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International Group of Scientists Collaborate to Communicate about Ocean Acidification

February 22, 2010

Climate change is a well-known problem resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and the subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. But a separate, lesser-known problem resulting from increased CO2 emissions is that the world’s oceans are…

WHOI contributes to special seamount issue of Oceanography magazine

February 22, 2010

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) biologist Timothy M. Shank is among five guest editors of a newly published special edition of the research journal Oceanography on the oceans? seamounts, submerged isolated mountains in the sea. Shank is also a contributor to the special Oceanography edition.

Team finds subtropical waters flushing through Greenland fjord

February 16, 2010

Waters from warmer latitudes — or subtropical waters — are reaching Greenland’s glaciers, driving melting and likely triggering an acceleration of ice loss, reports a team of researchers led by Fiamma Straneo, a physical oceanographer from the Woods Hole Oceanographic…

WHOI Expert: Haiti quake occurred in complex, active seismic region

January 14, 2010

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that triggered disastrous destruction and mounting death tolls in Haiti this week occurred in a highly complex tangle of tectonic faults near the intersection of the Caribbean and North American crustal plates, according to a quake expert at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) who has studied faults in the region and throughout the world.

WHOI Receives $8.1 Million Grant to Construct New Laboratory

January 13, 2010

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) will receive $8.1 million from the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to construct the Laboratory for Ocean Sensors and Observing Systems. The WHOI award is one of only 12…

WHOI-Operated ROV Jason Images the Discovery of the Deepest Explosive Eruption on the Sea Floor

December 17, 2009

Oceanographers using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Jason discovered and recorded the first video and still images of a deep-sea volcano actively erupting molten lava on the seafloor. Jason, designed and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for the…

Two WHOI Scientists Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

December 17, 2009

John Farrington and David Gallo of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

Woods Hole Consortium Delegates Participating in U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this Week

December 11, 2009

CONTACTS: Andrea Early, Marine Biological Laboratory 508-289-7652; aearly@mbl.edu Media Relations Office, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 508-289-3340; media@whoi.edu Elizabeth Braun, Woods Hole Research Center 508-540-9900, x109; ebraun@whrc.org WOODS HOLE, MA—Directors and scientists from the Woods Hole Consortium are in Copenhagen, Denmark,…

In CO2-rich Environment, Some Ocean Dwellers Increase Shell Production

December 1, 2009

In a striking finding that raises new questions about carbon dioxide?s (CO2) impact on marine life, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientists report that some shell-building creatures?such as crabs, shrimp and lobsters?unexpectedly build more shell when exposed to ocean acidification caused by elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2).

CO2 Emissions Continue Significant Climb

November 24, 2009

The annual rate of increase in carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels has more than tripled in this decade, compared to the 1990s, reports an international consortium of scientists, who paint a bleak picture of the Earth?s future unless ?CO2 emissions [are] drastically reduced.?

Bruce Warren

WHOI’s Bruce A. Warren Is Awarded Sverdrup Gold Medal

November 19, 2009

Bruce A. Warren?one of the world?s pre-eminent researchers of deep ocean currents and scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)?is the 2010 winner of the prestigious Sverdrup Gold Medal, awarded by the American Meteorological Society (AMS).

New Tsunami Education Web Site Developed by Oceanographers

November 19, 2009

Scientists and Web developers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have created a new educational Web site with crucial tips on how to prepare for and survive a tsunami. Tagged as “an interactive guide that could save your life,”…

SEA to conduct expedition dedicated to measuring plastic marine debris in the North Atlantic Ocean

November 12, 2009

(Woods Hole, Mass.) — Sea Education Association (SEA) is preparing to conduct the first-ever research expedition dedicated solely to examining the accumulation of plastic marine debris in the North Atlantic Ocean. The expedition, scheduled to begin in June, will expand…

Newly Discovered Fat Molecule: An Undersea Killer with an Upside

November 5, 2009

A chemical culprit responsible for the rapid, mysterious death of phytoplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean has been found by collaborating scientists at Rutgers University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI).  This same chemical may hold unexpected promise in…

Mystery Solved: Marine Microbe Is Source of Rare Nutrient

September 28, 2009

A new study of microscopic marine microbes, called phytoplankton, by researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the University of South Carolina has solved a ten-year-old mystery about the source of an essential nutrient in the ocean. Roughly a…

Climate Change Meets Ocean Life in New Northeast Research Institute

September 24, 2009

Federal and academic marine scientists in the Northeast have combined resources in a new effort to understand how the large marine ecosystem off the northeastern U.S. functions. “I am very pleased to be involved in research that can truly improve…

WHOI Will Host Public Forum on Sea Level Rise

September 21, 2009

sea level rise, Morss Colloquium, polar ice cap, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Will Lead Coastal and Global Observatories Effort

September 2, 2009

A Cooperative Agreement signed today by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership (OL) gives Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and its partners approval to begin construction on ocean observing infrastructure at coastal sites offshore of…

New Temperature Reconstruction from Indo-Pacific Warm Pool

August 27, 2009

A new 2,000-year-long reconstruction of sea surface temperatures (SST) from the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) suggests that temperatures in the region may have been as warm during the Medieval Warm Period as they are today. The IPWP is the largest…

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Appoints New Chief Financial Officer

July 7, 2009

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced today that it has appointed Christopher J. (Chris) Winslow to the position of chief financial officer (CFO) and VP for Finance and Administration. Winslow will assume his duties at WHOI on August 24,…