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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...

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					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...

A Pair of Sea Butterflies Feb 15 2013 - 10:56am This pair of sea butterflies (Limacina helicina) flutter not far from the ocean's surface in the Arctic. Sea butterflies are a type of sea snail, but instead of dragging themselves around the seafloor with a muscular foot, they flap their adapted feet like butterfly wings! They are very small—...	Arctic Sea Jelly Jun 18 2012 - 9:37am Chrysaora melanaster, one of the largest jellyfish commonly found in the Arctic, swims underneath the Arctic ice. Its tentacles can stretch to more than 3 meters long and pack a mean sting for humans.
National Ice Center Monitors the Arctic and Antarctic Jan 14 2011 - 2:57pm The National Ice Center’s work is focused on ensuring safe and efficient navigation, but it also supports scientific research and provides crucial information used by scientists to better monitor and understand climate change. Researchers working in the Arctic and Antarctic depend on the support of...	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.
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...	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.
Polar Bears: One Species at a Time Jun 28 2011 - 2:25pm The Encyclopedia of Life and Atlantic Public Media bring us another installment of the podcast, One Species at a Time. In this podcast, host Ari Daniel Shapiro relates two close calls with polar bears. Listen as Heather Cray recalls how, dumped by a storm on a small Arctic island,...	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
Arctic Cod Under Ice Jan 6 2011 - 3:09pm Arctic cod have a special protein that keeps their blood from freezing in ice-cold Arctic waters.	Arctic Ocean Diversity Sep 4 2012 - 1:31pm The ArcOD project brought together existing information about the diversity of Arctic ecosystems, collected new samples to fill in gaps of knowledge and looked for species and community changes over time in the region. Determining a baseline of information about the Arctic is especially important...
Arctic Amphipod Jan 6 2011 - 1:28pm This species of amphipod, Eusirus holmii, was found both at the surface of Arctic waters and as deep as 2000 meters (6562 feet). Researchers have found that while the amphipod inhabits the sea ice, the water column, and the sea floor, it is generally found in deep-basin waters.	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.
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.
Photographing Captured Animals Jan 6 2011 - 12:21pm To document fragile organisms found in the Arctic, scientist Kevin Raskoff builds special aquaria on the ship to photograph of live critters that have been captured.	ROV Video of Stunning Creatures Jan 7 2011 - 3:53pm Using an ROV (Remotely-Operated Vehicle) equipped with a high-definition video camera, scientists can observe the life that flourishes beneath the Arctic ice. On this expedition, they discovered creatures, like this Narcomedusa jelly, that were previously unknown.