Benthic Life
Light micrograph of the benthic foraminifer Nonionella stella, which thrives in anoxic sulfidic sediments far below the euphotic zone. Individuals are ~225 microns in diameter. Image credit: J.M. Bernhard.
News & Insights
Imagining Home: scientist’s stay in the Arctic extended by coronavirus
WHOI biologist Carin Ashjian is aboard the icebreaker Polarstern in the Arctic as part of the year-long MOSAiC research expedition. She should be almost home by now. Instead, her stay has…
Finding medical answers in the ocean
The test being used to diagnose the novel coronavirus—and other pandemics like AIDS and SARS—was developed with the help of an enzyme isolated from a microbe found in marine hydrothermal…
Falling in love with foraminifera
A marine geobiologist falls for the ‘brains’ and beauty of an ancient single-celled creature that can change its shell into a variety of geometric shapes.
How do you study marine metamorphosis?
Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser is a marine benthic ecologist, whose primary research focus is on how invertebrates establish themselves along the seafloor.
Seal Spy
Drones helps WHOI scientist measure the body mass of mother and pup seals during lactation
News Releases
Study Examines the Impact of Coral Chemical Compounds on Reef Composition and Health
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-led study explores effects of noise on marine life
What happens to marine life when oxygen is scarce?
Epic Arctic Mission Ends
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WHOI in the News
Scientists discover a labyrinth of life hidden in the deep
Under a hellish ocean habitat, bizarre animals are lurking
Drilling Deeper Into Ocean Floor in Search for Origins of Life
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From Oceanus Magazine
An introduction to marsh bothering
A sea-level modeler plunges into fieldwork on Prince Edward Island
A toxic double whammy for sea anemones
Exposure to both oil and sunlight can be harmful to sea anemones
Squid Games
Shortfin squid are becoming more available to New England fishermen, but why?
On the crumbling edge
The race to ensure protection for the emperor penguin across the world
Waves of inspiration
Rachael Talibart explores the infinite creativity of wave photography
Features
Ocean ecosystems are found in polar regions, coastal waters, coral reefs, hydrothermal vents, the abyssal plain, and at the bottom…
By human standards, they are extreme environments. Yet life not only persists in the poles...it thrives.
Hydrothermal vents and cold seeps are places where chemical-rich fluids emanate from the seafloor, often providing the energy to sustain…
The narrow region where land and ocean meet includes salt marshes, mangroves, wetlands, estuaries, reefs, and bays often linked in…
Coastal Ecosystems 
Life at Vents & Seeps 
Polar Life