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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

Lush Life, Deep Down

Lush Life, Deep Down

December 30, 2013

Scientists find an active ecosystem of bacteria, archaea, and fungi in the sediments far beneath the sea floor.

WHOI Scientists Garner Awards in 2013

WHOI Scientists Garner Awards in 2013

December 23, 2013

As the year 2013 ends, we profile scientists who recently received awards and recognition for their work.

What Doomed the Stromatolites?

What Doomed the Stromatolites?

November 15, 2013

About […]

A Quest For Resilient Reefs

A Quest For Resilient Reefs

October 4, 2013

Anne […]

The Harshest Habitats on Earth

The Harshest Habitats on Earth

September 19, 2013

With help from ROV Jason and a new, high-tech sampling instrument, scientists discover that even in a hyper-saline realm, with no light and no oxygen, under crushing pressure, life still finds a way.

News Releases

new vent

Warm water could persist within icy ocean worlds

June 24, 2024

A new study investigates how the influence of low gravity, as found on ocean worlds in our solar system, impacts flow of water and heat below their seafloors.

Titan

Wave activity on Saturn’s largest moon

June 20, 2024

MIT, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution researchers find wave activity on Saturn’s largest moon may be strong enough to erode the coastlines of lakes and seas.

HOV Alvin

Five new hydrothermal vents discovered in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

March 26, 2024

Ocean scientists discovered the new deep-sea hydrothermal vent sites on the seafloor at 2,550 meters (8366 feet, or 1.6 miles) depth.

An icy sunset

Study says ice age could help predict oceans’ response to global warming

January 22, 2024

Woods Hole, MA – A team of scientists led by a Tulane University oceanographer and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has found that deposits deep under the ocean floor reveal a way to measure the ocean oxygen level and […]

Multicorer Recovery

Evidence of Climate Change in the North Atlantic can be Seen in the Deep Ocean, Study Finds

November 17, 2023

Woods Hole, Mass. -Evidence of climate change in the North Atlantic during the last 1,000 years can be seen in the deep ocean, according to a newly published paper led by researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and […]

News & Insights

Deep-sea coral reef discovered in the Galápagos with Alvin

May 12, 2023

In April 2023, scientists diving in the human-occupied submersible Alvin discovered extensive, ancient deep-sea coral reefs within the Galápagos Marine Reserve.

The Search for Life

February 17, 2021

This week, NASA’s Perseverance Rover lands on Mars to continue the search for life on the Red Planet. At the same time, WHOI scientists and engineers are applying their experience exploring the deepest parts of planet Earth to the quest […]

iceberg

Can icebergs be towed to water-starved cities?

January 6, 2021

WHOI researchers are now investigating the feasibility of towing icebergs to alleviate water shortages.

A REMUS-600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) communicates with an ocean-bottom seismograph (OBS) via a WHOI-developed optical modem link during lab testing. This link enables REMUS vehicles to act as "seismic data mules" whereby they offload data OBS stations without the need for ships or human intervention. (Photo by Dara Tebo, © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Can seismic data mules protect us from the next big one?

October 7, 2020

Ocean scientists leverage game-changing technologies to improve our understanding of the global ocean’s most dangerous earthquake faults and enable more advanced warnings for seismic risk.

greenland ice

Will melting glaciers cool the climate?

July 29, 2020

As glaciers melt at unprecedented rates, WHOI’s Simon Pendleton is looking back to historical records to predict whether this new cool runoff will slow ocean circulation and cool the northern hemisphere––findings which could mean adjustments to some climate predictions.