Facilities & Institutes
From SoMAS’ fleet of well-equipped research vessels to the most up-to-date facilities for weather analysis, forecasting, and research, SoMAS has outstanding infrastructure to support both field and laboratory work. SoMAS’ facilities at the Stony Brook and Stony Brook Southampton campuses provide SoMAS students with convenient access to the diverse environments of the New York region.
Long Island's environment and economy are severely threatened by rapidly declining water quality and new solutions are needed to effectively address this problem. Existing technology is currently incapable of reversing this trend as complex and fragmented market conditions have stymied advances in innovation for decades.
The Center for Clean Water Technology is designed to bridge these science and technology gaps through a unique approach; facilitating concerted efforts between university and research institutions, regulatory agencies and private sector resources.
Funded by New York State with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Center’s focus is three-fold:
- Focus on strategic research to inform refinements to existing technology
- Develop novel and affordable approaches for nutrient and contaminant removal or reuse.
- Develop collaborations to propel existing businesses, and inspire and support entrepreneurship
A central premise of the Center is the recognition that water quality degradation is a problem that is prevalent nationwide and in communities across the globe, making the scientific and technology advancements that result from its collaborations marketable to other areas.
In addition to developing solutions for the region’s pressing environmental crisis, the Center is dedicated to attracting industry support to the area, further positioning New York as a leading hub for water technology development.
- The Flax Pond Marine Laboratory is operated for research purposes by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of Stony Brook University. The laboratory building and the Flax Pond Tidal Wetland Area are owned by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Flax Pond Marine Lab is an active research and instructional facility involved in investigating fundamental problems affecting marine fisheries on regional and national scales. The lab is located at Flax Pond, a 0.6 km² preserve that encompasses an entire tidal wetland area. The tidal marsh is located between Crane Neck Point to the west and Old Field Point to the east at 40 deg. 57.778 min. North latitutde and 73 deg. 8.216 min. West longitude.
Three main goals of the laboratory are:
- Provide facilities for scientists conducting marine science research;
- Provide educational and research training opportunities in marine science for students at all levels
- Increase public awareness of marine sciences.
The Geospatial Center at Stony Brook offers imaginative and unique Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing-related services for SBU students, faculty, researchers, and the surrounding community.
Research is a fundamental part of the Stony Brook GIS learning experience. Students have a variety of opportunities both in and out of the classroom to conduct independent research.
Geographic information systems (GIS) lets us visualize, question, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends. GIS benefits organizations of all sizes and in almost every industry. There is a growing interest in and awareness of the economic and strategic value of GIS.
The Instrument Laboratory (eShop) provides engineering, technical, and logistic support for scientific and oceanographic research. While our primary clients are research groups at SoMAS, we also serve external clients located around the USA and internationally.
Scope of Services
The EShop provides a wide variety of services in support of both laboratory and field research:
- Budget and Proposal Assistance
- Instrument and Systems Design
- Equipment Repair
- Field Equipment Rental
- Field Operations Support
- Calibration and Analysis Services
- Seawolf CTD Support
- Flax Pond Support
- Teaching Laboratory
- Education and Public Outreach
For more information, contact:
Lucas Merlo – Instrument Engineer and EShop Manager
Office: Discovery 111
Email: lucas.merlo@stonybrook.edu
Phone: 631-632-8699
Laboratory: Discovery Hall Room 102
Voice: 631-632-8706 Fax: 631-632-2175- The Marine Animal Disease Laboratory is a dynamic lab and research currently underway includes shellfish ecology, ecological physiology, shellfish adaptation to climate change (ocean acidification, change in temperature and salinity regimes), and pathology and immunology, and employs a wide range of techniques and approaches (field studies, genomics, cell and molecular biology). There are often openings for different types of positions ranging from post-doctoral positions to high school internships. Please read carefully the information available on the various pages of this website and contact Bassem Allam for more information.
History and Partners
In 2000, the New York State Legislature established the Marine Disease and Pathology Research Consortium (MDPRC) at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) of Stony Brook University. This Consortium was the translation of a partnership between, among others, SoMAS, Cornell University, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York Sea Grant Program. By 2003, under the auspices of the Consortium, the Marine Animal Disease Laboratory had been established. This state-of-the-art facility was designed to conduct research, diagnostic, and other related activities on the occurence, causes and effects of marine animal diseases. Other partners involved in this initiative includes Long Island University, the New York State Health Department, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets.
