Ocean tech
A New Deep-Sea Robot Called Sentry
There’s been a changing of the guard among deep-sea exploration vehicles. Sentry, a new undersea robot built by engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), completed its first scientific mission…
Turtle Skulls Prove to be Shock-Resistant
Scientists and engineers from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the U.S. Navy have discovered…
The Turtle and the Robot
Stephen Licht built an unusual underwater robot with a curious name. With a wink toward…
Building the Next-Generation Alvin Submersible
Three times geologist Adam Soule has climbed inside the deep-diving submersible Alvin and headed to…
‘Green’ Energy Powers Undersea Glider
Researchers have successfully flown the first thermal glider through the ocean—a robotic vehicle that can…
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…