Posts by Stephanie Murphy
Note from the Director: Support for Sea Grant
Earlier this spring the Massachusetts Sea Grant programs invited residents to add their names to a sign-on letter urging Congress to maintain strong support for Sea Grant. To date, over 600 constituents—from shellfish growers in Wellfleet to science teachers in Worcester—have already answered the call. Their message is clear: our work keeps our coastal towns…
Read MoreSea Grant-funded Research: Sowing seeds of restoration
They’ve been called the nurseries of the coastal waters. Eelgrass meadows are crucial to the health of coastal ecosystems and the planet, providing essential habitat for marine life. In addition, they stabilize shorelines, improve water quality, and even contribute to climate change mitigation by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. But across the globe, the planet…
Read MoreMeet the Intern: My journey into the world of lobster
By Kiran Johnson I am allergic to lobster. I grew up in Chicago, and deep dish pizza is our pride and joy, not lobster rolls. When I moved to Boston to study journalism and environmental science at Northeastern University, my college-student budget prioritized coffee over seafood dining experiences. And so it was fitting, then, that…
Read MoreKnauss Fellow Profile: Katie Sperry
Hometown: Northampton, Massachusetts Area of research focus/interest: Restoration ecology of coastal habitats What are you doing during your Knauss Fellowship? I’m placed in NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Habitat Conservation’s Restoration Center (RC) for my Knauss Fellowship. Here, I get to see how ecosystem restoration is coordinated and funded at a federal level. Critically, the RC’s…
Read MoreFalmouth Seventh Graders Come to Woods Hole
Seventh Grade Day in the Village is an ambitious undertaking for WHOI Sea Grant educator Grace Simpkins and her counterpart at NOAA Fisheries. Every year they bring approximately 250 twelve- and thirteen-year-olds from Falmouth’s Lawrence Middle school to Woods Hole to experience the “science behind a sustainable ocean.” This year, the students’ excitement was electrifying…
Read MoreRecycle Your Boat Wrap the Easy Way on Cape Cod
From April 1 to July 31, 2025, Cape Cod boaters and marinas can recycle shrink wrap hassle-free—thanks to Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and WHOI Sea Grant. March 28, 2025 – April 1 marks opening day for boat shrink wrap recycling across Cape Cod. This year, the popular Cape-wide program will extend its collection season…
Read MoreTraining: Intro to Floodplain Management – March 20, 2025
For professionals interested in learning more about floodplain management! WHOI Sea Grant, the Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and the Waquoit Bay Reserve Coastal Training Program hosted a one-day introductory (or refresher) course on March 20, 2025 for professionals in the private sector or municipal departments such as Building, Conservation, Natural Resources, Planning, and others, to…
Read MoreWHOI Sea Grant Director Helps Bridge the Mass. Blue Economy to Cabo Verde
WHOI Sea Grant Director Matt Charette during the State Department trip to Cabo Verde. This October, WHOI Sr. Scientist Matt Charette was among more than a dozen scientists, business leaders, entrepreneurs, NGOs, and academics to participate in a recent U.S. State Department a Partnership Opportunity Delegation visit to Cabo Verde. The visit sought to create…
Read MoreFAQ: Transport of Radioactive Contaminants in and around Cape Cod Bay
Findings of a WHOI Sea Grant-funded study by WHOI scientists into the circulation patterns around Cape Cod Bay were published Dec. 4, 2024 in the Journal of Physical Oceanography. The paper, “Model-based study of near-surface transport in and around Cape Cod Bay, its seasonal variability and response to wind” by Margaret Gregory, Irina I. Rypina,…
Read MoreProposed Wastewater Release into Cape Cod Bay Likely to Remain in Bay for at Least One Month, Study Finds
Woods Hole, Mass. (Dec. 4, 2024) — Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) investigating the pathways of the proposed wastewater discharge from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station (PNPS) find it has a high probability of remaining in Cape Cod Bay for at least one month after release. Their findings are based on a…
Read More