A partial list of major ocean research institutions. Many of these institutions have very informative websites.
USA:
• Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO).
• University of Washington School of Oceanography.
• Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (Columbia University).
• University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography.
Elsewhere:
• National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK.