Skip to content

Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

A Journey to the Ocean's Twilight Zone

A Journey to the Ocean’s Twilight Zone

August 16, 2006

You are about to enter another dimension. You’re moving into a place of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas; a journey into a wondrous part of the ocean, whose boundaries are 300 to 1,600 feet (100 to 500…

Swimming in the Rain

Swimming in the Rain

August 16, 2006

Twilight zones, witch hunts, and crossbows usually don’t find their way into tales about new oceanographic instruments. This story isn’t typical, but it does start in the usual way, with oceanographers striving to coax secrets out of inscrutable oceans. In…

Dust Busters for the Oceans

Dust Busters for the Oceans

March 8, 2006

Like most living things, microscopic marine plants need iron and other minerals to live and grow. On land, soil provides a ubiquitous source of minerals, but how do essential nutrients get into vast watery stretches of the open ocean? The…

Graduate Student Discovers an Unusual New Species

Graduate Student Discovers an Unusual New Species

February 10, 2006

Sheri Simmons gets into the rugged wilderness as often as she can, backpacking in Newfoundland, the Sierras, the Adirondacks, and Alaska—where she once encountered a grizzly bear on a trail. She skis every chance she gets, on notoriously rough slopes…

Earth Can't Soak Up Excess Fossil Fuel Emissions Indefinitely

Earth Can’t Soak Up Excess Fossil Fuel Emissions Indefinitely

October 5, 2005

Earth?s land and oceans have been soaking up the excess carbon Earth?s land and oceans have been soaking up the excess carbon dioxide that humans have pumped into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. But there are limits.
A new-generation computer model indicates that the capacity of land and ocean to absorb and store the heat-trapping greenhouse gas will reach its peak by the end of the century?removing a brake that has been tempering the effects of global warming.

News Releases

The National Academy of Sciences selects WHOI’s Laura Motta as Kavli Fellow

March 20, 2025

Her research focuses on advancing our fundamental understanding of chemistry inspired by marine processes that challenge our current chemical knowledge.

WHOI’s Julie Huber Among 65 Fellows Elected to the American Academy of Microbiology

February 19, 2025

Fellows are elected annually through a highly selective, peer-review process, based on their records of scientific achievement and original contributions.

Cellulose Diacetate Side by Side

WHOI Scientists Discover Fastest Degrading Bioplastic in Seawater

October 17, 2024

A new version of CDA was found to be the fastest degrading bioplastic material tested in seawater and is a promising replacement for other long-lasting foam plastic materials.

Benjamin Van Mooy

WHOI senior scientist named 2024 MacArthur Fellow

October 1, 2024

Benjamin Van Mooy receives “genius grant” for his research on biogeochemical networks and the impacts of climate change on ocean health

Ben Van Mooy and a Sediment Trap

Microbe Dietary Preferences Influence the Effectiveness of Carbon Sequestration in the Deep Ocean

September 13, 2024

A series of seemingly small processes helps carry carbon dioxide from the ocean’s surface to the deep sea, where it can be stored away for decades.

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.