Highlights Pollution in the River Thames: a history Lifeline, water source, sewer – follow the murky history of London's relationship with the River Thames Read now The peoples of the Pacific: on the 'front line' of climate change What is the impact of global change change on Pacific communities? And what should the global response be when a person’s homeland is literally ‘going under’? Read now A Quietly Historic Shoreline In Transition Follow a once-industrial riverside path in Greenwich with filmmaker Paul Wyatt Read now HMS Challenger: a trailblazer for modern ocean science 150 years ago, HMS Challenger left England on a quest to explore the world’s oceans. Its impact is still felt today Read now Want more stories like this? Sign up to our newsletter to get stories, news and events from the National Maritime Museum delivered straight to your inbox Sign up Watch Curator Claire Warrior and polar explorer Iain Rudkin warm up with a relic from our polar past. How is polar exploration changing today? Tap the arrows to see more videos. Watch Track global temperature anomalies from 1880 to 2021 courtesy of NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio. Satellite data plays a vital role in assessing the health of our ocean. Watch Discover more about the building of RRS Sir David Attenborough with British Antarctic Survey scientist Rob Larter. Visit Find exhibitions and events at Royal Museums Greenwich Earth From Space See the world through a satellite’s lens, and explore our changing planet at the Royal Observatory Greenwich Our Connection to Water Life source, sacred ritual, scarce commodity? Seven artists share what water means to them at the National Maritime Museum We Are Guardians Join Earth's fleet of state-of-the-art satellites for an immersive exploration of their role in safeguarding our planet Poles Apart: Explore the World of RRS Sir David Attenborough Travel to the icy frontiers of modern polar science at the National Maritime Museum World Oceans Day A family-friendly celebration of our ocean hosted at the National Maritime Museum National Maritime Museum Discover epic stories of exploration and endeavour that have shaped our world today Cutty Sark Step aboard the historic sailing ship, the fastest of its time Polar Worlds Discover polar expeditions, indigenous communities, scientific discovery, and Arctic and Antarctic wildlife Sea Things Explore the sea through personal stories from the deep Find Search our collections for stories of objects, instruments and devices that have shaped understanding of our ocean Find Search our collections for stories of objects, instruments and devices that have shaped understanding of our ocean 1 / 6 Sea-bed samples This wooden box contains samples of the sea bed obtained during the Challenger Expedition of 1872-1876. HMS Challenger departed England in 1872 on a quest to explore the world's oceans. Four years later the ship returned, bringing with it the largest collection of examples of life from the deep sea. The history of the Challenger Expedition and its scientific report provide insights into the advance of oceanography as a modern scientific discipline, a definitive moment in our understanding of the ocean as a complex ecosystem on which all life on Earth depends. Find out more 2 / 6 Sonar towfish This underwater device is towed behind a moving vessel. As it moves it sends out soundwaves. By measuring the sounds that are reflected back, side scan sonar enables the user to build up an accurate map of the seafloor, revealing mountain ranges, deep abysses and man-made objects such as shipwrecks. Side scan sonar was a breakthrough invention that allowed much faster exploration of the ocean floor. This sonar towfish, made by Klein Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was the first commercially available side scan sonar product on the market, making the technology much more accessible to scientists and treasure hunters. Side scan sonar was used to find the Titanic in 1985, and is now used on robotic submarines to map the ocean floor. Find out more 3 / 6 Tidal computer Knowing when the tide is going out or in at different harbours has always been an important consideration for safe navigation, especially in the days before steam power. For example, because the Thames is connected to the North Sea, each day it is affected by two low tides and two high tides. In London, sailing ships moored at dockyards in the Thames needed to leave when the low tide had just begun. In the same way, sailing ships wanting to travel up the Thames needed to arrive at the river’s entrance when the high tide has just begun, and water rushed from the ocean into the river. While powerful engines make it possible to travel against the tide, commercial and pleasure vessels still consult tide tables – now available online through the Port of London Authority – to make the most efficient and safe voyage. Find out more 4 / 6 The Loss of the Princess Alice saloon steamer in the Thames, Sept 3rd, 1878 One of the many accounts of the Princess Alice disaster of September 1878. As many as 650 passengers on the Princess Alice paddle steamer drowned after she was run down by the larger collier Bywell Castle in the River Thames. The water where the ship sank was full of sewage from the northern and southern sewers, which discharged waste into nearby Barking Reach. This, it is argued, contributed to the scale of the disaster, with passengers drowning in the filthy water. Find out more 5 / 6 A lighterman standing on the bow of a lighter, hauling on a rope This historic photograph shows a man working on the bow of a lighter - a type of barge - at the Bankside Barge Moorings in King's Reach, River Thames. In the background can be seen various wharves, including (from left to right) East Paul's Wharf, Trig Wharf, Edward Lloyd's Wharf, Sunlight Wharf (L. E. P. Transport) with