News & Insights
Specialized camera system gives unprecedented view of ocean life
With still so much to learn about the planktonic creatures that support the marine food web, scientists with the Northeast U.S. Shelf Long-Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER) project have developed the In-situ Ichthyoplankton Imaging System (ISIIS) to take better images of these microscopic organisms in their natural environment
Read MoreCan Seaweed Fuel the Future?
Fuels generated from kelp could provide a low-emission alternative to fossil fuels, and WHOI is breeding new strains of kelp and developing autonomous robots to monitor kelp farms
Read MoreAfter months in the Arctic, scientist returns to a ‘surreal’ world back home
In February, Carin Ashjian traveled to the Arctic Ocean aboard a German icebreaker to study zooplankton as part of the international MOSAiC Expedition. While she conducted research on a desolate ice floe, the coronavirus pandemic spread around the world she had left behind. She wound up spending 4 1/2 months in the Arctic until a…
Read MoreScientists and fishermen team up to film seals in fishing nets
Seals find ease in taking a meal already ensnared in wall-like gillnets cast by fishermen, but at what cost? WHOI biologist Andrea Bogomolni works with the fishing community to record and observe this behavior with the hopes of mitigating marine mammal bycatch
Read MoreTo sail, not to drift
Navigating a changing ecosystem, funding marine science, and finding hope—WHOI Deputy Director Rick Murray charts the course toward our ocean’s future.
Read MoreWill melting glaciers cool the climate?
As glaciers melt at unprecedented rates, WHOI’s Simon Pendleton is looking back to historical records to predict whether this new cool runoff will slow ocean circulation and cool the northern hemisphere––findings which could mean adjustments to some climate predictions.
Read MoreSea Ahead
Once upon a time, ocean scientists hung up cans on up a tree on Bikini Atoll to measure wave height in the Marshall Islands during nuclear weapons testing. Today, ocean technologies and data harvesting are heading somewhere big, from swarming bots, to more autonomous submersibles, and the miniaturization of ocean sensors
Read MoreLooking to the Future
WHOI researchers discuss various ways that ocean science and technology are enabling a deeper understanding of our blue planet
Read MoreUncharted waters
Our global ocean will change dramatically over the next few decades. What might it look like, and how will humans adapt?
Read MoreJellyfish larger than blue whales?
Recent accounts in the media have described the appearance of lion’s mane jellyfish in waters and beaches in the Northeast as a surprising, sometimes troubling, event, with record sizes and numbers reported from Maine to the Massachusetts south coast. But is this event noteworthy? Or, as some have implied, is it a sign of failing…
Read MoreTeaming up for right whales
Researchers from WHOI and NOAA combine underwater gliders with passive acoustic detection technology to help protect endangered species from lethal ship strikes and noise from offshore wind construction
Read MoreOverhaul to take Alvin to greater extremes
The Human Occupied Vehicle (HOV) Alvin returned to Woods Hole, Mass. this spring for the final phase of an overhaul that will allow the submarine to dive to 6,500 meters.
Read MoreAre We Alone?
To discover life in space, we look to our ocean extremes to understand what it’s capable of withstanding. The Exploring Ocean Worlds Program brings WHOI’s marine expertise into the far reaches of our solar system.
Read MoreWorking from Home: Mallory Ringham
WHOI-MIT joint program student outfits her basement to do vital work on a marine carbon sensor
Read MoreCelebrating an oceanographic life
WHOI looks back at the legacy of co-founder of MIT-WHOI Joint Program, former Director of Research and Provost at WHOI, Art Maxwell
Read More‘High-octane’ hurricane fuel swirls in the Gulf of Mexico
Researchers deploy an arsenal of underwater floats to monitor the Loop Current—one of the Atlantic Ocean’s fastest and warmest currents—to collect critical data for hurricane forecasting.
Read MoreWorking from Home: Scott Lindell
Though pandemic slows countless research projects, kelp breeding program can’t stop. A WHOI community rallies to help Scott Lindell and his lab sort over 2,200 blades.
Read MoreThe many lifetimes of plastics
Infographics strive to give us a sense of how long plastic goods will last in the environment. But is this information reliable? The findings of a new study from WHOI may surprise you.
Read MoreBottlenose dolphins continue to compensate for humans in spite of pandemic
Though vessel noise may be quieting down on the high seas, one coastal area in Florida is seeing an upswing in boat traffic according to local authorities, putting more pressure on the world’s longest-studied wild bottlenose dolphin community. A recent WHOI study suggests this is only the beginning of a larger trend.
Read MoreSeven ocean explorers you should know about
June 8th is World Oceans Day, but we’re celebrating the big ole blue all month-long. But, before you post those Cousteau quotes, that inspiring Sylvia Earle documentary, or talk about those neat expeditions by James Cameron, we’d like to present you with five ocean explorers you may not have heard of.
Read MoreStatement on racism from WHOI leadership
June 1, 2020 WHOI leadership would like to take a moment to acknowledge the recent clear-cut examples of racial injustice demonstrated in our country and their impact on those within our scientific and local community and beyond. The news and footage of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis has shocked the world, as have other recent…
Read MoreAre natural toxins in fish harmful?
Marine life has been naturally producing toxic chemicals well before chemical companies were manufacturing PCBs. But are these naturally-produced compounds as harmful as man-made environmental pollutants, and do those pose a human health threat?
Read MoreLab shutdowns enable speedier investigation of coral disease
Despite labs shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WHOI microbiologists are working fast to solve a different kind of outbreak—one travelling below the ocean’s surface and ravaging coral reefs from Florida to the Caribbean.
Read MoreWorking from Home: Dante Cusolito
With some mechanical skills, foam board, and an oceanographic mind, Dante Cusolito found the perfect way to spend his time at home
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