About the Facility
The ERC provides scientific expertise in marine and coastal ecology:
Morgan State University Estuarine Research Center (ERC) is located on Patuxent River (part of Chesapeake Bay watershed) in St. Leonard, MD. Research conducted at the state-of-the art facility is designed to increase the understanding of coastal ecosystems so that they may be properly managed and protected. Coastal ecosystems are an immeasurably valuable resource for activities ranging from recreation and tourism to commercial fishing and transportation. Both complex and fragile, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by the rapid increase in human populations and related problems such as habitat loss or degradation, over-fishing, and pollution. Much of the work is focused on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, such as the Patuxent River. The ERC is especially proud of contributing to the environmental awareness of large numbers of children in grades K thru 12.
The Estuarine Research Center maintains excellent facilities that include: a 22,000 square foot laboratory and office building, a fleet of vehicles for field work; a private dock providing access to the Patuxent River.
Other facilities include: Outdoor and indoor facilities with flowing Scuba support and dive locker Fleet of research vessels including 42- foot RV Leidy Teaching laboratory, conference room and small library Range of research laboratories, including isotope, constant temperature and image analysis labs 
Research expertise and interests:
Fisheries Benthic ecology and Plankton biology
Current research projects include:
Long-term studies of commercial shellfish populations (blue crabs and oysters) to determine their responses to fishing pressure and disease, the performance of disease tolerant Specific-Pathogen-Free (SPF) oysters.
Measuring water quality to study the effect of non-point source and point source pollution on the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay and the development of harmful algal blooms. The response of prey to the interactions of predator and habitat variability. Anthropogenic effects in estuarine systems; grass shrimp ecology; community ecology. Aquatic microbial ecology and biogeochemistry in marine and estuarine environments with the focus on nutrients, eutrophication and Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB). Human impacts and eutrophication: monitoring the eutrophication process and HABs events on the watershed scale by using GIS/ remote sensing.
