Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is the world's premier independent organization dedicated exclusively to ocean research, technology, and education. We combine state-of-the-art science, engineering, and ship operations to unravel the mysteries of the deep and devise science-based solutions to planet-wide problems.
RECENT NEWS
Hope in fossilized fish bits
Abundant life in hotter ancient seas gives one paleontologist optimism for the future
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#Alvin pilot Valentine Wilson sits atop the deep-sea submersible shortly after a research trip to the Bahamas in 1966. His stylish #redberet was soon adopted as a badge of camaraderie among the members of the ALVIN group– perhaps a nod to the #redcap that Jacques Cousteau made famous.
📸 courtesy of #WHOI Archives © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
#Alvin60 #Throwback
Sep 19
New England’s #saltmarshes and #eelgrass meadows hold an estimated 7.5 million metric tons of carbon. That’s the annual emissions equivalent of more than 6 million gas-fueled cars! And while that`s impressive, #WHOI scientists say it’s an underestimate of the region`s #bluecarbon potential.
Dive into the @bostonglobe story at the link in bio!
📸 by David Ryan/The Boston Globe
Sep 19
This #polarbear greeted researchers aboard the @coastguardcan #icebreaker during the @beaufortgyre_expedition!
According to Ashley Arroyo, a @yale researcher who`s writing daily dispatches from the ship: "The polar bear seemed very chill and unbothered by our presence. The coast guard crew slowed the ship for ~15 minutes while he was just walking around and jumping around the different ice floes. It also had some blood on its face, so it may have recently been snacking on a seal. It was incredible to see!"
For the past two decades, the #BeaufortGyre Observing System has taken detailed measurements in this crucial part of the #ArcticOcean.
📲 Head over to the 🔗 in our profile to follow the current @nsf_gov expedition!
📸 by @paigehagel + Marty Davelaar | Joint Ice Ocean Survey
#NSFfunded #BGOS #JOIS
Sep 18
⏳️TONIGHT! Find out how #oceancurrents move heat, nutrients + carbon around the globe– and how shifting currents affect life on land + sea.
Join WHOI experts for our fun + informative live virtual series, #OceanEncounters, at 7:30pm (ET) 📲 Register at the 🔗 in our profile!
Sep 18
Could a natural speed bump be a buffer for #sealevelrise? During a recent @txgeosciences expedition to western #Greenland, scientists used #WHOI`s underwater robot #NereidUnderIce to get a close-up look at the ground rock piling up offshore of retreating #glaciers.
Though the vehicle had some close calls while cruising under massive cliffs of falling ice, the mission gave scientists unprecedented understanding of the glacial "speed bump" that could slow the flow of meltwater to the North Atlantic.
📲 Read the @guardian story at the 🔗 in our profile!
📸 by Damian Carrington/The Guardian and courtesy of @utaustintx
Sep 17
Barrel-shaped, transparent #salps (image 1) are often mistaken for jellyfish, but are in fact more closely related to humans than to jellies. Within their delicate form lies a brain, a heart, and a gut, along with a notochord— the precursor to the spine that connects all of us vertebrates, from fish to mammals.
Salps are some of the most prolific #zooplankton on the planet. They filter-feed phytoplankton with an insatiable appetite. In the right conditions, their populations can explode, producing a tremendous quantity of carbon-rich fecal pellets that sink rapidly to the depths. This biological imperative effectively transports carbon from the sunlit surface waters to the dim mid-ocean twilight zone, removing tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in the process.
Besides their contributions to global carbon sequestration, salps also offer a sanctuary to their twilight zone neighbors. The small crustacean known as #phronima (image 2) chews out the salp’s gelatinous interior and uses the remaining hollow “barrel” as a refuge. Meanwhile, the elusive #papernautilus (image 3), a type of pelagic octopus, camouflages itself as a digestive organ on a salp chain—an invisible hitchhiker on the cosmic express. Schools of small fish are also known to take up residence within salp chambers (image 4), each barrel serving as a hotel room for a guest fish.
📲 Learn more about the amazing world of salps from #WHOI’s #OceanTwilightZone Project: go.whoi.edu/salps
Words + blackwater images by Jialing Cai @homoplankton
Sep 17
OUR WORK
WHOI is at the forefront of groundbreaking science and technology development, unlocking the mysteries of our ocean, its connections to life on Earth, and solutions it may hold to some of our most pressing environmental challenges.
Our scientists and engineers lead more than 800 concurrent projects, tackling some of the most challenging and important problems of our time, from climate change and ocean pollution to sustainable food and energy production.
We operate a fleet of research vessels and vehicles, including two large ships (R/V Neil Armstrong and R/V Atlantis), a smaller coastal research vessel, the iconic human-occupied submersible Alvin, and dozens of other underwater robots.
Through our higher education programs, including the prestigious MIT-WHOI Joint Program, we train new generations of ocean scientists, engineers, and leaders-providing access to cutting edge facilities and unparalleled access to the sea.
WHOI plays a leading role in ocean communications, sharing our insights and knowledge about the ocean to the general public, policymakers, educators, and more, so we can make wise decisions about our ocean, our planet, and our future.
FEATURED PROJECTS
We have over 1,000 scientists, engineers, technicians, and support staff working around the globe and cutting edge laboratories to push the boundaries of knowledge about the ocean.
Ocean and Climate Innovation Accelerator
Bringing together industry, academia, and philanthropy to develop and accelerate new climate change solutions.
Ocean Twilight Zone
Exploring the globe-spanning region beneath the sunlit upper ocean where life thrives
Ocean Worlds
Discovering the links between life in our ocean and the search for life beyond Earth
Marine Microplastics Initiative
Investigating the fate of microplastics and their impacts on marine life and human health
Super Reefs
Searching for corals around the world to help ensure a future for reefs in a warming ocean
Ocean Observatories Initiative
The NSF-funded program measures physical, chemical, geological and biological properties from the seafloor to the air-sea interface.
HADEX
Research and exploration of the deepest parts of the ocean, Earth’s final frontier
Reef Solutions
Working to protect corals and reverse the global decline of reef ecosystems