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Mary Sears and the race to solve the ocean in World War II

How her expertise on tides, currents, and swells saved American lives overseas

gwyneth packard

Deep-sea musings

Roboticist Gwyneth Packard on the need for ocean exploration today

Ostrander

Fires, floods, and forgotten places

Finding home with author Madeline Ostrander

ship Ocean Tech

Following the Polar Code


Crew of R/V Neil Armstrong renew their commitment to Arctic science with advanced polar training


truck Sustainable Ocean

Harnessing the ocean to power transportation

WHOI scientists are part of a team working to turn seaweed into biofuel

morning catch Sustainable Ocean

Casting a wider net

The future of a time-honored fishing tradition in Vietnam, through the eyes of award-winning photographer Thien Nguyen Noc

gold mines

Gold mining’s toxic legacy

Mercury pollution in Colombia’s Amazon threatens the Indigenous way of life

WHOI senior scientist Dennis McGillicuddy holds a jarred Sargassum sample

How do you solve a problem like Sargassum?

An important yet prolific seaweed with massive blooms worries scientists

Oceanus magazine Vol. 60, No. 1
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Our Ocean. Our Planet. Our Future.

shells

Ancient seas, future insights

WHOI scientists study the paleo record to understand how the ocean will look in a warmer climate

the landfall
Climate & Weather

Rising tides, resilient spirits

As surrounding seas surge, a coastal village prepares for what lies ahead

WHOI biologist Laela Sayigh attaches a suction-cup hydrophone to a dolphin in Sarasota Bay

Whistle! Chirp! Squeak! What does it mean?

Avatar Alliance Foundation donation helps WHOI researcher decode dolphin communication

We can’t do this alone

For marine chemist Adam Subhas, ocean-climate solutions don’t happen without community

Dickie Edwards in Jaws Ocean Life

Behind the blast

The marine superintendent who blew up Jaws

ID card Ocean Tech

How WHOI helped win World War II

Key innovations that cemented ocean science’s role in national defense

Ghana Ocean & Human Lives

Life at the margins

Scientists investigate the connections between Ghana’s land, air, sea and blue economy through the Ocean Margins Initiative

Elizabeth Spiers How the Ocean Works

Grits, storms, and cosmic patience

As storms stall liftoff, Europa Clipper Mission Team member Elizabeth Spiers patiently awaits the biggest mission of her life

kelp farming Ocean Tech

Seeding the future

New WHOI tech lends a hand to kelp farmers

mROV concept rendering Ocean Tech

New underwater vehicles in development at WHOI

New vehicles will be modeled after WHOI’s iconic remotely operated vehicle, Jason

Ocean Tech

Learning to see through cloudy waters

How MIT-WHOI student Amy Phung is helping robots accomplish dangerous tasks in murky waters

angler fish Ocean Life

A rare black seadevil anglerfish sees the light

A viral video shows a denizen of the ocean’s twilight zone making an unusual trip to the surface

Sabrina Imbler Ocean & Human Lives

From surface to self

A writer’s journey through science and story

Oceanus-Covers

Looking for something specific?
We can help you with that. Check out our extensive conglomeration of ocean information.

Janine Wong current art
How the Ocean Works

Unseen Ocean

Artist Janine Wong and scientist Jing He capture the art of currents in “Submesoscale Soup”

Ocean Life

Five marine animals that call shipwrecks home

One man’s sunken ship is another fish’s home? Learn about five species that have evolved to thrive on sunken vessels

zoo Ocean Life

Deep-sea amphipod name inspired by literary masterpiece

Name pays tribute to Cervantes’ Don Quixote and reinforces themes of sweetness and beauty

COP 29 Climate & Weather

5 Takeaways for the Ocean from the COP29 Climate Conference

Explore the key outcomes from this year’s UN Climate Conference

Mike Singleton Ocean Tech

Go with the flow

Mike Singleton, relief captain, R/V Neil Armstrong describes the intricate dance of navigating ocean currents during scientific expeditions

The Grossmans

A gift for ocean research

Boater and oceanography enthusiast Steven Grossman supports innovative WHOI projects with $10 million donation

chaulk board How the Ocean Works

Nature’s Language

Using applied math (and chalk) to understand the dynamic ocean

buoy Ocean Tech

Navigating new waters

The engineering team at the Ocean Observatories Initiative overcomes the hurdles of deploying the coastal pioneer array at a new site

Gulf Stream ocean currents
How the Ocean Works

Ocean in Motion

How the ocean’s complex and chaotic physics defines life on our planet

COP
Ocean Life

The case for preserving deep-sea biodiversity

WHOI biologist Annette Govindarajan offers her takeaways from the COP16 UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Colombia

Should Eastern Oysters Be Put on the Endangered List? Sustainable Ocean

Should Eastern Oysters Be Put on the Endangered List?

