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UNC Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences

@unc.emes

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🔬 Researching coasts, oceans, climate & ecosystems
📚 Teaching & training the next generation of scientists
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Save the date — our Fall Field Site Seminar Series lineup is here!

Every Thursday at 1:00 in Seminar Room 222, join us for talks from researchers and practitioners across coastal science — from harmful algal bloom monitoring to coastal resilience engineering to flood mapping. Can’t make it in person? Reach out to us for the Zoom link.

⚠️ Note: the September 18 talk with Isabel Baker is a special Friday session at 9AM, not our usual Thursday slot.

Full schedule and speaker lineup pictured above.

#UNCEMES #FieldSiteSeminar #CoastalScience #IMS by @unc.emes

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🌎 Looking for a Major or Minor in the Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences?

UNC’s Department of Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences (EMES) offers Bachelor of Science (BS) and Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees — along with four specialized minors — for students eager to understand Earth’s systems and make a difference in a changing world.

Majors & Concentrations:
• BS in Earth & Marine Sciences (Geoscience, Hydrology, Marine Biology & Ecology)
• BA in Earth Science

Minors: Geological Sciences | Marine Sciences | Environmental Microbiology | Hydrology

Our programs combine fieldwork, data analysis, and environmental problem-solving to prepare students for careers in conservation, research, resource management, and beyond.

🔗 Learn more about EMES undergraduate opportunities:
https://lnkd.in/ewW-fBvs

#UNC #UNCChapelHill #EarthSciences #MarineScience #EnvironmentalScience #Hydrology #Geology #UndergraduateStudies #FutureScientists by @unc.emes

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a year ago

by @unc.emes

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🏔️🌊 Congratulations to Hannah Henry on being named a 2026 Mountains to Sea Graduate Research Fellow!

The Mountains to Sea Graduate Research Fellowship, funded by NC WRRI and NC Sea Grant, supports graduate students across North Carolina universities researching topics relevant to the state’s water resources. Six fellows were selected this year from UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, Duke, and NC State.

Henry, a PhD candidate in Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, will work with faculty mentor Dr. Laura Moore on a project titled “Modeling Barrier Island Response to Changing Water Levels, Storms, and Management Scenarios.” Henry will apply the CASCADE (CoAStal Community-lAnDscape Evolution) framework to Hatteras Island to understand how human decisions and natural coastal processes interact, revealing how erosion management choices shape island outcomes over time. As Henry expresses, barrier islands “sit right at the intersection of some of our most pressing coastal challenges.” The project will produce insights into future island behavior for local communities and managers to consider as they weigh tradeoffs across different time horizons and potential management actions.

Congratulations, Hannah! 🎉

Read more about all six 2026 Mountains to Sea Fellows in the full NC Sea Grant article: https://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/new-mountains-to-sea-graduate-research-fellows-announced/

#UNCEMES #MountainsToSea #CoastalResearch #GradStudentSpotlight by @unc.emes

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3 days ago

On a humid morning in Chapel Hill, Scott Gifford wades into Morgan Creek with a sensor in hand, collecting measurements from the water flowing around him. To most people, the creek looks ordinary. To Scott, it contains an invisible world of microbes shaping the health of ecosystems around the globe.

“My goal is to understand what types of microbes are present, what they are doing, and how their communities and activities change across space and through time,” Scott says.

An associate professor in UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences, Scott studies the billions of bacterial cells found in every liter of water. These microscopic organisms help regulate water quality, cycle nutrients through ecosystems, and influence how greenhouse gases move through the environment.

His team’s research spans an enormous range of scales, from sequencing microbial DNA to studying entire lakes, estuaries, and coastal ecosystems from space. Recent work at Jordan Lake in Chatham County revealed unexpected patterns in microbial communities that challenged existing scientific models and raised new questions about what controls their distribution.

“Microbes are the transformative agents of these environments,” Scott says. “They influence everything from water chemistry and primary production to ecosystem health.”

For Scott, the excitement lies in uncovering patterns hidden within extraordinary complexity. And for the students who work alongside him, the research offers a firsthand lesson in discovery, uncertainty, and what science looks like at the edge of the unknown.

As part of #UNCResearchWeek, Scott will share this work at the Research & Discovery Fair, where students can meet researchers, explore active projects, and learn how to get involved in research at Carolina.

📅 Wednesday, October 21
🕚 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
📍 FPG Student Union, Great Hall
🎓 CLE credit available

Link in the @uncresearch bio to read more. #UNCResearchIsNC Scott Gifford kneels on a creek in Chapel Hill taken in UNC Chapel Hill by @unc.emes

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3 days ago

Happy North Carolina Oyster Month!

