Each year, more than eight million tons of plastic swirl into the ocean. So where does it all go? 🌀🌊 Using 3D modeling, WHOI scientists found that they get caught in “tornado-like” currents below the waves. Get caught up with Popular Mechanics: go.whoi.edu/popmechs-plastic

Thanks to you, our Bluesky following is stronger every day! So, what did you like most this year? This little story about the dog figurines we delivered to NASA astronaut & WHOI Corporation member Suni Williams! Check out what else made the ocean world go round in 2025: whoi.edu/best-of-2025/

#Throwback to a life ring on the Institution's original research vessel Atlantis, circa 1952. The steel-hulled ketch rigged sailboat helped make oceanographic history from 1932-1966. Seasons greetings from everyone at WHOI! 🎄⛵ 📸 © Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Did you spot the Alvin float at the San Diego Parade of Lights? The crew aboard the R/V Atlantis showed off its holiday spirit by building an Alvin float for San Diego’s annual twilight flotilla! Join us in wishing our creative and hardworking ATLANTIS crew a happy holidays! 📸 Lance Wills

What starts on the ocean floor can end up in the WHOI Store! Find out how ocean research and art come together from the Cape Cod Times: go.whoi.edu/cct-whoi-art Pssst! Need a last-minute Christmas gift? The WHOI Store is open until 4pm on December 24! Come find us at 93 Water Street, Woods Hole.

Thanks to tiny plant-like marine organisms called phytoplankton, the ocean breathes life around the world! 😲 Find out what else you didn’t know about our incredible ocean planet: go.whoi.edu/ocean-world #ItsAnOceanWorld

While the terrestrial part of this planet has been thoroughly mapped at high resolution, we can't say the same for the other 71% of the planet (the ocean)! Leave a guess, then experience some of the wonders we've found so far: go.whoi.edu/ocean-world

'Twas the solstice in Woods Hole, when all through the labs, not a creature was stirring. Not even the crabs! The Cape Cod Times is ringing in the longest night of the year with a celebration of all the science that happens here in Woods Hole! Catch the highlights go.whoi.edu/cct-winter

What can you learn from a life of ocean exploration? Underwater photographer @brianskerry.bsky.social has spent nearly half a century creating images that blur the line between science and art. Skerry shares his insights and images in our latest issue of Oceanus: go.whoi.edu/skerry 📸 Brian Skerry

How long do you think biodegradable plastics take to break down? WHOI marine chemist Collin Ward simulates real-world conditions in his lab to test how long different materials last in the ocean. Find out what worked best from Revelator News: go.whoi.edu/rev-plastics

We've been selected for a mission to study other ocean worlds in our solar system! The NASA-led study will investigate how carbon-rich molecules form on icy moons like Europa & Enceladus. The goal is to develop a method for answering the age-old question: are we alone? 👉More: go.whoi.edu/ont-ow

When you think about ocean exploration, what comes to mind? Cutting-edge technology, otherworldly creatures, legendary shipwrecks? Whatever sparks your imagination, we’re right there with you, pushing boundaries to explore & understand our ocean planet. Explore with us: go.whoi.edu/breakthroughs

Passive acoustic buoys are scientists’ ears in the deep! Find out how this WHOI-developed technology helps protect whales from ship strikes from Maryland Public Television: go.whoi.edu/om-whales

🩰Ballet at sea, anyone? Recently, WHOI engineers & crew orchestrated a Nutcracker-level production with winches, pulleys, and ropes to deploy moorings in the treacherous waters off the coast of eastern Greenland. Go behind the scenes with @nytimes.com: go.whoi.edu/nyt-greenland 📸 Esther Horvath

Meet the R/V Neil Armstrong—A ship designed for discovery, innovation, and ocean exploration! Owned by the Office of Naval Research, we operate ARMSTRONG on behalf of the nation’s scientific community. Exploring the Atlantic since 2016, ARMSTRONG supports ocean research through @unols.bsky.social.

Peer beneath the surface with AI! Underwater imaging technologies developed at WHOI identify & count zooplankton with remarkable speed and accuracy, giving scientists crucial insights into the marine food web—and how changes at the microscopic level impact our fisheries.