The Southampton Marine Sciences Center is a 15,000-square foot, two-story facility located on its Southampton campus. Already home to cutting edge and internationally recognized research on harmful algal blooms, ocean acidification, seagrasses, shellfish, and ocean acoustics, this new facility has greatly expand the research capabilities of SoMAS in Southampton. These expanded abilities ultimately benefit Long Island and its coastal ecosystems as a majority of the research in Southampton focuses on our local bays, harbors, and estuaries.
The central feature of the new facility is a computerized, state-of the-art 2,500-square-foot indoor seawater lab, which is capable of supplying three different seawater scenarios; ambient, temperature control and a closed recirculation system. The ambient seawater line allows researchers to mimic the seasonal temperature changes of Shinnecock Bay by pulling water directly from the bay to supply various research tanks. With temperatures fluctuating between approximately 1°C during the winter and 26°C in the summer, a temperature control line is able to instantly heat or chill incoming water to any temperature desired by a researcher. For research requiring very specific water quality parameters, the closed recirculation system allows for greater control of not only temperature, but salinity and various other aspects of the water chemistry.
In addition to this impressive indoor wet lab, the Marine Sciences Center has an additional 2,400 sq. ft. of outdoor wet lab space that can accommodate larger experimental chambers or those experiments that would benefit from a natural sunlight cycle.
Research and education go hand in hand at the Marine Sciences Center. A classroom, analytical lab, and a prep lab that supports two teaching laboratories not only enhance one of the nation’s top ranked marine science graduate programs, but strengthens the increased growth of Stony Brook Southampton’s undergraduate Semester by the Sea program. A large entrance lobby, hallway with a view of the wet lab and conference room allow Stony Brook Southampton to bring awareness of our marine environment to the local community through lectures, tours, and trips aboard our research vessels.
To keep with Stony Brook Southampton’s environmental mission, the Marine Sciences Center was constructed with many “green” features. Sustainable design innovations such as energy recovery of ventilation air, day lighting of all normally occupied spaces, a low static pressure ductwork system, high-efficiency lighting and a super-insulated exterior wall assembly all work together to bring a silver LEED rating to the Marine Sciences Center.
The Marine Sciences Center is also home to a fleet of research vessels including the R/V Paumanok, a 44-foot ocean-going vessel used for coastal research, the R/V Shinnecock, a 35-foot platform craft used for sampling local bays and estuaries and the R/V Peconic, a 45-foot catamaran, houseboat-style vessel for operation in protected bays and rivers. Many small, outboard crafts equipped with winches, davits and metering wheels for sampling instruments such as oxygen analyzers, CTD-probes, and trawls.
The Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Center (MASIC) is located in Challenger Hall on the South Campus.
The Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Information Center (MASIC) was designed as a modern, technologically advanced prototype of the knowledge center of the future. The holdings include important marine and atmospheric science core journals, beginning and advanced monographs and texts, key reprints, SoMAS masters' theses and doctoral dissertations, MSRC Special Reports and Technical Reports, nautical charts and maps, and a general science reference collection.
The space was recently renovated to allow visitors a quiet study space.
There are excellent facilities for students to participate in weather analysis and forecasting as well as research. In addition, two atmospheric chemistry laboratories equipped with state-of-the art instrumentation to characterize atmospheric trace gases and aerosol particles are available offering training on some of the latest analytical tools and laboratory based research opportunities.
- The Mobile Atmospheric Research Trailer (SMART) is a twenty foot trailer that is operated to support scientific research at SoMAS. The SMART (Stony Brook Mobile Atmospheric Research Trailer) is designed to provide nominal ‘green’ power off the grid, with three 300 W solar panels charging a 2.4 kw Li+ battery. Inside the trailer there are workspaces and wall monitors to display real-time data collected in the field.
The Nano-RAMAN Molecular Imaging Laboratory (NARMIL) hosted by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) was established in January 2014 through the NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. The facility, located in Endeavour Hall 170, supports research in marine, atmospheric, environmental, biological, chemical, geological, materials sciences, and biomedical engineering, but is open to other applications as well. The lab provides state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise for analyses of single cells, aerosols, natural and engineered surfaces, minerals, biofilms, thin films, and novel synthetic materials. The lab’s vision is to offer unique analytical solutions to chronic limitations experienced in many research areas, to enable transformative discoveries, and to educate the next generation of scientists.
NARMIL is home to a Renishaw inVia Confocal Raman Microspectrometer and a Bruker Innova Atomic Force Microscope. These instruments can be operated independently or coupled for co-localization and Tip-enhanced Raman Scattering (TERS) and offer high performance, reliability, modular design, and user-friendly operating systems. The entire system is mounted on a floating 5’x8′ Newport INTEGRITY 3 vibration isolation table.
