Ocean tech
‘Green’ Energy Powers Undersea Glider
Researchers have successfully flown the first thermal glider through the ocean—a robotic vehicle that can propel itself for several months across thousands of miles, using only heat energy from the…
The Spiral Secret to Mammal Hearing
The spiral secrets of mammals? hearing abilities Whispering galleries are curious features of circular buildings.…
Corralling the Wild and Wooly Southern Ocean
Matt Mazloff fishes out a postcard. It’s a simulated aerial view of the bottom of…
She’s Got the Whole Fleet in Her Hands
For oceanographers, going to sea isn’t as simple as driving to the dock, climbing on…
Can’t Bring Deep-sea Samples Up? Send a Lab Down.
Much of what is surprising about the deep ocean results from the extraordinary conditions found…
Arctic Voyage Tests New Robots for Ice-covered Oceans
In the summer of 2007, an international team led by scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic…
Ocean Observatories Initiative Poised to Launch
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was awarded a $97.7 million grant to help build a…
Happy as a (Newly Discovered) Clam
Aboard a research ship in 1997, Janet Voight was amazed when she examined a small…
A Sea Change in National Ocean Policy?
Early in the new century, two national commissions conducted the first thorough reviews in a…
Robot Paints Stunning Map of Deep-sea Volcano
Painting with sonar, each brushstroke a “ping” of sound reflected off the seafloor, the robotic…
Going for the GUSTO (Mooring)
It was the oceanographic equivalent of stopping for milk on the way home. Two years…
Submerged Autonomous Launch Platforms
Amy Bower wanted to investigate an elusive and unpredictable phenomenon in a remote ocean. Off…
Phone Call Links Inner and Outer Space
Tim Shank and Sunita Williams placed one of the most unusual long-distance phone calls of…
A Warm Eddy Swirling in the Cold Labrador Sea
Amy Bower is traveling to the Labrador Sea to install a mooring with novel carousels…
Eavesdropping on Whales’ Mealtime Conversation
Like a knife slicing through denim, the black dorsal fin broke the surface of the…
Summer Under Arctic Ice
This month, an international team of scientists and engineers are exploring the seafloor of the…
The Ocean—Captured in a Box
Claudia Cenedese prides herself on thinking inside the box. Her boxes are made of Plexiglass,…
Of Sons and Ships and Science Cruises
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has had an unbroken line of three ships named Atlantis…
Rescue Mission on the Seafloor
The two earthquake-monitoring instruments—each the size and weight of a small refrigerator—were glued to the…
The Lo-o-o-ng Core
Since the early part of the 20th century, scientists have been going to sea on…
Measuring Raindrops in the Ocean
Earth is often called the blue marble. But it’s more like a marble cake: a…
Two Ships Passing Passengers in the Night
Into the frigid darkness, following two days of stormy weather, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s coastal…