WHOI in the News
‘No easy answers’ WHOI building project designed for sea-level rise
“This is critical infrastructure to what we do,” said Rob Munier, WHOI vice president for marine facilities and operations. “Others can contemplate alternatives, including retreat (from the waterfront), but we have to be there. It’s part of our ability to do our mission.”
‘Tiger Stripes’ on a Saturn Moon Could Be Even More Unique Than Previously Thought
Icy moons that have (or are thought to have) subsurface oceans are common in the outer solar system. For example, Jupiter has several of them. These form when gravity from the planet they orbit stretches and squeezes their interior.
Rise and fall of water blisters offers glimpse beneath Greenland’s thick ice sheet
The findings could shed light on how climate change will affect Greenland’s vast frozen interior as the planet warms and surface melting increase.
‘The concept looks fairly solid.’ Researchers test new clay process to kill red tide cells
The process, known as clay flocculation, involves spraying a mixture of clay particles and seawater onto the red tide algae.
WHOI Advancing a Seaweed Solution to Develop New Kelp Strains
Aquaculture already supplies more than half of the world’s seafood consumed by humans, with seaweed totaling 27% of annual global aquaculture tonnage.
Hurricane Bob struck 30 years ago. Scientists unsure how climate change will alter Atlantic hurricanes?
When our time comes, will the Cape and Islands be looking at something a lot bigger and stronger than Bob, or Carol, or the Hurricane of ’38 or even the Great Colonial Hurricane of 1635?
Scientists Evaluate the Evidence for an Intensifying Indian Ocean Water Cycle
“Scientific communities need to come together to have discussions about what we can tell from our data, how we can compare apples and oranges, and how we can bring all this information together to have a better understanding of the entire Indian Ocean system,” Ummenhofer says.
Our future is in our hands
It is “unequivocal” that human influence has warmed the planet and that widespread, rapid changes have already occurred in every region of the globe as a result. The scale and rate of changes are “unprecedented” in relation to the past hundreds to thousands of years. And there are more changes on the way.
Climate change accelerates emperor penguin extinction risk
Extreme events observed through recent satellite records amplified the projected declines from previous studies, researchers said.
How an underwater robot could help reveal mysteries of the deep
Enter Mesobot, a state-of-the-art aquatic explorer designed to help unravel some of those unknowns, and improve our existing knowledge.
‘Rolls-Royce’ of shark cameras can extend to turtles, whales, seals and squid for ocean’s big picture
A high-tech SharkCam invented by a Cape Cod researcher offers an unprecedented window into the lives of the ocean’s toothy predators, and can also extend to seals, whales, turtles and squid for a big-picture view of precious ecosystems and how to protect them. “These vehicles, these underwater robots that look like highly complex systems are just an extension of yourself to be able go where people can’t go, and there’s no limitation to what they can do,” said Amy Kukulya, research engineer and principal investigator at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Melting ice imperils 98% of Emperor penguin colonies by 2100
WASHINGTON (AP) — With climate change threatening the sea ice habitat of Emperor penguins, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday announced a proposal to list the species as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. “The lifecycle of Emperor penguins is tied to having stable sea ice, which they need to breed, to feed and to molt,” said Stephanie Jenouvrier, a penguin ecologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
What Happens to Marine Life When There Isn’t Enough Oxygen?
In September of 2017, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution postdoctoral scholar Maggie Johnson was conducting an experiment with a colleague in Bocas del Toro off the Caribbean coast of Panama. After sitting on a quiet, warm open ocean, they snorkeled down to find a peculiar layer of murky, foul-smelling water about 10 feet below the surface, with brittle stars and sea urchins, which are usually in hiding, perching on the tops of coral. This unique observation prompted a collaborative study explained in a new paper published on July 26, 2021, in Nature Communications analyzing what this foggy water layer is caused by, and the impact it has on life at the bottom of the seafloor.
Study examines role of deep-sea microbial predators at hydrothermal vents
There in the dark ocean, a unique food web thrives not on photosynthesis but on chemical energy from the venting fluids.
Loss of Oxygen in Oceans Detrimental to Marine Life; Scientists Show How Deoxygenation Rapidly Affects Reef Ecosystem
According to Phys.org, Johnson and her team snorkeled down the water, and there they found the peculiar layer of water that has brittle stars and sea urchins, which are uncharacteristically perching on the top of coral reefs as they are usually hiding.
Impact of Hypoxic Ocean Waters on Marine Life
Investigators suggest that loss of oxygen in the global ocean is accelerating due to climate change and excess nutrients, but how sudden deoxygenation events affect tropical marine ecosystems is poorly understood.
Baker Administration Pushes Legislature For Climate Resiliency Funds
Murray said buoys, research ships and other coastal monitoring systems would be critical to predicting weather patterns and preparing for impacts on food supplies and local economies built around fishing.
Large vessels failing to obey speed limits to protect endangered whales, report finds
Review evaluates the evidence for an intensifying Indian Ocean water cycle
The paper brings together various scientific expertise, tools, and data sources to address key questions regarding climate change in the Indian Ocean, says Ummenhofer, associate scientist in the Physical Oceanography Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
Breakthrough discovery: Mote researchers may have found method to kill red tide with clay
Outside Mote Marine Laboratory, Dr. Lewis deployed a technique called clay flocculation. It’s a project led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute and Dr. Don Anderson.
Review evaluates the evidence for an intensifying Indian Ocean water cycle
The paper brings together various scientific expertise, tools, and data sources to address key questions regarding climate change in the Indian Ocean, says Ummenhofer, associate scientist in the Physical Oceanography Department at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).
What science is missing
Some institutions are putting resources behind hiring experts to evaluate their hiring initiatives.
Rare, ghostly glass octopus photographed on recent Pacific Ocean expedition
“Expeditions like these teach us why we need to increase our efforts to restore and better understand marine ecosystems everywhere — because the great chain of life that begins in the ocean is critical for human health and well being,” Schmidt said.
Mashpee teacher, WHOI scientist part of symposium promoting more women in science, STEM
The symposium is also expected to provide what organizers describe as “hands-on, intimate spaces for attendees to come together to create real-world solutions that can be taken back to their place of work or education.”