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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

water going down the drain

Are big spills the main source of ocean oil?

September 11, 2026

Evidence shows that smaller leaks on land contribute far more oil to our oceans

Hercules

Is the ocean carbon sink at risk of faltering?

August 6, 2026

WHOI scientists explain how the ocean mitigates climate change—and could be compromised by it

Mar de Plata canyon

Answers from the abyss

June 11, 2026

How new discoveries in the deep could change life at the surface

WHOI reef solutions field team

Inside the Solomon Islands’ hidden mega coral — a 300-year-old ocean giant

November 19, 2025

WHOI’s Reef Solutions team journeys to the world’s largest coral colony

blue straws

Breaking down plastics together

November 6, 2025

Through a surprising and successful partnership, WHOI and Eastman scientists are reinventing what we throw away

News Releases

The Black Sea is a Goldmine of Ancient Genetic Data

May 6, 2013

Black Sea, sediment, genetic data, past climate, Strait of Bosphorus, Liviu Giosan, Marco Coolen, paleo, DNA, dinocysts, dinoflagellate

Scientists Reveal Quirky Feature of Lyme Disease Bacteria

March 21, 2013

Scientists have confirmed that the pathogen that causes Lyme Disease—unlike any other known organism—can exist without iron, a metal that all other life needs to make proteins and enzymes. Instead of iron, the bacteria substitute manganese to make an essential…

Glaciers Contribute Significant Iron to North Atlantic Ocean

March 10, 2013

All living organisms rely on iron as an essential nutrient. In the ocean, iron’s abundance or scarcity means all the difference as it fuels the growth of plankton, the base of the ocean’s food web. A new study by biogeochemists…

Fishing for Answers off Fukushima

October 25, 2012

Japan’s “triple disaster,” as it has become known, began on March 11, 2011, and remains unprecedented in its scope and complexity. To understand the lingering effects and potential public health implications of that chain of events, scientists are turning to…

Human Impact Felt on Black Sea Long Before Industrial Era

September 4, 2012

When WHOI geologist Liviu Giosan first reconstructed the history of how the Danube River built its delta, he was presented with a puzzle. In the delta’s early stages of development, the river deposited its sediment within a protected bay. As…

News & Insights

A new tool for healthier oceans

September 3, 2026

WHOI scientists explore the impacts of ocean alkalinity enhancement

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

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