Living shorelines
Doctoral student Carter Smith is researching living shorelines as an economic way for coastal homeowners to protect their property while also doing something good for the environment.
Protecting the coast
Examining coastal waters
For the past 70 years, the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences has served the state and nation by conducting cutting-edge research, training young scientists, providing expertise to governmental agencies and industry, and promoting new knowledge to inform public policy.
- 70years of studying North Carolina's coast
- 60,000square-feet of research facilities in Morehead City
- 75+ongoing research projects
Tracking sharks in the water
The UNC Institute of Marine Sciences has the country’s oldest, longest-running shark research program. Started in 1971 by Frank Schwartz, researchers have been tagging sharks in North Carolina’s coastal waters for over 40 years to track the shark population.
Press the play button to learn more about the shark survey.
Marine Science Research
Click on a story below to see more ways that the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences is studying and helping protect North Carolina's coast.
Uncharted Territory: Using Drones to Detect Sharks
To better understand shark populations off North Carolina's coast, Martín Benadvides is teaming up with David Johnston, director of the Duke Marine Lab Unoccupied Systems Facility in Beaufort. Together they are testing drone technology on shark decoys.
The Scientist and the Fisherman
What do you get when you combine new science with decades of knowledge from local fishermen? A lot of homegrown North Carolina oysters. A whole lot.
Dissecting the storm
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, researchers are helping the state prepare for powerful storms by better understanding the challenges incurred by hurricanes — from storm surge and flooding to water quality and beach erosion.