The Radar Observatory at Lot 40 (South P) of Stony Brook University supports the operation of several radars, lidars and other remote sensors operated by the Radar Science group.
The radar science group focuses on the use of cm- and mm-wavelength radars to a wide range of fundamental scientific challenges including cloud and precipitation microphysics, cloud lifetime effects, atmospheric transport and turbulence and the study of complex, heterogeneous systems such as urban and coastal areas. Our group is interested in the practical use of space-borne and phased-array radars in weather and climate research, from extreme weather to wind and solar forecast.
As part of the Radar Observatory at SoMAS, the mobile Radar Truck contains the following equipment:
- Skyler, low cost, low power X-band phased array radar
- AirMar Weather Station for measuring temperature, wind, pressure, humidity
- Parsivel Disdrometer that measures the size, number and fall speed of precipitation (how much rain/snow, how fast and how big are the drops/flakes)
- Micro Rain Radar Pro (MRR-Pro), which analyzes the clouds above to find the different layers where snow turns begins to melt and then form rain drops, as well as the fall rate of precipitation.
- CHM15k Ceilometer which measures the height of the clouds.
- Cameras that capture the action in real time.
- Ability to launch weather balloons.
SoMAS operates a fleet of Research Vessels to accommodate the research needs of SoMAS faculty and regional natural resource agencies. The R/V Seawolf is ideally suited for extended research trips, large-scale oceanographic sampling, and trawling. The R/V Pritchard is an effective vessel for sampling near-shore bays and estuaries. Smaller research vessels are also available (e.g. R/V Privateer). For information on rates, or to request time on a SoMAS vessel, please contact: Chris Harter School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000 Tel: 516-666-0569 E-mail: christian.harter@stonybrook.edu
In addition to the vessels mentioned above, which are based at the Stony Brook campus, SoMAS has research vessels based at the Stony Brook Southampton Marine Station, which include the R/V Parker, the R/V Paumanok, the R/V Peconic, the R/V Shinnecock and a number of smaller vessels. To request time on one of these vessels, contact: Brian Gagliardi School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook Southampton 239 Montauk Highway Southampton, NY 11968 Tel: 631-632-5019 E-mail: brian.gagliardi@stonybrook.eduThe Scientific Diving Program at SoMAS is for scientists and students who wish to use diving to accomplish their research or educational objectives. These divers must meet the minimum requirements for scientific divers as defined by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences and presented in the Stony Brook University Scientific Diving Manual. These standards require that divers pass stringent physical exams, meet additional training requirements, and maintain a sustained level of diving activity.
Stony Brook University is a member of the American Academy of Underwater Sciences (AAUS), adheres to the AAUS standards for the conduct of scientific diving operations and diver training, and fully supports diving reciprocity between AAUS member organizations.
- The Trace Gas Analysis Laboratory operated by John Mak’s research group is primarily interested in the use of stable and radioisotopes as tracers of chemistry, origin, and/or transport in both the marine and atmospheric environments. We investigate problems in the atmospheric and marine sciences by using a combination of field and laboratory measurements, followed by (when appropriate) theoretical model simulations.
For more information, please contact John E. Mak or visit his Laboratory Webpage.
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, SUNY Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000Phone: (631) 632-8673 | Fax: (631) 632-2175| e-mail: john.mak@stonybrook.edu
Vessel/Boat Charters — Educational Field Trips
The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences of Stony Brook University maintains a fleet of Research Vessels/ Boats ranging from 16 to 80 ft for scientific work, surveys, educational trips and charters. They are based at the Stony Brook University campus on the north shore of Long Island and at the Stony Brook Southampton campus on the south shore of Long Island. For more information on our vessels, visit our Research Vessels page, or contact:
Chris Harter
Brian Gagliardi
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000
E-mail: christian.harter@stonybrook.edu
Tel: 516-666-0569
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook Southampton
239 Montauk Highway Southampton, NY 11968
brian.gagliardi@stonybrook.edu Tel: 631-356-5769 Additionally, SoMAS operates other outreach efforts through our various facilities, including the Flax Pond Marine Laboratory, the Southampton Marine Sciences Center, and our Stony Brook campus location.The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences with the dutiful assistance of the Instrument Laboratory operate and maintain several real-time data systems across Long Island. This includes three weather stations that provide to-the-minute data of the current conditions. The weather stations are located at the Stony Brook University Lot 40 (South P), the Stony Brook University Southampton Marine Station and the Stony Brook University Health Sciences Center. SoMAS also maintains three web cams: two located at the Southampton Marine Station and one on the roof of the Health Sciences Center.
