Why the Ocean
This is how we're used to seeing our planet.
But shift your perspective and you'll see
IT'S AN OCEAN WORLD
Dive in to explore a world of wonder and possibility—revealed through science and innovation
The Global Conveyor
Take a ride on globetrotting currents that carry heat and salt from the depths to the surface, and back again.
The Mid-Ocean Ridge
Move over, Andes and Himalayas. The planet’s longest mountain range is under the waves!
Since we first revealed hydrothermal vents to the world in 1977, WHOI continues to uncover the mysteries of the deep sea through innovation and insight.
The Great Layer of Life: Ocean Twilight Zone
Between the sea floor and the surface-about 600 to 3,000 feet deep-we come to the Ocean Twilight Zone.
The Floating Garden
Life may thrive in the ocean's extremes, but the marine food web truly flourishes at the lush, sunlit surface.
The Frozen Ocean: Arctic & Antarctica
The poles are some of the most dynamic-yet fragile-regions on Earth.
The Global Conveyor
Take a ride on globetrotting currents that carry heat and salt from the surface to the depths, and back again.
Fueled by differences in water temperature and salinity, the Global Ocean Conveyor circulates heat, salt, nutrients, and carbon around the globe.
Through this network of powerful currents, basin-wide gyres, and swirling eddies, it takes a thousand years for a drop of water to return to its origin— cycling between the cold depths and warm surface many times along the way.
WHOI oceanographers past and present have expanded our understanding of how ocean circulation shapes climate, fuels life, and connects us all.
The Mid-Ocean Ridge
Move over, Andes and Himalayas. The planet’s longest mountain range is under the waves!
Made up of 40,000 continuous miles (65,000 km) of underwater volcanoes, the Mid-Ocean Ridge encircles the globe like stitches on a baseball.
Most of Earth’s volcanic activity takes place along this deep-sea range. As tectonic plates pull apart, magma rises to form new crust— sometimes explosively.
It’s also a hotspot for deep-sea life: hydrothermal vent ecosystems that offer clues to the origins of life on Earth.
Since we first revealed hydrothermal vents to the world in 1977, WHOI continues to uncover the mysteries of the deep sea through innovation and insight.
The Great Layer of Life
Between the sea floor and the surface—about 600 to 3,000 feet deep—we come to the Ocean Twilight Zone.
It’s vast, dark, and full of weird and wonderful animals.
In fact, the majority of life on Earth calls this mid-ocean region “home."
As the sun sets above, quadrillions of animals travel to the surface to feed under the cover of darkness.
When they return to the depths, many of them use light—or bioluminescence—to hunt, camouflage themselves, and find mates.
It’s the greatest daily migration on Earth—and that’s why WHOI researchers study its critical role in the ocean food web, global fisheries and regulating the climate.
The Floating Garden
Life may thrive in the ocean's extremes, but the marine food web truly flourishes at the lush, sunlit surface.
Phytoplankton bloom into gardens visible from space when fertilized by nutrients carried by wind or currents.
Like plants on land, phytoplankton absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and produce roughly half the oxygen on Earth.
WHOI science reveals how these "lungs of the ocean" fuel life-from great schools of fish to the largest whales-and keep our planet habitable.
The Frozen Ocean: Arctic & Antarctica
The poles are some of the most dynamic-yet fragile-regions on Earth.
Sea ice ebbs and flows with the seasons, reflecting solar radiation and helping cool our climate.
Even in the polar night, phytoplankton and microbes thrive under thick layers of ice, fueling a robust ecosystem.
WHOI research to understand changes at the poles is essential for biodiversity, sea-level stability, and Earth's environmental balance.