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A New Long-Term Ecological Research Site Announced for the Northeast U.S. Shelf

A New Long-Term Ecological Research Site Announced for the Northeast U.S. Shelf

March 1, 2017

To better understand and manage the intricate ecosystem off the Northeast U.S. coast, the National Science Foundation has announced the selection of this critical ocean region for a new Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site led by WHOI.

Panel to Discuss Deep-Sea Mining at AAAS Meeting

Panel to Discuss Deep-Sea Mining at AAAS Meeting

February 17, 2017

Home to an immense diversity of marine life, the deep ocean also contains valuable minerals with metals such as nickel, copper, cobalt, manganese, zinc, and gold, and rare-earth elements used in electronic technology like smart phones and medical imaging machines. As demand for these resources increases and supplies on land decrease, commercial mining operators are looking to the deep ocean as the next frontier for mining.

Study Provides Measurement of Nitrogen Removal by Local Shellfish

Study Provides Measurement of Nitrogen Removal by Local Shellfish

February 6, 2017

A new study by Woods Hole Sea Grant, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and the Mashpee Department of Natural Resources provides the first comprehensive measurement of nitrogen removed by shellfish harvested from waters off Cape Cod.

Town of Falmouth and WHOI Win Seaport Economic Council Grant

Town of Falmouth and WHOI Win Seaport Economic Council Grant

February 2, 2017

At a meeting Thursday in Fall River, members of the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council (SEC) green-lighted a $500,000 grant request from the Town of Falmouth and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The award will go toward a feasibility study for the replacement of the WHOI dock on Water Street in Woods Hole.

Antarctic Bottom Waters Freshening at Unexpected Rate

Antarctic Bottom Waters Freshening at Unexpected Rate

January 25, 2017

In the cold depths along the sea floor, Antarctic Bottom Waters are part of a critical part of the global circulatory system. Over the last decade, scientists have been monitoring changes in these waters, but a new WHOI study suggests these changes are themselves shifting in unexpected ways, with potentially significant consequences for the ocean and climate.

Salty Oceans Can Forecast Rain on Land

Salty Oceans Can Forecast Rain on Land

December 16, 2016

At this week’s American Geophysical Union meeting, a team of researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) presented their latest research findings on the long-range predictions of rainfall on land. Their method is based on ocean salinity rather than sea surface temperatures, which has been the standard for decades.

Stan Hart

Stan Hart Receives AGU’s Highest Honor

December 15, 2016

Stan Hart, WHOI scientist emeritus, has been awarded the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) highest honor, the William Bowie Medal. The Honors Tribute was held on Wednesday, 14 December 2016, at the AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco.

Some Fish Quickly Adapt to Lethal Levels of Pollution

Some Fish Quickly Adapt to Lethal Levels of Pollution

December 8, 2016

Killifish living in four polluted East Coast estuaries have adapted to survive levels of toxic industrial pollutants that would normally kill them, tolerating concentrations up to 8,000 times higher than sensitive fish. A new study reveals the complex genetic basis for the Atlantic killifish’s remarkable resilience.

New Studies Take a Second Look at Coral Bleaching Culprit

New Studies Take a Second Look at Coral Bleaching Culprit

December 7, 2016

A new study from WHOI indicates that superoxide’”a natural toxin believed to be the main culprit behind coral bleaching’”may actually play a beneficial role in coral health and resilience.

Henry Dick

WHOI Geologist Henry Dick Named AAAS 2016 Fellow

November 23, 2016

Henry Dick of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon association members by their peers.

New Study Explains Mysterious Source of Greenhouse Gas Methane in the Ocean

New Study Explains Mysterious Source of Greenhouse Gas Methane in the Ocean

November 17, 2016

A new study may have cracked the longstanding ‘œmarine methane paradox,’ finding that the answer may lie in the complex ways that bacteria break down substances excreted into seawater by living organisms.

Mak Satio

WHOI Scientist Receives Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Award

November 10, 2016

The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation selected Mak Saito, a biogeochemist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), as one of eight awardees of a 2016 Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry grant.

WHOI Study Sheds Light on Previously Overlooked Aspect of Whale Songs

WHOI Study Sheds Light on Previously Overlooked Aspect of Whale Songs

November 2, 2016

Researchers have known for decades that whales create elaborate songs, sometimes projecting their calls for miles underwater. A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), however, has revealed a previously unknown element of whale songs that could aid…

New 13-year Study Tracks Impact of Changing Climate on a Key Marine Food Source

New 13-year Study Tracks Impact of Changing Climate on a Key Marine Food Source

October 20, 2016

A new multiyear study from scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has shown for the first time how changes in ocean temperature affect a key species of phytoplankton. The study, published in the October 21 issue of the journal Science, tracked levels of Synechococcus – ”a tiny bacterium common in marine ecosystems – ”near the coast of Massachusetts over a 13-year period. As ocean temperatures increased during that time, annual blooms of Synechococcus occurred up to four weeks earlier than usual because cells divided faster in warmer conditions, the study found.

Study Reveals Corals' Influence on Reef Microbes

Study Reveals Corals’ Influence on Reef Microbes

October 12, 2016

As they grow, corals are bathed in a sea of marine microbes, such as bacteria, algae, and viruses. While these extremely abundant and tiny microorganisms influence coral communities in a variety of ways, a new study by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) reveals that corals also have an impact on the microbes in waters surrounding them

Chief of Naval Operations Visits WHOI

September 19, 2016

Global ocean research projects and marine technology advances were among the topics presented on September 9 when the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), Admiral John Richardson, paid a visit to WHOI.

Ancient Skeleton Discovered on Antikythera Shipwreck

Ancient Skeleton Discovered on Antikythera Shipwreck

September 19, 2016

An international research team discovered a human skeleton during its ongoing excavation of the famous Antikythera Shipwreck (circa 65 B.C.) this month. The shipwreck, which holds the remains of a Greek trading or cargo ship, is located off the Greek island of Antikythera in the Aegean Sea. The first skeleton recovered from the wreck site during the era of DNA analysis, this find could provide insight into the lives of people who lived 2100 years ago.

Free-swimming Ocean Gliders Help Scientists Understand Storm Intensity

Free-swimming Ocean Gliders Help Scientists Understand Storm Intensity

September 5, 2016

A regional team from WHOI, Rutgers University, the University of Maine, the University of Maryland, and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute mobilized Friday in advance of Hurricane (now Tropical Storm) Hermine’s arrival in the Northeast to gather data from new ocean instruments that will help better predict the intensity and evolution of future tropical storms along the US East Coast

WHOI Receives $1 Million Award for Early-Career Scientists  from Grayce B. Kerr Fund

WHOI Receives $1 Million Award for Early-Career Scientists from Grayce B. Kerr Fund

September 2, 2016

The Grayce B. Kerr Fund has awarded the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) $1 million to establish an endowment in memory of WHOI Life Trustee Breene Kerr.

The Sound of a Healthy Reef

The Sound of a Healthy Reef

August 26, 2016

A new study from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will help researchers understand the ways that marine animal larvae use sound as a cue to settle on coral reefs. The study, published on August 23rd in the online journal Scientific Reports, has determined that sounds created by adult fish and invertebrates may not travel far enough for larvae – ”which hatch in open ocean – ”to hear them, meaning that the larvae might rely on other means to home in on a reef system.