Pollution
While Oil Gently Seeps from the Seafloor
I investigate what happens to oil spilled into the ocean—with an eye toward finding better ways to “engineer” cleanups. But the brass ring has always hung out of my reach.…
How Does Nature Deal with Persistent Pollutants?
Why would I choose to spend my years in graduate school up to my elbows…
Testing the Waters and Closing Beaches
On a warm, tranquil evening this summer, Falmouth resident Annette Hynes took a friend down…
Popular Way to Assess Oil Spills Can Be Misused
Environmental assessment teams increasingly may be using a method to assess oil spill contamination in…
Making Nanotubes Without Harming the Environment
They are 10,000 times thinner than a strand of human hair, yet stronger than steel,…
Still Toxic After All These Years
This is a story about persistence—of oil, and of people. It began in 1969 when…
The Chicken and the Tern
WHOI scientists find that the dramatic difference comes down to three amino acids on a…
Oil in Our Coastal Back Yard
On September 16, 1969, the barge Florida ran aground off Cape Cod, rupturing its hull…
Mixing Oil and Water
In recent decades scientists have made substantial progress in understanding how oil enters the oceans,…