Wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal estuaries are all aquatic ecosystems—critical elements of Earth’s dynamic processes and essential to human economies and health. Wetlands connect land and ...

2 min read Freshwater ecosystems are essential for human survival, providing the majority of people's drinking water. The ecosystems are home to more than 40 percent of the world's fish species.

Read this story and more in the June 2018 issue of National Geographic magazine ... Scientists have found microplastics in 114 aquatic species, and more than half of those end up on our dinner ...

Humanity's growing thirst also poses a major problem for aquatic ecosystems ... incentives that affect their bottom line." The United National General Assembly has recognized "the right to ...

We depend on it for drinking and for sustaining our crops and animals, and countless species rely on freshwater ecosystems to live. The oceans help modulate CO 2 levels and maintain global ...

An aquatic adventure in the western Pacific island nation of Palau — home to over 300 islands — highlights the reward of ...

This story appears in the April 2017 issue of National Geographic magazine. Most people don’t have the opportunity to swim in aquifers, but National Geographic Young Explorer Jennifer Adler ...