Multimedia Items

Underwater charging stations positioned along a mooring line

June 22, 2024

Underwater charging stations, like the one rendered above, could allow ocean robots to run longer-distance missions while reducing the time and costs associated with ship-based recovery and recharging operations. (Illustration…

Use of lipids to study the relationship between microbes and carbon

The ocean has two kinds of microbes: Autotrophs use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into organic carbon, while heterotrophs convert organic carbon such as glucose into nutrients. Scientists are developing…

Various types of sand from around the world

Nothing says coastline like sand, that soft edge between land and sea. Sand takes millions of years to form, created as nearby rock weathers into fine grains. While light brown…

Vent chemistry illustration

Vent chemistry. (Illustration by Jack Cook, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Visual explanation of how cystic fibrosis affects the lungs

Visual explanation of how cystic fibrosis affects the lungs. (Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Visualization of the Polar Jet Stream

The polar jet stream, depicted above, is a fast-moving belt of westerly winds that traverses the lower layers of the atmosphere. The jet is created by the convergence of cold…

Visualization showing plume profiles representing CTD data

For oceanographers, the thermometer and smoke detector hanging down is called a CTD , which measures conductivity (salinity) and temperature at various depths. This tried-and-true instrument is scientists’ first tool…

Water column zones of marine life, labels version

Water column zones of marine life. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Water with different qualities meets through the Strait of Gibraltar

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,…

World thermohaline circulation; the “Conveyor Belt”

In the North Atlantic Ocean in winter, the contrast between frigid, dry winter air and warm water draws heat from the ocean into the atmosphere and leaves ocean water colder…

Schematic of dust distribution across the ocean

Schematic of dust distribution across the ocean. (Illustration by Jack Cook, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Schematic of seafloor spreading processes

Schematic of seafloor spreading processes. (Courtesy of Ralph Stephen, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Schematic road map of the ocean’s circulation

A schematic roadmap of the ocean’s circulation: Each ocean basin contains large spinning gyres, driven by Earth’s rotation and winds. The gyres are mostly self-contained, so that waters circulate within…

Scope and benefits of a “Coastal Carbon Observing Network”

(Illustration by Natalie Renier, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Sea Level Falls and Rises relative to land

From Special Report: Understanding Sea Level Rise. (Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Seafloor topography data & subterranean conceptual view at Kermadec Trench

Ocean trenches, such as the Kermadec (shown here) near New Zealand, exist where one of Earth’s tectonic plates is sinking and sliding beneath another. This process, referred to as plate…

Series showing how sub-fjord glacial melting adds to sea level rise

1) The researchers are investigating fjords as links between glaciers and the open ocean, and in particular, the role of warming ocean waters and underwater glacial melting in accelerating the…

Simple Carbon cycle featuring ocean depth profile levels to OTZ

Simple carbon cycle featuring ocean depth profile levels to OTZ. (Illustration by Natalie Renier, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Single-celled life relationships illustration

Bacteria and unicellular marine plants called diatoms depend on each other for some essential nutrients, but they also compete for other nutrients. So life gets complicated in the chemical soup…

Solar system reference diagram depicting the origin of water

In the early days of our solar system, when Earth and other planets were still taking shape, the dashed white line represents the snow line the transition from the hotter…

Sound waves data plot

This image was created using sound waves that traveled through the ocean, through the seafloor, and back up to recorders trailing a ship on the surface. By measuring the time…

Sources of oil spills

Spilhaus projection of the world’s oceans

An ocean-focused world The Spilhaus Projection presents the world seas and oceans as a single body of water. It was originally created by Athelstan Spilhaus, a geophysicist and oceanographer, who…