Coastal Science
New tool sheds light on coral reef erosion
The Marshall Islands is home to some pristine coral reefs, but storm-driven waves could erode these natural coastal barriers. A new wave abrasion simulator offers insights on coral erosion rates that could aid coastal planning in this low-lying island nation and elsewhere.
Read MoreWetter climate to trigger global warming feedback loop in the tropics
As the tropics get wetter, as many climate models predict, soils are likely to experience greater rates of respiration and decomposition, limiting the carbon storage abilities of tropical soils and intensifying global warming.
AOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Multiscale Approaches Reconcile Competing Mechanisms of Ecosystem Dynamics
Tom Bell, University of California, Santa Barbara Sponsored by: AOP&E Department Please join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83656706048?pwd=OHV5aDUvZHhhenVQWlorNUxoY0lqQT09 Meeting ID: 836 5670 6048 Password:…
Read MoreMC&G Department Virtual Seminar: Is Soybean Oil Part of a Potential Solution for Solving Eutrophication of Cape Cod Estuaries? and Not Normal and Mutated: Science in a Time of Crisis
Matt Charette, WHOI & Chris Reddy, WHOI Sponsored by: MC&G Department This will be held virtually over Webex. Event address…
Read MoreAOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Coastal Hazards, Risks and Climate-Resilient Solutions
Borja Reguero, University of California, Santa Cruz Sponsored by: AOP&E Department Please join: https://zoom.us/j/97274223820?pwd=aU5xWUM3MkppVCtXcEltbVdyK1pQUT09 Meeting ID: 972 7422 3820 Password:…
Read MoreA rapidly changing Arctic
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.
Read MoreStudy reveals rapid sea-level rise along U.S. Atlantic coast in 18th century
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.
Read MoreStudy reveals Missoula Floods impact on past abrupt climate changes
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).
Read MoreFor now, river deltas gain land worldwide
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.
Read MorePanel delves into impact of ocean acidification
The state commission tasked with studying ocean acidification and its regional impact — particularly in relation to the aquaculture industry — held its first meeting Friday in Woods Hole with a sobering presentation on the phenomenon.
In the Blue Holes of the Bahamas, Secrets of Hurricanes Past
Researchers have assembled a 1,500-year history of hurricanes in the Bahamas, based on sand and shell fragments pulled up from submarine caverns known as blue holes.
Floating Light Sculpture Will Show New Yorkers Real-Time East River Water Quality
Shawnee Traylor, a science and technology advisor for the project, formerly at LDEO and currently at MIT/WHOI, developed a site-specific algorithm with McGillis that predictively measures the water’s quality based on historical data.
River Detective: WHOI scientist studies river chemistry around the world
Bernhard Peucker-Ehrenbrink has been studying rivers around the world as part of the Global Rivers Observatory network to observe how natural and human-caused environmental changes affect the composition of river water over time.
Read MoreWhere the Rivers Meet the Sea
Estuaries are the borderlands between salt and freshwater environments, and they are incredibly diverse both biologically and physically. The diversity and the high energy of the ecosystem make estuaries remarkably resilient.
Up All Night- Atlantic hurricanes
BBC radio host Rhod Sharp and Jeff Donnelly of WHOI’s Coastal Research Lab trace the history of hurricanes in the Atlantic and discuss the frequency of intense storms. New sediment records indicate that historically unprecedented levels of intense hurricane activity impacted the eastern seaboard of the United States and northeastern Gulf Coast in the last two millennia.
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Three things you may not know about sea level rise
Since the turn of the 20th century, seas have risen six to eight inches globally. New technologies, along with a better understanding of how the oceans, ice sheets, and other components of climate interact, have helped scientists identify the factors that contribute to sea level rise.
Read MoreOpening their eyes to science: EarthWatch program gives girls a chance to delve into scientific world
This year, the fourth for the program, EarthWatch kept the program local, teaming up with Sea Grant at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to provide girls in Massachusetts with experiences in all types of sciences, Woodroof said. Only girls from Massachusetts were selected, which included a couple from the Cape and a couple with seasonal ties to the Island.
Conducting airlift and dive operations
May 2019 — Captain Peter Collins explains a day of support operations conducted aboard the R/V Tioga at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory (MVCO). Helicopter operations included the airlift installation of a new dive board platform and switchgear for the MVCO tower. Dive operations included node junction surveying and a scientific instrument recovery at the Tower.
Learn more about the MVCO here:
https://www.whoi.edu/mvco
What do ocean airlift operations look like?
Watch how scientific instruments get airlifted and installed at the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory. The installation includes a new dive board platform and electrical switchgear.
Learn more about the MVCO here:
https://www.whoi.edu/mvco
Doctoral Dissertation Defense of Thesis: Dynamics and Kinematics of an Estuarine Network
W. Bryce Corlett, MIT-WHOI Joint Program Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office
Read MoreStudy Finds No Direct Link Between North Atlantic Ocean Currents, Sea Level Along New England Coast
A new study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) clarifies what influence major currents in the North Atlantic have on sea level along the northeastern United States. The study, published June 13 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, examined both the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)—a conveyor belt of currents that move warmer waters north and cooler waters south in the Atlantic—and historical records of sea level in coastal New England.
Read MoreOrganic Carbon Hides in Sediments, Keeping Oxygen in Atmosphere
A new study from researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Harvard University may help settle a long-standing…
Read MoreDoctoral Dissertation Defense of Thesis: Storm Signatures in Coastal Ponds and Marshes Over the Late Holocene
Katherine A. Castagno, WHOI Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office
Read MoreThe Cycling of Metals in the Ganga (Hooghly) River Estuary: Regional and Global Perspectives
Tarun Kumar Dalia, Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata Sponsored by: MC&G Department
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