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Press Room

Yawkey Series

Yawkey Foundation and WHOI present Summer Speaker Series, “Dispatches from an Ocean Planet”

June 1, 2022

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in partnership with the Yawkey Foundation, proudly presents “Dispatches from an Ocean Planet”, a summer series of film and literature. The series marks the return of WHOI in-person events after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. All events require pre-registration.

Arc volcanoes are wetter than previously thought, with scientific and economic implications

May 26, 2022

This increased amount of water has broad implications for understanding how Earth’s lower crust forms, how magma erupts through the crust, and how economically important mineral ore deposits form, according to a new paper led by authors from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).

WHOI campaign sheds light on new strategies and solutions for the coral reef crisis

May 26, 2022

In advance of World Ocean Day on June 8, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is launching its Give Reefs a Chance campaign, aimed at raising awareness of what WHOI scientists and engineers are doing to tackle the corals crisis, the importance of coral reefs, and what we can all do to give reefs a chance to survive.

Innovation Takes Off at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

May 20, 2022

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the world’s largest independent institution specifically focused on ocean science, engineering, and education, today announced the establishment of the George and Wendy David Center for Ocean Innovation, the latest in a series of new initiatives aimed at cementing WHOI’s position as a national leader in ocean innovation and laying the foundation for a future of scientific discoveries, breakthrough technologies, and unparalleled advances on land and at sea.

WHOI scientists receive 2022 Simons Early Career Investigator Awards

May 12, 2022

Two Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists have received prestigious Simons Early Career Investigator in Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Awards. Maria Pachiadaki and Harriet Alexander are both assistant scientists at WHOI, focusing on different aspects of microbial ecology.

Smaller female North Atlantic right whales, fewer calves

May 12, 2022

The declining body size of North Atlantic right whales may have critical consequences for the future of the species. New research, co-authored by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s senior scientist Michael Moore, shows that smaller females produce fewer calves.

Fluid Flow Stimulates Chemosynthesis in a Greek Salad of Hydrothermal Microbes

April 22, 2022

A new study uses an innovative approach to examine the bay’s shallow-water hydrothermal system and the production of microbes there in situ and near natural conditions as a model to assess the importance of hydrothermal fluid circulation on chemosynthesis.

Deepest sediment core collected in the Atlantic Ocean

April 21, 2022

A team of scientists, engineers, and ship’s crew on the research vessel Neil Armstrong operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) recently collected a 38-foot-long cylindrical sediment sample from the deepest part of the Puerto Rico Trench, nearly 5 miles below the surface.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s “Ocean Encounters” nominated for Webby Award

April 20, 2022

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s virtual education series, Ocean Encounters, has been nominated for a People’s Voice Webby Award in the Virtual and Remote – Series, Health and Science category, and was also named an honoree in the Virtual and Remote: Best Series category.

WHOI & Pangaea Logistics Solutions to advance ocean science data acquisition through Science RoCS program

April 11, 2022

WHOI and Pangaea Logistics Solutions (Pangaea), a U.S. based, international maritime and logistics transportation company, today announced the launch of a new science program aboard Pangaea’s fleet of ships. Science RoCS (Science Research on Commercial Ships) is an innovative program pairing scientists with commercial vessels to regularly monitor the vast and open ocean, particularly along repeat routes in hard-to-reach areas where critical gaps in monitoring exist.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and collaborators launch world’s largest kelp map

April 4, 2022

To further investigate and track kelp growth and survival over time, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, The Nature Conservancy, University of California Los Angeles, and the University of California Santa Barbara have launched the world’s largest map of kelp forest canopies extending from Baja California, Mexico to the Oregon-Washington border.

Scientists report complete collapse of East Antarctica’s Conger Ice Shelf

March 25, 2022

Satellite data has confirmed that an ice shelf about the size of Manhattan has completely collapsed in East Antarctica within days of record high temperatures. The Conger ice shelf, which had an approximate surface area of 1,200 sq km, collapsed around 15 March, scientists confirmed today.

WHOI-led team awarded $7.6M to support Gulf of Mexico Loop Current research

March 25, 2022

A Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-led research team has been awarded $7.6 million from the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

WHOI engineers invent adjustable, compact marine winch, offering flexibility and improved vessel operations

March 16, 2022

Engineers with the UNOLS East Coast Winch Pool, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), spent a decade working on a product that offers a lightweight, compact winch model, designed specifically to make for an easier and more efficient experience for crews onboard vessels.

WHOI collaborates with CMA CGM to increase protections for marine mammals

March 10, 2022

A collaboration between Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics, aims to increase whale detection efforts along the U.S East Coast, particularly for North Atlantic right whales, and reduce the potential for ship strikes along critical shipping routes.

Colleen Hansel

WHOI scientist elected as Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology

March 7, 2022

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientist elected as Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology

Colleen Hansel, associate scientist at WHOI, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology within the American Society of Microbiology (ASM). […]

Evidence Bolsters Classification of a Major Spawning Ground for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Off the Northeast U.S.

March 3, 2022

The Slope Sea off the Northeast United States is a major spawning ground for Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a new WHOI-led paper affirms. This finding likely has important implications for population dynamics and the survival of this fish.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-led study explores effects of noise on marine life

March 2, 2022

New research shows turtles can experience temporary hearing loss from an excess of underwater noise. This high volume of sound, referred to as underwater noise pollution, can be caused by passing ships and offshore construction. These preliminary findings were part of a Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution-led study that is being presented at the 2022 Ocean Sciences Meeting..

Resilient Woods Hole releases new, interactive tools to prepare for climate change

February 18, 2022

ResilientWoodsHole (RWH) initiative releases new interactive website tools to further engage the local community in its collective goal of securing a climate-resilient future for the coastal village of Woods Hole

Dissolving oil in a sunlit sea

February 16, 2022

A team of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) researchers discovered that nearly 10 percent of the oil floating on the Gulf after the Deepwater Horizon disaster was dissolved into seawater by sunlight – a process called “photo-dissolution”. The findings were published today in the paper “Sunlight-driven dissolution is a major fate of oil at sea” in Science Advances.