From the mightiest river to the deepest spots in Earth's oceans, our aquatic ecosystems hold many secrets waiting for us to dive in and discover. Live Science keeps you updated on the latest underwater research and delivers extraordinary facts and images from our planet's rivers and oceans, past and present. So if you want to discover the largest ocean that's ever existed on Earth, the mysterious "dark river" that may flow hundreds of miles beneath Greenland or breathtaking images from our oceans, Live Science's expert writers and editors are here for you with the latest news, features and articles about rivers and oceans.
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Half of the world's dams could be 'functionally inoperable' by 2060 from being flooded with sediment — and the American West is a major hotspotAnalysis Research shows a fifth of the world's reservoirs are currently at high risk of filling with sediment, creating a "ticking time bomb" that threatens lives and livelihoods.
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What does 'seamount' mean?Science word of the day Pronunciation: SEE'-mount
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Greenland meltwater will drive a 'strong weakening, but not a shutdown' of key Atlantic currents, study findsNew modeling suggests meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet has a big weakening influence on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but the runoff likely won't cause a complete and irreversible collapse.
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Colorful 'painting-like' ripples cover an ancient seafloor structure the BahamasEarth from space A 2020 satellite photo shows off the ethereal beauty of submerged sandbanks and seagrass beds in the Great Bahama Bank. This massive underwater structure is as old as the dinosaurs and has been admired by scientists for decades.
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Atlantic 'cold blob' is responsible for shifts in the Indian summer monsoon that threaten over 1 billion peopleAn abnormally cold patch of water in the North Atlantic Ocean has triggered changes in the Indian summer monsoon via the jet stream winds, new research suggests.
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Mysterious 'cold blob' in the Atlantic is a sign of the Gulf Stream weakening — and that's bad news for the US East CoastThe Atlantic's enigmatic "cold blob" has once again been linked to a weakening of key ocean currents and a devastating climate tipping point.
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Trump administration to remove 900 deep sea monitoring instruments that would have studied the collapsing Atlantic currentThe Ocean Observatories Initiative has been collecting data on physical, chemical, geological and biological conditions in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for the past decade
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Full moon helps paint vibrant, muddy 'brushstrokes' in Indonesian riverEarth from space A 2024 satellite snap shows suspended sediments streaking across the mouth of the Rokan River, thanks in part to a particularly high tide caused by a full "Strawberry Moon."
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Building a massive dam between Alaska and Russia could prevent AMOC collapse, scientists sayBuilding a dam in the Bering Strait might preserve the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, but experts warn it could also threaten wildlife, Indigenous people and shipping — and could actually speed up its demise.
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