Tools & Technology
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.
Read MoreAssembling of Mesobot Frame
New Techniques Open Window into Anatomy of Mollusks
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists are using advanced medical imaging techniques and diagnostic tools to reveal the internal structures…
Read MoreA ‘Ticking Time Bomb’ in the Arctic
Scientists discover that the amount of heat in a major Arctic Ocean circulation system has doubled over the past 30 years. If the temperatures continue to spike, it could eventually spell trouble for the ice above.
Read MoreThe Deep-See Peers into the Depths
Decades of research from many WHOI scientists and engineers have culminated in a multifaceted vehicle to explore deep-sea marine life.
Read MoreUnderwater Vehicles
In order to understand the ocean, scientists often find they have to get themselves or their instruments into very specific…
Read MoreMoorings & Buoys
Many ocean processes that scientists want to study are either invisible from the surface or they play out over long…
Read MoreOcean Observatories
Citizens, sailors, and scientists have observed the seas for centuries, first from the shore, then from ships and submersibles, and…
Read MoreShips
Researchers rely on sophisticated ships to get a firsthand look at the ocean environment and to carry their tools and…
Read MoreTools & Technology
Researchers use a variety of instruments and tools to sample and study the ocean.
Read MoreImaging
Acoustics
High-resolution bathymetry of extinct asphalt volcanoes off the coast of California. The bathymetry was collected using the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry.…
Read MoreHarnessing the Power
Can wind developers and ocean scientists work together to get US offshore wind cranking?
Read MoreAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)
What is it and why do we use it? An Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, or Acoustic Doppler Profiler, is often…
Read MoreSonar Single Beam
Echo sounding is the key method scientists use to map the seafloor today. The technique, first used by German scientists…
Read MoreMultibeam Bathymetry
Multibeam bathymetry is based on the fact that more beams are better than one. About 30 years ago, the US…
Read MoreAutonomous Hydrophone Array (AHA)
Looking for new volcanic eruptions on the global mid-ocean ridge and understanding when and where eruptions take place is one…
Read MoreCoding Curiosity
The ocean is an extreme environment that is hard for humans to explore. One solution is building deep-sea robots that can autonomously make decisions on what to look for and where.
Read MoreGroups of Pilot Whales Have Their Own Dialects
In humans, different social groups, cities, or regions often have distinct accents and dialects. Those vocal traits are not unique to us, however. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has found that short-finned pilot whales living off the coast of Hawai’i have their own sorts of vocal dialects, a discovery that may help researchers understand the whales’ complex social structure.
Read MoreCoral Larvae Use Sound to Find a Home on the Reef
Choosing a place to call home is one of the most consequential choices a coral can make. In the animal’s larval stage, it floats freely in the ocean, but once it settles down, it anchors itself permanently to the rocky substrate of a reef, and remains stuck there for the rest of its life. Exactly how these larvae choose a specific place to live, however, is largely unclear.
Read MoreWarping Sound in the Ocean
WHOI scientists warp sound–the primary means of transmitting information in the ocean–to “see” what’s happening below the surface.
Read MoreAlvin Submersible Makes 5,000th Dive
Alvin, the country’s only deep-diving research submersible capable of carrying humans to the sea floor, reached another milestone in its long career on Nov. 26, 2018, when the sub made its 5,000th dive during an expedition to the Guaymas Basin in the Gulf of California.
Read MoreMysteries of the Red Sea
The Red Sea also has several characteristics not seen in other oceans: extremely warm temperatures, high evaporation rates, odd circulation patterns, and a rare current that sometimes disappears in winter.
Read MoreSentry Completes Its 500th Dive
WHOI’s free-swimming robot Sentry completed its 500th dive on October 16, 2018, off the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The autonomous underwater vehicle has used its sonar systems to help scientists map the seafloor, track the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, locate the voyage data recorder on the sunken El Faro cargo ship, and carry out advanced research on many other missions to help us better understand our ocean and our planet.
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