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Post 8: Spring Release Summary

By Stephanie Murphy | May 21, 2026 | Comments Off on Post 8: Spring Release Summary

Unlike our winter and fall deployments, all of our drifters released during spring escaped Cape Cod Bay and are now in the greater Atlantic Ocean! Immediately after being released into the bay on May 11, the drifters built by Sofia and Ella/Viv (drifter 1 and 2) started to head northeast towards Race Point. The third…

Welcome, Jess Drysdale, WHOI Sea Grant’s New Research Coordinator

By Stephanie Murphy | May 19, 2026 | Comments Off on Welcome, Jess Drysdale, WHOI Sea Grant’s New Research Coordinator

WHOI Sea Grant welcomes Jessica Drysdale, who joined our team in May as research and fellowship coordinator. Jess has been working in the Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry department at WHOI since 2015, including projects exploring carbon cycling in the ocean and understanding the fate and movement of anthropogenic radionuclides from coastal sources. She has a…

CoastSnap Program Expands to Mashpee

By Stephanie Murphy | May 19, 2026 | Comments Off on CoastSnap Program Expands to Mashpee

With its soft sand and warm water, South Cape Beach in Mashpee is a popular Cape Cod summer destination. But it’s more than just a great place to relax; year round, South Cape also serves as a barrier for marshes, ponds, and habitats. Monitoring this shoreline is fundamental to being able to protect it, and beach-goers can be part …

Focusing on the Fundamentals of Shellfish Farming

By Stephanie Murphy | May 19, 2026 | Comments Off on Focusing on the Fundamentals of Shellfish Farming

Interest in aquaculture as a business opportunity brings a steady influx of inquiries to WHOI Sea Grant for technical and permitting assistance. The Fundamentals of Shellfish Farming class highlights ways someone could get involved with shellfish farming including creating a new farm, working on a farm, and …

Sunken Ships, Living Habitats: Removing marine debris from historic wrecks

By Stephanie Murphy | May 14, 2026 | Comments Off on Sunken Ships, Living Habitats: Removing marine debris from historic wrecks

WHOI biologist Kirstin Meyer-Kaiser studies the colonies that settle around shipwrecks, looking at changes to the colonies over time as well as changes to the ship, including the impacts of large fishing nets and other gear that become entangled in the wreck. This “marine debris” can destroy whole sections of a wreck, disrupting the habitat of colonizing animals.

A Strange and Fascinating Water World

By Stephanie Murphy | May 13, 2026 | Comments Off on A Strange and Fascinating Water World

The ocean is full of strange, fascinating, and sometimes surprising science. From its distinctive creatures to intricate ecosystems, here are some of the many things I learned in my 2025 O-STEAM fellowship that make the marine world so incredible.

Post 7: Spring Drifter Deployment

By Stephanie Murphy | May 12, 2026 | Comments Off on Post 7: Spring Drifter Deployment

Drifters for the spring deployment are prepped and ready in the lab. We released our third set of drifters into Cape Cod Bay on Monday (5/11/2026). Thank you to the crew of the RV Tioga for deploying the drifters for us! Recap First, a quick recap on the drifters from our last deployments! We still…

Women on the Water Film Screening in Woods Hole

By Stephanie Murphy | April 28, 2026 | Comments Off on Women on the Water Film Screening in Woods Hole

On Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 3 – 4:30 p.m., join WHOI Sea Grant and the Woods Hole Film Festival for a screening of Women on the Water, a documentary created by New Hampshire Sea Grant about the changing face of the seafood industry. A panel discussion with local fishers will follow. The screening is…

Earth Day 2026

By Stephanie Murphy | April 22, 2026 | Comments Off on Earth Day 2026

Be a positive force for the global ocean! This Earth Day, let’s focus on Ocean Literacy Principle #6: Humans and the ocean are inextricably interconnected. How might our actions impact the ocean for good? Here are some ideas: Beach Cleanups – Take 5! Even five minutes of beach cleanup makes a big difference to the…

Post 6: February Drifter Retrieval

By Stephanie Murphy | March 10, 2026 | Comments Off on Post 6: February Drifter Retrieval
Grace Simpkins with the drifter on the snow covered beach

What an interesting two weeks of drifter tracking! Released into the Bay on Feb. 10, the drifters experienced a nor’easter blizzard on Feb. 22 and 23, which brought wind gusts upward of 60 miles per hour. As of February 27 two drifters (Ella and Viv as well as Annie and Autumn) have hit land, while…