A better way to study ocean currents
A new machine-learning model makes more accurate predictions about ocean currents, which could help with tracking plastic pollution and oil spills, and aid in search and rescue.
Like ancient mariners, ancestors of Prochlorococcus microbes rode out to sea on exoskeleton particles
A new study shows the carbon-capturing phytoplankton colonized the ocean by rafting on particles of chitin.
How to pull carbon dioxide out of seawater
A new method for removing the greenhouse gas from the ocean could be far more efficient than existing systems for removing it from the air.
Featured video: Investigating our blue ocean planet
Since 1968, the MIT-WHOI Joint Program has provided research and educational opportunities for PhD students seeking to explore the marine world.
Scientists discover a new way of sharing genetic information in a common ocean microbe
Prochlorococcus, the world’s most abundant photosynthetic organism, reveals a gene-transfer mechanism that may be key to its abundance and diversity.
In search of the principles of life
Associate Professor Otto Cordero is looking for the fundamental constraints that shape microbial ecosystems.
Ocean microbes get their diet through a surprising mix of sources, study finds
Up to one-third of the carbon consumed by Prochlorococcus may come from sources other than photosynthesis.
Small eddies play a big role in feeding ocean microbes
Swirling waters replenish nutrients in open ocean, a new study finds, and could mitigate some climate change effects.
MIT engineers build a battery-free, wireless underwater camera
The device could help scientists explore unknown regions of the ocean, track pollution, or monitor the effects of climate change.
Ocean scientists measure sediment plume stirred up by deep-sea-mining vehicle
A new field study reveals a previously unobserved fluid dynamic process that is key to assessing impact of deep-sea mining operations.
Starfish embryos swim in formation like a “living crystal”
Their swirling, clustering behavior might someday inform the design of self-assembling robotic swarms.
Engineers use artificial intelligence to capture the complexity of breaking waves
Their model’s predictions should help researchers improve ocean climate simulations and hone the design of offshore structures.
Predator interactions chiefly determine where Prochlorococcus thrive
New findings may help researchers hone predictions for where phytoplankton will migrate with climate change.
Scientists build new atlas of ocean’s oxygen-starved waters
The 3D maps may help researchers track and predict the ocean’s response to climate change.
Saving seaweed with machine learning
PhD candidate Charlene Xia is developing a low-cost system to monitor the microbiome of seaweed farms and identify diseases before they spread.