Gold mining's toxic legacy

Find out how scientists use sediments from the seafloor to study hurricanes from hundreds, sometimes thousands of years ago.Written and reported by Oceanus editor Evan Lubofsky. Produced by Daniel Hentz and recorded at CAI in Falmouth, Massachusetts.(Photo courtesy of NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team © National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

During a 1967 dive off Florida, a startled swordfish rammed the famed submersible Alvin—lodging its sword in the hull and forcing the crew to abort the mission.Written by Evan Lubofsky. Narrated by Daniel HentzRead along at https://go.whoi.edu/alvinvswordfish(Sound effects are used for dramatic purposes and may not reflect what was actually heard in the submersible)

WHOI Postdoctoral Scholar and geoscientist Jonas Preine learned the true meaning of science while testing his thesis on deep-sea volcanoes near Santorini, Greece.Preine tells his story live in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

Oceanographer Ray Schmitt and his sons take top prize in a rainfall forecasting competition. Now they run a company, Salient Predictions, which helps agricultural companies stay ahead of our changing climate. The secret to their weather prediction success? Ocean salinity!Schmitt tells his story live in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

For research engineer Beckett Colson, finding a solution to microplastics is a project 11 years in the making.He tells his story live in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

Amy Bower shares how she navigates blindness as a physical oceanographer.She tells her story live in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

WHOI Senior Scientist and marine chemist Julie Huber muses on her first love: an underwater volcano.She tells her story in front of a live audience in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," the culmination of a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

Senior biologist and WHOI Emeritus Research Scholar Michael Moore explains why there's still hope for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales.He tells his story in front of a live audience in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," the culmination of a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

The ocean is brimming with sounds, from the crackle of snapping shrimp to the deep bellows of humpback whales.Amelia Macapia, a WHOI guest investigator and a contributor for Oceanus Magazine, explains how studying acoustic ecology led her to fall into a deep love with the sea.She tells her story in front of a live audience in Woods Hole for "Making Waves: A Science Story Slam," the culmination of a first-of-its-kind science storytelling workshop hosted by the Transom Story Lab and Atlantic Public Media in June 2025.(Original photo by Liz Lerner, Artwork by Daniel Hentz)

A WHOI marine chemist studies how mercury pollution in Colombia’s Amazon threatens the Indigenous way of life.Story written and narrated by Rachel Mann.Read the full story at https://go.whoi.edu/toxicgoldmining