Research & Discovery
Exploring the Ocean Through Science and Innovation
The Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences (DMCS) at Rutgers University conducts interdisciplinary research exploring the physical, biological, chemical, and geological processes that shape our oceans and coastal environments.
Our faculty, researchers, and students investigate marine ecosystems, ocean circulation, climate change, biogeochemical cycles, and the interactions between the ocean and Earth’s systems.
Examining ocean circulation, waves, climate interactions, and the physical processes that influence marine environments.
In the 2004 disaster movie “The Day After Tomorrow” New York City suddenly finds itself engulfed in thick ice within the matter of days after a series of superstorms hit the East coast. Apparently these storms were triggered by global warming, which paradoxically causes extreme cooling in New York. Cue Jake Gyllenhaal to come to the rescue. Sounds crazy, right? Well, fear not, it is indeed complete hogwash.
Investigating marine organisms, ecosystems, biodiversity, and the interactions between ocean life and its environment.
In the summer of 1983 “Every breath you take…” by The Police was on everybody’s lips. But did you know that every other breath you take comes from the ocean, produced by microscopic phytoplankton? We refer to this process as primary production, because it is the most basic process to convert the energy from the sun into chemical forms of energy that can be used by higher organisms.
Exploring ocean chemistry, nutrient cycling, marine biogeochemistry, and the impacts of environmental change.
Why is the sea salty? That’s probably the first chemistry question we ask our students in Introduction to Oceanography. Some ancient folk tales will have you believe that the source of the salt is a magic mill that was accidentally dropped on the bottom of the sea where it continues to crank out salt. Turns out there is some truth to these folk tales, only that the ‘magic mill’ is on land, not in the ocean.
Studying marine sediments, seafloor processes, Earth’s climate history, and the geological evolution of ocean environments.
