Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

About: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a nonprofit organization based out in Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Mantle (geology). The organization has 5685 authors who have published 18396 publications receiving 1202050 citations. The organization is also known as: WHOI.

Impact of fjord dynamics and glacial runoff on the circulation near Helheim Glacier

Abstract: Greenland to show that the melting circulation is affected by seasonal runoff from the glacier and by the fjord’s externally forced currents and stratification. The presence of light Arctic and dense Atlantic waters in the fjord, in particular, causes meltwater to be exported at depth, and influences the vertical distribution of heat along the ice margin. Our results indicate that the melting circulation is more complex than hypothesized and influenced by multiple external parameters. We conclude that the shape and stability of Greenland’s glaciers may be strongly influenced by the layering of the Arctic and Atlantic waters in the fjord, as well as their variability.

Large igneous province on the US Atlantic margin and implications for magmatism during continental breakup

Abstract: RIFTED continental margins commonly include sections of igneous rock more than twice as thick as normal oceanic crust. Explanations for this voluminous magmatic accretion during rifting include plume models1–3, which require a deep-seated thermal or chemical anomaly in upwelling mantle, and non-plume models4–7, which call on broad, shallow thermal anomalies and/or rapid upwelling of mantle through the melting zone. New seismic models from two transects across the continent-ocean transition on the US Atlantic margin8–10 confirm the presence of a 20–25-km-thick igneous section. Here we argue that the similarity of the crustal structure on these and two previous transects, spanning 1,000 km of the margin, and the association of thick igneous crust with the East Coast magnetic anomaly11 imply that the thick igneous section extends along the entire margin and may have a volume of as much as 3.2 × 106 km3. The distribution of volcanic and plutonic rocks, details of the seismic structure, and lack of independent evidence for a hotspot are difficult to reconcile with plume models and suggest that non-plume processes created the thick igneous crust.

Influence of Substrate Wettability on the Attachment of Marine Bacteria to Various Surfaces

Abstract: The effect of the initial substrate surface condition, as indicated by the critical surface tension for wetting, on the rate of attachment of marine bacteria to a variety of solid surfaces has been measured. The techniques used to determine the number of bacteria attached per unit surface area were a lipopolysaccharide test utilizing Limulus lysate and direct examination of the surface by scanning electron microscopy. The results obtained by the two techniques are compared and their significance to the control of microbiological slime film formation (microfouling) is discussed.

The 20‐Hz signals of finback whales (Balaenoptera physalus)

Abstract: The 20‐Hz signals of finback whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were analyzed from more than 25 years of recordings at a variety of geographic locations on near‐surface hydrophones close to whales and on deep hydrophone systems. These signals were composed of 1‐s pulses of sinusoidal waveform with downward sweeping frequency from approximately 23 to 18 Hz at variable source levels up to 186 dB (re: 1 μPa at 1 m), usually with slightly lower levels for the pulses at the beginning and end of sequences. These ‘‘20‐Hz’’ pulses were produced in signal bouts (separated by more than 2 h) lasting as long as 32.5 h. Bouts were composed of regularly repeated pulses at intervals of 7–26 s (typically), either at one nominal pulse rate or at two alternating (doublet) pulse intervals. Signal bouts were interrupted by rests of 1–20 min at roughly 15‐min intervals and by irregular gaps lasting between 20 and 120 min. The distribution of these signals throughout the year and their temporal sequence were analyzed from the cont...