Skip to content

Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

Scientists and Navy Join Forces

Scientists and Navy Join Forces

January 18, 2017

When U.S. Navy were preparing a major NATO military exercise, they solicited help from WHOI scientists to plan how to mitigate potential environmental damage from oil spills.

What Happened to Deepwater Horizon Oil?

What Happened to Deepwater Horizon Oil?

December 23, 2016

Officials pumped a huge amount of chemicals into the deep ocean during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in an effort to disperse the oil. A study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences offers evidence that the dispersant may helped microbes break down the oil.

New Device Reveals What Ocean Microbes Do

New Device Reveals What Ocean Microbes Do

December 13, 2016

Whether you’re a plant, animal, or even a microbe, you generally can’t conduct the business of living without exchanging oxygen. So just as you can figure out what’s going on in a financial system by following the money, scientists can…

As Bay Warms, Harmful Algae Bloom

As Bay Warms, Harmful Algae Bloom

June 1, 2016

Warming coastal waters off southern Massachusetts are worsening the effects of pollution from septic systems, wastewater treatment plants, and fertilizer runoff—­and causing a rise in harmful algal blooms. Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the Marine Biological Laboratory…

Coral Coring

Coral Coring

June 1, 2016

Off a small island in the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) biogeochemists Konrad Hughen and Colleen Hansel use a special underwater drill to take a core sample from a boulder coral (Porites lobata) during…

News Releases

What can a whale’s breath tell us? According to a new study, a lot about its health

November 12, 2025

A first of its kind study links drone-collected respiratory microbes with health assessments, offering hope for protecting vulnerable populations

USS Arizona provides blueprint for addressing oil leakage at thousands of WWII shipwrecks

October 2, 2025

The findings underscore the USS Arizona’s dual role as a solemn memorial and a “living laboratory.”

Ken Buesseler

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Ken Buesseler receives AGU Honor

September 24, 2025

Buesseler joins a distinguished group of scientists, leaders and communicators recognized by AGU for advancing science.

A new look at an old pollutant

September 2, 2025

A WHOI-led study tracks mercury across the western Pacific

New report highlights plastic pollution as a grave and growing danger to health and announces an independent, health-focused global monitoring system

August 4, 2025

While the impacts of plastic pollution on human health and the environment are growing, the report finds, increasing harm due to plastics is not inevitable.

News & Insights

What happens to natural gas in the ocean?

October 6, 2022

WHOI marine chemist Chris Reddy weighs in on a methane leak in the Baltic Sea

Wave Glider provides gateway to remote exploration

November 10, 2020

WHOI geochemist Chris German pairs an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) called a Wave Glider with other vehicles to expand research here and on other Ocean Worlds

Sea Dust

Mining ancient dust from the ocean’s loneliest spot

September 24, 2020

Researchers investigate dust from the ocean’s farthest point from land to reconstruct the climactic history of the Southern Hemisphere, and understand how micronutrients have influenced biological productivity in this oceanic desert.

Working from Home: Mallory Ringham

July 2, 2020

WHOI-MIT joint program student outfits her basement to do vital work on a marine carbon sensor

plastics by the numbers

The many lifetimes of plastics

June 15, 2020

Infographics strive to give us a sense of how long plastic goods will last in the environment. But is this information reliable? The findings of a new study from WHOI may surprise you.

Scroll To Top