NOAA Spooky Science

Still thinking about a design for your jack-o-lantern this year? Look no further!

These new pumpkin carving templates highlight some of the ways NOAA measures the ocean and how ocean observations are used.

From the vicious viperfish to the sinister stargazer, these photos are sure to add some Halloween flair to your phone!

Carving pumpkins isn’t for you? NOAA SciJinks tells you how to paint your own pumpkins!

These new pumpkin carving templates highlight some of the critters NOAA Ocean Exploration has encountered during their deep-ocean dives. 

Wow your neighbors with our eerie-sistibly fa-boo-lous ocean-inspired jack-o’-lantern stencils. 

Unique DIY Halloween costume ideas from across the National Marine Sanctuary System.

Jellyfish, rockfish, and lumpsuckers, oh my! You never know what you’ll find when you dip a net into the deep ocean!

Deep dive into depths unknown with a video sure to make you ponder the ocean and its fascinating marine life and unusual habitats.

A garden of ghouls and ghastly creatures lurk in the deep. One creature has eight suckered arms, three beating hearts, and eats with a beak that can deliver a venomous bite.

Did you know there are underwater vampires? Okay, maybe not the bloodsucking mermaid you might be picturing, but some equally eerie creatures.

Does Bigfoot give lessons on avoiding detection? This giant squid might need to enroll!

It is the world’s deepest living superpredator ... anything it meets, it eats, including individuals of its own kind.

What’s more frightening … Spiders or SEA spiders?!

What insidious poison can reduce a once verdant woodland to a ghost forest haunted by dead and dying timber?

Mummies at a museum in Chile are turning to black ooze … but, why?

A “dead zone” may sound like an area where zombies congregate, but it’s actually an area that has reduced levels of oxygen in the water, turning habitats once teeming with life into, essentially, biological deserts.

Should we fear the graveyard orbit of un-dead satellites?

A paleoclimate dataset — derived from bat guano — provides insight into climate conditions from way back in 950 AD.

If brain-eating zombies give you a scare, then, dear reader, you better prepare! Believe me and learn about marine debris, for there are undead fishing nets that roam the sea.

See what happens when a whale dies and sinks to the seafloor. Hey, the little guys gotta eat, too!

Appearances aren't everything! The inside of a leatherback sea turtle's throat may look scary, but this adaptation actually helps sea turtles digest their food.

It has no bones, it lurks in the dark, and it’s sometimes called a “ghost shark.” This denizen of the deep checks all the boxes for haunting your nightmares!

The only thing worse than seeing parasitic isopods spewing out of the mouths of hundreds of menhaden is feeling them crawl up and attach to your own legs!

Find out how GOES-R satellites use the moon to their advantage (and ‘just happen’ to catch breathtaking glimpses of the moon).

Atmospheric phenomena like geomagnetic storms can scare the casual observer, resembling a gathering of ghastly green ghouls or make it appear as if the sky is on fire.

Every good scary movie uses fog, mist, or a dreary haze to create suspenseful, foreboding scenery. But, what's the science behind this spooky obscuration?

Flying into the eye of a hurricane sounds nightmarish for some, but for others it’s a thrill that helps collect life-saving data about hurricanes and storm patterns.

Red sprites, blue jets, and elves, oh my! Did you know that these mysterious cousins of lightning can appear high in the atmosphere during a large thunderstorm?

In 1997, a mysterious underwater sound was captured by researchers in the southern Pacific ocean. Was the “Bloop” caused by secret underwater nymphs, giant squids, or a sea creature unknown to science? Or, something else entirely?

There’s a sea of memories waiting to be explored at shipwreck sites around the country.

Parts of the ocean seafloor are marked by mysterious formations of grid-like artifacts. But, what are they and where did they come from?

The ocean is a noisy place. From short bursts to loud bangs, do you know what's making the sounds that creep under the waves and go bump in the sea?

A special instrument called a hydrophone recorded spine-chilling sounds in the ocean's deepest location. Any ideas on what noises were caught in the deep, lying in wait?