Ocean Resources
King Kelp
To help fuel our future energy needs, researchers are sizing up thousands of blades of sugar kelp—a promising source of biofuels—to breed strains that grow larger, heartier, and more abundantly.
Read MoreGlobal Oceans and the Extinction Crisis
WHOI marine biologists Michael Moore and Andrea Bogomolni weigh in on a new United Nations science report suggesting that over one million species are at risk of extinction.
Read MoreSaving the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
NOAA Names Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to Host Cooperative Institute
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to host NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for the…
Read MoreWHOI to Join $94 Million Cooperative Institute
WHOI will join a new consortium led by the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography to support ocean exploration.
Read MoreNews tip: Study of Fishermen, Scientists Partnerships Published
A review paper recently published in the journal Annual Review of Marine Science highlights the value of collaboration between researchers…
Read MoreBlue Economy Urges Collaboration
Ocean Twilight Zone may be key to feeding and protecting life on earth
FAQs
What is deep-sea mining? Deep-sea mining is the proposed extraction of metallic and non-metallic mineral resources from the ocean floor…
Read MoreWho Regulates Seafloor Mining?
The rules that govern mining on most of the world’s seabed are no ordinary rules. They got their start back…
Read MoreMarine Protected Areas
What are Marine Protected Areas? Marine protected area (MPA) refers to any part of the ocean that receives some level…
Read MoreSeafloor Mining
Hot, buoyant, mineral-laden fluids rise from deep within ocean crust and mix with cold seawater. That triggers the precipitation of…
Read MoreOcean Resources
The global ocean provides food, minerals, and other valuable resources for human use.
Read MoreAquaculture
Catching fish without having to go fishing.
Read MoreOn (and Below) the Waterfront
The expansion of the New York metropolitan area’s harbor over the decades has led to big but hidden changes in tidal flows that have environmental impacts.
Read MoreThe Discovery of Hydrothermal Vents
In 1977, WHOI scientists made a discovery that revolutionized our understanding of how and where life could exist on Earth and other planetary bodies.
Read MoreKelp Farming Sees a Rise In Interest On the Cape
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.
Read MoreCan Clams and Oysters Help Clean Up Waterways?
Towns in Cape Cod are looking to shellfish not only as culinary treats, but as a way to help clean…
Read MoreThe Marine Reserve Goldilocks Problem
To protect coral reefs, governments and conservationists are looking to establish networks of marine reserves, where fishing is prohibited. But…
Read MoreIs Aquaculture the Solution to World Hunger?
Bay State Aquaculture Projects Get Green Light from National Sea Grant Program
Two new grants to the Woods Hole Sea Grant program totaling more than $650,000 are part of a national strategic investment in aquaculture and will support research aimed at expanding aquaculture production in Massachusetts.
Read MoreFueling the Future
WHOI was awarded $5.7 million from ARPA-E’s Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources (MARINER) Program for two projects that develop tools and technology to advance the mass production of seaweed for biofuels and bio-based chemicals.
Read MoreFresh Water Below the Seafloor?
Using a new method to distinguish fresh water from oil or salt water, scientists are exploring beneath the continental shelf off New England to look for large pockets of trapped fresh water. This water may be continually filling from groundwater flowing from land or, alternatively, may have been left behind by ice ages glaciers.
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