The Census of Marine Life is a global network of researchers in more than 80 nations engaged in a 10-year scientific initiative to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of life in the oceans. The world's first comprehensive Census of Marine Life-past, present, and future-will be released in 2010. The Office of Marine Programs maintains the Census of Marine Life website and provides education, outreach and PR for the Census.
Examine past trends in ocean life populations, explore newly discovered habitats, and learn more about some of the many new species discovered by Census of Marine Life scientists.
Census scientists are sampling a wide variety of ocean habitats, from coastal regions to the deepest parts of the oceans. They are determining the number of species and are investigating individual species populations to develop an understanding of the diversity of marine life: past, present, and future.
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