Putting the ‘nuclear coffin’ in perspective

August 27, 2019

WHOI geochemist Ken Buesseler discusses marine radioactivity monitoring in the Marshall Islands atop Runit Dome

WHOI chemist and marine radioactivity expert shares his thoughts about radioactivity waste leaking from Runit Dome—a bomb crater filled with radioactive soil in the Marshall Islands that is now being penetrated by rising sea levels

Underwater robots swarm the ocean

August 22, 2019

Researchers test a new, acoustic-based navigation system to solve a problem that oceanographers have grappled with for years—getting multiple underwater robots to monitor the ocean cooperatively in swarm-like fashion.

WHOI scientists win awards

August 7, 2019

Two WHOI scientists were among 82 distinguished scientists to receive accolades from the AGU, and another WHOI scientist was elected an American Meteorological Society (AMS) fellow for 2020.

A tunnel to the Twilight Zone

August 2, 2019

Scientists track hungry blue sharks as they ride swirling currents down to the ocean twilight zone—a layer of the ocean containing the largest fish biomass on Earth

A new way of “seeing” offshore wind power cables

July 25, 2019

Eager to share best practices and technical know-how with the offshore wind sector, WHOI researchers test out an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUVs)—a staple of oceanographic research—to see if it can perform subsea cable surveys faster and more economically than using large and expensive ships.

WHOI Honors the 50th Anniversary of the Moonwalk

July 19, 2019

50 years ago, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on another world. Today the WHOI research vessel bearing his name carries on the legacy of exploration and discovery. R/V Neil Armstrong: one giant leap for the ocean.

WHOI prepares for 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season

July 18, 2019

Researchers deploy autonomous underwater vehicles to improve forecasts By Evan Lubofsky | July 18, 2019 Hurricane Florence. Image courtesy of…

Hurricane Clues from a Caribbean Blue Hole

July 3, 2019

WHOI researchers Lizzy Soranna (front left), Lizzie Wallace (front right), and Nicole D'Entremont head out to conduct hurricane research in an azure-colored marine sinkhole—formally known as a blue hole—off Caicos Island in the Caribbean. They collected sediment samples from the bottom of the hole to learn more about the characteristics of Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm that passed over the area in early September of 2017. (Photo by Rose Palermo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution).

Scientists look to sediment cores from Caicos Island to gain insights about a monster, modern-day hurricane.

Mining climate clues from our whaling past

June 25, 2019

Climate scientists work with historians to tap weather records from old New England whaling logbooks. They hope to leverage the historical data to gain new insights into modern-day climate conditions.

Can thermal cameras prevent ship strikes?

June 14, 2019

Researchers are testing the effectiveness of thermal IR cameras for automated whale detection to help prevent ship strikes in the narrow channels of British Columbia’s Gulf Islands.

King Kelp

June 12, 2019

To help fuel our future energy needs, researchers are sizing up thousands of blades of sugar kelp—a promising source of biofuels—to breed strains that grow larger, heartier, and more abundantly.

Global Oceans and the Extinction Crisis

June 5, 2019

WHOI biologists Michael Moore and Andrea Bogomolni

WHOI marine biologists Michael Moore and Andrea Bogomolni weigh in on a new United Nations science report suggesting that over one million species are at risk of extinction.

Fish with Flashlights

May 30, 2019

Down in the dark and shadowy ocean twilight zone, countless species—bristlemouths, lanternfishes, jellies, and others—rely on bioluminescence for a variety of important functions, including finding their next meal, outsmarting predators, and looking for mates.

Scientists investigate global spread of stinging jellyfish

May 22, 2019

New invasions reported in New England and Sweden, prompting researchers to look at a variety of potential causes including transportation, warmer ocean temperatures, and a resurgence of eelgrass.

Bringing Light into Darkness

May 15, 2019

Many ocean twilight zone animals have adapted to their dark surroundings with larger-than-normal eyes. (Photo by Paul Caiger, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

WHOI scientists and engineers tackle the challenge of illuminating life in the sunless waters of the ocean twilight zone

Virgin Island Corals in Crisis

May 7, 2019

A coral disease outbreak that wiped out nearly 80% of stony corals between Florida’s Key Biscayne and Key West during the past two years appears to have spread to the U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S.V.I.), where reefs that were once vibrant and teeming with life are now left skeleton white in the disease’s wake.

Untangling Impacts on Right Whales

May 3, 2019

A disentanglement team attempts to free a right whale from fishing gear. EcoHealth Alliance, NOAA Permit #932-1905.

Whale scientists look for new ways to mitigate whale entanglements in fishing lines

Imagining new vehicles for exploration

May 2, 2019

Andy Bowen is the kind of guy who wakes up in the middle of the night unable to go back to sleep, because he’s just too excited about a solution he’s just imagined for a new robotic invention.