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Press Room

Emperor penguins, recommended as threatened species under Endangered Species Act

August 3, 2021

Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) announced a proposal to list the emperor penguin as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Emperor penguins will be pushed towards extinction by the climate crisis melting the sea ice they need for survival and reproduction.

New Study Finds Emperor Penguins Increasingly Threatened by Climate Change

August 3, 2021

A new study published today in Global Change Biology provides valuable new data that highlights how species extinction risk is accelerating due to rapid climate change and an increase in extreme climate events, such as glacial calving and sea ice loss.

New WHOI Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer

July 30, 2021

WHOI announced today the appointment of Dr. Natalie Nevárez as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. Nevárez will begin in this newly created role on August 1, 2021.

What happens to marine life when oxygen is scarce?

July 26, 2021

A new study co-led by WHOI postdoctoral scholar Maggie Johnson looks closely at the changes occurring in both coral reef and microbial communities near Bocas del Toro during sudden hypoxic events, which occur when there is little to no oxygen in a given area of water.

Review Evaluates the Evidence for an Intensifying Indian Ocean Water Cycle

July 20, 2021

The Indian Ocean has been warming much more than other ocean basins over the last 50-60 years. While temperature changes basin-wide can be unequivocally attributed to human-induced climate change, it is difficult to assess whether contemporary heat and freshwater changes […]

U.S Naval Academy (USNA) vessels dock at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)

July 16, 2021

Woods Hole, WHOI campus now a stop on the USNA summer sailing team’s route

On Friday, July 15, five USNA sailing vessels carrying a total of 50 U.S. Navy personnel docked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s waterfront facilities, the first post-COVID […]

Study Examines the Role of Deep-Sea Microbial Predators at Hydrothermal Vents

July 15, 2021

Researchers Emphasize the Need for Baseline Information of Microbial Food Webs

The hydrothermal vent fluids from the Gorda Ridge spreading center in the northeast Pacific Ocean create a biological hub of activity in the deep sea. There, in the dark ocean, […]

Shark Week 2021: Sharks and the Ocean’s Twilight Zone

July 11, 2021

How large marine predators use the twilight zone to thrive, and survive

Woods Hole, MA (July 11, 2021) — Sharks are some of the largest fish in the ocean, known as apex predators, that steal the show in films, television and […]

Study Shows that Lobsters Can Detect Sound

July 7, 2021

A new study demonstrates that lobsters can detect low-frequency sound and suggests that anthropogenic noise could affect lobsters. The study comes out at a time when the construction of more offshore wind farms, with their associated underwater pile driving noise, is being considered in New England.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution appoints new Chief Scientist for National Deep Submergence Facility

June 21, 2021

Anna Michel aboard the R/V Falkor for the Hunting Bubbles Cruise to the Cascadia Margin in 2018. The ROV Sebastian was used to investigate the transfer of methane from the seafloor using a suite of novel deep […]

mesobot

Underwater robot offers new insight into mid-ocean “twilight zone”

June 16, 2021

Woods Hole, MA (June 16, 2021) — An innovative underwater robot known as Mesobot is providing researchers with deeper insight into the vast mid-ocean region known as the “twilight zone.” Capable of tracking and recording high-resolution images of slow-moving and […]

Icebergs drifting from Canada to Southern Florida

June 16, 2021

A newly developed iceberg computer model helped the researchers understand the timing and circulation of meltwater and icebergs through the global oceans during glacial periods, which is crucial for deciphering how past changes in high-latitude freshwater forcing influenced shifts in climate. 

Harmful algal bloom

First Global Statistical Analysis of Harmful Algal Blooms

June 8, 2021

International study finds no worldwide trend in blooms, but significant increases in some regions and of certain species, pointing to the need for better monitoring and data collection-especially in light of greater societal reliance on coastal resources

The first-ever global statistical […]

Papers Explore Massive Plankton Blooms with Very Different Ecosystem Impacts

June 7, 2021

Two papers explore the distribution and abundance of plankton and what conditions lead to big plankton blooms with vastly different potential impacts on the ecosystem.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Wants Everyone to “Keep it Weird”

May 27, 2021

Woods Hole, Mass. (May 27, 2021) – Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) wants to keep the ocean twilight zone weird. Known for its rigorous science and advanced engineering, the usually serious WHOI today launched a tongue-in-cheek campaign to draw attention […]

Some Forams Could Thrive with Climate Change, Metabolism Study Finds

May 27, 2021

Oceanic deoxygenation is increasingly affecting marine ecosystems. A new paper that examines two foram species found that they demonstrated great metabolic versatility to flourish in hypoxic and anoxic sediments where there is little or no dissolved oxygen, inferring that the forams’ contribution to the marine ecosystem will increase with the expansion of oxygen-depleted habitats.

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Elects New Corporation Members

May 20, 2021

The Board of Trustees of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) today announced the ten new corporation members who were elected at its Spring Joint Meeting of the Board and Corporation.

They are: Dr. Mark R. Abbott of Hollis, N.H.; Susan Payson Burke […]

Study Finds 6⁰C Cooling on Land during the Last Ice Age, With Implications about Future Global Warming

May 12, 2021

A recent report shows that prior studies have underestimated the cooling in the last glacial period, which has low-balled estimates of the Earth’s climate sensitivity to greenhouse gases. The rather high climate sensitivity is not good news regarding future global warming, which may be stronger than expected using previous best estimates.

Remote Learning Takes on New Meaning with the Launch of Dive and Discover ™ Expedition 17

May 5, 2021

Dive and Discover Expedition 17 will look more closely at the middle of the ocean, also known as the mesopelagic or the ocean’s twilight zone.

WHOI to Launch New Center for Ocean and Climate Research

April 28, 2021

Today WHOI announced the establishment of the Francis E. Fowler IV Center for Ocean and Climate to seek new knowledge and solutions at the intersection of oceanography and climate science. A generous gift from Francis E. Fowler, IV established the center and will enable it to immediately commence operations.