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Press Room

Ocean explorer and filmmaker James Cameron to host virtual event on Extreme Ocean Machines

May 18, 2020

On May 20, ocean explorer and world-renowned filmmaker James Cameron will host a special edition of Ocean Encounters, a popular virtual event series from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

North Atlantic right whales are in much poorer condition than their Southern counterparts

April 26, 2020

New research by an international team of scientists reveals that endangered North Atlantic right whales are in much poorer body condition than their counterparts in the southern hemisphere.

What did scientists learn from Deepwater Horizon?

April 20, 2020

Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion caused the largest accidental marine oil spill in history, WHOI marine geochemists Elizabeth Kujawinski and Christopher Reddy review what they— and their science colleagues from around the world—have learned.

New geochemical tool reveals origin of Earth’s nitrogen

April 15, 2020

A new geochemical tool sheds light on the origin of nitrogen and other volatile elements on Earth, which may also prove useful as a way to monitor the activity of volcanoes

Healy, Polarstern

A rapidly changing Arctic

April 8, 2020

A new study by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and their international colleagues found that freshwater runoff from rivers and continental shelf sediments are bringing significant quantities of carbon and trace elements into parts of the Arctic Ocean via the Transpolar Drift—a major surface current that moves water from Siberia across the North Pole to the North Atlantic Ocean.

Buesseler sediment trap

The ocean’s ‘biological pump’ captures more carbon than expected

April 6, 2020

Scientists have long known that the ocean plays an essential role in capturing carbon from the atmosphere, but a new study from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) shows that the efficiency of the ocean’s “biological carbon pump” has been drastically underestimated, with implications for future climate assessments.

WHOI starts construction on new innovation hub

March 23, 2020

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will begin construction March 23, 2020, on a new, state-of-the-art building on its Quissett Campus located off Woods Hole Road.

R/V Neil Armstrong in Prince Christian Sound

$8.3M award to WHOI extends observational record of critical climate research

March 18, 2020

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded $8.3 million to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to extend the life of the Overturning in the Sub-polar North Atlantic Program (OSNAP) in a key part of Earth’s ocean-climate system.

plutonic rocks

Microbes far beneath the seafloor rely on recycling to survive

March 11, 2020

Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and colleagues reveal how microorganisms could survive in rocks nestled thousands of feet beneath the ocean floor in the lower oceanic crust.

Indian Ocean phenomenon spells climate trouble for Australia

March 10, 2020

New international research by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and colleagues has found a marked change in the Indian Ocean’s surface temperatures that puts southeast Australia on course for increasingly hot and dry conditions.

Study reveals rapid sea-level rise along U.S. Atlantic coast in 18th century

March 4, 2020

During the 18th century, sea levels along a stretch of the Atlantic coast of North America were rising almost as fast as they were during the 20th Century, reveals a new study.

Missoula floods

Study reveals Missoula Floods impact on past abrupt climate changes

February 28, 2020

A new study shows for the first time how massive flood events in the eastern North Pacific Ocean—known as the Missoula Floods—may have in part triggered abrupt climate changes in the Northern Hemisphere during the last deglaciation (approximately 19,000–11,700 years ago).

Snapping shrimp

Warming oceans are getting louder

February 18, 2020

One of the ocean’s loudest creatures will get even louder and more troublesome to humans and sea life as the ocean warms.

For now, river deltas gain land worldwide

January 23, 2020

Delta areas worldwide have gained land in the past 30 years, despite river damming. However, recent land gains are unlikely to last throughout the 21st century due to expected, accelerated sea-level rise.

Report reveals ‘unseen’ human benefits from ocean twilight zone

January 22, 2020

A new report from researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals for the first time the unseen—and somewhat surprising—benefits that people receive from the ocean’s twilight zone. Also known as the “mesopelagic,” this is the ocean layer just beyond the sunlit surface.

Study weighs deep-sea mining’s impact on microbes

January 16, 2020

The essential roles that microbes play in deep-sea ecosystems are at risk from the potential environmental impacts of mining, according to a new paper. The study reviews what is known about microbes in these environments and assesses how mining could impact their important environmental roles.

WHOI scientist to provide testimony on climate science and solutions

January 14, 2020

Richard Murray, Deputy Director and Vice President for Research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), will testify before the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives on January 15, 2020.

WHOI underwater robot takes first known automated sample from ocean

January 8, 2020

A hybrid remotely operated vehicle developed by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) took the first known automated sample performed by a robotic arm in the ocean.

90th anniversary pictorial postmark

Limited-edition Pictorial Postmark honors WHOI’s 90th Anniversary

January 3, 2020

This year marks WHOI’s 90th Anniversary. To honor this milestone, a limited-edition Pictorial Postmark will be available to the public on Monday, January 6, 2020 in Woods Hole Village, or through the postal service until the end of the month.

How microbes reflect the health of coral reefs

December 19, 2019

A collaborative study compared seawater from 25 reefs in Cuba and the U.S. Florida Keys varying in human impact and protection, and found that those with higher microbial diversity and lower concentrations of nutrients and organic carbon—primarily caused by human activities—were markedly healthier.