Media Tip Sheet – July 2024

JULY 2024 MEDIA TIP SHEET

Welcome to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s media tip sheet. You are receiving this email because you’ve asked to be kept up to date on news items, or we have worked with you in a news reporting capacity. If you don’t want to receive these monthly news tips, please respond to this email with the words “opt out.”

Our goal is to provide an advanced or detailed look at stories we believe are impactful or trending and offer WHOI experts if you’re interested in a deeper dive.

VISUAL OF THE MONTH: What secrets can Cicadas tell us?

Across the United States, cicadas are emerging in record numbers, creating a unique opportunity to research their role in releasing mercury into the environment, and its impact on terrestrial food webs. WHOI chemist Laura Motta recently took a break from studying metal cycling in ocean creatures to collect cicadas in Illinois, where the insects were emerging for the first time in 17 years. Motta’s lab is investigating potential sources of mercury– and how it's released into the environment when cicadas emerge, die, and decompose. Motta says this form of biomonitoring mercury is new and will contribute towards the goals of the Minamata Convention, which aims to reduce mercury emissions.

Laura Motta is available for interviews. Photos are available for use with credit to Laura Motta/©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Low gravity on ocean worlds might help to sustain warm water circulation

Scientists are using a complex computer model to investigate how low gravity, as found on ocean worlds in our outer solar system, could influence flows of water and heat below their seafloors. A new study, led by UC Santa Cruz, shows the potential of hydrothermal vents, similar to what’s in Earth’s oceans, on their seafloors. WHOI Senior Scientist Chris German, who leads the multi-institutional “Exploring Ocean Worlds” NASA program, says these vents host some of the most primitive life forms on Earth– and could potentially support lush ecosystems elsewhere in the solar system.

Chris German is available for interviews. Learn more about the study and the “Exploring Ocean Worlds” program in the WHOI Press Room.

Shark Week 2024: Where are the whale sharks? WHOI scientists seek to better track their movements

Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish! Data shows whale sharks spend most of their time in tropical areas of the ocean, but a recent WHOI student project, along with data from “citizen scientists,” indicates they could migrate thousands of miles, coming as far north as New England. To better understand their movements and why they travel so far, a team of WHOI scientists will be conducting field work off Cape Cod in late summer. To scientists' knowledge, this is the farthest north this species has ever been observed.

Interviews with shark experts are available. Photos are available for use with credit here.

Black Girls Dive Foundation launches program in partnership with WHOI

Black Girls Dive Foundation (BGDF) has launched its BGD flagship internship, IMPETUS (Improving Minority Participation in Education and Training in the Underwater Sciences), in collaboration with WHOI. This paid, 10-week summer program provides an opportunity for BGDF Scholars to engage in cutting-edge research alongside some of the world's leading scientists in the field of Oceanography. The IMPETUS initiative addresses the critical need for diversity and inclusion in the marine sciences. Historically, minority groups, particularly women of color, have been underrepresented in STEM fields. These internships provide minority women with hands-on experience, mentorship, and professional networking opportunities. The partnership with WHOI underscores the commitment of both organizations to fostering a more inclusive scientific community.

On the July Calendar:

July 7-14: Shark Week

July 15-21: Coral Reef Awareness Week

July 17: Yawkey x WHOI “Jaws on the Lawn”

July 25: Yawkey x WHOI “Exploring the impacts of climate change” panel with Miles O’Brien

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