St. Paul's Cathedral dome behind, Lyon's Wharf, and Brook's Wharf. Find out more 6 / 6 Miniature Chinese garden This Qianlong period miniature Chinese garden is made out of coral, carved wood and ivory. Corals, while having the appearance of vibrant rocky outcrops, are animals most closely related to jellyfish. They are formed by multiple small, soft organisms known as polyps. They secrete a rocky chalk-like (calcium carbonate) exoskeleton around themselves for protection. Over many years (hundreds in some cases), this process produces complex structures that can measure multiple metres in length. Find out more Ocean matters Who owns the ocean? Are the oceans really free for all? Find out what could be done to protect marine environments – and who has the power to make it happen Making Waves Stories of incredible women at sea Why satellites are critical to fighting climate change The polar ice sheets are melting six times faster than the 1990s. But thanks to earth observation satellites, we can at least measure the effect that climate change is having Is Venice flooding getting worse? Venice has always been at risk of flooding. But with climate change causing more damaging storms more often, is the future of this historic city under threat? Life beneath the waves – in conversation with photographer Jennifer Adler Conservation photographer Jennifer Adler reveals the photos, dives and projects that give her hope for the future of our ocean Freeze dried food and sailing with Greta Thunberg Having skippered her first Trans-Atlantic race at just 20, Nikki Henderson is one of the UK's leading young sailors. Find out more about her remarkable career Protecting our ocean – one per cent at a time Learn how marine protected areas could help marine life recover – and even combat climate change Why conservation photography matters Human activity has caused significant damage to the world’s ocean and marine life. Photographer Octavio Aburto documents the vital changes local communities in Mexico have made to conserve ocean resources What is coral? Are corals really animals? What causes coral bleaching? And why are coral reefs so important? Your ocean questions answered What are invasive species in the ocean? Invasive species are everywhere in our ocean – but what does it mean when we say a species has 'invaded', and how do they spread in the first place? Collections in focus How to design a research ship: the building of HMS Challenger Plans for HMS Challenger reveal how the ship was transformed from warship to research vessel - and set the blueprint for future scientific expeditions Pollution in the River Thames: a history Lifeline, water source, sewer – follow the murky history of London's relationship with the River Thames Drowning in sewage: the sinking of the Princess Alice Did the polluted waters of the Thames contribute to Britain's worst inland waterway tragedy? HMS Challenger: a trailblazer for modern ocean science 150 years ago, HMS Challenger departed England on a quest to explore the world’s oceans. Its impact is still felt today Polar Science: Parry’s Arctic Experiments Researchers working under the explorer William Parry in the far North sought to uncover the mysteries of the Arctic, but extreme cold and bizarre magnetic effects interfered in their research more than they had anticipated. How do you prepare for an expedition to the Arctic? Sir John Franklin's expedition to map final part of the Northwest Passage departed on 19 May 1845. The two exploration ships, HMS Erebus and Terror were towed from Greenhithe in Kent at 10.30am. Polar science Ice cores and climate change By extracting ice cores from Antarctica, scientists are able to travel more than 800,000 years back into Earth’s climate history What's it like to camp in Antarctica? Find out what it's like to live and work in the Antarctic with British Antarctic Survey scientist Joanne Johnson Polar science and RRS Sir David Attenborough Find out more about the facilities, equipment and advances that make RRS Sir David Attenborough a pioneering research vessel Surviving the Antarctic Surviving the Antarctic; an interview with Michał Krzysztofowicz, Data Manager at the British Antarctic Survey's Halley IV Research Station Art and climate change The climate change clues hidden in Canaletto’s paintings of Venice Canaletto's paintings of Venice portray an apparently timeless city. But look a little closer, and all is not as it seems 'Art helps us feel the urgency of the climate crisis' Illustrator Amber Cooper-Davies explores how art can respond to climate change Wayne Binitie and the art of climate change Artist Wayne Binitie explores how ice cores can help us reckon with our changing world 'Artists can work with scientists to confront climate change' Artist Jamie Ardor highlights the power of visual communication in the face of the climate crisis Thoughts on sea level rise Artist Sarah Garrod considers her changing relationship with the sea, and the 'watery magic' of wet process photography Ocean issues and solutions The end of an oil rig's life What happens to offshore platforms when they are decommissioned? Follow their final journeys from the North Sea to the breaker's yard Protecting human rights in the fishing industry Exploitation, slavery and even murder have been documented on board modern fishing fleets How can shipping be more environmentally friendly? From Cutty Sark to cutting edge technology, could a new era of wind power help global trade go green? Crisis at sea: COVID-19's stranded seafarers Hundreds of thousands of seafarers have been unable to return home during the coronavirus pandemic. It's time to make their voices heard About Our Ocean, Our Planet Our Ocean, Our Planet is a new online space at Royal Museums Greenwich dedicated to exploring the climate crisis and our changing relationship with the ocean.