WHOI announces transformative $10 million gift
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 31 July 2024
WHOI has received a $10M gift from the Grossman Family Foundation to establish the Grossman Catalyst Fund, supporting early-stage ocean research and innovation with seed grants and matching funds to spur discovery and long-term impact.
Keywords: ocean research, innovation, seed funding, ocean science, engineering, philanthropy
Swimming crustacean eats unlikely food source in the deep ocean
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 11 September 2024
A WHOI-led study using the submersible Alvin reveals that a rare deep-sea isopod, Bathyopsurus nybelini, feeds on sunken surface algae (Sargassum), highlighting vital links between surface ecosystems and the deep ocean food web.
Keywords: ocean food web, deep-ocean biodiversity, deep-sea ecology, submersible, carbon cycling, Puerto Rico Trench, Mid-Cayman Rise, NSF, microbiome, marine adaptation
Microbe Dietary Preferences Influence the Effectiveness of Carbon Sequestration in the Deep Ocean
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Published: 13 September 2024
A new WHOI-led study in Science reveals that bacteria have specific dietary preferences for ocean lipids, influencing how carbon sinks to the deep sea—key to understanding and forecasting global carbon sequestration in a changing climate.
Keywords: microbial preference, carbon sequestration, biological carbon pump, mesopelagic zone, marine bacteria, sinking particles
