Discovering Life in the Ocean
Over half of the life on Earth lives in the ocean, but remarkably just around 20% of marine life has been discovered. The global effort of species and classifying species has been ongoing for over 100 years, and the methods of collecting, studying and naming marine life has changed considerably over time.
NOC is home to the Discovery Collections, comprising of benthic and pelagic samples from many areas of the world's oceans. It is the only collection consisting solely of deep-sea and open-ocean invertebrates in the UK and provides vital insight into the species that live at extreme ocean depths.
NOC's Biodiversity Mission
Marine biodiversity spans the full spectrum of life in our ocean, from microscopic plankton to great whales, and includes the genetic variation within species and the diversity of habitats which they depend. This rich variety underpins healthy, functioning ecosystems, sustaining intricate food webs and vital chemical cycles.