OOI In The News

Deborah S. Kelley, Professor in the School of Oceanography at the University of Washington, has been awarded the Wallace S. Broecker Medal by The Oceanography Society. This honor recognizes her innovative and impactful contributions to marine geoscience and chemical oceanography, her leadership in interdisciplinary and collaborative research, and her sustained commitment to education and mentorship. Read more from The Oceanography Society.

NEW ORLEANS — One year ago, scientists made a surprisingly concrete prediction: Before 2025 was out, they said, Axial volcano — a submerged seamount near Oregon in the Northern Pacific Ocean — would erupt.

That hasn’t happened. But it still might — in 2026. Read more from ScienceNews.

After cuts to federal funding and the firing or early retirement of thousands of government scientists this year, another blow to scientific research landed this week. The Trump administration on Tuesday night announced a plan to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, one of the world’s premier climate and weather science institutions. Read more from the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

The future of ocean science is arriving on the bow of a $150 million research vessel — complete with an onboard data center, AI-driven sampling tools and a new blueprint for how supercomputing meets ocean science. Read more from siliconANGLE.

Earlier this month, a UW researcher deployed fiber optic cables — which are cables used to rapidly transmit audio and video data — into the Puget Sound, opening the floor for innovative research into marine mammals.

The fiber optic cable system was developed in the UW Ocean Data Lab, run by professor Shima Abadi. Abadi’s research focuses on passive underwater acoustics in oceanography, or listening for noises in the ocean.

A hydrophone, or underwater microphone, is typically used to record acoustics. The Ocean Observatories Initiative, a project funded by the National Science Foundation, has recorded underwater data for 10 years to observe long term trends in ocean ambient noise in Oregon and Washington. Read more from THEDAILY.

The Research Vessel Atlantis is a ship currently around 300 miles off of the Oregon Coast, as it monitors the Axial Seamount underwater volcano and replaces sensors and equipment that are part of the Regional Cabled Array. Read more from Fox 12 Oregon.

Hundreds of miles off the coast of Oregon, Deb Kelley watched a pod of dolphins swim past the research vessel Atlantis as the sun set on the Pacific Ocean. Read more from USA Today.

The Pacific Northwest boasts an extensive network of more than 600 seismic monitoring stations that help researchers track tectonic and volcanic phenomena, including earthquakes. This data provides key insights into regional faults and feeds into early warning systems, which can give a community precious moments to prepare before a natural disaster strikes. Read more from the UW News.

Dell AI Factory was chosen by Oregon State University to manage protect and disperse vast amounts of critical data to support vital global scientific research for the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Ocean Observatories Initiative. And it’s now able to future-proof infrastructure to keep pace with AI advancements and protect itself from complex cyber threats. Read more from Dell Technologies.

On May 9, 2025, a research-enhanced weather buoy was deployed at 40.50°N 69.25°W for an expected observing period of one year. Working alongside a team of engineers and technicians at the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), Dr. Yolande Serra’s (UW/CICOES) project has enhanced weather buoy 44008 with additional surface and subsurface sensors. Read more from Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.