with a clever way to study hard-to-reach areas of the sea floor: they attached cameras to sea lions. The resulting videos have given scientists new information about the endangered sea lions, and also about the sea floor.
Scientists have discovered a surprising new source of oxygen in the ocean. They believe that special rocks on the sea floor may act like batteries, creating oxygen from salt water. The discovery raises new questions about the effects of deep-sea mining.
The world's largest iceberg, an icy island three times the size of New York City, has broken loose. The iceberg, called A23a, broke free from an Antarctic ice shelf in 1987, and has been grounded for over 30 years. Now it's floating in the open ocean.
Scientists have reported that Antarctica's sea ice is at a record low level. That's worrying because the sea ice is an important part of the Earth's cooling system. It's not yet clear if the low sea ice level is temporary, or part of a changing climate pattern.
On August 21, a cargo ship traveling from Singapore to Brazil became the first to try out a new kind of sail. The sail is expected to save fuel and cut pollution. If it works well, similar sails could become common on cargo ships over the next few years.
In a world-record effort to help save a rare sea creature, Australian scientists have released hundreds of baby seahorses into the wild. The tiny seahorses are endangered, and the scientists hope the new seahorses will help their numbers grow.
People who have trouble walking or moving around often have a hard time enjoying the beach. But hundreds of beaches in Greece now offer a new way for people in wheelchairs to get into the water by themselves. It's called Seatrac.