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Media Tip Sheet – September 2026

September 1, 2026

 

 

SEPTEMBER 2026 MEDIA TIP SHEET 

Welcome to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) 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.

 

Peak hurricane season is here, and El Niño could shape what happens next

Atlantic hurricane season is entering its busiest stretch, with September and October typically bringing the most activity. NOAA is forecasting a below-average season, in part because of El Niño conditions, which can weaken Atlantic hurricane activity by affecting wind patterns and shifting warm water away from the Atlantic. But a quieter season does not mean the Atlantic isn’t churning up intense conditions. WHOI scientists are available to help reporters understand El Niño, how the ocean influences weather patterns, and what scientists are watching in the ocean as the season unfolds.

Learn more about Hurricanes from WHOI’s Ocean Learning Hub.

 

How volcanoes and climate change can disrupt the world’s oceans

The climate patterns that shape rainfall across the Indian Ocean region could become harder to predict, with implications for communities that depend on reliable rain for agriculture, water supplies, and livelihoods. A new WHOI-led study shows that large volcanic eruptions can disrupt the natural connection between the Indian and Pacific oceans, and that the disruption occurring today is unlike anything seen in the past 1,000 years. By combining climate models with evidence preserved in corals, tree rings, and stalagmites, researchers found that human-caused warming is now weakening this ocean connection in ways that could make future climate and rainfall patterns less predictable. Interviews are available.

Learn more in the WHOI Press Room.

Images available for use with credit can be found here.

 

A new, non-invasive health checkup for coral reefs

WHOI researchers are developing new ways to understand the health of coral reefs before signs of stress become visible. These ecosystems support more than 25% of all marine species and provide food, coastal protection, tourism revenue, and jobs for more than one billion people worldwide. By analyzing seawater around reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, WHOI scientists were able to identify distinct chemical and microbial signatures that varied with ocean circulation—findings that could one day help detect reef stress from disease, pollution, or heat before permanent damage becomes inevitable. The work comes at a critical time for Caribbean reefs, which have lost 51.8% of their hard coral cover since 1980, according to the recently published Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2025.

This study points to a potentially scalable, non-destructive approach for monitoring reef health, an urgent need as coral reefs face growing threats. Interviews with reef experts are available.

Dive into their work in the WHOI Press Room.

Images available for use with credit can be found here.

 

On the September calendar:

 

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