Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, a unit of the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, is a U.S. oceanographic research institution based in Bermuda. Founded in 1903, BIOS gained prominence after 1927 when the US National Academy of Sciences appointed the Lillie Commission to assess the needs of the U.S. oceanographic research community. Bermuda was selected as a key “substation” because it is “truly oceanic in location” and therefore in “the best situation in the North Atlantic for investigation into the phenomena that are fundamentally characteristic of the ocean basins.”

Today, ASU BIOS continues to conduct state-of-the-art oceanographic research with an emphasis on the North Atlantic Ocean and the coral reef platform of Bermuda. Because Bermuda is in the path of major ocean currents and in a region of significance with respect to climate change, our research portfolio has global relevance. We also leverages our core research to create unique educational programs at all levels—grade school through graduate school—many in collaboration with U.S. and Canadian universities.

Bermuda is located in the sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean, some 600 miles from the coast of the U.S. Located in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, Bermuda is uniquely situated to serve as a base for research on a variety of inland, coastal, and deep water issues of both local, national and global interest. From here, scientists can easily venture into the surrounding Sargasso Sea, one of the world’s most diverse open-ocean ecosystems. Bermuda is also home to some of the world’s most northern coral reefs, allowing researchers from around the globe an opportunity to study corals outside tropical waters.

Year Founded
1903
Year Joined OBFS
2015
Size of Field Station (hectares)
1-100
FSML Web Address
https://bios.asu.edu/

Private nonprofit organization?
Yes
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
Other: Government of Bermuda, NSF, NOAA, NASA
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
Other
Name of partner
Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University
Tribal partners/users
No
MSI/HBCU users
No
Community College users
No
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Visiting a FS/ML

Open to the Public
No
Year round staff
21+
Seasonal staff
0
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
50+
Distance to emergency services
21-40 minutes
Library
Yes
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Intertidal - rocky, Intertidal - sandy, and Intertidal - salt marsh, pelagic, benthic, abyssal
Minimum Elevation
0-100 meters
Maximum Elevation
0-100 meters
Köppen climate classification
A (tropical)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
Yes

Research

REU host station
Yes
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
No
Long term data sets
Yes
On site herbarium or voucher species
Formal Data Management Plan
Yes
Mesocosms, plots, stream diversions, or other sets ups for outdoor manipulative experiments
Yes
Date Joined OBFS
February 6, 2024

News And Updates

2024 Fall Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

2024 Fall Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences FULLY FUNDED MARINE RESEARCH INTERNSHIPS FOR UNDERGRADUATES IN BERMUDA The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (ASU…

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Coral Reef Ecology: Functional Ecology of Coral Reefs Summer Course at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (July 15 – August 2, 2024)

CORAL REEF ECOLOGY: FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY OF CORAL REEFS (July 15 – August 2)  Instructor: Dr. Eric Hochberg (ASU BIOS) The overall aim of this Coral Reef Ecology (CRE) course is to study how…

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Research Diving Methods Summer Course at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (June 24 – July 12, 2024)

RESEARCH DIVING METHODS (June 24 – July 12) Instructors: Kyla Flook (ASU BIOS, Dive Safety Officer) and Dr. Samantha de Putron (ASU BIOS) The Research Diving Methods (RDM) course aims to familiarize…

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Job Postings

2024 Fall Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program at Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences

Assistant Teaching Professor - Marine Biology