People who're curious about the life in the ocean are now able to track the movements of animals in the sea without diving beneath the water.

Search engine giant Google has launched a new version of 'Google Earth' that allows users to explore the oceans, view images of the planet Mars and watch regions of the Earth change over time.

The new features mark a significant upgrade to its popular software program Google Earth, which provides access to the world's geographical information through digital maps, satellite imagery and the company's search tools.

Google CEO, Eric Schmidt.

"It's not just a fun demo. It's not just a narrative. You'll see all of that today, and it is visually stunning. What it really is is a platform for science and research and literally understanding the future of the world."

Google Earth users can now explore three-dimensional images of the underwater terrain and view articles and videos about marine science contributed by scientists and organizations around the world.

The Historical Imagery feature lets users see archive satellite images of individual locations to see how the region has evolved over time as a result of climate change and other forces.

The move will take Google Earth closer to its aim of creating a complete digital representation of the planet.

The existing site, to which an estimated 400 million people have had access, already includes three-dimensional representations of large cities around the world.