After a 74-day offshore drilling trip south of the Vineyard, a consortium of scientists say they have found a large freshened water aquifer beneath the sea floor.

Oak Bluffs voters this week took steps to help the town increase its water supply in the face of a looming shortage. 

A team of researchers from across the globe set sail this week on a groundbreaking expedition to understand large pockets of fresh groundwater that sit underneath the ocean floor just south of Martha’s Vineyard.

Michael​​ Silvia, the Oak Bluffs Water District superintendent, told the select board last month that if changes aren’t made, the town will not be able to add new homes or other buildings to the water system in the coming years. 

As climate change intensifies and the ocean around the Vineyard rises, scientists and Island officials are concerned that salt water could permeate through the Island’s ground water, threatening the potability of its only source of drinking water.