diving duck: …a bay duck or a sea duck.

sea eagle, any of various large fish-eating eagles (especially in the genus Haliaeetus), of which the bald eagle is best known. Sea eagles (sometimes called fish eagles or fishing eagles) live along rivers, big lakes, and tidewaters throughout the world except South America. Some reach 1 metre (3.3

rocket and missile system: Antiship: The turbojet-powered British Sea Eagle weighed somewhat more than the Harpoon and employed active radar homing. The West German Kormoran was also an air-launched missile. The Norwegian Penguin, a rocket-powered missile weighing between 700 and 820 pounds and employing technology derived from the U.S. Maverick air-to-surface missile, had…

marine ecosystem, complex of living organisms in the ocean environment. Marine waters cover two-thirds of the surface of the Earth. In some places the ocean is deeper than Mount Everest is high; for example, the Mariana Trench and the Tonga Trench in the western part of the Pacific Ocean reach

conger eel: The American conger, or sea eel (C. oceanicus), is a fierce game fish.

elephant seal, either of the two largest pinnipeds (aquatic mammals of the suborder Pinnipedia): the northern elephant seal (species Mirounga angustirostris), now found mainly on coastal islands off California and Baja California; or the southern elephant seal (M. leonina), found throughout

sea fan, (genus Gorgonia), any member of a genus of invertebrate marine animals of the suborder Holaxonia (class Anthozoa, phylum Cnidaria). It is a variety of coral composed of numerous polyps—cylindrical sessile (attached) forms—that grow together in a flat fanlike pattern. Each polyp in the

Shiogama: The annual sea festival in July centres on the Shiogama Shrine, which stands on a wooded hill in the centre of the city. On March 11, 2011, the city and surrounding area were seriously damaged by a large tsunami generated by a severe earthquake centred in the…

ice plant: Highway ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis, formerly Mesembryanthemum edule) is one of the most commonly grown species and is named for the transparent glistening swellings on its edible leaves. It is cultivated in gardens and as an indoor potted plant. It is naturalized in California, where…

Typhoon: …of the Tempest II, the Sea Fury, entered service as a carrier-fighter with the Royal Navy in 1948 and saw combat in the Korean War (1950–53). Export Sea Furies served in air forces of less-developed countries well into the 1960s; a Cuban Sea Fury played a significant role in repelling…

sea gooseberry, either of two cosmopolitan genera of invertebrate marine animals in the phylum Ctenophora: the Hormiphora and the Pleurobrachia. The genera, widely distributed in all the oceans, are represented by 90 species. Sea gooseberries are wholly planktonic in their life cycle, lacking any

sea grant, a grant-in-aid to an American academic or scientific institution to enhance development of coastal and marine resources in the Great Lakes and the oceans around the United States. The sea-grant program was established by act of U.S. Congress in 1966 and was originally administered by the

Italy: Plant life: …a notable development of pioneer sea grape on the coastal dunes. The Mediterranean foothill area is characterized by the cork oak and the Aleppo pine. Higher up, in southern Italy, there are still traces of the ancient mountain forest, with truffle oak, chestnut, flowering ash, Oriental oak, white poplar, and…

Derek Walcott: In Sea Grapes (1976) and The Star-Apple Kingdom (1979), Walcott uses a tenser, more economical style to examine the deep cultural divisions of language and race in the Caribbean. The Fortunate Traveller (1981) and Midsummer (1984) explore his own situation as a black writer in America…

Sidney Lumet: The 1960s: Fail Safe, The Pawnbroker, and The Hill: …Lumet earned mixed reviews for The Sea Gull (1968), an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play, with Mason, Vanessa Redgrave, and Simone Signoret. Lumet closed out the decade with the glossy but forgettable melodrama The Appointment (1969), which starred Omar Sharif as an attorney who begins to suspect that his wife…

sea hare, any marine gastropod of the family Aplysiidae (subclass Opisthobranchia, phylum Mollusca) that is characterized by a shell reduced to a flat plate, prominent tentacles (resembling rabbit ears), and a smooth or warty body. Sea hares eat large seaweeds, and all are simultaneous

warship: Light carriers: These 20,000-ton ships carried eight Sea Harriers and about a dozen antisubmarine helicopters. They also incorporated a further British contribution to aircraft carrier design: an upward-sloping “ski jump” at the end of the short (170-metre, or 558-foot) flight deck to assist the Sea Harriers in short takeoff. The Invincible-class ships…

