Multimedia Items
2009 Global Hydrothermal Vents map
2009 Global Hydrothermal Vents map. Funding from InterRidge and Morss Colloquium Program at WHOI. Data sources: InterRidge Vents Database, Version 2.0, release date 5 Mar. 2010; University of Texas PLATES…
Read MoreBiological Carbon Pump
Biological Carbon Pump Once the solubility pump introduces carbon into surface waters, the ocean twilight zone’s biological carbon pump (BCP) plays an important role in the rapid removal of a…
Read MoreMixing layer diagram
Mixing layer diagram. (Illustration by Jayne Doucette, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreThe life cycle of Greenland’s meltwater lakes
Meltwater lakes pool on Greenland’s ice sheet each spring and summer, then drain through cracks to bedrock, and ultimately out to the ocean. these lakes could accelerate global sea level…
Read MoreThe location of the power plant disaster and the story of its continued effects
Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. 1. High levels of radioactive cesium-137 released in the 2011 accident were transported along the coast by ocean currents. 2. Waves and tides brought the…
Read MoreThe Ocean of Things 2-page illustration
The digital ocean ecosystem of the future—the Networked Ocean—will rely on an integrated network of underwater vehicles, sensors, and communications systems that will cover the ocean in an ‘always on,…
Read MoreIs the mantle one big pot or is it double-decked?
Drawn for authors Robert Detrick and Stanley Hart and Oceanus Magazine, DOEI, Vol. 42, No. 2, 2004. (Illustration by Jayne Doucette, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreThe birth of a black smoker
During Stage 1 of black smoker chimney growth, hot, calcium-rich vent fluid mixes turbulently with cold, sulfate and calcium-rich seawater, resulting in precipitation of a ring of calcium sulfate (anhydrite)…
Read MoreThe seafloor is teeming with methane
(Illustration by Jayne Doucette, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreTwo Chemical Roads Diverge in an Open Ocean illustration
Two Chemical Roads Diverge in an Open Ocean illustration. (Illustration by Eric S. Taylor, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreTwo newly identified as unique subspecies of Pilot Whales
Short-finned pilot whales have been recognized as a single species, but a recent study found that two unique subspecies actually exist. (Illustration by Natalie Renier, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreUnderwater charging stations positioned along a mooring line
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…
Read MoreUse 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…
Read MoreVarious 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…
Read MoreVent chemistry illustration
Vent chemistry. (Illustration by Jack Cook, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreVisual 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)
Read MoreVisualization 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…
Read MoreVisualization 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…
Read MoreWater column zones of marine life, labels version
Water column zones of marine life. (Illustration by E. Paul Oberlander, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreWater 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,…
Read MoreWorld 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…
Read MoreSchematic of dust distribution across the ocean
Schematic of dust distribution across the ocean. (Illustration by Jack Cook, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreSchematic of seafloor spreading processes
Schematic of seafloor spreading processes. (Courtesy of Ralph Stephen, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Read MoreSchematic 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…
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