The ocean covers more than 70% of Earth’s surface and contains 97% of the planet’s water. This vast, critical reservoir supports a abundance of life and helps regulate Earth’s climate.
Explore how the ocean shapes life on Earth. It sustains us, surprises us, and holds mysteries we're only beginning to understand. Dive into key topics here.
The ocean is a vast and critical reservoir that supports a diversity of life, helps regulate climate, provides a large amount of the planet’s oxygen, and stores an abundance of carbon dioxide. NASA satellite, airborne, and in-situ missions and projects are constantly collecting data about the global ocean.
NASA's ocean circulation data provide accurate measurements to track and understanding the large-scale movement of waters in the ocean basins.
Understanding how the ocean works is foundational to understanding life on this planet and to the discipline of oceanography. Get to know the big systems of the ocean: its cycles, circulation, zones, and connection to the atmosphere. Learn about ocean chemistry, life and landscapes on the seafloor, plate movements, shorelines, and icy regions.
Oceans Evolution didn’t wait long after the dinosaurs died New plankton arrived just a few millennia — maybe even decades — after the Chicxulub asteroid, forcing a rethink of evolution's ...
Discover the Ocean Learning Hub—your gateway to trusted ocean science content. Easily explore by topic, media type, grade level, and educational standards.
Dive in and find answers to your deepest ocean questions. Why is the ocean blue? What causes ocean waves? Get the facts and increase your ocean knowledge.