Smithsonian Research Stations

These Smithsonian field stations enable scientists worldwide to conduct long-term studies on mangrove ecosystems.

The sun sets over the Smithsonian’s marine field station at Carrie Bow Cay, Belize. For more than three decades, it has been home to the Smithsonian’s Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Program.

At the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, Dr. Wayne Sousa (right) studies lightning impacts.

Farther north, in Fort Pierce, Florida, researchers at the Smithsonian Marine Station focus on mangroves and other marine ecosystems of Florida.

And in Edgewater, Maryland, scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center examine the influences of climate change, excess nutrients, and surrounding habitats on mangroves. They have also established additional study sites in mangrove forests in Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia.