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The ocean is a beautiful, dynamic, and sometimes dangerous place. Unsurprisingly, this is probably why a lot of USGS researchers spend their entire careers studying it. In celebration of National Ocean Month, we thought it would be a good time to dive in and feature ten ocean field sites you’ve got to “sea” to believe.

Flyover of Valles Marineris, the "Grand Canyon" of Mars, highlighting two analysis-ready datasets provided by USGS. The canyon is more than 4,000 km (2,500 miles) long and up to 7 km (23,000 ft) deep.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's B1cam was located on the east rim of the down-dropped block within Kīlauea’s summit caldera, overlooking Halema‘uma‘u crater to the west. The eruption that began within Halema‘uma‘u crater in the early morning of June 7, 2023, flooded the crater floor with lava and the B1cam was exposed to intense heat.

The eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, continues, as shown in this aerial video taken on June 8, 2023. Several lava fountains were active, with lava covering much of the western portion of the crater. The area of active lava on the surface has diminished over the past day, with lower lava fountains compared to yesterday. 

Low fountaining has been active where lava upwells into Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. This video shows a series of small fountains in the southern portion of the crater floor. Camera shake is due to high winds at the time.

HVO scientists conducted an overflight of the new eruption within Halemaʻumaʻu crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano, within began the morning of June 7, 2023. This aerial video shows that multiple vent sources are active on the crater floor, much of which has been covered with new lava over the past several hours.

The B1cam webcam on the east rim of Halemaʻumaʻu crater captured the opening of the eastern eruptive vent in the first hour of the new Kīlauea summit eruption on June 7, 2023. The video shows a brief pulse of gas before lava blasts apart a section of the crater floor when fountaining begins.

A new eruption began in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea, on the morning of June 7. This overflight occurred about two hours after the eruption onset and shows extensive lava fountaining supplying a rising lava lake within the crater. All lava is contained within the summit caldera. USGS video by M. Patrick.

This video, taken from the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater, shows a wind vortex or whirlwind above the eruption site at the summit of Kīlauea. These features have been observed during eruptions and form due to the extreme heat. 

This video, captured by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's KWcam on the northwest rim of the caldera, shows the opening phase of the eruption that began within Halemaʻumaʻu crater the early morning of June 7, 2023. A lava fountain bursts from a vent in the central part of the crater floor and lava floods the surrounding area.

The summit eruption of Kīlauea volcano, within Halemaʻumaʻu crater, began at approximately 4:44 a.m. on June 7, 2023. This video, captured by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory's V1cam on the northwest rim of the caldera, shows the opening phase of the eruption.

This timelapse video shows the first three days (June 7–9) of the new eruption in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. The initial intensity of the eruption covered the crater floor with lava, fed by numerous fountains. As the eruption stabilized and the vigor declined, the area of active lava on the surface was reduced.

An eruption began on June 7 in Halema‘uma‘u crater, at the summit of Kīlauea. Just a few hours after vents opened in the central part of the crater, a new vent formed on the crater wall, sending a cascade of lava into the growing lava lake.