Healthy marine life is a source of medicine, food, and oxygen which in turn supports human health. The ocean is diverse, filled with unique organisms ranging from tiny microorganisms to the largest living animals on the planet.  These living communities and the non-living factors they come in daily contact with such as salinity, temperature, pH, light, nutrients, oxygen, substrate, circulation, and pressure are what make up the vibrant ocean ecosystems.  Through research at Woods Hole Sea Grant, we seek to understand those interactions, the components of healthy ecosystems, and the impacts that human actions have on these delicate systems.