University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island

The mission of the UGA Marine Institute (UGAMI) is to provide exceptional opportunities for research and university-level education in coastal ecosystems.  Located within the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve (SINERR), UGAMI is a living laboratory that offers access to protected barrier island habitats, including salt marshes, beaches, maritime forests, tidal creeks and estuaries. It also serves as the home base for the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research Project (GCE). Long-term ecological monitoring data, together with the results from hundreds of previous studies, make UGAMI a world-renowned field destination for scientists and classes.

In addition to a strong record of research, the Institute serves 50-60 groups of university students each year who hail from many institutions across Georgia and beyond. UGAMI-based courses and field trips immerse university students in field-based academic studies, which is often a life-changing experience. The Institute also hosts workshops, professional meetings, and outreach activities.

Scientists, students, and other visitors to UGAMI find a vibrant, supportive community of scholars from multiple institutions and fields of study.

Year Founded
1953
Year Joined OBFS
2014
Size of Field Station (hectares)
501-1000
FSML Web Address
https://ugami.uga.edu/

Private nonprofit organization?
No
Universities affiliated / Parent Organization
University of Georgia
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER
Member of the Virtual Field
No

Additional Information

Private nonprofit organization?
Names of Universities affilated
0
Federal, state, or local governmental partners?
LTER
Name of partner
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
11-20
Seasonal staff
0
Overnight housing facilities/# of beds
50+
Distance to emergency services
61+
Library
Yes
Hiking trails
Yes
Internship employment
Yes

Environmental Information

Biomes
Intertidal - salt marsh, pelagic, benthic, abyssal
Minimum Elevation
0-100 meters
Maximum Elevation
0-100 meters
Köppen climate classification
C (temperate)
Freshwater habitats
Yes
Urban or rural
Agricultural fields
No

Research

REU host station
No
Dry lab space
Yes
Wet Lab space
Yes
Research vessels available
Yes
GIS capacity on site
Yes
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
August 22, 2024