Rachel Carson Research Vessel

04/15/2026

61 years ago today, Rachel Carson died at her home in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was 56.

The house she built on Berwick Road — where she designed a corner study with windows on three sides to stay surrounded by nature — is where she finished Silent Spring, the 1962 book that helped launch the modern environmental movement.

But long before the book came out, Carson was already making her case right in her own backyard. When a local homeowners' association asked her to speak about pesticide use in the neighborhood, she abandoned her prepared remarks and spoke instead about the link between chemicals and cancer. The association voted against the spraying program.

Boundary Stones has the full story of Carson's years in our area — link in comments.

04/09/2026

04/07/2026

One of our favorite weeks of the year returns.

Dive into the stories, people, and ecosystems that define Maryland during our 22nd annual Chesapeake , April 19–25. Join us for more than 30 programs on-air and even more to stream on the PBS app. www.mpt.org/bayweek

04/06/2026

04/02/2026

In 1963, WHOI biologist Dick Backus set his sights on the sky to better understand a how animals move through the ocean 🌊🌑

For decades, scientists had puzzled over what causes the massive nightly movement of ocean animals to the surface and back to the depths at dawn. The sun—or an internal clock? Aboard a WHOI research vessel, Backus and his team found a rare opportunity to test the mystery: a solar eclipse.

As the moon’s shadow crossed over the sun, light levels dropped. The response below the ocean surface was immediate. Organisms began their mass vertical migration to the surface, and bioluminescent activity surged—just as it does at sunset. When the sun returned, the animals returned to the safety of the depths

The eclipse revealed the answer that changing light levels was the trigger for this phenomenon, which scientists call “diel vertical migration.” On August 12th, a solar eclipse will cross Greenland, Iceland, and northern Spain—and thanks to Backus, we know it will cause a short-lived animal migration when light levels drop over the ocean!

03/30/2026

After 6 years, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s R/V Marcus G. Langseth is back to 3D seismic operations.

As part of the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) Academic Research Fleet, the Langseth has supported seismic surveys since 2008. But this marks our first 3D survey since 2019—and our first-ever 4D (time-lapse) survey!

After countless hours of planning and preparation, both offshore and onshore, the team is now back in the eastern Pacific collecting 3D seismic data to better understand how a mid-ocean ridge volcano erupts and recharges. Notably, the first 3D survey at this site—conducted in 2008—was also the very first 3D survey ever acquired by the Langseth, making this return especially meaningful.

The expedition is led by Ross Parnell-Turner (Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego) with Co-PIs Pablo Canales (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)) and Milena Marjanović (CNRS). This will be an exciting dataset for the broader scientific community once completed and published.

A huge credit goes to the teams at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the Office of Marine Operations for making this historic survey possible, as well as to UNOLS and of course the National Science Foundation (NSF) for their continued support.

🚢 Learn more about Lamont's R/V Marcus G. Langseth:
https://lamont.columbia.edu/research-divisions/marine-large-programs/office-marine-operations

📷 by Cody Bahlau

03/26/2026

A century later, a historic book of charts of the Chesapeake’s oyster beds harkens to the earliest days of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory and stands as a work of science and art.

03/16/2026

Last year, more than 18,000 people across the nation signed letters and contacted Congress to voice support for the National Sea Grant College Program. This year, we're asking for your help again. If you value Maryland Sea Grant's work, please sign our letter of support to ensure congressional delegations hear from you while budgets are being finalized in March.

Thank you! ✍️ Add your name to our letter of support here: https://loom.ly/acV_mQU

03/06/2026

Another great woman of science!

03/05/2026

Science up the Potomac this week aboard the RC! Great to be a part of the solution!!