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Research Highlights

Oceanus Magazine

underwater paddle board

Counting on Corals

June 20, 2024

As struggling reefs put a squeeze on Belize’s Blue Economy, could heat-tolerant corals be the answer?

Joides Resolution

Unlocking the Earth’s time capsule

November 2, 2023

Mantle rocks and fluids from one of the final expeditions on the R/V JOIDES Resolution will provide insights into how Earth was formed—and maybe how life began—for generations of scientists

Paddling Illustration

Paddling an angry, ancient ocean

May 24, 2023

If ancient Beringians got to the Americas by boat, it couldn’t have been easy

Reconstructing the Bering Sea’s stormy past

February 12, 2023

Researchers help Bering Sea indigenous communities understand the past and plan for future

A man dressed in orange samples orange lava from black volcanic rock.

The predictive power of geochemistry

December 19, 2022

A WHOI researcher looks for changes in gas molecules to forecast volcanic eruptions such as Mauna Loa in Hawai’i.

News Releases

Volcanic Arcs Form by Deep Melting of Rock Mixtures

Volcanic Arcs Form by Deep Melting of Rock Mixtures

April 7, 2017

A new study published in the journal Science Advances changes our understanding of how volcanic arc lavas are formed, and may have implications for the study of earthquakes and the risks of volcanic eruption.

Corals Die as Global Warming Collides with Local Weather in the South China Sea

Corals Die as Global Warming Collides with Local Weather in the South China Sea

March 23, 2017

New research highlights the devastation caused when global-scale ocean warming interacts with short-lived weather anomalies, and adds urgency to the question of how reefs will fare through the end of this century.

Taking Earth’s Inner Temperature

Taking Earth’s Inner Temperature

March 2, 2017

A new WHOI study led by WHOI suggests the mantle—the mostly solid, rocky part of Earth’s interior that lies between its super-heated core and its outer crustal layer—may be hotter than previously believed. The surprising finding could change how scientists think about many issues in Earth science including how ocean basins form.

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.

Where Iron and Water Mix

July 8, 2015

A new study by researchers from University of Washington (UW), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), and the University of Southern California, demonstrates that chemical-laden plumes erupted from vents at one section of Mid Ocean Ridge in the SE Pacific can be traced all the way across the Pacific for more than 4000 kilometers.  Further, the study shows how the iron transported by this process is ultimately brought to the surface oceans of Antarctica where it is serves as a key life-sustaining micro-nutrient supporting up to 30 percent of all the organic carbon uptake in that ocean. 

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.