Unseen Oceans

Unseen Oceans takes visitors on a journey to encounter our blue planet as never before.
More than 70 percent of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans, yet surprisingly little of these vast realms has been explored.
Explore the world’s oceans through the lens of 21st century technology.
Highlights
From the oceans' sunlit surfaces to their inky depths, a series of media-rich galleries highlight the latest advances in ocean exploration, the researchers and technologies behind them, and the mysteries that remain.
Examine to-scale models of biofluorescent marine species.
R. Mickens/© AMNH
R. Mickens/© AMNH
Visitors can stand side-by-side with some of the largest animals that inhabit our planet in this section featuring an 180-degree, high-resolution screen where animations of blue whales, giant squid, and manta rays swim by at true-to-life scales.
R. Mickens/© AMNH
R. Mickens/© AMNH
Examine a model of the Hudson Canyon and other spectacular underwater features to discover how scientists are beginning to construct extraordinarily detailed images of the seafloor with the use of sound waves, radar, and lasers.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
D. Finnin/© AMNH
Visitors are welcomed by a familiar sight: a projection of waves lapping at their feet and a vista of the water’s surface, inviting visitors to consider the oceans' vast unknown depths.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
D. Finnin/© AMNH
Visitors can try to match adults from a variety of marine species to their planktonic forms in a “Find My Baby Picture” game.
R. Mickens/© AMNH
R. Mickens/© AMNH
Oceans are inhabited by plankton, organisms that sustain nearly all marine life. Visitors can inspect larger-than-life models of unusual and beautiful planktonic species.
R. Mickens/© AMNH
R. Mickens/© AMNH
An interactive digital media installation features schooling fish that react to visitors' movements in a simulation of marine protected areas.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
D. Finnin/© AMNH
Take a vertical journey to explore the ocean at different depths in this fantastic immersive theater.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
D. Finnin/© AMNH
Visitors can discover some potential functions of fluorescence in the ocean and find out how a biofluorescent fish looks under different lighting through the lens of specialized underwater cameras like the ones used by scientists.
R. Mickens/© AMNH
R. Mickens/© AMNH
Pilot a digital submersible to explore an animated underwater realm.
D. Finnin/© AMNH
D. Finnin/© AMNH
Key Questions
- What are the physical characteristics of the ocean?
- How do scientists study the ocean and the organisms that live there?
- How is human activity impacting the ocean?
Reviews
"As this show proves, there is always more to discover."
—The New York Times
"Family-friendly, easy to understand, visually stunning."
—Mommy Poppins
Request More Information
Contact us to request availability for hosting this traveling exhibition.

Educator's Guide
Browse More
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The Power of Poison
From a deadly weapon to a life-saving treatment, explore poison's paradoxical roles in nature, myth, health, and history.
The Nature of Color
Explore the many roles of color in the natural world and across human cultures.
Unseen Oceans is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New York (amnh.org).