Michael Curtiz: The late 1930s and the 1940s: The Sea Hawk became one of 1940’s biggest hits, propelled by Flynn’s cocky portrayal of an adventurer in the mold of Sir Francis Drake, Flora Robson’s canny Elizabeth I, the villainy of Rains and Henry Daniell, and Korngold’s outstanding score. Curtiz’s final effort of 1940,…

sea hen, fish, a species of lumpsucker

Paul Mellon: … (1969) and Kentucky Derby champion Sea Hero (1993) among his successes. In 1998 he was rated 124th richest American by Forbes magazine. Mellon was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1985 and the National Humanities Medal in 1997.

Sargassum, genus of about 150 species of brown algae (family Sargassaceae) generally attached to rocks along coasts in temperate regions or occurring as pelagic (free-floating) algae in the open sea. The Sargasso Sea in the western Atlantic Ocean, which is often characterized by floating masses of

seahorse, (genus Hippocampus), any of about 50 species of marine fishes allied to pipefishes in the family Syngnathidae (order Gasterosteiformes). Seahorses are found in shallow coastal waters in latitudes from about 52° N to 45° S. Their habitats include coral reefs, mangroves, sea grass beds, and

sea ice, frozen seawater in the Arctic Ocean and its adjacent seas as far south as China and Japan and in the Southern Ocean and its adjacent seas surrounding Antarctica. Most sea ice occurs as pack ice, which is very mobile, drifting across the ocean surface under the influence of the wind and

Javier Bardem: …Sampedro in Mar adentro (2004; The Sea Inside), Bardem collected his fourth Goya.

Gullah, English-based creole vernacular spoken primarily by African Americans living on the seaboard of South Carolina and Georgia (U.S.), who are also culturally identified as Gullahs or Geechees (see also Sea Islands). Gullah developed in rice fields during the 18th century as a result of contact

Sea Islands, low-lying chain of about 100 sandy islands off the Atlantic Ocean coast of the southeastern United States. The islands stretch for some 300 miles (480 km), generally southwestward and then southward along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida between the mouths of the

sea kale, (Crambe maritima), perennial plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Native to seashores and cliffs of Eurasia, sea kale can tolerate salty soils and is sometimes cultivated for its edible leaves and shoots. Young or blanched leaves are cooked and eaten like kale or spinach, and the

seamount: …smaller submarine volcanoes are called sea knolls, and flat-topped seamounts are called guyots. Great Meteor Tablemount in the northeast Atlantic, standing more than 4,000 m (13,120 feet) above the surrounding terrain, with a basal diameter of up to 110 km (70 miles), illustrates the size that such features can attain.…

sea snake: …and the sea kraits (subfamily Laticaudinae), which are related to the Asian cobras. Although their venom is the most potent of all snakes, human fatalities are rare because sea snakes are not aggressive, their venom output is small, and their fangs are very short.

Margaret Drabble: The Sea Lady (2007) traces the relationship of a man and a woman who met as children before either became famous—he as a marine biologist and she as a feminist—and ends with their reunion. The Pure Gold Baby (2013) centres on a young single woman…

Sea Lake, town, Mallee district, northwest Victoria, Australia, located about 6 miles (10 km) south of Lake Tyrrell (a salt-encrusted depression). The first person of European descent to encounter the area around present-day Sea Lake is believed to have been William Edward Stanbridge, who arrived

sea lamprey, (Petromyzon marinus), eel-like, jawless species of fish native to the North Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Adriatic, Baltic, and Mediterranean seas, along with their coastal estuaries and rivers. The species is considered to be among the most primitive of all living vertebrates.

