The Ecosystems Center | Marine Biological Laboratory

Cutting Edge Ecological Research

Marsh and marsh grass. Photo by Megan Costello — Does Excess Nitrogen Cause a Marsh to Build Up or Collapse? Team to Resolve Contradictions

Phytoplankton blooms in the global ocean. Credit: NASA Goddard — New Model Sheds Light on Day/Night Cycle in the Global Ocean

Figure legend showing Maximum Entropy Production model. Credit Joe Vallino — Vallino Receives Grant to Study Marine Microbial Responses to Global Change

Tisbury Great Pond inlet to the sea. Do not reuse photo. Photo by Ray Ewing, Vineyard Gazette — Scientific Study Traces Nitrogen in Great Ponds Directly to Wastewater | The Vineyard Gazette

The Jerry M. Melillo Directorship in Environmental Science

The Marine Biological Laboratory proudly announces the decision to name the directorship of the Semester in Environmental Science program the Jerry M. Melillo Directorship in Environmental Science, an endowed fund.

Learn More and Donate

Featured Learning Experiences

Semester in Environmental Science

The Semester in Environmental Science (SES) is a 15-week fall semester at the Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The curriculum provides an intensive field and laboratory-based introduction to ecosystem science and the biogeochemistry of coastal forests, freshwater ponds and estuaries.

Learn more about SES

Media Mentions

The Ecosystems Center in the News!

Three Things We Must Do to Tackle Climate Change | Scientific American

Climate Change is Already Disrupting US Forests and Coasts | The Conversation

Heat-loving microbes recycle organic carbon in the seafloor | Microbiology

Slow Research to Understand Fast Change | Ecological Society of America

World Wetlands Day and the MBL

MBL Research Highlights

See all MBL News