Skip to content

Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

A Fatal Attraction for Harmful Algae

A Fatal Attraction for Harmful Algae

January 14, 2005

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.

With a better understanding of these systems, we can reverse

their decline and restore the ecological richness of these

valuable, albeit muddy, environments.

Rites of Passage for Juvenile Marine Life

Rites of Passage for Juvenile Marine Life

January 11, 2005

The childhood of a barnacle is fraught with challenges. It hatches in shallow waters close to shore as a tiny larva, no bigger than a speck of dust. Currents sweep it to deeper, choppy waters, sometimes miles offshore. In these proving grounds each larva floats, at the mercy of hungry fish and swift ocean currents. Billions of larvae?including fish, lobsters, clams, starfish, and sea cucumbers?begin life this way. Only a few survive and return to shore, where they settle on rocks or sandy seafloor to become adults. Why larvae make their offshore journey remains unclear, but we are beginning to uncover the intricacies of their return trip?learning how waves, currents, eddies, tides, and other phenomena bring larvae back toward the shore.

The Growing Problem of Harmful Algae

The Growing Problem of Harmful Algae

November 12, 2004

Harmful algal blooms are natural and they are not new. But ocean scientists are growing concerned that they are now all too common. The unprecedented growth of human activities in coastal watersheds—including agriculture, aquaculture, industry, housing, and recreation—has drastically increased the amount of fertilizer flowing into coastal waters and fueled unwanted algal growth.

Scientists Muster to Help Right Whales

Scientists Muster to Help Right Whales

November 4, 2004

It is a sad irony that we have cataloged individual photographs of the remaining North Atlantic right whales and given each of them unique numbers and sometimes names, yet still know too little about their physiology, behavior, and habitats to take effective steps toward ensuring their survival as a species.

Whither the North Atlantic Right Whale?

Whither the North Atlantic Right Whale?

November 3, 2004

“Today only a remnant of the population survives, no more than 350 whales clustered in calving and feeding grounds along the eastern seaboard of North America. Only occasional right whale sightings in the Gulf of St. Lawrence or in the waters between Iceland, Greenland, and Norway give echoes of their once substantially greater range.

News Releases

Jeff Adams

Researchers to map the genome of the invasive European green crab

April 2, 2025

Washington Sea Grant will work with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to shed light on a highly invasive species

Mark Hahn March 2025

WHOI’s Mark Hahn named AAAS Fellow

March 27, 2025

American Association for the Advancement of Science welcomes 471 scientists and engineers in the class of 2024

Emperor Penguins

New Study Calls for Uplisting Emperor Penguins to Threatened on IUCN Red List

March 25, 2025

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution among research groups that offer findings to support protection of species

‘Fishial’ Recognition: Neural Network Identifies Coral Reef Sounds

March 11, 2025

Faster identification of fish sounds from acoustic recordings can improve research, conservation efforts

WHOI scientists aim to improve the study of marine heatwaves

February 28, 2025

Researchers call for regional and context-specific approaches to these extreme events

News & Insights

Valentine’s Day Courtship Tips from the Ocean

February 10, 2025

Are you an ocean lover? Go a little deeper with these courtship tips from beneath the waves!

Recognizing Massachusetts Right Whale Day

April 24, 2023

April 24 marks the first-ever Right Whale Day in Massachusetts. WHOI biologist and veterinarian Michael Moore recently met with the resident who brought this special recognition about– and explains why it’s important to raise awareness about the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale.

Critically Endangered North Atlantic Right Whales Getting Smaller, New Research Finds

June 10, 2021

A report out this week in Current Biology reveal that critically endangered North Atlantic right whales are up to three feet shorter than 40 years ago. This startling conclusion reinforces what scientists have suspected: even when entanglements do not lead directly to the death of North Atlantic right whales, they can have lasting effects on the imperiled population that may now number less than 400 animals. Further, females that are entangled while nursing produce smaller calves.

right whales

Rare Drone video shows critically endangered North Atlantic right whales

May 10, 2021

May 10, 2021   During a joint research trip on February 28 in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., WHOI whale trauma specialist Michael Moore, National Geographic photographer Brian Skerry, and scientists from New England Aquarium, witnessed a remarkable biological event: North…

Unicorns of the Arctic face a new potential threat

December 1, 2020

Narwhals and other marine mammals could be vulnerable to a new threat we’ve become all too familiar with: COVID-19