Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

NUI is lowered into the Aegean Sea before plunging to a depth of 500 meters (1,640 ft) to explore the active Kolumbo volcano

Marine

Underwater robot autonomously gathers seabed samples

While underwater remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) certainly are useful, manually controlling the things via a console can be quite a painstaking task. That's why researchers have now enabled one to autonomously gather samples from the ocean floor.

A southern right whale rolling on her side, alongside her calf

Science

Quadcopter drone used to "weigh" whales from above

Scientists have used a drone to calculate the weight of live whales as they're swimming.

A Southern Resident Killer Whale surfaces in British Columbia

Environment

Intelligent infrared cameras may help keep boats from striking killer whales

There are currently fewer than 80 Southern Resident Killer Whales left in North America's Pacific Northwest, and unfortunately boat collisions with them are on the rise. In order to address the problem, scientists are now looking to artificially-intelligent infrared cameras.

A hexacopter gets a full load of whale "blow"

Drones

Drone gets blasted with whale breath – for a good cause

If you were a whale, chances are you wouldn't like someone following along above you in a motorboat. That's traditionally how researchers ascertain what types of bacteria are present in a whale's exhaled breath, though. Now, scientists have utilized a less intrusive method – they've used a drone.

Environment

Acoustic buoy lets scientists eavesdrop on whales in real-time

Whales inhabiting the waters off of New York and New Jersey can now be heard in real-time thanks to an acoustic monitoring buoy created by a consortium of marine scientists. The device allows the group to track, study and protect several species of endangered baleen whales.

A great white takes a bite of the REMUS SharkCam during a recent mission

Biology

Autonomous underwater vehicle provides new insights into shark behaviour

It's not easy studying sharks. With most observations being made from the surface we know almost nothing of the predator's behavior below the waves. The REMUS SharkCam AUV and the team at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute are starting to pierce the blue veil.

A new data-logging tag, called the ITAG, was developed specifically for small and delicate invertebrates

Biology

Scientists develop unique tag for tracking jellyfish and squid

Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have developed a new technology called ITAG, which is designed to place instruments on squid, jellyfish to provide detailed information about the animals and their habitat.

The "cloud streets" over the Greenland and Iceland seas shown in this satellite image exist as a result of heat and moisture transfer processes that warm the atmosphere and cool the ocean

Environment

European climate at mercy of retreating sea ice

An international team of scientists has found that retreating sea ice between the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans is linked to significantly weakened air-sea heat exchange in the region since 1979. This, it warns, could result in a cooler climate in western Europe.

The SeaBED AUV mapping a previously-inaccessible area under the Antarctic sea ice (Photo: Klaus Meiners/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Robotics

Underwater robot provides first detailed, high-resolution 3D maps of Antarctic sea ice

Antarctic scientists have made big gains in our knowledge of Antarctic sea ice thanks to an autonomous underwater vehicle that produced high-resolution 3D maps beneath previously-inaccessible ice floes. The new data suggests the ice may be thicker and more deformed than previously thought.

The loss of the Nereus submersible represents a significant loss to the scientific community (Photo: Ken Kostel, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

Marine

Flagship research submersible declared lost at sea

One of the scientific community's flagship unmanned research submarines, used for deep-sea exploration, has been declared lost as of 2 pm (New Zealand Standard Time), May 10. It was in use by researchers aboard the scientific research vessel, the Thomas G.

Marine

Alvin deep-sea sub cleared to start next half-century of service

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announced on Friday that the Alvin deep-sea submersible is returning to service. The DC3 of the oceanographic world was launched fifty years ago in 1964 and is ready to begin its second half-century of service after a three-year overhaul.

After almost half a century in service, the revamped Alvin submersible is once again heading for deep water

Marine

Upgraded Alvin submersible sets sail

DSV Alvin has completed a major US$41 million redesign and refit and set sail on Saturday aboard its mothership R/V Atlantis for certification testing off the coast of Oregon and California.