SoMAS at Stony Brook Southampton
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.
Take a tour of the Marine Science Center by visiting our galleries page. You can also take a virtual tour of the Marine Sciences Center at the Southampton Campus.
Research Vessels
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, the R/V Parker, a 25-foot craft that can operate year-round and in shallow waters, and the R/V Peconic, a 45-foot catamaran, houseboat-style vessel for operation in protected bays and rivers. More information about the vessels is available below.
The 2007 Parker serves as a small vessel that can be used year round and can operate
in shallow waters that the
The R/V PAUMANOK is a U. S. Coast Guard-inspected forward cabin-style vessel for operation
100 miles or less offshore between Block Island, RI and Cape May, NJ.
The R/V PECONIC is a U. S. Coast Guard-inspected catamaran, houseboat-style vessel
for operation in protected bays and rivers.
The R/V SHINNECOCK is designated as a Research Vessel by the U. S. Coast Guard and
designed for educational and marine research in the bays and estuaries of Eastern
Long Island.Contacting SoMAS Southampton
Prospective Stony Brook students: To be added to the invitation list for future tours at the Southampton campus, please complete this form on the SBU Admissions website. Your information will be added to our email list where you will receive updates about SoMAS majors, the application process, and main campus and Southampton campus tour options.
For more information about the boat schedules at Southampton, please contact:
Brian Gagliardi
School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
Stony Brook Southampton
239 Montauk Highway
Southampton, NY 11968
Tel: 631-356-5769
E-mail: brian.gagliardi@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