Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Woods Hole News

MV Wakashio ran aground on a coral reef off Mauritius, spilling 1000 tonnes of a new type of marine fuel oil, Image courtesy Curtin University

VLSFO Oil Spill Remnants Haunt Mauritius Mangroves Three Years Later

weathering and biodegradation in the three years since the accident and this had removed or reduced the levels of many of its toxic compounds.“However, the ongoing presence of the oil could still pose an unknown risk to the sensitive mangrove ecosystem.”In a previous collaboration with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Curtin research team obtained a unique chemical ‘fingerprint’ of the spilled oil, which enabled them to confirm its presence in the mangrove sediments.The study also compared the behavior of the Wakashio's VLSFO with traditional marine heavy fuel oils 

Image courtesy Woods Hole Group

Woods Hole Group Unveils DeepCLiDAR Buoys

The Woods Hole Group, the U.S. subsidiary of CLS, has three DeepCLiDAR buoy systems ready for deployment to conduct wind resource assessments, metocean, and marine environmental measurements, with additional buoys under construction. With the Atlantic Wind Lease Sale 11 for Commercial Leasing of Wind Power Development on the U.S. Gulf of Maine Outer Continental Shelf scheduled for October 29, 2024, the Woods Hole Group positions itself as a key supplier of metocean and marine environmental services to support future offshore wind projects in the region.Developed in partnership with the University

Benjamin Van Mooy (Photo: WHOI)

WHOI’s Benjamin Van Mooy Awarded 'Genius Grant'

Benjamin Van Mooy, a Senior Scientist and Interim Vice President for Science and Engineering at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), has received the esteemed MacArthur Fellowship, often referred to as a “genius grant.” This honor was announced by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which recognizes exceptional individuals from various fields, including science, art, literature, and social entrepreneurship, each year.The MacArthur Fellowship is designed to offer recipients the freedom to explore their creative and professional pursuits without the constraints of

Regina Yopak, Product Manager of Science and Research Technologies at Greensea IQ, presents to WHOI during a visit in 2023. (Photo: Greensea IQ)

Greensea IQ Partners with WHOI to Advance Ocean Research Technologies

Marine robotics innovator Greensea IQ has announced a partnership with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) aimed at revolutionizing ocean research technologies. The collaboration will tap into the combined strengths of Greensea IQ's advanced navigation, robotics, and remote operation systems alongside WHOI’s expertise in deep-sea exploration and underwater system design.Working closely with WHOI’s Deep Submergence Laboratory (DSL) and the National Deep Submergence Facility (NDSF), the initiative seeks to develop scalable technological solutions that enhance access to the

(Photo: Matson)

Matson Helping to Develop Whale Detection Technology for Ships

Since the new routes were implemented, Matson’s compliance with voluntary speed reduction guidelines in the protection zones has improved. Through May, Matson has earned an aggregate “B” grade for 2024 from Whale Safe, a vessel monitoring service.In addition, Matson has partnered with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) to develop and test whale detection technology for ships that can further reduce the risk of collisions.Last summer, Matson committed $1 million to support WHOI research and development of Whale Detection Cameras (WDC), which use thermal imaging to detect whale

Freshly emplaced (since 2018) lava mounds (black with yellow hydrothermal mineral staining) at the crater floor of KSM (Jan 2023). ROV Jason prepares to insert a temperature senor into a newly formed hydrothermal vent (yellow stained area, bottom right) within the recently erupted lavas. (©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Low Gravity on Ocean Worlds Might Help Sustain Warm Water Circulation

a complex computer model to investigate how the influence of low gravity, as found on ocean worlds in our outer solar system, could influence flows of water and heat below their seafloors.The work was conducted as part of a multi-institutional “Exploring Ocean Worlds” NASA program, led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Senior Scientist Chris German. It has shed new light on the potential for seafloor hydrothermal venting —which hosts some of the most primitive life forms on Earth — to occur on other “Ocean World” moons orbiting giant planets in the outer

Source: Teledyne Marine

Teledyne Marine Pays Tribute to Doug Webb

Douglas Webb, an esteemed Oceanographer Emeritus from Woods Hole, MA, and founder of Teledyne Webb Research, received recognition for his lifelong contributions to science at the Teledyne Marine facility located in North Falmouth, MA, on June 5, 2024.Teledyne staff members Clara Hulburt, Shea Quinn, and Clayton Jones delivered an informative and historical talk about Webb’s legacy as an engineer, scientist, innovator, and world changer.Webb contributed significantly to developing low-frequency acoustic sound sources such as SOFAR, RAFOS, and Tonpilz for water mass tracking, long-range navigation

© Richard Carey / Adobe Stock

Funding Awarded for Five Projects that Study Ocean Systems in a Changing Climate

coastal waters, WAM will investigate how and why oxygen levels decrease, at times to extremely low values, how those shifts affect marine life and the coastal communities that rely on fishing, and what the consequences are regionally and globally.Ocean Margins Initiative (OMI). Led by: Amala Mahadevan (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute), Melissa Omand (University of Rhode Island), and Edem Mahu (University of Ghana)Ocean margins—the nexus between land and ocean —are biologically productive regions but poorly represented in climate and carbon cycle models. To improve global carbon cycle projections

Josh O’Brien (Marine Technician) and Annabelle Adams-Beyea (Student, Montana State University) remove Niskin bottles from the CTD rosette prior to a re-deployment. Highly sensitive oxygen sensors were mounted on the CTD rosette which were used to make measurements of the extent of the oxygen minimum zone. "CTD" stands for conductivity, temperature, and depth, and refers to a package of electronic devices used to detect how the conductivity and temperature of water changes relative to depth.
Cred

DISCOVERY: New Tech Aids Understanding of the Oxygen Minimum Zone

the detection limit for traditional equipment. The scientists’ application of multiple, custom-built technologies specifically designed for the OMZ offers a new paradigm for studying this globally important environment and new insights into how it functions.Maria Pachiadaki (Chief Scientist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution) and Lizt Osorio Pando (Student, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada, Baja California) prepare the Microbial Sampler (filters and preserves samples in situ) for deployment

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