First Census of Marine Life Establishes a Baseline

Culminating a 10-year exploration, 2,700 scientists from 80 nations report first Census of Marine Life, revealing what, where, and how much lives and hides in global oceans.

After a decade of joint work and scientific adventure, marine explorers from more than 80 countries delivered a historic first global Census of Marine Life on October 4, 2010. Released are maps, three landmark books, and a highlights summary that crown a decade of discovery. Presented is an unprecedented picture of the diversity, distribution, and abundance of all kinds of marine life in Planet Ocean – from microbes to whales, from the icy poles to the warm tropics, from tidal near shores to the deepest dark depths. <!--break-->