News Releases
Study Reveals Corals’ Influence on Reef Microbes
As they grow, corals are bathed in a sea of marine microbes, such as bacteria, algae, and viruses. While these extremely abundant and tiny microorganisms influence coral communities in a variety of ways, a new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) reveals that corals also have an impact on the microbes in waters surrounding them
Read MoreThe Sound of a Healthy Reef
A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will help researchers understand the ways that marine animal larvae use sound as a cue to settle on coral reefs. The study, published on August 23rd in the online journal Scientific Reports, has determined that sounds created by adult fish and invertebrates may not travel far enough for larvae – which hatch in open ocean – to hear them, meaning that the larvae might rely on other means to home in on a reef system.
Read MoreUltrasounds for Coral Reefs?
In a study, published Aug. 6, 2015 in Marine Ecology Progress Series, scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) used low-cost autonomous underwater recorders over four months to collect “soundscapes” of reefs in in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They showed how the collective sound recordings of reef inhabitants painted vivid pictures of the reefs’ abundance and diversity.
In a second study, published the same day in Marine Pollution Bulletin, the researchers recorded boat noise—showing how it could mask vital sounds that organisms make to reproduce, feed, and find new homes. They also demonstrated how underwater recorders could help marine managers keep an ear on potentially disruptive human activity in far-off locations.
Read MoreCoral Reefs Threatened by a Deadly Combination of Changing Ocean Conditions
As the ocean ‘s pH decreases and acidifies, coral reefs are more likely to begin dissolving and “drown”. A new study shows exposing corals to added nutrients increases their erosion and dissolution rate tenfold.
Read MoreEstablishing World-Class Coral Reef Ecosystem Monitoring in Okinawa
Enduring two typhoons over a three-week period in August, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers, working in partnership with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), have…
Read MoreRising acidity levels could trigger shellfish revenue declines, job losses
Changes in ocean chemistry — a consequence of increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from human industrial activity — could cause U.S. shellfish revenues to drop significantly in the next 50…
Read MoreYou Don’t Call, You Don’t Write: Connectivity in Marine Fish Populations
Children of baby boomers aren’t the only ones who have taken to setting up home far from where their parents live. A new study published this week in the Proceedings…
Read MoreButterflyfish May Face Extinction
A beautiful black, white and yellow butterflyfish, much admired by eco-tourists, divers and aquarium keepers alike, may be at risk of extinction, scientists have warned.
Read MoreInnovative Tagging Technique May Help Researchers Better Protect Fish Stocks
Simon Thorrold, a fish ecologist from WHOI, has received a new research grant from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation to use harmless chemical tags to track the dispersal of the larvae of coral reef fishes in the western Pacific Ocean.
Read MoreREMUS and the Coral Reefs
WHOI biologists and physical oceanographers joined forces in May to study the effect of ocean currents on fish larvae spawned on coral reefs in Belize. Collaboration for the pilot project…
Read MoreResearchers Give New Hybrid Vehicle Its First Test-Drive in the Ocean
Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Webb Research Corporation (Falmouth, Mass.) have successfully flown the first environmentally powered robotic vehicle through the ocean. The new robotic ?glider? harvests heat energy from the ocean to propel itself across thousands of kilometers of water.
Read MoreWHOI Expands Research in Tropical Regions with New Initiative
With more than 25 percent of the planet lying between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) are taking advantage of a recent gift…
Read MoreBloomberg Philanthropies commits $260 million to help close the ocean protection gap
New work will support efforts to strengthen the role of small coastal and island nations in global ocean negotiations and advance new approaches to restoring degraded coral reefs
Read MoreSeawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease, WHOI-led study finds
Coral reefs support more than 25 percent of all marine life and underpin the livelihoods of roughly one billion people globally.
Read MoreBlind and low-vision students dive into ocean science at WHOI through sound and touch
This year’s theme of coral reefs connected students with coral soundscapes, and real coral specimens
Read MoreWHOI announces 2025 Ocean & Climate Outreach Series
WHOI and the Yawkey Foundation bring together scientists and community to look at the impacts of our changing ocean
Read MorePerkins School for the Blind Visit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
On Saturday, May 11, WHOI welcomed students from Perkins School for the Blind’s Outreach Program.
Read MoreOcean Pavilion Partners Unveil COP28 Dubai Ocean Declaration
Declaration recognizes the critical role of the ocean in regulating climate change, calls for increased ocean observations
Read MoreWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution Elects New Trustee and Corporation Members
The Board of Trustees of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) today welcomed one new Board Member and eight new Corporation Members.
Read MoreNatural Wax Holds Promise to Replace Petroleum in Cosmetics and Personal Care Products
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Western Washington University Sign License Agreement for Upwell Cosmetics to Make and Market a Marine Microalga-Derived Wax
Read MoreNew study uncovers unprecedented declines in iconic kelp forests along Monterey Peninsula, with glimmers of hope in Oregon and Mexico
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution part of collaborative team working to save kelp
Read MorePalau’s Rock Islands Harbor Heat-resistant Corals
Scientists studying reefs in Palau have identified subgroups of a coral species that exhibit remarkable tolerance to the extreme heat associated with marine heatwaves
Read MoreAs oceans warm, snapping shrimp sound a warning
Research published by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists today in Frontiers in Marine Science confirmed their previous observations that rising temperatures increase the sound of snapping shrimp, a tiny crustacean found in temperate and tropical coastal marine environments around the world.
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