July 2007 ( Vol. 45 No. 3 )
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Our Ocean. Our Planet. Our Future.
Morss Colloquia Focus on Science and Society
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution launched a new program, hosting three “Morss Colloquia” since October 2006. Enabled by a generous grant from Elisabeth and Henry Morss Jr., the public colloquia concerned…
Agreement Opens Door to Red Sea Research
WHOI signed an agreement April 16 with officials of the planned King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia to consult on facilities and develop research projects…
WHOI meets WhOI on www.Whyville.net
Whyvillians have a problem: Harmful algae are threatening their beaches and coastal ecosystem. To investigate, understand, and mitigate the problem, citizens are turning to the Whyville Oceanographic Institution (WhOI), with…
WHOI Gets New Chairman of the Board
Newt Merrill grew up sailing off the coast of New England, and like many who spend time on the water, he worried about the ocean’s health. When he moved from…
WHOI Earns Reaccreditation
WHOI has been reaccredited as a degree-granting institution by the organization responsible for accrediting New England colleges and universities. The Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England…
Seismometer Deployed Atop Underwater Volcano
A team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution installed a novel underwater earthquake-monitoring system atop Kick’em Jenny, an active volcano just off the north coast of Grenada in the…
WHOI Scientists Testify to Congress
Marine geochemist Scott Doney and marine policy specialist Porter Hoagland traveled to the nation’s capital this spring to inform Congress about critical ocean issues: the effects of climate change and…
Old Whale Oil Tells Tale of New Pollution
It was the scientific equivalent of finding fine wine in an old cask. Analyzing whale oil from the whaling ship Charles W. Morgan’s last voyage, in 1921, marine chemists at…
Eavesdropping on Whales' Mealtime Conversation
Like a knife slicing through denim, the black dorsal fin broke the surface of the icy water quickly, and then disappeared into the depths. “Off the port bow,” yelled Ari…
A 3-D Underwater Soundscape
It was the largest oceanographic field experiment in the 76-year history of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Most research projects employ one ship and a dozen or so researchers; this one…
Following Whales Up a Creek
Michael Moore is accustomed to working solo (or nearly so) in remote places, but this was a very public endeavor. The WHOI marine mammal biologist and veterinarian flew across the…
The Deepest Divers
For years, sperm whales and elephant seals were thought to hold world records for holding their breath under water. But those animals have nothing on beaked whales. Using digital tags…
What Does It Take To Break a Whale?
The ship hit the whale with a force that snapped her 14-foot jawbone like a toothpick and left a 4-foot-long crack in her skull. Known as 2150 among scientists, she…
Scientists Unearth Long Record of Past Hurricanes
Reaching down into the muck below a lagoon off Puerto Rico, two geologists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution reached back 5,000 years to compile the longest record of strong hurricanes…
Growing Marine Plants Need Their Vitamins
Your mother was right: You need your vitamins. And that turns out to be true for life in the oceans, too. B12—an essential vitamin for land-dwelling animals, including humans—also plays…
Of Sons and Ships and Science Cruises
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has had an unbroken line of three ships named Atlantis that date to the Institution’s founding in the early 1930s. Arthur D. Colburn III, better…
New Regulations Proposed for Offshore Fish Farms
Newly proposed legislation to regulate large-scale fish farming in the oceans around the United States incorporates major recommendations from a blue-ribbon task force organized by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution…
Rescue Mission on the Seafloor
The two earthquake-monitoring instruments—each the size and weight of a small refrigerator—were glued to the ocean bottom by erupting lava that had flowed and hardened around them. If scientists could…
Still Toxic After All These Years
This is a story about persistence—of oil, and of people. It began in 1969 when the barge Florida ran aground off Cape Cod, spilling 189,000 gallons of fuel. But it…
Two Ships Passing Passengers in the Night
Into the frigid darkness, following two days of stormy weather, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s coastal research vessel Tioga left port shortly after 10 p.m. on March 6, with sea spray…
Would a Hagfish By Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?
It’s not hard to figure out how hagfish got their name, since they aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy. Slithery, skinny, coated in gooey slime, and often found wriggling and eating…
Lullaby for Larvae
Like many babies, these tiny offspring arrived this spring amid much fanfare and a little trepidation. Never before had scientists witnessed the birth of deep-sea Antarctic corals, which unlike like…