Coastal Science
Climate Change Can Destabilize the Global Soil Carbon Reservoir, New Study Finds
The vast reservoir of carbon that is stored in soils probably is more sensitive to destabilization from climate change than…
Read MoreWHOI working to address ocean acidification; protect region’s vital shellfish industry
A new report addresses the impacts of ocean acidification in Massachusetts and New England coastal waters on the region’s vital seafood industry.
Read MoreStudy Reconstructs Ancient Storms To Help Predict Changes In Tropical Cyclone Hotspot
Intense tropical cyclones are expected to become more frequent as climate change increases temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. But not every area will experience storms of the same magnitude.
Study reconstructs ancient storms to predict changes in a cyclone hotspot
Intense tropical cyclones are expected to become more frequent as climate change increases temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. But not every area will experience storms of the same magnitude
Read MoreAOP&E Department Virtual Seminar: Nearshore Extreme Events Reconnaissance Association (NEER)
Britt Raubenheimer Sponsored by: AOP&E Department This will be held virtually. Please Join: https://whoi-edu.zoom.us/j/94850236990?pwd=akJrTDFBeDJYakhOdVc2c1hDWVdYQT09 Meeting ID: 948 5023 6990 Passcode: 0xTFe+…
Read MoreHeat waves on Cape Cod may be tied to slowing ocean current
WHOI researchers studied 25 years of data in search of cause behind rising ocean temperatures.
MC&G Virtual Seminar: Diversifying Oceanography: The Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Ghana
Brian Arbic, University of Michigan & Winn Johnson, University of North Carolina, Wilmington Sponsored by: MC&G Department This will be…
Read MoreOcean Encounters: Hurricanes
Coastal cities lie at the intersection of many issues—ocean and climate, ecosystems and human infrastructure, and a rapidly growing population on a constantly changing landscape between land and sea. Our safety, economic security, and cultural growth depend on us learning how to live more wisely in this complex landscape. Sea-level rise and other fundamental changes are already reshaping coastal cities around the globe. Whether this evolution is incremental or, in the case of hurricanes, present dramatic and often wholesale change, we will need multidisciplinary, collaborative solutions, that focus on supporting communities through uncertain times.
Read MorePutting a value on green infrastructure to protect coastal communities
During an era of increasing sea level rise, WHOI marine policy experts Hauke Kite-Powell, Di Jin, and Porter Hoagland quantify the ecological value of shore-stabilizing ecosystems like wetlands and barrier islands
Read MoreWHOI Scientists Make Woods Hole Film Festival Appearance
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists appear in two shorts and a feature film at this year’s Woods Hole Film…
Read MoreNew 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.