Did you know that UNC’s Institute of Marine Sciences is helping preserve a unique piece of North Carolina’s coastal history while advancing oyster research?

Located at the mouth of the Newport River between Morehead City and Beaufort, Phillips Island was once home to the Newport Fisheries menhaden processing plant, one of the last remaining sites of its kind.

In 2022, Dr. Llew Phillips generously donated the island to UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute of Marine Sciences. Today, IMS is working to preserve the island’s rich maritime history while expanding opportunities for coastal research, education, and community outreach.

Phillips Island is also home to an IMS oyster research lease, supporting research that contributes to our understanding and restoration of North Carolina’s coastal ecosystems.

Want to support this work? Consider making a gift to the Phillips Island Excellence Fund, which supports restoration, conservation, research, and educational opportunities at IMS.

🔗 Donation link in bio!

📸: Zoe Schubert

#NCOysterMonth #PhillipsIsland #UNCIMS #OysterResearch #OysterRestoration CoastalConservation MarineScience NorthCarolina UNCChapelHill taken in UNC Institute of Marine Sciences by @unc.emes

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7 days ago

Congratulations to E3P PhD Candidate Leah Nelson on a big year! 🎉🌊

Leah just published a review in the Journal of Phycology on Gracilaria vermiculophylla, an invasive red seaweed that has spread through estuaries along the U.S. East Coast. After digging through 48 studies, she found that the seaweed’s effects depend a lot on local conditions and how much of the seaweed is present. In bare areas, Gracilaria can give native critters a new home, but in large amounts the seaweed can crowd out native plants and change oxygen and nutrient levels. That means each estuary will likely need its own management plan. 🌿

Also, Leah attended the Marine Botany Summer School in Roscoff, France, with support from the Phycological Society of America’s Croasdale Fellowship. WOW! 🇫🇷

Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/jpy.70164 and in our story!

Follow Leah’s fieldwork at @algalgalleah to see more of her work in North Carolina estuaries. Congratulations, Leah! 🐚

#environment #ecology #unc #marinebiology #estuaries taken in University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by @unc.emes

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Healthy coastal habitats don’t just look nice…they filter pollutants, buffer storms, and support resilient communities.

This Wednesday, October 8th at 1:00 PM, Anne Smiley (UNC-CH) joins our Field Site Seminar Series in the IMS Seminar Room to discuss “Coastal Habitat Management to Maintain Water Quality and Improve Resilience.”

#UNCEMES #FieldSiteSeminar #CoastalScience by @unc.emes

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🌊 What does it actually take to design a resilient coastline?

Join us today at 1:00 PM in the IMS Seminar Room for our Field Site Seminar Series, featuring Chris Mack of Resilience & Coastal Solution, JMT Inc. His talk, “Designing Coastal Resilience: Lessons from Charleston’s Seawall and SC Living Shorelines,” explores real-world approaches to protecting our coasts. by @unc.emes

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15 days ago

Please join us Friday for this exciting event: “ A MOVING CLIMATE BOUNDARY: FIVE CENTURIES OF ARID-HUMID
SHIFTS AND AGRO-SOCIETAL STABILITY IN CHINA” by DR. FENG WANG, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA AND UNC
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE!

Join us at 3:30 for treats and conversation and learning ❤️‍🔥 by @unc.emes

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16 days ago

🌎 What does it take to make geoscience education work for every student?

Join us Wednesday, September 30th at 1:30 PM in Mitchell Hall 005 for the EMES Colloquium Series, featuring Dr. Megan Plenge, Teaching Associate Professor in Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill.

Her talk, “Building Capacity in Geoscience Education: Faculty Development, Curricular Design, and Student Identity,” explores how faculty development and thoughtful course design can shape a more inclusive and effective learning experience in the geosciences. by @unc.emes

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16 days ago

🌊 What if the maps we trust to keep us safe don’t tell the whole story?

Dr. Antonia Sebastian and the Flood Hydrology & Hazards Laboratory were recently featured on PBS’s Sci NC. Their research examined 25 years of flooding in North Carolina — 78 events that flooded nearly 90,000 buildings — and found that almost half of those buildings were outside FEMA’s official flood zones.

The findings point to hidden risks that current flood maps may be missing, and the need for smarter planning and stronger community protection.

🎥 Watch the full segment: https://www.pbs.org/video/flooding-is-getting-worse-most-people-dont-know-the-risks-ujktno/

#UNCEMES #FloodResearch #SciNC #NaturalHazards by @unc.emes

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17 days ago