The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is part of the world renowned Smithsonian Institution. Opened in 1910, the green-domed museum on the National Mall was among the first Smithsonian building constructed exclusively to house the national collections and research facilities. 

  The NMNH is actually much more than a museum, it is also a world renowned center for marine science.  The NMNH has been conducting research in the ocean for over 160 years.

Scientists in the Marine Science Program at the Smithsonian’s NMNH focus their research on six key themes:

• What is the diversity of marine life? (taxonomy)
• Where do species occur? (biogeography)
• How are species related to each other? (evolution)
• How is marine diversity created and maintained? (ecology)
• How are marine animals and plants used by people? (ethnobiology)
• What is the human impact on marine life? (conservation)

The Marine Science Program consists of 31 dedicated marine scientists and over 100 researchers who specialize in marine related areas. Scientific discoveries from this program will equip scientists to provide policy-makers with critical information about which creatures need to be protected and which ecosystems need to be preserved thereby providing key information as to which species are endangered. 

The NMNH also collaborated with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to create a permanent exhibit about the ocean and the result was the spectacular Sant Ocean Hall.    The Hall is the NMNH’s largest exhibit with 23,000 square feet of exhibit space. A one-of-a-kind interpretive exhibit, the Sant Ocean Hall presents the global ocean from a cross-disciplinary perspective, highlighting the biological, geological, and anthropological expertise and unparalleled scientific collections of the Museum, as well as the ongoing research in marine science. 

Feeling down that you just can’t make the trip to Washington, D.C. to take in this fabulous exhibit.  Don’t despair, the Smithsonian team has done an incredible job of making the exhibit accessible on their website.  Please click here to begin the experience.

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