Multimedia Items
Ancient Inlet
WHOI Summer Student Fellow Rachel Gold (Brown University) examines a sediment core from Lake Carmi, Vermont. The sediments provide evidence of an inland sea—formerly known as the Champlain Sea—that […]
Read MoreMonsoon Prediction
WHOI scientists are working in the Indian Ocean to gain new insights into forecasting monsoons—the seasonal, heavy rain storms that billions of people on the Indian subcontinent depend […]
Read MoreSee SPOT Run
Diminishing sea ice in the Antarctic will mean fewer fish and squid to eat for emperor penguins—like these at Atka Bay Colony. The Single Penguin Observation and Tracking (SPOT) Observatory […]
Read MoreProtecting the Troops
During World War II, WHOI scientists and engineers contributed to the war effort with some 40 projects that advanced understanding of underwater sound, helped predict the movement of […]
Read MoreHonoring an Educational Pioneer
Family and friends gather with Arthur E. Maxwell (third from left) at festivities at WHOI in September 2018 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Read More
Whoops, Woman Overboard!
One of this year’s contestants falls off her “unboat” in WHOI’s Anything-But-A-Boat Race – community event in Woods Hole, Mass., that attracted hundreds of spectators on Sept. 16. Race […]
Read MoreWill Oxygen in the Ocean Continue to Decline?
Levels of oxygen in the ocean have decreased in the past, causing catastrophic losses of marine life. Scientists worry that oxygen levels may be decreasing now and into the future. […]
Read MoreForecasting Where Ocean Life Thrives
Where do plankton grow more prolifically in the ocean? At “fronts” where different water masses meet. In this case, less-salty, less-dense water from the Atlantic Ocean enters the Mediterranean Sea, […]
Read MoreWho is WHOI?
We are scientists, engineers, and technicians pushing the frontiers of ocean research. Meet Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Read MoreReassessing Guidelines for Oil Spill Cleanups
Dispersants contain detergents, not unlike those people use to wash dishes, which help break oil into small droplets that can become diluted in the ocean. They also contain an organic […]
Read MoreEl Niño and La Niña
The El Niño-Southern Oscillation is a natural cycle that recurs over two to seven years. When surface temperatures in the eastern equatorial Pacific are warmer than usual (an El Niño […]
Read MoreGroundwater and the Ocean
Groundwater comes from precipitation that falls on land. Some of this water evaporates into the atmosphere, gets taken up by plants, or flows into streams, but some infiltrates into the […]
Read MoreAlbatross Flight Dynamics
Albatrosses extract energy from winds to soar, as seen in these diagrammatic views from the side (left) and from overhead (right).
LEFT DIAGRAM: Above a wave, winds blow progressively faster the […]
Read MoreArctic Halocline
When sea ice forms, it releases salt into surface waters. These waters become denser and sink to form the Arctic halocline’s layer of cold water that acts as barrier between […]
Read MoreSamoa Chain
Island chains such as Samoa and Hawaii are known as hotspots, where magma from the mantle erupts through the crust. This creates seafloor volcanoes that often rise above the ocean […]
Read MoreElemental Journeys
Enormous amounts of chemical elements move throughout the surface of the Earth. This illustrates how much is moved by various natural processes or human activities, in units of petagrams (Pg […]
Read MoreLethal Interactions
Researchers created this diagram to summarize their findings about lethal interactions among 185 strains of Vibriobacteria. Individual strains of bacteria are represented by the black lines protruding from the rim of […]
Read MoreHow a Biofilm Forms in the Sea
Biofilms form when bacteria settle onto a hard surface (1), where they proliferate and produce slime (2). Most efforts to fight biofouling have targeted these steps. WHOI biochemist Ben Van […]
Read MoreTale of the Tuna
Climate Change and Ancient Civilizations
(Illustration by Amy Caracappa-Qubeck, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreRAFOS Floats
RAFOS floats are designed to take measurements of temperature, salinity, and pressure in layers of ocean water at any depth.They are deployed using one of two methods. Some floats are […]
Read MoreSource of Radioactivity in the Ocean
Human and natural sources of radioactive isotopes in the ocean. NOTE: colored ovals not drawn to scale. (Illustration by Jack Cook, courtesy of the Coastal Ocean Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic […]
Read MoreWhere the Whales Are
A relatively fresh coastal current carrying tiny marine organisms called copepods flows into the Great South Channel. The current collides with saltier, denser water to form an ocean front. The […]
Read MoreDeep-sea Gorges
The seafloor is filled with thousands of deep canyons, where powerful currents appear to be flowing uphill along the canyon floors. These currents could play a major role in driving […]
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