Morehead City
Carolina students spent a semester along North Carolina’s coast trying to solve a real-time issue affecting one of the Cape Lookout National Seashore’s barrier islands. The students were participating in a program at the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Morehead City Field Site and worked with the National Park Service to study a series of new ponds created by over wash from Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Location
The Institute for the Environment’s Morehead City Field Site (MCFS) is located at the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) in Morehead City, North Carolina. IMS is strategically located in North Carolina’s central coastal region on 6.5 acres of waterfront property on Bogue Sound. The region is rich in estuarine and wetland habitats and includes the large embayments (e.g., Core, Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds) and estuaries (e.g. Neuse and Newport) that are typical of North Carolina’s coast and tied to much of its seafood production.
Field study opportunities will take students to nearby coastal areas, with a focus on the well characterized Neuse River Estuary-Pamlico Sound system. Pamlico Sound is the second largest lagoonal estuary in the country, and the site of dynamic larval fish and invertebrate activity. It is also the site of extensive research focus on eutrophication and water quality, led by researchers at IMS. Deployment of field site boats permits the students to gain access and direct interaction with the local rivers, creeks, estuaries and coastal areas, as well as the ecologically significant Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout areas.
Timing
Currently, the MCFS is only offered during the fall semester.
Award Opportunities
Please visit the Institute’s Awards + Scholarships page for more information on these awards.
Coursework
Students who enroll at the MCFS take the following courses:
- ENEC 204: Seminar in marine issues (2 hours)
- ENEC 395: Independent Research or Honors Thesis (3 hours)
- ENEC 471: Human Impacts on Estuarine Processes (4 hours)
- ENEC 448: Estuarine and Coastal Marine Ecology (4 hours)
- ENEC 698: Capstone (3 hours)
Students typically spend 2 days a week in classes, 1 day on field excursions, and 2 days conducting independent research projects with resident faculty, internships with local institutions or working on the capstone project.
Faculty
All faculty at IMS participate in teaching and mentoring field site students at the MCFS. In particular:
- ENEC 471, Human Impacts on Estuarine Processes is Processes is taught by Rachel Noble with guest lectures from Nathan Hall, Tony Rodriguez, Johanna Rosman, Hans Paerl, and Mike Piehler
- ENEC 448, Estuarine and Coastal Marine Ecology is taught by Joel Fodrie
- ENEC 204, ENEC 698 and ENEC 395 are coordinated by Janet Nye, Johanna Rosman, Nathan Hall, Tony Rodriguez, and Rachel Noble but involve all faculty members at IMS.
Previous Capstone Projects
- 2020 – Quantifying the effectiveness of wetland restoration in a tidally dominated system
- 2019 – An Integrated Assessment of Water Quality in Town Creek, an Estuary in Beaufort, North Carolina
- 2018 – A Multifaceted Analysis of Quality within the Atlantic Beach, NC Canal System
- 2017 – A Shore Thing? An Environmental Assessment of Living Shorelines
- 2016 – Design and Assessment of an Abiotic Saltmarsh Mimic for Ecosystem Enhancement
- 2015 – Distribution and Effects of Marine Debris along Carteret County Shorelines
- 2014 – Ecosystem Services Provided by Oyster Reefs
- 2013 – Environmental Impacts of Marinas
- 2012 – Water Quality in Residential Canal Systems
- 2011 – Boat Wake Effects in the Coastal Zone
- 2008 – Wind Energy Potential Along the North Carolina Coast
Contact Information
For more information about the MCFS, please contact Antonio Rodriguez at (252) 726-6841 ext 140 or via email rodriguez@unc.edu.