Here at OPAL, our scientists work across the boundaries of traditional oceanographic studies to apply our expertise in biological, chemical, and physical oceanography to a broad range of topics related to coastal ecosystem dynamics as well as open-ocean processes.
At any given time, OPAL researchers are likely to be found at sea, at science symposia about the globe, or in the classroom. Research facilities include chemical and biological analyses laboratories, with emphasis placed on bio-optics, trace metals, and carbonate chemistry. Field work is ongoing in the Gulf of Maine, and OPAL maintains several operational buoys as well as a decade-long ship-based ecosystem sampling program using the UNH R/V Gulf Challenger. From scientific cruises that measure ocean acidification to satellite data analysis of changing ocean currents, our scientists are using cutting-edge technology to look at the big picture for our world's oceans.
