The Pacific Ocean produces oxygen, helps regulates the weather, provides food and livelihoods. It’s a place of fun, solace and spiritual connection. But its delicate ecology is under threat.
A female killer whale leaps from the water in Puget Sound near Seattle.
(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Scientists had been uncertain about why killer whales are dying in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. A new study takes an in-depth look and provides the tools to help prevent additional deaths in the future.
Simon Lamb, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and Timothy Stern, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
New research confirms that massive plumes of buoyant hot rock once rose from near the Earth’s core to the surface and triggered vast volcanic eruptions - and that New Zealand sits on top of one.
The absence of climate drivers – specifically, the Indian Ocean Dipole and La Niña – explains why Australia has gone so long without heavy rains.
The interior of a replica 1930 Bathysphere, as used by scientist William Beebe and engineer Otis Barton to explore the oceans depths.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Images
New South Wales boasts many wonderful ocean pools, thanks to a combination of climate, geology, culture and prosperity. Despite concerns about costs, economic and health benefits far outweigh these.
Fish are attracted to floating objects, especially with dangling ropes or nets.
WorldFish/Flickr
Fishers who hunt wild tuna use fish’s natural attraction to floating objects to lure them to known positions near GPS-equipped rafts. However, these rafts are attracting increasing concern.
A customer waits for the world’s longest flight from Singapore to Newark.
AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
The day and a half it takes to get from New York to Singapore and back offers plenty of time to ponder the economics of ultra-long-haul flights – and wonder why we’d want to make it any longer.
Where do the ocean waters that wash the Gold Coast come from?
Flickr/LJ Mears
Sea snakes spend their lives in the water, giving birth to live young at sea, so why are they only found in some of the world’s oceans? The answer lies in a combination of climate and geography.
Sockeye salmon need strong hearts to migrate long distances. An oil spill could hurt their survival.
(AP Photo/Gary Stewart, File)
Pacific salmon are ingrained in the culture and economy of Canada. They are also a key link between ocean and land. But what happens if a pipeline failure contaminates their habitat?
In 1850, the Micronesian island of Nahlapenlohd was the scene of Pohnpei state’s first battle involving cannons and muskets. Less than two centuries later, it has sunk beneath the waves.
Walter Munk might be the most under-appreciated man in surfing, but he is a big deal in ocean science. If you’ve ever checked a surf forecast before paddling out, you have him to thank.
The same beach on Henderson Island, in 1992 and 2015.
After making worldwide headlines with the story of the Pacific “garbage island”, researchers were sent a photo of the same beach, white sand free of litter, as recently as 1992.
The tropical Pacific has a large say in how fast the world warms.
GTS Productions/Shutterstock.com
Ben Henley, The University of Melbourne and Andrew King, The University of Melbourne
If the Pacific Ocean enters an ‘El Tio’ phase, it could speed the world towards 1.5 degrees of global warming, one of the crucial benchmarks of the Paris Climate Agreement.