Seafloor & Below
Nereid Under Ice explores Aurora hydrothermal vent field
The newly upgraded Nereid Under Ice, a hybrid remotely operated vehicle, is deployed from the Norwegian Icebreaker KronPrins Haakon to conduct its first deep ocean dives to 4,000 meters (over 13,000 feet) along the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean.
Read MoreIf alien life exists in our solar system, it may look like this
On September 19th, the research vessel, Kronprins Haakon, departed Longyearbyen, Svalbard headed toward the Aurora hydrothermal vent field, located along the Gakkel Ridge some 4000 meters below the arctic ice.
The Rise of Orpheus
WHOI’s new deep-sea autonomous underwater vehicle moves one step closer to exploring the hadal zone—the deepest region of the ocean—to search for new clues about the limits of life on Earth, and possibly beyond.
Read MoreWhere do you park when you dive thousands of feet into the ocean?
WHOI biologist Stace Beaulieu forgets all bodily needs when chasing creatures in her tiny submarine.
Extraordinary Footage of Octopus Garden
Need a break? Sit back, relax, and enjoy this stunning and calming underwater footage from Octopus Garden, two miles below the ocean’s surface in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), where thousands of mother octopuses were discovered nursing their eggs. Meditative soundtrack included.
Read MoreDiving to Octopus Garden in a Submarine
Check out this amazing footage taken from WHOI’s submersible Alvin in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), where thousands of mother octopuses were discovered nursing their eggs in a place known as Octopus Garden. WHOI principal engineer Andy Bowen talks with Chad King, a research specialist with MBNMS, about the animals and how federally-protected marine sanctuaries are critical to the health and protection of these incredible ecosystems.
Read MoreDiscover Octopus Garden
Watch this amazing footage and learn some cool facts about octopus living two miles below the ocean’s surface, where thousands of mother octopuses were discovered nursing their eggs in a place known as Octopus Garden in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS).
Read MoreJames Cameron challenges Victor Vescovo’s ‘record breaking’ trip to deepest part of ocean: ‘it’s flat down there, impossible to dive deeper’
Cameron and researchers with the WHOI say the difference between the depth recorded by Deepsea Challenger and Vescovo’s submersible relates to the technology used. Measuring ocean depth is not as straightforward as measuring distance on land.
NASA eyes the ocean: How the deep sea could unlock outer space
“When hydrothermal vents were discovered in 1977, it very much flipped biology on its end,” says Julie Huber, an oceanographer who studies life in and below the seafloor at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on Cape Cod. “People knew that organisms could live off of chemical energy, but they didn’t imagine they could support animal ecosystems.”
Geology creates chemical energy: Origin of a massive methane reservoir discovered
Scientists know methane is released from deep-sea vents, but its source has long been a mystery. A team from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution may have the answer. Analysis of 160 rock samples from across the world’s oceans provides evidence, they say, of the formation and abundance of abiotic methane – methane formed by chemical reactions that don’t involve organic matter.
A Huge, Mysterious Reservoir of Methane Has Been Identified Deep Under The Ocean
“Identifying an abiotic source of deep-sea methane has been a problem that we’ve been wrestling with for many years,” says marine geochemist Jeffrey Seewald from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).”Here’s a source of chemical energy that’s being created by geology.”
Origin of Massive Methane Reservoir Identified
New research provides evidence of the formation and abundance of abiotic methane—methane formed by chemical reactions that don’t involve organic matter—on Earth and shows how the gases could have a similar origin on other planets and moons, even those no longer home to liquid water.
Read MoreG&G Summer Student Fellow Presentation: The Cycling of 231Pa and 230Th in Benthic Nepheloid Layers
Siyuan-Sean Chen, University of Bristol, UK Sponsored by: Academic Programs Office
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 MoreHydrothermal Vents: Oasis in the dark
The waters around hydrothermal vents may seem harsh and inhospitable to life, but in reality, these regions are oases that…
Read MoreNew Deep-Sea Coral Species Discovered
New ‘bubblegum’ corals found in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts National Monument during human-occupied submersible dives.
Ocean Trenches
What are ocean trenches? Ocean trenches are steep depressions in the deepest parts of the ocean [where old ocean crust…
Read MoreSeamounts
Mountains rising from the ocean seafloor that do not reach to the water’s surface.
Read MoreNatural Oil Seeps
As much as one half of the oil that enters the coastal environment comes from natural seeps of oil and natural gas.
Read MoreMid-ocean Ridges
The mid-ocean ridge occurs along boundaries where plates are spreading apart.
Read MoreSeafloor & Below
From plate tectonics to underwater mountain ranges spanning the globe, the seafloor and below encompasses a large field.
Read MoreHydrothermal Vents
What are Hydrothermal Vents? In 1977, scientists made a stunning discovery on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean: vents pouring…
Read MoreExplore a Mid-Ocean Ridge Valley
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Read MoreGodzilla, Sasquatch, & Homer Simpson
The Curious Names of Deep-sea Features The 15-story black smoker chimney resembles a monster on the seafloor, with hot fluids…
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