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Harmful algal bloom

First Global Statistical Analysis of Harmful Algal Blooms

June 8, 2021

International study finds no worldwide trend in blooms, but significant increases in some regions and of certain species, pointing to the need for better monitoring and data collection-especially in light of greater societal reliance on coastal resources

The first-ever global statistical […]

Papers Explore Massive Plankton Blooms with Very Different Ecosystem Impacts

June 7, 2021

Two papers explore the distribution and abundance of plankton and what conditions lead to big plankton blooms with vastly different potential impacts on the ecosystem.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Wants Everyone to “Keep it Weird”

May 27, 2021

Woods Hole, Mass. (May 27, 2021) – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) wants to keep the ocean twilight zone weird. Known for its rigorous science and advanced engineering, the usually serious WHOI today launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign to draw attention […]

Some Forams Could Thrive with Climate Change, Metabolism Study Finds

May 27, 2021

Oceanic deoxygenation is increasingly affecting marine ecosystems. A new paper that examines two foram species found that they demonstrated great metabolic versatility to flourish in hypoxic and anoxic sediments where there is little or no dissolved oxygen, inferring that the forams’ contribution to the marine ecosystem will increase with the expansion of oxygen-depleted habitats.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Elects New Corporation Members

May 20, 2021

The Board of Trustees of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) today announced the ten new corporation members who were elected at its Spring Joint Meeting of the Board and Corporation.

They are: Dr. Mark R. Abbott of Hollis, N.H.; Susan Payson Burke […]

Study Finds 6⁰C Cooling on Land during the Last Ice Age, With Implications about Future Global Warming

May 12, 2021

A recent report shows that prior studies have underestimated the cooling in the last glacial period, which has low-balled estimates of the Earth’s climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases. The rather high climate sensitivity is not good news regarding future global warming, which may be stronger than expected using previous best estimates.

Remote Learning Takes on New Meaning with the Launch of Dive and Discover ™ Expedition 17

May 5, 2021

Dive and Discover Expedition 17 will look more closely at the middle of the ocean, also known as the mesopelagic or the ocean’s twilight zone.

WHOI to Launch New Center for Ocean and Climate Research

April 28, 2021

Today WHOI announced the establishment of the Francis E. Fowler IV Center for Ocean and Climate to seek new knowledge and solutions at the intersection of oceanography and climate science. A generous gift from Francis E. Fowler, IV established the center and will enable it to immediately commence operations.

Plate Tectonics Fuels a Vast Underground Ecosystem

April 27, 2021

The subsurface is among Earth’s largest biomes, but the extent to which microbial communities vary across tectonic plate boundaries or interact with subduction-scale geological processes remains unknown. In a recently published study, scientists compare bacterial community composition with deep-subsurface geochemistry from 21 hot springs across the Costa Rican convergent margin.

WHOI and ADI Launch Ocean and Climate Innovation Accelerator

April 20, 2021

Today WHOI and Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) launched an Ocean and Climate Innovation Accelerator (OCIA) consortium, focused on the critical role of oceans in combatting climate change, and developing new solutions at the intersection of oceans and climate.

Northern Star Coral Study Could Help Protect Tropical Corals

April 13, 2021

Worldwide, coral reefs are in crisis. Researchers at WHOI and Roger Williams University are finding that studying the recovery of this local New England species from a laboratory induced stressor could help better understand how to protect endangered tropical corals around the world.

WHOI and NOAA Release Report on U.S. Socio-economic Effects of Harmful Algal Blooms

April 7, 2021

Woods Hole, Mass. – Harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur in all 50 U.S. states and many produce toxins that cause illness or death in humans and commercially important species. However, attempts to place a more exact dollar value on the […]

Climate Change Can Destabilize the Global Soil Carbon Reservoir, New Study Finds

March 23, 2021

The vast reservoir of carbon that is stored in soils probably is more sensitive to destabilization from climate change than has previously been assumed, according to a new study by researchers at WHOI and other institutions.

The study found that the […]

Study Finds that Offshore Pile Driving Noise Alters Feeding Behaviors of Longfin Squid

March 20, 2021

Squid less likely to capture killifish prey; more likely to miss attacks and abandoned pursuit of prey during pile driving noise.

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Falmouth Planning Board votes to rename street in WHOI Village Campus

March 11, 2021

Oceanographer cartologist Marie Tharp to be recognized during Women’s History Month

Woods Hole, MA. (March 11, 2021) – The Falmouth Planning Board has approved the name change of a street that winds through the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s (WHOI) Village […]

WHOI and NOAA Fisheries Release New North Atlantic Right Whale Health Assessment Review

February 25, 2021

North Atlantic right whales are critically endangered and declining. Climate change, vessel strikes, entanglements and noise engender poor health and reproductive failure, and are major threats to individuals and the species. Trauma reduction measures and applying new tools to assess and enhance their health, are critically important.

New observation network will provide unprecedented, long-term view of life in the ocean twilight zone

February 8, 2021

A new observation network under development by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will offer round-the-clock data about the ocean twilight zone – a dimly lit region roughly 200–1000 meters (650–3200 feet) below the surface, containing the largest amount of fish biomass on Earth.

WHOI announces new CFO

February 3, 2021

Kathryn Link to join as WHOI’s new Chief Financial Officer, bringing with her over 25 experience in working with innovators from Harvard to the Broad Institute

Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers Honors WHOI Scientist

December 29, 2020

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers  (IEEE) elected Dana Yoerger as a 2021 fellow for the development of autonomous underwater vehicles for deep-ocean exploration and science. 

CINAR Fellows in Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems Science Announced

December 18, 2020

The Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region (CINAR), led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Northeast Fisheries Science Center are pleased to announce the appointment of five CINAR Fellows in Quantitative Fisheries and Ecosystems Science: Daniel Cullen […]