Media Tip Sheet – April 2026

APRIL 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.

Sick of the snow? It never stops in the ocean!

It looks like snow, but in the ocean, those tiny falling “flakes” are actually clumps of dead plankton, waste, and other organic debris carrying carbon to the deep sea. A collaborative study, including WHOI researchers, shows that bacteria hitching a ride on this “marine snow” can dissolve the minerals that help it sink, meaning less carbon may make it to long-term storage in the deep ocean. That subtle microbial process could reshape how efficiently the ocean locks away carbon, and ultimately how it helps regulate Earth’s climate. Researchers are available for interviews.

Put the shovel down and head to the WHOI Press Room for more on this work.

Plankton’s ‘chemical currency’ powers an invisible ocean economy 

A new WHOI-led study uncovers a hidden mix of molecules released by marine phytoplankton, tiny compounds that feed ocean microbes and help power the planet’s carbon cycle. Scientists have long known carbon moves through a largely invisible web of surface ocean life, but the exact chemicals involved have been hard to pin down. They’re small, tough to detect in seawater, and get snapped up by other organisms almost as soon as they appear. For this study, researchers placed six phytoplankton species representing major groups of marine phytoplankton under controlled conditions. Using a chemical-tagging method developed at WHOI, we were able to quantify the composition of biologically available small molecules released by globally abundant microorganisms. Researchers are available for interviews.

Dive into the research in the WHOI Press Room.

On the April calendar:

April 3: World Aquatic Animal Day

April 8: WHOI's Virtual Event Series Ocean Encounters: Into the Abyss

April 22: Earth Day

April 24: Massachusetts North Atlantic Right Whale Day

April 25: World Penguin Day 

Follow @WHOIMedia on X!

Get WHOI-related science news updates and story ideas in 280 characters or fewer with links to press releases, news highlights, events, and research information.

This account’s DMs are always open. We are excited to work with you!