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Jellyfish & Other Zooplankton

Meet the new wash-ashore: Portuguese man-of-war

September 27, 2020
Cape Cod Times

“They most likely arrive here via the Gulf Stream and then get blown or drift on shore,” Larry Madin, a retired senior scientist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Jellyfish larger than blue whales?

July 14, 2020
Jellyfish

Recent accounts in the media have described the appearance of lion’s mane jellyfish in waters and beaches in the Northeast as a surprising, sometimes troubling, event, with record sizes and numbers reported from Maine to the Massachusetts south coast. But is this event noteworthy? Or, as some have implied, is it a sign of failing ocean health? Three WHOI marine biologists weighed in to put events into perspective.

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Beads that Sting

May 16, 2019
These may look like a curtain of Mardi Gras beads hung in a doorway, but they are actually Man-o'-War tentacles that can inject toxins into any creature unlucky enough to bump into them. Photo by Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

These may look like a curtain of Mardi Gras beads hung in a doorway, but they are actually Man-o’-War tentacles…

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Mesobot, Follow that Jellyfish!

March 12, 2019
Mesobot, Follow that Jellyfish!

WHO scientists and engineers are developing an innovative autonomous deep-sea vehicle with hovering and manuevering capabilities that will allow it to follow animals without disturbing their environment and behavior.

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Plankton, By Any Other Name

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Scientists usually divide plankton into three groups that align with major divisions of life. The plant-like organisms are phytoplankton (from…

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Mission to the Ocean Twilight Zone

April 17, 2018
Mission to the Ocean Twilight Zone

The twilight zone is a part of the ocean 660 to 3,300 feet below the surface, where little sunlight can reach. It is deep and dark and cold, and the pressures there are enormous. Despite these challenging conditions, the twilight zone teems with life that helps support the ocean’s food web and is intertwined with Earth’s climate. Some countries are gearing up to exploit twilight zone fisheries, with unknown impacts for marine ecosystems and global climate. Scientists and engineers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are poised to explore and investigate this hidden frontier.

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WHOI Among First Funding Recipients of The Audacious Project

April 11, 2018
WHOI Among First Funding Recipients of The Audacious Project

What if we explored the ocean’s vast twilight zone, teeming with undiscovered life? Today, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) was awarded $35 million – ”the largest philanthropic gift in the Institution’s history – ”to do just that. The award comes from The Audacious Project, a bold new philanthropic collaboration housed at TED to fund critical ideas that have potential to create massive, global change.

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Tiny Jellyfish with a Big Sting

January 3, 2018
Tiny Jellyfish with a Big Sting

Clinging jellyfish in waters near Vladivostok, Russia, are known for their painful, toxic stings. In the U.S., where clinging jellies had been relatively harmless, a new, venomous variety has recently appeared on Cape Cod, Mass., and in nearby regions. WHOI biologist Annette Govindarajan is using genetic techniques to trace their geographic origins.

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