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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

Deep-sea Detectives

Deep-sea Detectives

September 20, 2012

Links to related materials Mid-Ocean Ridges—Articles, illustrations, and video showing how new seafloor crust forms Mapping the Seafloor with Multibeam Sonar Profile of Marshall Swartz Story of the SDSL Data-Link Life at Vents and Seeps While Oil Gently Seeps from…

Deep-sea Vents Yield New Species

Deep-sea Vents Yield New Species

September 14, 2012

Call it “midnight at the OASES.” Neither permanent darkness nor extreme pressure and heat cause problems for a host of new deep-sea species found in January by an international research expedition called “OASES 2012.” The expedition, led by Woods Hole…

Do Oil and Corals Mix?

Do Oil and Corals Mix?

September 6, 2012

Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) helped find strong evidence that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 had impacts on deep-sea coral communities in the Gulf of Mexico. The study, published March 2012 in Proceedings of the National…

Underneath and Overlooked: Groundwater

Underneath and Overlooked: Groundwater

August 10, 2012

Matt Charette has been pulling off the sheetrock in Earth’s basement to reveal a hidden plumbing system that pumps water into the ocean. Rivers carry most of the rain that falls on land back to the sea. But some water…

Scientists Discover the "Vitamin B12 Claw"

Scientists Discover the “Vitamin B12 Claw”

May 31, 2012

Scientists have revealed a key cog in the biochemical machinery that allows marine algae at the base of the oceanic food chain to thrive. They have discovered a previously unknown protein in algae that grabs vitamin B12, an essential but…

News Releases

Ancient groundwater records reveal regional vulnerabilities to climate change

June 17, 2025

New WHOI-led study shows the Southwest may be more sensitive to drying than the Pacific Northwest

Water sampling

Seawater microbes are a powerful tool for diagnosing coral reef health and strengthening conservation efforts, according to new paper

May 16, 2025

Compared to taking visual observations of reef habitats, analyzing water microbes provides a more immediate picture of health.

Berhard Peucker Ehernbrink

From river to sea: Research team, including WHOI chemist, receives international award

May 14, 2025

The Frontiers Planet Prize recently announced National Champions from 19 different countries.

Research almost two decades in the making: What can cicadas tell us about the Earth’s metals?

May 14, 2025

Billions of cicadas will be emerging on Cape Cod, and other parts of the country in late May or early June.

Tica hydrothermal vent

Scientists in Alvin witness seafloor eruption on the East Pacific Rise

May 2, 2025

Long-awaited event sets the stage for scientists to learn more about physical, chemical and biological processes in the deep ocean East Pacific Rise, Pacific Ocean (May 2, 2025)  – Scientists diving in the human-occupied vehicle Alvin recently witnessed a rare…

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.

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