Media Tip Sheet – March 2026

MARCH 2026 MEDIA TIP SHEET 

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.

Preliminary results from the first EPA-permitted ocean alkalinity enhancement field trial

In August 2025, an interdisciplinary team led by WHOI conducted the first EPA-permitted, ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) field trial in the Gulf of Maine. This field trial involved deploying an alkaline solution, then spending several days measuring changes in the sea’s carbon uptake and environmental response. Preliminary results show carbon uptake potential can be quantified using integrated observational and modeling tools, and that the field trial resulted in no measurable impact on ocean life.

The experiment is part of the LOC-NESS project, a U.S. research effort responding to calls from the federal government and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to rapidly advance marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) science. This OAE trial offers early insight into the method's potential to store carbon and reduce ocean acidification alongside emissions cuts.

Read more in the WHOI Press Room. 

Images available for use can be found here.

Press play on the past: The oldest whale songs have been hiding in the WHOI Archives

WHOI archivists and researchers recently discovered the song of a humpback whale, dating back to 1949, making it the oldest known recording of a whale song. The audio was captured near Bermuda during acoustic experiments aboard R/V Atlantis, and the fragile disc on which it was recorded was later stored in WHOI’s archives in Woods Hole. The disc resurfaced during an ongoing digitization project of audograph discs containing previously unknown content. This recording gives modern researchers the ability to construct long-term datasets to compare past and present ocean soundscapes, track how human activity shapes underwater noise, and better monitor whale populations. Researchers and archivists are available for interviews.

Go to the WHOI Press Room to tune in.

Photos, images, and audio available for use can be found here. 

Reef resilience, under the viral influence

WHOI ecologist James Wainaina is joining the two-year Tara Coral expedition to investigate why some reefs remain stable despite rising ocean temperatures and the influence of viruses in their local ecosystems. The international team will study resilient reefs located in the western Pacific’s Coral Triangle. Over two years, the team will cover more than 30,000 nautical miles, l travel through six countries, conduct 26 port stopovers, and complete intensive sampling at 10 reef sites where coral cover has remained relatively stable despite warming seas.

Preview the work in the WHOI Press Room.

Images available for use can be found here. 

Other stories:

• WHOI scientist Catherine Walker joins NASA-selected EDGE Satellite mission
• Scientists outline case for next-generation ocean iron fertilization field trials
• Two WHOI scientists honored with Lifetime Achievement Award for advances in oil-spill forensics
• WHOI’s Alan Seltzer earns prestigious F.G. Houtermans Award

On the March Calendar:

• March 4: WHOI’s Ocean Encounters: Vital Coasts
• March 14:  Pi Day: Celebrating Pi Day with Chris Piecuch
• March 22: International Seal Day: Field research from the heart
• March 26: World Manatee Day: WHOI partners to save West Indian manatee

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