🔔🎄🌊 Silver bells! silver bells. It’s Christmas time in the deep sea! 🎶 This bell-shaped cluster is made up of gelatinous organisms called salps. 📲 Learn more about the gifts that salps and other ocean animals give our planet every day: twilightzone.whoi.edu/explore-the-otz/climate

The ocean covers 71% of our planet, but despite this fact, humans have only observed a small percentage of it. 🌍🌎🌏 How little? Take a wild guess in the comments!👇 Then get to know some of the wonders we've found so far: go.whoi.edu/ocean-world

It’s greatest daily migration on Earth—that hardly anyone has heard of. 🦠🦐🐟 🌀Find out why WHOI researchers are turning to the “twilight zone” to understand the mid-ocean's role in global fisheries and keeping the planet cool: go.whoi.edu/ocean-world #ItsAnOceanWorld

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh what fun it is to run through the WHOI hallways! 🔔🏃🏽‍♀🎅🏽 How do you lighten the load at work during the holidays? Let's share some ideas in the comments 👇🏽 📹 by Rachel Mann/WHOI

Plankton may be nearly invisible, but these tiny floating organisms sustain the entire ocean food web. 🦠🦐🐟🐋 👉Get the bigger (little) picture on ocean health from WHOI biologist Heidi Sosik in Oceanus: go.whoi.edu/littlebigpicture @uslter.bsky.social @nes-lter.bsky.social

Thar she blows! WHOI scientists are giving North Atlantic right whales a health checkup—with drones! 🐳 📲Find out how this non-invasive method of microbial sampling can help protect the critically endangered whale from @usatoday.com: go.whoi.edu/ut-whales

WHOI researchers are turning on the stereo on Maui reefs—and baby corals are showing up to the party! 🪸🎶🐠 📲Watch the full CNN story to see how our Reef Solutions team is helping to reverse reef decline from USVI to Hawai'i—through sound: go.whoi.edu/cnn-reefs #GiveReefsAChance #ReefSolutions

You may have been lucky enough to explore some breathtaking canyons on this planet, but have you been to the deepest of them all? 🤔 Share your guesses (and experiences!) in the comments!👇🏽

Has it gotten colder? We haven’t noticed 😏 Make the WHOI soft shell vest your new go-to for layering. Thanks to microfleece lining, this lightweight and breathable vest is the perfect companion for cooler days that call for warmth. 📲 Stay warm while supporting science: go.whoi.edu/shell

🌊📆 🌊 Ring in the new year with our 2026 wall calendar! Each of these amazing images of ocean life and field work was captured by our scientists and photographers—and your purchase helps support their work! 📲Order yours at the WHOI Store: go.whoi.edu/2025-calendar 📸 © #WHOI

Are we alone in the universe? 👽 We just received a 5-year grant from NASA to sniff out chemical clues about life on other ocean worlds—just in time for the arrival of @handle.invalid to Jupiter's icy moon! So why are ocean scientists leading this quest? 📲Find out: go.whoi.edu/invow

After #WHOI and Ifremer scientists found the wreckage of the Titanic in 1985, it opened a new chapter in deep sea exploration! KMBC came from Kansas City to Woods Hole to talk about this legacy of discovery. 📲Get to the bottom of the Titanic story on YouTube: go.whoi.edu/kmbc-titanic

Dead sea creatures are washing up across South Australia—and residents are getting sick. But why? Scientists, including #WHOI ecologist Don Anderson, have linked the mystery to the obscure algae Karenia cristata. 📲Find out what scientists know so far from @science.org: go.whoi.edu/sci-algae

In the game of life, longevity depends on the resources available in your environment. Some organisms, like the mayfly, live for about one day, while others can live for decades or even centuries. What do you think the oldest animals on Earth are? 🦍🐋🦁 👉Let us know what you think!

Commercial ships and ferries now have more options for a lookout on deck! The WHOI-developed WhaleSpotter uses AI, thermal imaging, and remote marine observers to alert captains when whales are nearby, giving them a chance to steer clear. 📲Find out how it works: go.whoi.edu/apr-spotter

We’re prescribing probiotics, round-the-clock monitoring, and a microbial panel to rule out any illness. 👩‍⚕️Doctors orders—for corals! 🪸 👉🏾Learn how the WHOI’s Reef Solutions team's holistic approach gives corals a fighting chance in a warmer world: go.whoi.edu/reefRX #GiveReefsAChance

🎁It's the most wonderful sale of the year... Now through December 1, take 20% OFF everything in our store! Don't miss out! Find the perfect gift while supporting ocean science: go.whoi.edu/holiday25

