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Woods Hole, Mass. (April 10, 2025) -- Sustained scientific observations and monitoring are crucial for measuring ocean change, providing valuable data that contributes to a better understanding of oceanography, biodiversity, and the interconnectedness of global systems, and help inform decisions about conservation and resource management.

An between a merchant marine container vessel and a team of researchers from multiple institutions including the (WHOI), and the (ASU BIOS) is contributing to ocean observations and data collection, and offering peer-reviewed data.  A recently published study in details how this unique partnership is helping to fill gaps in observations of the Middle Atlantic Bight shelf, Slope Sea, Gulf Stream and Sargasso Seas.

Cargo marine vessel ( is operated by and makes weekly trips between Elizabeth, N.J., and Bermuda.  Since the 1970s, scientific equipment has been mounted on three different container ships operating consecutively on the “Oleander Line,” resulting in decades of scientific data. The newest MV Oleander came into service in 2019, and is now providing regular water column, sea surface, and atmospheric measurements.

This collective data gives scientists a unique, sustained window into upper ocean currents, water properties, and marine ecology. Along its route, the Oleander crosses the Gulf Stream and other currents that make up an important part of the This vast oceanic circulatory system influences climate and weather patterns across North America, Europe, and many other parts of the globe and may itself be undergoing change resulting from human impacts on the global climate and ocean system.

“Sustained observations of temperature, salinity, and carbon dioxide concentrations along the Oleander Line have provided critical information about our changing oceans, including the warming and shrinking of the Slope Sea, and a northward shift of the Gulf Stream,” said , a senior scientist in WHOI’s Department of Physical Oceanography, and lead author on the study. 

After passing Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, the deep-reaching Gulf Stream begins to meander, serving both as a moving boundary between the water masses, ecosystems, and chemical regimes of the Slope and Sargasso Seas and as a point of air-sea exchange that drives intense regional wintertime cooling and uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Warm and cold core rings can intermittently break free from the Gulf Stream and drive interocean mixing, and the nutrient supply for phytoplankton blooms.  Monitoring the impacts of the Gulf Stream and its rings is an area of active research, supported by the Oleander data.

Data from the project has been cited in dozens of peer-reviewed scientific publications, and contributes to global observing programs, including the Global eXpendable BathyThermograph (XBT) Network (Line AX32), the Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT), and the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey.

 “The long-standing cooperation between scientists and the Bermuda Container Line/Neptune Group serves as a model,” said , marine ecologist and research fellow at ASU BIOS, and co-author of the study. “In situ measurements provided by ships can complement satellites and be an important part of global observing systems. Along with a suite of other observatory tools, this region of the world’s ocean is revealing some of the changes underway and helping us to predict and respond to future changes.”

 The Oleander Project is a part of the (Research on Commercial Ships) initiative, which aims to equip many more commercial vessels with sensors to measure physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the ocean along the world’s major shipping routes. The current custodians of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Oleander Project are led by WHOI and comprise ASU BIOS, Stony Brook University, and University of Hawaii with key contributions also by the University of Rhode Island, one of the founding institutions of the partnership.

“The industry has signaled that it is willing to help as scientists seek to expand their ability to collect sustained observations of the atmosphere and upper ocean waters to advance science and address pressing global challenges,” said , Senior Manager in WHOI Marine Operations and co-author on a documenting best practices for recruiting vessels of opportunity for seagoing data collection. “With its integrated system of scientific sensors, MV Oleander serves as an interdisciplinary observatory in the Northwest Atlantic that can be replicated elsewhere to aid scientists who have only limited access to the seas. The successes of Oleander’s operation over the last 50 years demonstrate that partnering with the merchant marine can increase this access.”

 The Oleander Program is funded by the US National Science Foundation Division of Ocean Sciences with the XBT probes supplied by NOAA/AOML and is made possible by the continued generosity of the Bermuda Container Line/Neptune Group and the invaluable expertise and support of the ship’s captains, chief engineers, and crew.

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About Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930, its mission is to understand the ocean and its interactions with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate an understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. WHOI’s pioneering discoveries stem from an ideal combination of science and engineering—one that has made it one of the most trusted and technically advanced leaders in fundamental and applied ocean research and exploration anywhere. WHOI is known for its multidisciplinary approach, superior ship operations, and unparalleled deep-sea robotics capabilities. We play a leading role in ocean observation and operate the most extensive suite of ocean data-gathering platforms in the world. Top scientists, engineers, and students collaborate on more than 800 concurrent projects worldwide—both above and below the waves—pushing the boundaries of knowledge to inform people and policies for a healthier planet. Learn more at whoi.edu.

About the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, is a U.S. non-profit scientific research and educational organization based in Bermuda and a Bermuda Registered Charity. For over 120 years scientists have worked to explore the ocean and address important local and global environmental issues. Ocean and atmospheric science research programs at ASU BIOS provide a wealth of information that is used by government representatives, environmental resource managers and community leaders to inform their decision-making processes. R/V Atlantic Explorer is a U.S. flagged ocean class vessel in the Academic Research Fleet, operated by ASU BIOS as a UNOLS designated operator, that provides scientists with a platform for conducting short-and long-term studies of the open ocean, providing data to inform our understanding of global climate change, nutrient cycling and ocean-atmospheric dynamics. For more information visit

About the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory

The Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University represents the urgent belief that we can and must make a meaningful contribution to ensuring a habitable planet and a future in which well-being is attainable. The Global Futures Laboratory is the world’s first comprehensive laboratory dedicated to the empowerment of our planet and its systems. It is built upon the deep and diverse expertise of ASU scientists and scholars and an ability to leverage insights and knowledge from an extensive global network of partners in order to address the complex social, economic and scientific challenges spawned by the current and future threats from environmental degradation. From this foundation, the Global Futures Laboratory is able to anticipate and respond to existing and emerging challenges and use innovation to purposefully shape and inform our future so that all of Earth’s inhabitants may thrive. For more information visit globalfutures.asu.edu.