Eastern oysters in Chesapeake Bay were not as happy as clams, and neither was Wolf-Dieter…

Scientific (and Surfing) Safari Ocean Life

Scientific (and Surfing) Safari

Eric Montie has a great tan, photos of huge waves taped above his computer, and a…

A Mysterious Disease Is Infecting Northeast Clam Beds Sustainable Ocean

A Mysterious Disease Is Infecting Northeast Clam Beds

Scientists follow clues to the mysterious disease that is killing off clams on Cape Cod and along the Eastern Seaboard.

Finding Nemo...and Other Endangered Fish Ocean Life

Finding Nemo…and Other Endangered Fish

A novel method to track fish larvae?using tetracycline to tag otoliths, or ear bones?sheds lights on which marine areas to protect

Cold Comfort for Barnacles Ocean Life

Cold Comfort for Barnacles

A WHOI research team reports that barnacle larvae can remain frozen up to seven weeks and still revive, settle, and grow to reproduce. The discovery offers a new understanding of barnacle larvae, which are abundant sources of food for larger animals in the coastal ocean. It also provides possible clues to how other intertidal marine invertebrates may settle and survive harsh winters.

Earth Can't Soak Up Excess Fossil Fuel Emissions Indefinitely How the Ocean Works

Earth Can’t Soak Up Excess Fossil Fuel Emissions Indefinitely

Earth?s land and oceans have been soaking up the excess carbon Earth?s land and oceans have been soaking up the excess carbon dioxide that humans have pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. But there are limits.
A new-generation computer model indicates that the capacity of land and ocean to absorb and store the heat-trapping greenhouse gas will reach its peak by the end of the century?removing a brake that has been tempering the effects of global warming.

Nafanua, Eel City, and the Crater of Death How the Ocean Works

Nafanua, Eel City, and the Crater of Death

WHOI geochemist Stan Hart and colleagues have discovered a fast-growing volcano, dubbed Nafanua, inside the crater of Vailulu’u, a 14-300-foot active volcano that should begin the next island in the Samoan chain. They also found a novel hydrothermal community, which they named “Eel City,” and a lifeless zone in the caldera, which they call the “Crater of Death.”

Big Whale, Big Sharks, Big Stink Ocean Life

Big Whale, Big Sharks, Big Stink

A shipping tanker first spotted the whale on Sept. 9 about 24 miles southeast of…

Fresher Ocean, Cooler Climate How the Ocean Works

Fresher Ocean, Cooler Climate

Large and climatically sensitive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean have become less salty since the late 1960s, a trend that could alter global ocean circulation and spur climate changes by the 21st century.

Building an Automated Underwater Microscope Ocean Tech

Building an Automated Underwater Microscope

A conversation with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution biologist Heidi Sosik about her work studying phytoplankton ecology in the coastal ocean and the new instrument, the Imaging FlowCytobot, that she and biologist Rob Olson developed. Sosik describes the importance of phytoplankton to the food web and ecology of the coastal ocean, and how this new instrument, which will be deployed this summer, represents a breakthrough in year-round monitoring of coastal phytoplankton communities.

The Improbable Voyage of Al Woodcock Ocean Tech

The Improbable Voyage of Al Woodcock

Al Woodcock, perhaps the last man to sail on the maiden voyage of WHOI’s first research vessel Atlantis in 1931, died Feb. 26. He was 99. A self-educated farm boy from Georgia, Woodcock was also a keen observer of the natural world. He ascended to the scientific staff at WHOI and published seminal papers on “Observations of Herring Gull Soaring,” “The Swimming of Dolphins,” and “Sea Salt in a Tropical Storm.? Starting in 1949, he published a series of seven pioneering papers on sea-salt particles and their role in the formation of fog and rain. His research gained the profound respect of the nation’s foremost scientists.

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