The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is the largest independent marine research, engineering, and graduate education organization in the United States--conducting some 350 projects around the world each year from the equator to the poles, from climate studies and coastal processes to seafloor evolution. Home to many of ocean sciences' leading researchers, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution operates state-of-the-art shore-based laboratories, a global fleet of research vessels, and several one-of-a-kind national facilities. Among its most famous discoveries are new life forms at deep-sea vents and the wreck of the Titanic. The graduate education program, run jointly with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is considered one of the best in the nation.
How does one see a sound? Scientists like Patrick Miller use a spectrogram, or visual representation of sound waves graphed over time. Miller has created an engaging interactive series of actual recordings and spectrograms of various marine mammals. Knowing how dolphins and whales communicate using sounds will help us understand the effects of human-made noise on marine animals and find ways to create more environmentally friendly devices, such as fishing nets that dolphins and whales can detect and therefore avoid.
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The vehicles of the National Deep Submergence Facility transport both humans and a virtual "human presence" to the remote seafloor. They are invaluable assets to the research of scientists at WHOI and other research institutions.
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