Mapping Marsh Futures
August 22, 2024
Researchers from the Carolina Drone Lab use aerial imagery to assess marsh health in the Outer Banks.
ecology
The Green Thumb’s Guide to Taxonomy
June 25, 2024
Alan Weakley explains how botanists identify new plant species, their names, and the stories behind them.
Lessons in Field Work
January 19, 2024
Biology students gain hands-on experience working with a variety of organisms, from butterflies to fish, in the Outer Banks.
Galápagos: A Gateway for Global Research
February 8, 2022
For more than 10 years, the UNC Center for Galápagos Studies has been a hub of collaborative research activity spanning many disciplines, with the potential to impact the globe. Diego Riveros-Iregui and Amanda Thompson, the center’s new interim co-directors, strive to use their own experiences from the islands to expand its reach and grow its reputation as a world-renowned research institution.
In Hot Water
October 12, 2021
Warming ocean waters are one of many climate change consequences, and scientists have observed fish migrating to stay within their preferred temperature range. Janet Nye, a UNC-Chapel Hill marine scientist, wants to understand how a warmer environment will affect these animals to help fisheries better prepare for the future.
Searching for Sheepshead
September 16, 2021
Commercial and recreational fishing are important contributors to the North Carolina economy, but there are still lots of unknowns about many fish species. UNC–Chapel Hill PhD student Lewis Naisbett-Jones is trying to unravel some of that mystery by tracking the migration of one popular species in the fishing community: sheepshead.
Hooked on Sharks
July 20, 2021
For the past 50 field seasons, researchers from the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences have collected valuable data on sharks off the North Carolina coast. The survey — among the oldest of its kind in the U.S. — has lasted for decades due to the dedication of UNC researchers, staff, and students.
Caterpillars in the Coal Mine
June 23, 2021
Butterflies and moths are indicators of the overall health of an ecosystem. Through fieldwork, lab experiments, and computer modeling, researchers in the Joel Kingsolver Lab strive to understand how changing temperatures are impacting the relationship between certain species and the plants they live on.
The Life Botanic
February 9, 2021
Alan Weakley has spent his career cataloguing the plants of the Southeastern United States. Most recently, he has compiled this work into a digital guide that will aid fellow botanists and citizen scientists alike as they unearth and admire the colorful flora of the South.