Boeing Company: History of Boeing Company: …and Anglo-Norwegian partners to form Sea Launch, a commercial launch services company that sent satellites into geostationary orbit from a floating platform at an equatorial site in the Pacific Ocean. Commercial launches began in 1999. In 2000 Boeing acquired the satellite business of Hughes Electronics.

sea lavender, (genus Limonium), genus of about 300 species of chiefly perennial herbaceous plants of the family Plumbaginaceae. The plants are found in North America, Eurasia, Africa, and Australia, most members being found around the Mediterranean region. Sea lavenders tolerate saline soils and

leopard seal, (Hydrurga leptonyx), generally solitary, earless seal (family Phocidae) that inhabits Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. The only seal that feeds on penguins, young seals, and other warm-blooded prey, the leopard seal is a slender animal with a relatively long head and long,

sea lettuce, (genus Ulva), genus of green algae (family Ulvaceae) usually found growing on rocky shores of seas and oceans around the world. Some species also grow in brackish water rich in organic matter or sewage and can accumulate heavy metals. Sea lettuce, particularly Ulva lactuca, is rich in

sea level, position of the air-sea interface, to which all terrestrial elevations and submarine depths are referred. The sea level constantly changes at every locality with the changes in tides, atmospheric pressure, and wind conditions. Longer-term changes in sea level are influenced by Earth’s

Southern rock: A few acts, such as Sea Level and the Dixie Dregs, even flirted with jazz-rock.

ocean warming: Effects on ocean currents and weather: …of the most noticeable is sea level rise, which increases at roughly 3.4 mm (0.13 inch) per year and is driven by a combination of water’s ability to expand as temperature rises and the release of liquid water to the oceans from melting glaciers and ice sheets. In addition to…

sea lily, any crinoid marine invertebrate animal (class Crinoidea, phylum Echinodermata) in which the adult is fixed to the sea bottom by a stalk. Other crinoids (such as feather stars) resemble sea lilies; however, they lack a stalk and can move from place to place. The sea lily stalk is

sea lion, any of six species of eared seals found primarily in Pacific waters. Sea lions are characterized by a coat of short coarse hair that lacks a distinct undercoat. Except for the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), males have lion-like manes and constantly roar to defend their

Battle of Britain: …for such an invasion, christened Operation Sea Lion. Hitler stipulated that the expedition be ready by mid-August.

James Fenimore Cooper: Novels: …The Red Rover (1827) and The Sea Lions (1849). Never before in prose fiction had the sea become not merely a theatre for, but the principal actor in, moral drama that celebrated man’s courage and skill at the same time that it revealed him humbled by the forces of God’s…

ice plant: Highway ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis, formerly Mesembryanthemum edule) is one of the most commonly grown species and is named for the transparent glistening swellings on its edible leaves. It is cultivated in gardens and as an indoor potted plant. It is naturalized in California, where…

calendula: Major species and uses: Sea marigold, or trailing calendula (C. maritima), of western Sicily is a critically endangered species.

giant squid: …been frequently depicted as a sea monster in literature and by mariners throughout history. The taxonomy of giant squids remains controversial; some scientists divide Architeuthis into several species, whereas others place them into the species A. dux.

sea moss drink, a Caribbean beverage made from dried sea moss (a type of seaweed), milk, and various sweeteners. In most recipes, the sea moss is soaked in lime juice overnight and then boiled in water, often with a cinnamon stick, until becoming jellylike. After cooling, it is then blended with

dragonfish, any of about five species of small marine fishes comprising the family Pegasidae and the order Pegasiformes. Dragonfish are found in warm Indo-Pacific waters. They are small (to about 16 centimetres [6 12 inches] long), elongated fish encased in bony rings of armour. The armour is fused

pre-Columbian civilizations: Inca gods: …until after 1450, was called Cochamama (Mama Qoca), the Sea Mother.

sea mouse, (Aphrodita), any of a genus of marine worms of the class Polychaeta (phylum Annelida), named for their mouselike appearance and behaviour. Sea mice are usually 7.5–15 centimetres (3–6 inches) long; however, some attain a length of 30 centimetres (12 inches). The slightly arched back is

Joseph Conrad: …renderings of dangerous life at sea and in exotic places. But his initial reputation as a masterful teller of colourful adventures of the sea masked his fascination with the individual when faced with nature’s invariable unconcern, man’s frequent malevolence, and his inner battles with good and evil. To Conrad, the…

