News Releases
May 21, 2013
Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales
Using a “patient monitoring” device attached to a whale entangled in fishing gear, scientists showed for the first time how fishing lines changed a whale’s diving and swimming behavior. The monitoring revealed how fishing gear hinders whales’ ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy as they drag gear for months or years, and can result in a slow death.
May 19, 2013
Scientists Explore Roots of Future Tropical Rainfall
How will rainfall patterns across the tropical Indian and Pacific regions change in a future warming world? Climate models generally suggest that the tropics as a whole will get wetter, but the models don’t always agree on where rainfall patterns will shift in particular regions within the tropics.
May 7, 2013
New Robotic Instruments to Provide Real-Time Data on Gulf of Maine Red Tide
A new robotic sensor deployed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Gulf of Maine coastal waters may transform the way red tides or harmful algal blooms (HABs) are monitored and managed in New England. A second such instrument will be launched later this spring.
May 6, 2013
The Black Sea is a Goldmine of Ancient Genetic Data
When Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine paleoecologist Marco Coolen was mining through vast amounts of genetic data from the Black Sea sediment record, he was amazed about the variety of past plankton species that left behind their genetic makeup (i.e., the plankton paleome).
May 2, 2013
'Dark Oxidants' Form Away from Sunlight in Lake and Ocean Depths, Underground Soils
Breathing oxygen... can be hazardous to your health? Indeed, our bodies aren't perfect. They make mistakes, among them producing toxic chemicals, called oxidants, in cells. We fight these oxidants naturally, and by eating foods rich in antioxidants such as blueberries and dark chocolate. All forms of life that breathe oxygen—even ones that can't be seen with the naked eye, such as bacteria—must fight oxidants to live.
April 29, 2013
WHOI to Host Public Event on Fukushima and the Ocean
The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will host a free, public forum exploring the impact of Fukushima on the ocean and human health on May 9, 2013, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Redfield Auditorium, 45 Water Street, Woods Hole.
April 22, 2013
Experts Call for Network to Monitor Marine Biodiversity
A group of oceanographic experts is calling for the establishment of a national network to monitor the diversity of marine life, a key bellwether of ocean and human health. Their work is described in the April 11 issue of BioScience.
April 10, 2013
Research Enables Fishermen to Harvest Lucrative Shellfish on Georges Bank
New scientific understanding of toxic algal blooms on Georges Bank, along with an at-sea and dockside testing protocol, has allowed fishermen to harvest ocean quahogs and surf clams in these offshore waters for the first time in more than two decades. The Georges Bank surf clam and ocean quahog fishery has an estimated annual value of $10 – 15 million.
April 3, 2013
An Ancient Biosonar Sheds New Light on the Evolution of Echolocation in Toothed Whales
New research, led by WHOI postdoctoral fellow Frants Havmand Jensen, shows that freshwater dolphins produce echolocation sounds at very low sound intensities compared to marine dolphins, and that the endangered Ganges river dolphins echolocate at surprisingly low sound frequencies.
March 26, 2013
Explorer and Filmmaker James Cameron Gives DEEPSEA CHALLENGER Sub to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
On the one-year anniversary of Explorer and filmmaker James Cameron’s unprecedented solo dive to the Challenger Deep in the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER submersible, Cameron and WHOI announce he will transfer the sub to Woods Hole. The transfer is part of a newly formed a partnership to stimulate advances in ocean science and technology and build on the historic breakthroughs of the 2012 DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition.
March 25, 2013
Researchers Issue Forecast for 'Moderate' New England Red Tide in 2013
New England is expected to experience a “moderate” red tide this spring and summer, report NOAA-funded scientists studying the toxic algae that cause blooms in the Gulf of Maine. Red tide is caused by an alga Alexandrium fundyense, which produces a toxin that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Red tide occurs annually along some portions of the Gulf of Maine coast. This outlook is similar to the 2012 red tide which was moderate.
March 21, 2013
Scientists Reveal Quirky Feature of Lyme Disease Bacteria
Scientists have confirmed that the pathogen that causes Lyme Disease—unlike any other known organism—can exist without iron, a metal that all other life needs to make proteins and enzymes. Instead of iron, the bacteria substitute manganese to make an essential enzyme, thus eluding immune system defenses that protect the body by starving pathogens of iron.
March 10, 2013
Glaciers Contribute Significant Iron to North Atlantic Ocean
A new study by biogeochemists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution identifies a large, unexpected source of iron to the North Atlantic – meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets, which may stimulate plankton growth during spring and summer. This source is likely to increase as melting of the Greenland ice sheet escalates under a warming climate.
March 1, 2013
New Study Reveals How Sensitive U.S. East Coast Regions May Be to Ocean Acidification
A continental-scale chemical survey in the waters of the eastern U.S. and Gulf of Mexico is helping researchers determine how distinct bodies of water will resist changes in acidity. The study, which measures varying levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other forms of carbon in the ocean, provides a better picture of acidification status on the east coast of the U.S.
January 17, 2013
Study Provides New Insights on Drought Predictions in East Africa
New research published in the journal Nature helps explain the mechanisms at work behind historical patterns of aridity in Eastern Africa over many decades -- findings that may help improve future predictions of drought and food security in the region.
January 9, 2013
Scientists Use Marine Robots to Detect Endangered Whales
Two robots equipped with instruments designed to “listen” for the calls of baleen whales detected nine endangered North Atlantic right whales in the Gulf of Maine last month. The robots reported the detections to shore-based researchers within hours of hearing the whales (i.e., in real time), demonstrating a new and powerful tool for managing interactions between whales and human activities.