Posts by Stephanie Murphy
Flushing Out Answers: Scientists Investigate Smarter Septic Systems for Cape Cod
Ever wonder where your shampoo goes after it swirls down the drain? Spoiler alert: if you live on Cape Cod, the answer could be your backyard—and your favorite swimming spot. One-third of all homes in Massachusetts rely on septic systems rather than sewers to dispose of wastewater, and on Cape Cod that number is much…
Read MoreO-STEAM Drifters Assist Cape Cod Bay Circulation Study
This October, four ocean drifters made by O-STEAM fellows were launched into Cape Cod Bay. The GPS transmitters on the drifters are tracking their paths in and around the Bay. Our “live” map shows the last known drifter locations. As a part of this summer’s O-STEAM fellowship program, Margaret Gregory, a fifth year PhD candidate…
Read MoreThe Science Behind Shifting Sands
“In my opinion, the beach is a living breathing thing. It changes every day, with every wave. When the wind blows, the beach changes.” That’s what WHOI Sea Grant coastal processes specialist Bryan McCormack told the more than 185 people who filled the auditorium for the 2025 State of Wellfleet Harbor Conference on November 1.…
Read MoreQ&A with Knauss Fellow Lina Taenzer
WHOI Sea Grant recently caught up with 2025 Knauss Fellow Lina Taenzer for a short interview. Dive into the Q&A to hear about her life in D.C. and her experiences at NOAA’s Global Ocean Monitoring and Observation office.
Read MoreHelp Track a Surprising New Arrival on Our Shores
For WHOI Sea Grant/Cape Cod Cooperative Extension’s marine team, it started with a text message back in the spring of 2023: “Any idea what this strange clam is?” And from there a story has begun to unfold. Spotted by commercial harvesters in Chatham and Wellfleet, Manila Clams (Ruditapes philippinarum) had not been documented in New…
Read MoreResearch Coordinator Jennie Rheuban Moves to New Role at WHOI
In October, WHOI Sea Grant bid farewell to our research coordinator Jennie Rheuban. Jennie joined Sea Grant in 2019 as the program’s first research coordinator, where she helped shape the program’s research agenda, administered our biennial call for proposals, and worked closely with scientists to bring their work to those that will benefit from it.…
Read MorePost 3: First Drifter Recoveries
We’ve had an exciting few weeks tracking our drifters! As of November 12 two drifters – yellow “Sofia” and teal “Sophia” – have reached shore! Keep reading to find out where they came ashore and who found them. The other two – purple “Maddie” and red “Athvika” – are still drifting but have exited Cape…
Read MorePost 2: Our First Deployment
We released our first set of four drifters into Cape Cod Bay on Friday (10/24/2025)! We had planned to deploy them a few days earlier, but weather conditions prevented us from going out. We finally had a window on Friday – which, unfortunately, was a day I was unable to join. So, thank you to…
Read MorePost 1: Building the Drifters
As a part of this summer’s O-STEAM program, I was able to spend a day with the fellows talking about how drifters can be used to study the transport of water within Cape Cod Bay. Drifters have been used by oceanographers to track ocean currents for more than four decades. They’re relatively inexpensive, versatile, and…
Read MoreWhere Have All the Flounder Gone: Scientists use e-DNA to investigate
Resource managers have taken a range of conservation measures to improve the southern New England’s winter flounder population, including reduced catch limits and restrictions on dredging in their spawning habitat. Despite these steps, winter flounder stocks remain low. Scientists from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) want to know why. Eelgrass habitats serve…
Read More