The Sea of Fertility, four-part epic novel by Mishima Yukio, published in Japanese in 1965–70 as Hōjō no umi and widely regarded as his most lasting achievement. Each of the four parts—Haru no yuki (Spring Snow), Homma (Runaway Horses), Akatsuki no tera (The Temple of Dawn), and Tennin gosui (The

Elia Kazan: Films of the 1940s: …Tree Grows in Brooklyn with The Sea of Grass (1947), which featured Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and Boomerang! (1947), a taut film noir thriller with a cast that included Lee J. Cobb, Arthur Kennedy, and Dana Andrews. Kazan’s next effort, the Darryl F. Zanuck-produced

The Sea of Grass, novel by Conrad Richter, published in 1936, presenting in epic scope the conflicts in the settling of the American Southwest. The novel is set in New Mexico in the late 19th century and concerns the often violent clashes between the pioneering ranchers, whose cattle range freely

Robert Plant: Solo career: …and showcased renditions of “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips and Roy Brown’s “Rockin’ at Midnight.” In 1985 Plant released the experimental album Shaken ’n’ Stirred, featuring the top 40 hit “Little by Little,” which appeared on the Miami Vice episode “Junk Love.” That same year, Plant, Page, and…

Al Pacino: Academy Award and later films: Sea of Love (1989), his biggest hit in years, reestablished Pacino as a major film star. In 1990 he reprised the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather, Part III and gave a hilarious portrayal of grotesque gangster Big Boy Caprice in Dick Tracy. Frankie…

Amitav Ghosh: With Sea of Poppies (2009)—a novel that describes individuals on the Ibis, a ship on the seas of Southeast Asia carrying indentured laborers and opium—Ghosh turned away from his earlier novels’ formal experimentation and toward a more traditional form of storytelling. Sea of Poppies is the…

Frederick H. Evans: …in works such as A Sea of Steps, Wells Cathedral (1903).

Gus Van Sant: In The Sea of Trees (2015), Matthew McConaughey portrayed a depressed American professor who travels to Japan, where he plans to take his own life. However, while at Aokigahara, known as “suicide forest,” his plans change after he encounters a man in need of his help.…

Caryophyllales: Amaranthaceae: Sea orach (A. halimus) is cultivated for its beautiful foliage and silvery gray stems; its flowers are green and rather inconspicuous. Garden orach (A. hortensis) was at one time used as a cure for gout. Another interesting ornamental genus is Bassia, which includes summer cypress…

sponge: Size range and diversity of structure and colour: …as in Tethya aurantium, the sea orange; others may be cup- or fan-shaped. Calcareous sponges of the genus Scypha are shaped like tubular sacs, with an opening (osculum) at the tip. Members of the Hexactinellida are erect or cylindrical, with a stalklike base.

sea otter, (Enhydra lutris), completely marine otter species of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floating on its back, it opens mollusks by smashing them on a stone balanced on its chest. The large hind feet are broad and flipperlike. The thick lustrous coat is reddish to dark

kelp: Members of the genus Nereocystis, commonly called bull kelps, are annual kelps that grow primarily in deep waters and rapid tideways and can attain lengths up to 40 metres (130 feet). The stalk is tough and whiplike, terminating in a single large bladder containing up to 10 percent carbon…

cake urchin: …is the yellow or purple sea pancake (Echinodiscus auritus) of the East African coast.

sea pansy, any of certain colonial marine animals of the sea pen (q.v.) group (order Pennatulacea, phylum Cnidaria). Unlike true sea pens, sea pansies lie flat on the

puffin, any of three species of diving birds that belong to the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). They are distinguished by their large, brightly coloured, triangular beaks. Puffins nest in large colonies on seaside and island cliffs, usually laying only one egg, in a burrow dug one or

beach pea, (Lathyrus japonicus), sprawling perennial plant in the pea family (Fabaceae). It occurs on gravelly and sandy coastal areas throughout the North Temperate Zone. The seeds of beach pea and other members of the genus Lathyrus can cause a paralysis known as lathyrism if eaten in large

sea pen, any of the 300 species of the order Pennatulacea, colonial invertebrate marine animals of the class Anthozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The name sea pen derives from their resemblance to quill pens. They occur in shallow and deep waters from polar seas to the tropics. The central stalk of the

