Media Tip Sheet – January 2026

JANUARY 2026 MEDIA TIP SHEET 

Happy New Year, and welcome to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s media tip sheet. Our goal is to provide an advanced or detailed look at stories we believe are impactful or trending, and offer WHOI experts if you’re interested in a deeper dive.

No spill in sight: Why oil keeps washing up on Florida’s beaches

Florida cleanup crews were alarmed and baffled when oil-stained bottles and other plastic debris began washing ashore on Palm Beach shores in 2020. There were no reported nearby oil spills, yet the tar-coated trash continued to arrive for months. Now, a new study, led by WHOI and Northeastern University, shows that the oiled debris likely traveled about 5,300 miles from Brazil, carried north by ocean currents. Its findings emphasize the widespread damage that can result from oil spills and how marine plastic pollution can exacerbate the impacts of these environmental incidents. Researchers are available for interviews.

Learn more in the WHOI Press Room. 

Images available for use with credit can be found here.

Ocean icons and world leaders honored as WHOI caps its 95th year

As WHOI marks the end of its 95th year, and the countdown to its 100 anniversary, we are honoring seven global leaders for their major contributions to ocean science, protection, and public awareness, including Dr. Sylvia Earle, filmmaker James Cameron, Prince Albert II of Monaco, UN ocean envoy Peter Thomson, and former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. These awards highlight a growing group of ocean champions as WHOI builds toward its centennial in 2030 and celebrates early momentum in its ambitious Campaign for Our Ocean Planet, which has already raised more than $430 million to support future ocean research and solutions. From protecting one of the world’s largest marine monuments to advancing deep-sea exploration and global ocean leadership, the honorees’ stories underscore why the ocean matters now—and why WHOI is positioning science, innovation, and collaboration at the center of its next century.

Dive into the future of ocean science in the WHOI Press Room.

New research finds Jupiter’s moon Europa’s quiet seafloor may still hold keys to life

A new study, led by Washington University, with contributions from WHOI, suggests Jupiter’s icy moon lacks geophysical activity, changing how scientists think about life there. By modeling Europa’s interior, gravity, and tidal forces from Jupiter, researchers conclude the moon’s rocky core has likely cooled over time, limiting present-day tectonic activity. Still, the findings don’t rule out life: past geologic activity and lingering low-temperature fluid circulation could continue to supply energy and nutrients beneath the icy ocean. The work is shaping a new five-year, $5 million NASA project led by WHOI and will help scientists prepare to interpret data from NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, set to begin flybys later this decade. Researchers are available for interviews.

Learn more in the WHOI Press Room.

Other stories:

• WHOI experts analyze the economic impacts of sargassum events in Puerto Rico, USVI, and coastal Florida
• A new study reveals how oxygen first reached Earth’s oceans
• Study reveals dramatic decline in historic sargassum populations

On the January Calendar:

January 17: UN ‘high seas’ treaty clears ratification threshold

January 20: National Penguin Day

January 28: WHOI’s Ocean Encounters returns

January 31: International Zebra Day

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