Despite the fire, flood, and logistical chaos at @cop30brazil.bsky.social, the #OceanPavilion, co-organized by WHOI and @scrippsocean.bsky.social, helped move the needle on critical ocean issues. 👉🏾Get our full report—and find out why COP31 could be the first #BlueCOP ever: go.whoi.edu/cop30-wrap

In honor of #NativeAmericanHeritageDay, take a moment to celebrate the relationship that many Indigenous people have with the ocean! 🐚🎣 ⁠ ⁠ 📲Watch the 4-part series, produced by @seagrant.whoi.edu with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe: go.whoi.edu/sustaining-communities ⁠ ⁠

Traveling for the holidays? Skip the airport—hitch a ride on these globetrotting currents!🌀✈️☺️ 📲Get to know our amazing ocean planet through our new science interactive: http://go.whoi.edu/ocean-world

Sentry gets into the holiday spirit! 🦃 During a 2016 expedition aboard the research vessel Atlantis, WHOI engineer Justin Fujii embellished our underwater robot Sentry with electrical tape to resemble a turkey. ⁠ How do you celebrate holidays when you can't be with family or friends?

How do whale researchers "catch a breath?" With drones, of course! #WHOI & New England Aquarium scientists remotely captured blowhole spray from North Atlantic right whales in Cape Cod Bay to learn more about their health—without invading their space! 📲Learn more from BBC: go.whoi.edu/bbc-whale

✅❌ Fact or Fiction: Do plastics actually stay in the environment for thousands of years? Find out through the WHOI Ocean Learning Hub: go.whoi.edu/plastic

We spotted a familiar face! 👀 Bruce Strickrott, lead pilot of the WHOI-operated deep-sea sub Alvin, was recently featured in a new Apple ad highlighting the power of curiosity, ideas, and exploration. Go behind the scenes with Apple’s spotlight: go.whoi.edu/apple

🤔Where is the largest coral colony on Earth? 🪸 It's not in the Great Barrier Reef! It's actually Laloniasi, a 300-year-old coral (Pavona clavus) measuring the size of two basketball courts in the Solomon Islands. 👉Find out why our #ReefSolutions team is studying it: go.whoi.edu/megacoral

🎶🦐🐠 Composer Chad Cannon recently teamed up with WHOI's Sensory Ecology & Bioacoustics Lab to create "Call of the Reef" featuring snapping shrimp! 👉Get the backstory on this collaboration—and how our researchers are restoring reef ecosystems through sound: go.whoi.edu/oceanmusic

Ready to shift your world view? 🌎🌍🌏 👉🏽Explore our planet as you never have before: go.whoi.edu/ocean-world

📣We're at @cop30brazil.bsky.social to speak for the ocean! 🌊 For the past four years, working with @scrippsocean.bsky.social and partners around the world, we've brought the #OceanPavilion to the UN's annual climate talks—creating a hub for ocean-based #climatesolutions!

🍌 Long before the Internet made the official size comparison a “banana for scale,” WHOI researchers had perfected the art of creative size comparison—using whatever they had on deck to show the size of what they pulled up in their nets. What informal tools do you use to measure in a pinch? 🤔

Get a free copy of WHOI’s award-winning magazine! This Oceanus special edition explores breakthroughs in ocean science + technology that unlock new possibilities for ocean, our planet, and our future. 👉Supplies are limited— get yours today: explore.whoi.edu/oceanus-giveaway-its-an-ocean-world

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…super crab? 🦀 Carolyn Tepolt says invasive European green crabs are adapting to colder waters, which could spell chaos for vulnerable coastal ecosystems. 📲Find out how communities are eradicating these invaders from the @alaskabeacon.com: go.whoi.edu/ab-crab

At this year’s UN climate conference @cop30brazil.bsky.social, the ocean is finally considered a vital part of climate solutions! 🌊📜🤝 👉🏽Find out how we’ve been pushing for this recognition all year—and what’s been happening at the #OceanPavilion this week: go.whoi.edu/cop30-week1

WHOI researcher Jen Johnson recently returned from a #Fulbright-funded mission to #Angola, working with the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira to build a more accurate fisheries survey program with acoustic techniques. Here's to long-term collab across the Atlantic #fulbrightscholar

📣 Microbes 🦠 are a key player & stakeholder in what happens next for our planet 🌎. C-CoMP will host a panel this week at #COP30 in the #OceanPavilion to discuss how to include the invisible microbial majority in a sustainable future. ccomp-stc.org/microbes-at-... @whoi.edu @cop30brazil.bsky.social