Sea People, any of the groups of aggressive seafarers who invaded eastern Anatolia, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, and Egypt toward the end of the Bronze Age, especially in the 13th century bce. They are held responsible for the destruction of old powers such as the Hittite empire. Because of the abrupt

poacher, (family Agonidae), any of the marine fishes of the family Agonidae (order Scorpaeniformes), a group of approximately 50 species that also includes alligatorfishes, sea poachers, and starsnouts. Poachers live in cold water, on the bottom, and are found mainly in the northern Pacific Ocean.

physical poetry: …things, as in the poem “Sea Poppies” (1916) by Hilda Doolittle (H.D.):

horned poppy, (genus Glaucium), genus of approximately 25 species of plants of the poppy family (Papaveraceae), native to Eurasia and northern Africa. Horned poppies are often salt-tolerant and have been used to anchor beach sand. Some species are grown as ornamentals in beach gardens. Horned

sea power, means by which a nation extends its military power onto the seas. Measured in terms of a nation’s capacity to use the seas in defiance of rivals and competitors, it consists of such diverse elements as combat craft and weapons, auxiliary craft, commercial shipping, bases, and trained

Khaled Hosseini: …work, the illustrated short story Sea Prayer (2018), Hosseini drew on the highly publicized death of a three-year-old Syrian refugee who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015. In the book a father reflects on his life as he and his son wait to depart war-torn Syria.

sculpin: Some, such as the sea raven (Hemitripterus americanus), are of use as bait for lobster pots, and some are of negative importance as consumers of valuable shrimp and young salmon and trout.

beach grass: European beach grass (A. arenaria) is native to temperate coasts in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia and has been introduced in many places as a dune stabilizer. While native beach grass is protected by law in some areas, both species are considered invasive species…

sea robin, any of the slim bottom-dwelling fish of the family Triglidae, found in warm and temperate seas of the world. Sea robins are elongated fish with armoured bony heads and two dorsal fins. Their pectoral fins are fan-shaped, with the bottom few rays each forming separate feelers. These

sea rocket, (genus Cakile), genus of about seven species of plants in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Sea rockets are native to seashore regions of North America, Eurasia, western Asia, and Australia as well as to central Arabian deserts. The plants are considered edible and have a hot pungent

Atlantic Ocean: Minerals from seawater: Sea salt (sodium chloride and other salts) has been obtained (mostly by solar evaporation) from the waters of the Atlantic and its marginal seas for millennia. Ancient coastal salt pans along the Mediterranean are still in operation, while the production capacity at Manaure, Colombia, is…

sculpin, any of the numerous, usually small fish of the family Cottidae (order Scorpaeniformes), found in both salt water and fresh water, principally in northern regions of the world. Sculpins are elongated, tapered fish, usually with wide, heavy heads. The gill covers have one or more spines, the

giant water scorpion, any member of the extinct subclass Eurypterida of the arthropod group Merostomata, a lineage of large, scorpion-like, aquatic invertebrates that flourished during the Silurian Period (444 to 416 million years ago). Well over 200 species have been identified and divided into 18

sea serpent, mythological and legendary marine animal that traditionally resembles an enormous snake. The belief in huge creatures that inhabited the deep was widespread throughout the ancient world. In the Old Testament there are several allusions to a primordial combat between God and a monstrous

seashell, hard exoskeleton of marine mollusks such as snails, bivalves, and chitons that serves to protect and support their bodies. It is composed largely of calcium carbonate secreted by the mantle, a skinlike tissue in the mollusk’s body wall. Seashells are usually made up of several layers of

Bob Barker: Animal advocacy: …donated $5 million to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a group especially known for its antiwhaling efforts. The donation was used to purchase a ship, which was named after Barker (see Paul Watson).

