Skip to content

Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

From Mars to the deep

April 28, 2021

Navigation technology that helped NASA’s Perseverance rover land safely on Mars could guide robots in another unexplored terrain that’s much closer to home: the deepest trenches of the ocean.

iceberg

Can icebergs be towed to water-starved cities?

January 6, 2021

The 1.5-million-ton behemoth was on the loose. The massive blue-tinged iceberg was headed straight for an offshore drilling platform in the Kara Sea off Western Siberia. Two smoke-billowing Russian tugs, the Almaz and Kigoriak, arrived on the scene bearing an…

hydrothermal vent

Finding answers in the ocean

November 10, 2020

The test being used to diagnose the novel coronavirus—and other pandemics like AIDS and SARS—was developed with the help of an enzyme isolated from a microbe found in marine hydrothermal vents as well as freshwater hot springs.

Peter de Menocal

Who is Peter de Menocal? A Conversation with WHOI’s new President & Director

October 29, 2020

On October 1st, Dr. Peter de Menocal assumed the role of President & Director of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the 11th person to hold that title since the Institution was founded in 1930. In a wide-ranging conversation, we meet the man and the scientist—and get a glimpse of what WHOI’s future may hold under his leadership.

A REMUS-600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) communicates with an ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) via a WHOI-developed optical modem link during lab testing. This link enables REMUS vehicles to act as "seismic data mules" whereby they offload data OBS stations without the need for ships or human intervention. (Photo by Dara Tebo, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Can seismic data mules protect us from the next big one?

October 7, 2020

Researchers look to new seafloor earthquake detection systems for better detection and warning of seismic risk

News Releases

Drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution

Mantle rock recovery may reveal secrets of Earth’s history

August 8, 2024

Scientists unravel the role of our planet’s mantle in volcanism and global cycles

new vent

Warm water could persist within icy ocean worlds

June 24, 2024

A new study investigates how the influence of low gravity, as found on ocean worlds in our solar system, impacts flow of water and heat below their seafloors.

Titan

Wave activity on Saturn’s largest moon

June 20, 2024

MIT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers find wave activity on Saturn’s largest moon may be strong enough to erode the coastlines of lakes and seas.

HOV Alvin

Five new hydrothermal vents discovered in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

March 26, 2024

Ocean scientists discovered the new deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor at 2,550 meters (8366 feet, or 1.6 miles) depth.

An icy sunset

Study says ice age could help predict oceans’ response to global warming

January 22, 2024

Woods Hole, MA – A team of scientists led by a Tulane University oceanographer and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has found that deposits deep under the ocean floor reveal a way to measure the ocean oxygen level and…

News & Insights

Deep-sea coral reef discovered in the Galápagos with Alvin

May 12, 2023

In April 2023, scientists diving in the human-occupied submersible Alvin discovered extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve.

The Search for Life

February 17, 2021

This week, NASA’s Perseverance Rover lands on Mars to continue the search for life on the Red Planet. At the same time, WHOI scientists and engineers are applying their experience exploring the deepest parts of planet Earth to the quest…

iceberg

Can icebergs be towed to water-starved cities?

January 6, 2021

WHOI researchers are now investigating the feasibility of towing icebergs to alleviate water shortages.

A REMUS-600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) communicates with an ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) via a WHOI-developed optical modem link during lab testing. This link enables REMUS vehicles to act as "seismic data mules" whereby they offload data OBS stations without the need for ships or human intervention. (Photo by Dara Tebo, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Can seismic data mules protect us from the next big one?

October 7, 2020

Ocean scientists leverage game-changing technologies to improve our understanding of the global ocean’s most dangerous earthquake faults and enable more advanced warnings for seismic risk.

greenland ice

Will melting glaciers cool the climate?

July 29, 2020

As glaciers melt at unprecedented rates, WHOI’s Simon Pendleton is looking back to historical records to predict whether this new cool runoff will slow ocean circulation and cool the northern hemisphere––findings which could mean adjustments to some climate predictions.