Skip to Content Skip to Navigation

Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

Poles

FEATURES


BLOG POST Arctic Sea Ice: A New Low? At a recent staff meeting a Smithsonian colleague mentioned that one of his pastimes this summer has been keeping tabs on the Arctic sea ice. The question that's on many Arctic-watchers' min...MORE STORIES


	AUDIO MORE AUDIO Greenland Shark: One Species at a Time Scientists know the Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) moves slowly in th...
	ARTICLE MORE STORIES Arctic Ocean Diversity The ArcOD project brought together existing information about the diversity of A...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Deep-Water Larvacean Found in Arctic waters, this rare deep-water species of larvacean, Oikopleu...

EDUCATOR RESOURCES

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH


					Humpback Whale in Antarctic Waters Apr 4, 2013 - 9:22AMHumpback whales (Megaptera novaengliae) can be found in Antarctic waters during the spring and summer in the Southern hemisphere, where they gorge on their main food source: tiny krill. How do they locate the small prey and...

A Pair of Sea Butterflies

Feb 15, 2013 - 10:56AM

This pair of sea butterflies (Limacina helicina) flutter not far from the...

Deep-Water Larvacean, or “Sea-Tadpole”

Dec 10, 2012 - 10:20AM

In the icy waters of the Arctic, a deep-water larvacean (aka “sea tadpole”...

SPOTLIGHT


The Sant Ocean Hall: Life at the Poles Exhibit At the Poles, Life Thrives Located beside the Shores and Shallows gallery (which highlights different kinds of coastal...

Under Arctic Ice Jan 4 2011 - 5:17pm Hidden beneath Arctic ice is a world few have ever seen. Take the icy plunge with a team of ice-loving scientists.	Deep-Water Larvacean Jul 27 2012 - 9:35am Found in Arctic waters, this rare deep-water species of larvacean, Oikopleura gorskyi, eats by filtering particles from the seawater it drifts through. Larvaceans build 'houses' around themselves made of protein that helps them filter the water even better. And when the filters in its house...
Arctic Sea Cucumber Sep 10 2012 - 10:54am This new species of deep-water sea cucumber (Elpidia belyaevi) was discovered by Census of Marine Life researchers in the frigid waters of the Arctic. Since the 1800s, researchers observed sea cucumbers similar to this one in the Arctic at all depths, from shallow to deep, and assumed they were all...	Emperor Penguin Chick with Mother Sep 25 2012 - 10:05am An emperor penguin chick (Aptenodytes forsteri) huddles under its mother's legs to keep warm in the long Antarctic winter. Learn more about research on emperor penguins and other Antarctic creatures.
Ice Divers Prepare to Plunge Jan 5 2011 - 4:43pm It takes special equipment and many warm layers of clothing to dive safely beneath Arctic sea ice. Ice divers look for holes in a melt pond in order to enter the frigid waters.	A Striped Deep Sea Worm Apr 4 2013 - 12:38pm In Antarctica's Southern Ocean swims a beautiful polychaete (bristly worm) called Tomopteris carpenteri, which is adorned with alternating red and transparent bands. The largest species in its genus, it it found throughout the water column, including the deep sea, where this photo was taken by...
Armhook Squid Jan 6 2011 - 11:55am Close-up of Boreoatlantic armhook squid, Gonatus fabricii. View the “Under Arctic Ice” photo essay.	Cold Water Diving with WHOI Jul 15 2011 - 5:00pm "Cold-Water Diving: Going to Extremes for Research" is a video produced by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) that shows the focus needed to do scientific work in cold water. The gear is bulkier and heavier, cold affects dexterity and capacity, and dives must be shorter yet still get the...
Arctic Copepod Aug 3 2012 - 10:51am This copepod Calanus hyperboreus (up to 7mm in length) lives in the Arctic, usually within 500 meters of the surface. To survive the cold Arctic winters, Calanus hyperboreus builds up dense fat (lipid) supplies on its body, which makes it a preferred food of both...	Counting Creatures Jan 6 2011 - 10:56am Ice divers use a quadrat to study the density of creatures living on the underside of Arctic ice floes. A quadrat is a standardized square used to take sample measurements that allow researchers to get an accurate estimate of the number of particular animals living in a larger space.
The Sant Ocean Hall: Life at the Poles Exhibit Sep 21 2011 - 1:23pm At the Poles, Life Thrives Located beside the Shores and Shallows gallery (which highlights different kinds of coastal ecosystems around the world), the Poles area will take you to the ends of the earth and empower you with a broad understanding of life and physical conditions at both poles.	Arctic Lesson Plans from NOAA Aug 17 2011 - 3:25pm Chapter 3: Fragile Fauna Jelly Critters Grade Level: 5-6 Focus: Life Science- Gelatinous zooplankton in the Canada Basin Description: In this activity, students will be able to compare and contrast at least three different groups of organisms that are includ
Transparent sea jelly Jan 6 2011 - 12:38pm Many jellyfish in the class Hydrozoa, such as this hydromedusa Aglantha digitale, are transparent and easily overlooked. Learn more about hydrozoan jellies and other jellyfish, and see more pictures of Arctic animals in the “Under Arctic Ice” photo essay.	Arctic Sea Ice: A New Low? Sep 8 2011 - 4:04pm At a recent staff meeting a Smithsonian colleague mentioned that one of his pastimes this summer has been keeping tabs on the Arctic sea ice. The question that's on many Arctic-watchers' minds is whether or not the 2011 sea ice coverage will reach a new record low.
Deep-Water Larvacean, or “Sea-Tadpole” Dec 10 2012 - 10:20am In the icy waters of the Arctic, a deep-water larvacean (aka “sea tadpole” because it looks like a tadpole) drifts through the water in its 'house.' This house is made of protein and creates almost a shell around the larvacean and helps to filter particles out of the water for the larvacean to eat...	Bowhead Whales Jan 6 2011 - 3:24pm The bowhead whale has a massive, bow-shaped skull to break through thick Arctic ice, and more blubber than any other whale.