The Atmospheric Sciences Division maintains a comprehensive system (developed by UNIDATA) for ingesting and displaying real-time data in the form of worldwide surface and upper air observations, numerical weather prediction model output, satellite imagery, US and local Doppler radars, and lightning data. The Division also maintains vertically pointing radar. Data provided by these weather stations provides a closer look at the local conditions.
The Boathouse is located on the South Campus of Stony Brook University at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences adjacent to Discovery Hall.
Built in 1990, the Boathouse is an experimental building made from municipal solid waste (MSW) ash blocks. The building is currently a single-story structure.
1400 tons of municipal solid waste were combusted to produce the ash used in the fabrication of the blocks. This amount of municipal solid waste represents the amount of municipal solid waste generated by the Town of Brookhaven in two days. 14000 blocks were used to construct the Boathouse.
Air quality within the Boathouse was monitored over a 5 year period in cooperation with the NYS Department of Health and the data suggested the municipal solid waste ash boathouse had better air quality than some of the other buildings on campus that were also tested.
The Boathouse was certified by Ripley’s Believe it or Not! for the contribution of Incinerated Garbage Blocks on November 20, 1991.
Institutes
SoMAS is an interdisciplinary center for education, research, and public service. To increase understanding of the oceans and atmosphere and to apply that knowledge to resolving societal and environmental issues, SoMAS houses these mission-oriented institutes:
- The Peconic Estuary Partnership (PEP) is an innovative partnership of local, state, and federal governments, citizen and environmental groups, businesses and industries, and academic institutions charged with carrying out the goals of improved water quality and ecosystem health as outlined in PEP’s Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan. PEP's mission is to protect and restore the Peconic estuary and its watershed.
- The Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres (ITPA) was established in 1991 as Stony Brook University's center for research and teaching in atmospheric sciences. The Institute offers an undergraduate program granting the B.S. degree and a graduate program in which students can earn M.S. and PhD degrees. ITPA faculty conducts research on a wide range of topics in atmospheric sciences including atmospheric chemistry, aerosol physics, weather forecasting, climate dynamics, climate modeling and climate prediction. The ITPA is now referred to as the Atmospheric Sciences Division in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
- The mission of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science is to advance ocean conservation through science. We conduct world-class scientific research that increases knowledge about critical threats to oceans and their inhabitants, provides the foundation for smarter ocean policy, and establishes new frameworks for improved ocean conservation.
- Institute for Particle-Related Environmental Processes (IPREP) focuses on all aspects of environmental particles, including their characterization, biological and geochemical cycling, and transformations on land, in the air and in water. IPREP takes advantage of expertise in many different aspects of marine and atmospheric sciences, geosciences, chemistry and materials sciences and highlights the collaborative nature of our research.
The State University of New York at Stony Brook created the Long Island Groundwater Research Institute (LIGRI) in 1994 to marshal the resources and expertise of the University for the study of groundwater hydrology and chemistry. One of our goals is to bring the results of scientific research to bear on the region’s most pressing groundwater problems. Inquiries on all aspects of groundwater hydrology and chemistry are welcome. LIGRI was established in NY State Law (Chapter 654) in 1997. The resolution of hydrogeological and groundwater pollution problems requires basic and applied research from a broad array of disciplines. The Institute can coordinate the existing potential for research by faculty, staff and students in groundwater hydrology as needed.
The focus of research is Long Island’s aquifer system, which is an ideal natural laboratory. It is self-contained and representative of coastal plain aquifers all along the east coast of the U.S. It has a unique diversity ranging from western Long Island with a densely populated urban environment, through a suburban zone, to farmland, and finally to undeveloped pine barrens in eastern Long Island. Superimposed on each of these zones is a north-south gradient from barrier islands and coastal regions to interior uplands of varied topography. Since the primary flow of groundwater is north and south, there tends to be little intermixing of waters associated with different levels of development. The application of results of high-quality research is essential for the effective management of our groundwater resources.
The University has a long history of groundwater research. We are particularly proud of our contributions in:
- groundwater modeling,
- geochemical studies,
- groundwater impacts on coastal environments,
- bioremediation and biodegradation of pollutants.
