Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry
WHOI-engineered DISCO allows scientists to measure highly reactive superoxide on coral reefs
WHOI researchers successfully conceived and tested a portable device, DISCO, that performed the first in situ measurements of a highly reactive type of oxygen, known as superoxide, which may play an integral role in the health of coral reefs.
Read MoreThe oceans are losing oxygen, and faster than we thought
WHOI scientists weigh in on a new ICUN report highlighting a 2% decline in marine oxygen levels between 1960 and 2010. The loss of oxygen has triggered an expansion of marine dead zones throughout the global ocean that has put marine life and ecosystems in peril.
Read MoreThe Ocean Twilight Zone’s crucial carbon pump
When CO₂ enters the ocean, where does this heat-trapping gas go? WHOI geochemist investigates how much carbon from the surface ocean is dispatched to the ocean twilight zone–the midlayer of the ocean–and on to the deep ocean.
Read MoreProtecting living corals could help defend the Great Barrier Reef from ocean acidification for decades
Reefs with higher numbers of living corals will be more resilient than expected to damage from acidifying seawater, scientists reported recently in Nature Evolution and Ecology.
Read MoreOcean acidification gets a watchful eye in New England aquaculture ‘hot spot’
Shellfish aquaculture is thriving in New England, but future growth in the industry could be stunted as coastal waters in the region become more acidic. Researchers at WHOI have developed a way to link nutrient load reductions to improvements in the health of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, which may an important step toward cleaner and less acidic harbors in the Baystate.
Read MoreThese corals could survive climate change — and help save the world’s reefs
Ocean warming threatens to wipe out corals, but scientists are trying to protect naturally resilient reefs and are nursing some others back to health.
Read MoreThousands of barrels of oil are contaminating Brazil’s pristine coastline. Authorities don’t know where it’s coming from.
WHOI researcher Christopher Reddy has been trying to crack the mystery. Some Brazilian colleagues recently contacted him to help determine the source of the oil, and he’s now analyzing 14…
Read MoreIn the Sea, Not All Plastic Lasts Forever
Polystyrene, a common ocean pollutant, decomposes in sunlight much faster than thought, a new study finds.
Read MoreRiver Detective: WHOI scientist studies river chemistry around the world
Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink has been studying rivers around the world as part of the Global Rivers Observatory network to observe how natural and human-caused environmental changes affect the composition of river water over time.
Read MoreFifty years later, the West Falmouth oil spill yields lasting contributions to remediation efforts
After 175,000 gallons of oil spilled from a barge that ran aground along West Falmouth Harbor, the contaminant has all but disappeared, save a small marsh inlet that continues to serve as a living laboratory for scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Read MorePutting the ‘nuclear coffin’ in perspective
WHOI chemist and marine radioactivity expert shares his thoughts about radioactivity waste leaking from Runit Dome—a bomb crater filled with radioactive soil in the Marshall Islands that is now being penetrated by rising sea levels
Read MoreThis new nanotech could help clean up Earth’s microplastics
“Trying to understand the big picture on plastic and be able to weave a story together is going to take decades,” said Christopher Reddy, an environmental chemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who was not involved in the study.
Read MoreNew Study Finds Distinct Microbes Living Next to Corals
WHOI scientists distinct discover microbes living just a few centimeters from the surface of corals near the southern coast of Cuba. The discovery may yield clues about the ecological functions of microbes, and how they find and infect coral colonies.
Read MoreMicrobes May Act as Gatekeepers of Earth’s Deep Carbon
Two years ago an international team of scientists visited Costa Rica’s subduction zone, where the ocean floor sinks beneath the continent and volcanoes tower above the surface. They wanted to…
Read MoreDo chemicals that disperse oil spills make the problem worse? Probably not, new study finds
Quotes (Chris Reddy)
Read MorePostcards from the Bottom of the Earth: December 2, 2001
December 3, 2001 After I write each of these travelogues, I keep thinking I’ll lose interest or be too busy to write again. Then comes another day like today, and…
Read MorePostcards from the Bottom of the Earth: November 30, 2001
November 30, 2001 I thought the sunset two days ago at 11:50 pm–in the middle of the sea and floating ice–was spectacular enough to make the voyage worthwhile (beyond the…
Read MorePostcards from the Bottom of the Earth: November 27, 2001
Shortly after Thanksgiving, we hit the northern edge of the sea ice surrounding Antarctica. It’s an amazing sight: huge chunks of ice of various shapes, colored white and blue, ranging…
Read MorePostcards from the Bottom of the Earth: November 22, 2001 (Part 2)
(Note to readers: due to the length of Ken’s first letter to family and friends, it has been broken into two parts. Ellipses … denote places where the original letter…
Read MorePostcards from the Bottom of the Earth: November 22, 2001 (Part 1)
November 30, 2001 (Note to readers: due to the length of Ken’s first letter to family and friends, it has been broken into two parts. Ellipses … denote places where…
Read MoreRemote Access Sampler (RAS)
McLane Remote Access Samplers are designed to collect in-situ water samples in support of oceanographic research projects and environmental monitoring programs. The RAS 3-48-100 and RAS 3-48-500 collect ambient water…
Read MoreA DISCO in the Ocean
To investigate coral bleaching, WHOI scientists figure out a novel way to take direct measurements in the ocean of superoxide, a key molecule that vanishes almost as soon as it is made.
Read MoreInvestigating Oil from the USS Arizona
Sweat the Small Stuff
microplastics
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