Philosophy Science Psychology Society Culture

DonateNewsletterSIGN IN

Oceans and water

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science

Astronomy Biology Biotechnology Chemistry Complexity Computing and artificial intelligence Cosmology Deep time Earth science and climate Ecology and environmental sciences Engineering Evolution Genetics History of science Human evolution Human reproduction Illness and disease Mathematics Medicine Oceans and water Palaeontology Physics Quantum theory Space exploration

Explore more Science

Aerial photo of turquoise ocean with a sinuous sand-coloured formation running diagonally, creating a striking contrast.

essayOceans and water

An oceanic tempo

An appreciation of the immensity embedded in the ocean’s cycles offers a way to reimagine our relationship with time

James Bradley

Satellite image showing swirling ocean currents in vivid colours off the east coast of the US.

videoOceans and water

A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans

5 minutes

Photo of a person in a winter coat and beanie looking at a snow-covered town, with mountains in the background.

videoEarth science and climate

There’s a ‘climate bomb’ ticking beneath the Arctic ice. How can we prepare?

8 minutes

Fresco fragment with geometric borders framing curved shapes representing waves crashing upon the shore, partially damaged.

essayNature and landscape

Laughing shores

Sailors, exiles, merchants and philosophers: how the ancient Greeks played with language to express a seaborne imagination

Giordano Lipari

Close-up of a white sea star larvae against a black background.

videoBiology

A spectacular, close-up look at the starfish with a ‘hands-on’ approach to parenting

5 minutes

Split image showing two types of coral, a hard coral on the left and a soft coral with tentacles on the right, both in deep blue light.

videoBiotechnology

It’s our responsibility to engineer corals that can weather the world we’ve created

11 minutes

Four-panel sequence of a sunset with vibrant green and yellow hues on the horizon, transitioning across various stages of visibility against a darkening sky.

videoPhysics

Why does the Sun occasionally flash green as it eclipses the horizon?

7 minutes

Fishermen in orange helmets and blue attire pull a large net of jumping fish out of the water, creating a dramatic splash.

essayOceans and water

Here’s to blue foods

With care for the social and ecological consequences, foods from the ocean should provide sustainable protein to billions

Madhura Rao

Underwater view of a vibrant coral reef with various coral species in clear blue water near the ocean’s surface.

essayOceans and water

Tomorrow’s corals

A warming planet and acid oceans will radically transform marine ecosystems. How will our beloved reefs survive?

Klaus M Stiefel & James D Reimer

A whale seen underwater from below, white lines emanate from it, representing sound

videoBiology

Like pop music, humpback whale songs spread, mutate, and fall out of fashion

9 minutes

A fisherman’s catch of various fish, shells, and sea creatures on a boat’s deck, with someone in yellow trousers standing nearby.

essayOceans and water

Defend the deep

Instead of letting waves of exploitation sweep through the deep ocean, we could choose to protect this vast living realm

Helen Scales

Close-up of a hydra, with its translucent tentacles extending outward against a dark background.

videoBiology

Blend up a hydra, and its cells will coalesce back into a full creature. How?

5 minutes

An orca swims in a clear tank, viewed through blue-framed glass panels with a backdrop of a coastal landscape.

essayOceans and water

They are prisoners

Captive orcas are tormented by boredom and family separation, but they cannot be simply released. What’s the solution?

Lori Marino

Two colourful scallop shells lying open and joined at the hinge on a wooden surface.

videoOceans and water

‘Natural souvenirs’ and ocean sounds form a sea-salty celebration of the shore

3 minutes

An antique map depicting Scandinavia and surrounding regions with sea creatures, ships and ornate decorations.

essayAstronomy

Here be black holes

Like sea monsters on premodern maps, deep-space images are science’s fanciful means to chart the edges of the known world

Surekha Davies

Close-up of an orange sea anemone with flowing tentacles against a teal background.

videoOceans and water

See what no human eyes have seen before, deep in the sea off Western Australia

5 minutes

Period painting of a sailor sitting against a rope, holding it with one hand, with two other sailors in the background doing various tasks.

essayOceans and water

Who was Jack Tar?

He was a patriot and a prisoner, a delegate and a drunk; circling the globe when few Englishmen ever left their home counties

Stephen Taylor

A caddisfly larva covered in small stones on a mossy surface; the background is blurred.

videoEvolution

When life is but a stream, insects need something extra-sticky to survive

4 minutes

A man playing golf in an overgrown, dry canal with patches of grass and puddles beneath trees under a clear sky.

videoThe environment

This is what climate change looks like: the social fissures of Cape Town’s water crisis

13 minutes

Photo of a diver in a blue suit exploring a deep underwater canyon with rugged, vertical rock formations on either side.

videoSports and games

Dances with whales: the ethereal underwater vistas of an elite freediving team

13 minutes

People herding cattle along a rural path in heavy rain, with trees and greenery in the background.

essayThe environment

When the monsoon goes away

The imperious monsoon rains have ruled India for centuries. Already unstable, what happens if they shift fundamentally?

Sunil Amrith

People boarding a large ship at night using a gangway with safety netting beneath, bright lights illuminating the scene.

videoOceans and water

Not quite ashore – the in-between world of a cargo-ship rest stop

8 minutes

Abstract black and white close-up photo showing swirling patterns and shadows that resemble ripples on water.

videoFilm and visual culture

A meditative cinepoem from 1929 captures the reflective, ethereal wonders of water

12 minutes

A colourful sea slug with a purple and white spotted body and green appendages on a sandy ocean floor.

videoBiology

Far from sluggish: the remarkable sea creature that weaponises its dinner

4 minutes