In addition, the faculty provide a course of graduate study in groundwater hydrology leading to the degree of Master’s of Science. The Institute is served by faculty in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, and the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
- The New York Resiliency Institute for Storms & Emergencies (NYSRISE) was borne out of a deep-felt need to respond to the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy smartly by the State of New York and to better prepare the state for future storms. It was established by Governor Cuomo with four overaching objectives:
- To aid the recovery efforts in New York State from Sandy
- To inform critical decisions before, during, and after extreme weather events
- To assess vulnerability and resilience in infrastructures, ecosystems, and operations for storm events
- To speed up translation from preparedness research to application
The Waste Reduction and Management Institute (WRMI) was created by the New York State Legislature in 1985 to confront the increasingly complex waste issues arising on Long Island, where per capita waste generation exceeds that in the rest of the U.S. Long Island is also a place where future landfills have been prohibited to protect the Island’s drinking water, which is solely derived from an underground aquifer.
WRMl’s goal is to reduce the impact of waste generation on society through a program of research, assessment, education, and policy analysis. To realize this goal, efforts have been aimed at reducing the amount of waste generated through the promotion of waste prevention strategies, educational programs, and the development of creative uses for waste materials.
The Living Marine Resources Institute (LIMRI) was created by the New York State Legislature in 1985 after concerns arose regarding the future of New York’s fishery resources. LIMRI is housed within SoMAS to enhance the expertise and capabilities in fisheries and aquaculture and to apply these capabilities more directly to priority fishery issues.
From its inception, LIMRI has developed a balanced program of fundamental and applied research. This research has focused on several key areas: interaction of the biology of finfish during early life history stages (larval and post-larval) with physical transport (currents and eddies) in the nearshore waters of the mid-Atlantic coast; causes, nature, and effects of noxious marine algal blooms (especially the “brown tide”); the population biology of commercial shellfish species (Mercenaria mercenaria, Spisula solidissima Mya arenaria); environmental factors affecting shellfish resource productivity; determinants of larval recruitment success in commercial finfish and crustaceans (lobsters and crabs); catastrophic mortalities of young cultured oysters; and effects of coastal development on nearshore fishery habitat.
The Coastal Ocean Action Strategies (COAST) Institute was created in 1989 to assist in coastal zone management and coastal marine policy analysis. We do this by exploring future scenarios for Long Island’s coastline and coastal environment and by working with policy makers and environmental managers in identifying and analyzing strategies that will conserve and, when necessary, rehabilitate the coastal ocean; by ensuring that not only is the best technical information included in developing the strategies, but economic and other critical information as well; and by forming effective linkages among environmental groups, the scientific community, lawmakers, regulators, and managers to tackle coastal environmental issues.
COAST has been called upon to assist in resolving coastal problems at home on Long Island, throughout the U.S. and in many parts of the world. For example, on Long Island, we are involved with beach monitoring at East Hampton and Shinnecock Inlet; dredging studies in Stony Brook Harbor; assessment of breach potential along Fire Island. We have also been asked to facilitate the search for solutions to environmental threats or degradation in, for example, Jamaica Bay and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; along the Danube delta and the Mediterranean Coast.
COAST also provides a real-world, action learning laboratory for graduate students at MSRC. Each year students who are interested in coastal management and policy take part in gathering and analyzing data, in transforming data into information, and in synthesizing information-all targeted at identifying and evaluating management alternatives to attack the problems that COAST is helping to solve.
At The Safina Center we advance the case for Life on Earth by fusing scientific understanding, emotional connection, and a moral call to action. We create an original blend of science, art, and literature in the form of award-winning books and articles, scientific research, photography, films, sound-art, and spoken words. We bear first-hand witness and then we speak up, we speak out, and we teach. Our work is designed to inspire and engage others to devote their time and energies to conservation of wild things and wild places. Our creative works have proven their power to change people’s lives and their view of the world.
New York Sea Grant (NYSG) stands in solidarity with the call-to-action to end systemic racism. NYSG is an organization that is deeply rooted in the diversity and complexity of coastal communities, partners, and constituencies across New York State. We are committed to a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful and intentional reflection and action with our staff and programming.
SoMAS Facility Managers
For general questions related to the facilities of SoMAS on the South Campus of Stony Brook University (Boat House, Challenger, Dana, Discovery, and Endeavour Halls), please contact
Willa Schultz
Discovery Hall 141
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5000
Phone: 631-632-8677
Willa.Schultz@stonybrook.edu
For general questions related to the Southampton Marine Sciences Center, please contact
Christopher Paparo
8 Little Neck Road
Southampton, NY 11968-6700
Phone: 631-632-5020
christopher.paparo@stonybrook.edu
For general questions related to the Flax Pond Marine Laboratory, please contact
Stephen Abrams
15 Shore Drive
Old Field, NY 11733
Phone: 631-675-1285
stephen.abrams@stonybrook.edu