Up-close image of a translucent krill.

Plankton

Forams are tiny single-celled organisms.

The World of Foraminifera

Take a closer look at a few members of this fascinating life form in this slideshow.

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Are You An Educator?

At Smithsonian Ocean, we have lesson plans, activities, and resources to help you engage your students in the wonders of our oceans.
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Plankton Articles

Five Questions with Russ Hopcroft, Zooplankton Whiz

This copepod (Gaussia princeps) was collected deeper than 1000 meters in the Sargasso Sea by Census of Marine Zooplankton (CMarZ) researchers in April 2006.

Ángeles Alvariño: Woman of Many Namesakes

An arrow-worm from the genus Spadella. Alvariño discovered and classified the species Spadella gaetanoi in 1978.

What the Big Picture Can Teach Us About Tiny Ocean Creatures

A large, black instrument is hauled onto a ship's deck by researchers wearing hard hats and life vests.

Thirty Days to Submission: How I Made a Video for Ocean180

The Amazon River carries all the rainwater that lands in the Amazon rainforest, covering some 2.1 million square miles, into the ocean. And with it, it carries vital nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen and silicon.