Physical Oceanography
Welcome Research Associate Thomas Meunier
Thomas Meunier, Research Associate, joins WHOI’s PO Department
Read MoreOceans of Change
“THE SEA NEVER CHANGES, AND ITS WORKS, FOR ALL THE TALK OF MEN, ARE WRAPPED IN MYSTERY.” So observed the narrator of “Typhoon,” Joseph Conrad’s 1902 novella. But today, we…
Read MoreOceans of Change
Oceans of Change WHOI scientists learn how the ocean shapes—and is shaped by—global climate By Madeline Drexler (Photo by Simon Buchou on Unsplash) “THE SEA NEVER CHANGES, AND ITS WORKS,…
Read MoreThe future of the ocean’s conveyor belt
WHOI scientist Young-Oh Kwon discusses the state of the AMOC—the crucial North Atlantic current that regulates our planet’s climate.
Read More‘A Little Shocking’: Ocean Currents Are Speeding up Significantly, Study Finds
“This is a really huge increase,” Susan Wijffels, an oceanographer at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who was not involved with the paper, told Science Magazine.
Read MoreGulf Stream transport
The Gulf Stream, one of, if not the world’s strongest ocean current, plays a major role in earth’s climate by transporting heat from the tropics to the mid latitudes. Changes…
Read MoreImpact of multidecadal variability in Atlantic SST on winter atmospheric blocking
Kwon, Y.-O., H. Seo, C.C. Ummenhofer, and T.M. Joyce, 2020. Impact of multidecadal variability in Atlantic SST on winter atmospheric blocking. Journal of Climate, 33, 867-892. https://journals.ametsoc.org/jcli/article/33/3/867/346256/Impact-of-Multidecadal-Variability-in-Atlantic-SST Lag between AMV…
Read MoreReport reveals ‘unseen’ human benefits from ocean twilight zone
A new report from researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals for the first time the unseen—and somewhat surprising—benefits that people receive from the ocean’s twilight zone. Also known as the “mesopelagic,” this is the ocean layer just beyond the sunlit surface.
Read MoreLong‐term SST variability on the northwest Atlantic continental shelf and slope
Chen, Z., Kwon, Y.‐O., Chen, K., Fratantoni, P., Gawarkiewicz, G., & Joyce, T. M. 2020. Long‐term SST variability on the northwest Atlantic continental shelf and slope. Geophysical Research Letters, 47,…
Read MoreInvestigating the ocean’s influence on Australia’s drought
Researchers look to the Indian Ocean for clues on how Australia’s blazing wildfires and bone-dry conditions have reached such extremes.
Read MoreClimate Models Have Been Right For Decades
Scientists have for decades created accurate models to predict the future impacts of global warming, a new study has found.
Read MoreCharacteristics of an advective marine heatwave in the Middle Atlantic Bight in early 2017
Gawarkiewicz, G., Chen, K., Forsyth, J., Bahr, F., Mercer, A. M., Ellertson, A., Han, L. 2019. Characteristics of an advective marine heatwave in the Middle Atlantic Bight in early 2017.…
Read MoreGlobal heating supercharging Indian Ocean climate system
Global heating is “supercharging” an increasingly dangerous climate mechanism in the Indian Ocean that has played a role in disasters this year including bushfires in Australia and floods in Africa.
Read MoreWHOI scientists weigh in on sea level rise impact study
When it comes to future sea level rise, most studies predict we’ll see between four to eight inches of global sea level rise between now and 2050. The looming question is—how many people will be affected by rising seas in the coming decades?
Read MoreNew report takes in-depth look at three factors contributing to sea level rise along the U.S. East Coast
A new report from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) discusses some of the science of sea level rise and highlights three key processes that contribute to the phenomenon. Produced in…
Read MoreOceanographer wins big money in rainfall forecasting contest
Rainfall forecasting is big money! For over 40 years, Ray Schmitt has been a physical oceanographer at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Read MoreDense Antarctic water returning to the Atlantic
“This region, the Scotia Sea, is unique in that it hosts several different physical mechanisms which launder dense water to make it lighter within a relatively small basin (the Southern…
Read MoreA tunnel to the Twilight Zone
Scientists track hungry blue sharks as they ride swirling currents down to the ocean twilight zone—a layer of the ocean containing the largest fish biomass on Earth
Read MoreExtreme ice melt in Greenland threatens coastal communities across the world, scientists warn
“We control how much greenhouse gases we put in atmosphere,” said Sarah Das, a scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. “If we can slow down emissions, we can slow down sea level rise.”
Read MoreWHOI prepares for 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season
Researchers deploy autonomous underwater vehicles to improve forecasts By Evan Lubofsky | July 18, 2019 Hurricane Florence. Image courtesy of NASA. With the 2019 Atlantic Hurricane season underway, Woods Hole…
Read MoreHurricane Clues from a Caribbean Blue Hole
Scientists look to sediment cores from Caicos Island to gain insights about a monster, modern-day hurricane.
Read MoreMining climate clues from our whaling past
Climate scientists work with historians to tap weather records from old New England whaling logbooks. They hope to leverage the historical data to gain new insights into modern-day climate conditions.
Read MoreMining climate clues from our whaling past
Climate scientists work with historians to tap weather records from old New England whaling logbooks. They hope to leverage the historical data to gain new insights into modern-day climate conditions.
Read MoreStudy Finds No Direct Link Between North Atlantic Ocean Currents, Sea Level Along New England Coast
A new study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) clarifies what influence major currents in the North Atlantic have on sea level along the northeastern United States. The study, published June 13 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined both the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)—a conveyor belt of currents that move warmer waters north and cooler waters south in the Atlantic—and historical records of sea level in coastal New England.
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