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Oceanus Magazine

Marine Microbes vs. Cystic Fibrosis

Marine Microbes vs. Cystic Fibrosis

February 29, 2012

Microbes that grow in the ocean could one day help doctors combat the deadly disease cystic fibrosis (CF), said Tracy Mincer, a microbiologist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Mincer studies the small chemicals marine microbes make to do specific jobs…

Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Oil Spills

Tracking Toxic Chemicals in Oil Spills

February 6, 2012

I don’t do San Francisco like most people. I skip the cable cars, Lombard Street, Alcatraz, and the fine restaurants and museums. Soon after my flight arrives, I drive my rental car north over the Golden Gate Bridge and hike…

On the Trail of Mercury in the Ocean

On the Trail of Mercury in the Ocean

February 1, 2012

I returned from Hawai’i in mid-December with 700 bottles of seawater. The bottles hold what I hope are solutions to an abiding mystery. In the middle of the ocean, waters at depths ranging from 100 to 1,000 meters contain high…

Scientists Solve a Deepwater Horizon Mystery

Scientists Solve a Deepwater Horizon Mystery

January 19, 2012

Right after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20, 2010, marine scientist Monty Graham from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama began exploring Gulf of Mexico waters to document the unfolding consequences of the unprecedented oil spill. “Following…

Searching for Life on the Seafloor

Searching for Life on the Seafloor

December 28, 2011

Smaller than a fingernail, like bits of downy red feathers, baby tubeworms cling to a vertical wall towering alongside the submersible Alvin 2,500 meters beneath the sea in 2006. Repaved with fresh rock during an eruption at the East Pacific…

News Releases

New WHOI study shows seawater may offer early clues to changing reef health

July 27, 2026

An interdisciplinary approach reveals how chemistry, microbes, and ocean circulation work together to shape reef ecosystems

MassDEP awards $500,000 to support eelgrass restoration

June 4, 2026

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is supporting a two-year study to quantify carbon storage in both natural and restored eelgrass meadows in coastal waters.

New WHOI-led study reveals hidden “chemical currency” fueling the ocean’s carbon cycle

March 18, 2026

Researchers have identified a diverse set of molecules released by marine phytoplankton that fuel microbial life and help drive Earth’s carbon cycle

ocean

Scientists outline case for next-generation ocean iron fertilization field trials

February 5, 2026

A new paper argues that larger, longer studies with rigorous monitoring and clear safeguards are needed to accurately assess OIF as a potential long-term CO2 storage solution.

Seawater microbes offer new, non-invasive way to detect coral disease, WHOI-led study finds

January 20, 2026

Coral reefs support more than 25 percent of all marine life and underpin the livelihoods of roughly one billion people globally.

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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