Heidi Sosik Learn more
Heidi Sosik
Senior Scientist in the Biology Department; lead investigator for the Northeast US Shelf Long Term Ecological Research program; Chief Scientist of the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory for more than 14 years; Fellow of The Oceanography Society; and Sustaining Fellow of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography.
Sosik has been on the faculty and staff since 1994. As a biological oceanographer and inventor, Sosik and her collaborators have developed specialized instruments that dramatically enhance the ability of scientists and resource managers to study microscopic organisms that support ocean health, govern Earth’s climate, and even affect human health and economic well-being. Sosik is also active nationally and internationally, including as associate editor for leading journals, on strategic planning and scientific steering committees, and as an elected officer of the American Geophysical Union.
Dr. Heidi Sosik Lab
Dr. Heidi Sosik's lab develops automated underwater analyzers to study microscopic organisms influencing ocean food webs, climate, and harmful algal blooms
Northeast US Shelf Long Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER)
NES-LTER integrates observations, experiments, and models to understand plankton food webs and predict impacts on fish, seabirds, and marine mammals
Martha's Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO)
MVCO is a cabled observatory providing continuous coastal ocean, atmosphere, and ecosystem data, supporting research, climate studies, and education
The little big picture
WHOI senior biologist Heidi Sosik on the critical need for long-term ocean datasets
Dive Deeper
Long-term study focuses on New England ocean
Research to explore abundant, rapidly changing ecosystem
Imaging FlowCytobot
Long term, high-resolution measurements of phytoplankton abundance and cell properties
Specialized camera system gives unprecedented view of ocean life
The In-situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS) takes images of planktonic creatures in their natural environment
Building an automated underwater microscope
A conversation with biologist Heidi Sosik
Cytobot gives early red tide warning
Automated underwater microscope detects unexpected harmful algal bloom
Entering the Ocean Twilight Zone with Heidi Sosik
See beautiful jellies and small fishes like bristlemouths, hatchet fish, and lanternfish, all in their natural habitat
Related Multimedia
Life at the edge
What makes the shelf break front such a productive and diverse part of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean?
The discoveries awaiting us in the ocean's twilight zone
As one of the first ideas of The Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire global change, Heidi Sosik shares a plan to investigate the the ocean twilight zone