Ocean
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XQpQVzWpqdWtZRrFtWyBYm-320-80.jpg)
Find out everything there is to know about the ocean and stay updated on the latest oceanic news with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and beautiful images of the ocean at LiveScience.com. Learn more about the Earth's oceans as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about our largest bodies of water.
Latest about Rivers & Oceans
![An area of biodiversity on Cacho De Coral, a newly discovered pristine coral reef.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QCQbud4n8LWXsMpEotd53P-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Pristine coral reefs discovered near Galápagos Islands are thousands of years old and teeming with life
By Sascha Pare published
Scientists on a 30-day expedition off the coast of Ecuador have mapped two coral reefs and two seamounts more than 1,000 feet beneath the ocean surface.
![an underwater cave with a shark swimming through it](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M9W2mBVfo74nnfqZbfNvHF-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
What percentage of the ocean have we mapped?
By Ethan Freedman published
"It's crazy to think that we don't have a complete map of our planet," one researcher involved in a project to map the entire seafloor by 2030 told Live Science.
![methane bubbles trapped below the surface of a frozen body of water with a black background](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4vUpZpPBJdXmkMMG3Vx7a-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Strange methane leak discovered at the deepest point of the Baltic Sea baffling scientists
By Rachel Parsons published
A huge methane leak discovered in the Baltic Sea spans 7.7 square miles, with masses of gas bubbles rising almost all the way to the ocean surface.
![Light shines through the water of a rocky cave in the deep sea.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cLTe9ZuWq2ynCwKrbsUCq8-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
'We know far more about the deep ocean than the moon or Mars,' says explorer Jon Copley
By Sascha Pare published
The deep sea, which encompasses waters deeper than 660 feet (200 meters), is home to alien-like creatures, but we know far more about these inky depths than people think, ocean explorer Jon Copley tells Live Science.
![a strange golden object found at the bottom of the gulf of alaska](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CExJcSvZPkcBoPmJgRhJy4-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Team Egg or Team Sponge? Scientists divided over identity of mysterious golden orb from bottom of ocean
By Hannah Osborne published
The weird gold dome-shaped object was found during an NOAA expedition to the Gulf of Mexico and is now being preserved in ethanol until it can be sent for laboratory analysis.
![The mysterious golden orb discovered at the bottom of the ocean being held by a scientist](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZAqDNyH6qY2gSPbtLZt2sU-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
'It is biological in origin': 1st analysis of weird golden orb from ocean floor leaves scientists stumped
By Hannah Osborne published
The golden, dome-shaped object was discovered in the Gulf of Alaska during an NOAA expedition and after bringing it to the surface, scientists still have no idea what it is.
![A view of the steel containers used to store wastewater at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jdKx4o8ffr6jHVpD6apZT5-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Fukushima nuclear power plant is now pumping wastewater into the Pacific Ocean
By Sascha Pare published
The International Atomic Energy Agency — the UN's atomic watchdog — has said the release meets international safety standards with a "negligible radiological impact."
![A picture of the ocean on the Pacific coast in San Diego.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TCB7246mHFTsovgg6aBVzm-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Odds of 'strong' El Niño now over 95%, with ocean temperatures to 'substantially exceed' last big warming event
By Sascha Pare published
Sizzling ocean temperatures in the east-central tropical Pacific throughout July indicate there is a good chance El Niño conditions will remain strong for the next six months.
![A multicolor map of a depp-sea canyon](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-320-80.jpg 320w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-450-80.jpg 450w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-500-80.jpg 500w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-650-80.jpg 650w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-840-80.jpg 840w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-970-80.jpg 970w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-1024-80.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d5MBhiu76zdC8iWFyw9cy-1200-80.jpg 1200w)
Clearest-ever seafloor maps show deep-sea 'Grand Canyon' off US coast in stunning detail
By Harry Baker published
By combining high-definition maps with sensors that detect changes in the water column, researchers have created a "centimeter-scale" picture of how currents and tides shape the Monterey Canyon.
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