rocket and missile system: Antiship: In that conflict the British Sea Skua, a small, rocket-powered, sea-skimming missile with semiactive radar homing, weighing about 325 pounds, was fired successfully from helicopters, while the Argentines sank a destroyer and a containership and damaged another destroyer with the solid-rocket-powered, active radar-homing French Exocet, fired from both aircraft and…

opisthobranch, any marine gastropod of the approximately 2,000 species of the subclass Opisthobranchia. These gastropods, sometimes called sea slugs and sea hares, breathe either through gills, which are located behind the heart, or through the body surface. The shell and mantle cavity are reduced

nudibranch, any of the marine gastropods that constitute the order Nudibranchia (subclass Opisthobranchia of the class Gastropoda). Nudibranchs possess a radular feeding organ, but they characteristically lack a shell, gills, and mantle cavity typical of other mollusks. The delicately coloured body

snailfish: Some, such as the sea snail (Liparis liparis) of the North Atlantic, live in shore waters; others, such as the pink-coloured species of the genus Careproctus, inhabit the deep sea.

snailfish, any of about 115 species of marine fish often placed with the lumpsuckers in the family Cyclopteridae, but sometimes separated as a distinct family, Liparidae (order Scorpaeniformes). Snailfish are small, growing to a maximum length of about 30 centimetres (12 inches). They are

sea snake, any of more than 60 species of highly venomous marine snakes of the cobra family (Elapidae). There are two independently evolved groups: the true sea snakes (subfamily Hydrophiinae), which are related to Australian terrestrial elapids, and the sea kraits (subfamily Laticaudinae), which

marine bioluminescence: notably the microscopic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans, as well as some jellyfish. Many small crustaceans, such as the Vargula hilgendorfi (also known as Cypridina hilgendorfii), which is 3 to 4 mm (about 16 inch) long, become bioluminescent when disturbed. Many squids emit luminous clouds when threatened. Some species of fish…

auklet, any of six species of small seabirds of the family Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). They breed primarily in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific; some winter as far south as Japan and Mexico. Auklets in breeding plumage differ from the related murrelets in having plumes and other head

murrelet, any of six species of small diving birds belonging to the auk family, Alcidae (order Charadriiformes). Murrelets are about 20 cm (8 inches) long, thin billed and, in winter, plain plumaged. They are sometimes called sea sparrows, as are auklets. In some species the young go to sea when

sea spider, (class Pycnogonida), any of the spiderlike marine arthropods. Sea spiders walk about on the ocean bottom on their slender legs or crawl among plants and animals; some may tread water. Despite their common name, they are not true spiders (order Araneae). Most pycnogonids have four pairs

sea squirt, any member of the invertebrate class Ascidiacea (subphylum Urochordata, also called Tunicata), marine animals with some primitive vertebrate features. Sea squirts are primarily sessile (permanently fixed to a surface), potato-shaped organisms found in all seas, from the intertidal zone

coastal landforms: Sea stacks: Erosion along rocky coasts occurs at various rates and is dependent both on the rock type and on the wave energy at a particular site. As a result of the above-mentioned conditions, wave-cut platforms may be incomplete, with erosional remnants on the horizontal…

sea star, any marine invertebrate of the class Asteroidea (phylum Echinodermata) having rays, or arms, surrounding an indistinct central disk. Despite their older common name, they are not fishes. The roughly 1,600 living species of sea stars occur in all oceans; the northern Pacific has the

stock: Gillyflowers, or common stock (Matthiola incana), are biennials native to southwestern Europe and western Asia. It is one of the most important species used by the floral and horticultural industries. The plants feature narrowly oval deep green leaves and produce 60- to 80-cm (25- to 30-inch) spikes…

Wallace Stevens: Harmonium also contained “Sea Surface Full of Clouds,” in which waves are described in terms of such unlikely equivalents as umbrellas, French phrases, and varieties of chocolate, and “The Comedian as the Letter C,” in which he examines the relation of the poet, or man of imagination, to…

tern, any of about 40 species of slender, graceful water birds that constitute the subfamily Sterninae, of the family Laridae, which also includes the gulls. Terns inhabit seacoasts and inland waters and are nearly worldwide in distribution. The largest number of species is found in the Pacific