Information For:
Researchers & Students

The Baruch Marine Field Laboratory (BMFL) is the primary research facility for the University of South Carolina's Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences.  Researchers from USC and a variety of local, regional, national and international institutions use the BMFL to conduct basic and applied research in marine and coastal environments.  Our collaborative research efforts bring together scientists whose perspectives and expertise enable a more complete approach to wise use and sustainability of coastal resources.  We are dedicated to fostering discovery, advancing existing knowledge, and providing a sound understanding of marine and coastal environments.  The location at Hobcaw Barony near Georgetown, SC offers researchers a unique opportunity to conduct studies in relatively undisturbed major coastal habitats.  Most of the surrounding marsh and adjacent uplands are owned by private foundations that have established these lands in perpetuity for conservation and research.

Click here for a map of roads and facilities on Hobcaw Barony Property.

Many of the research programs at the BMFL are associated with the 2,630-ha high salinity marsh- estuary at North Inlet, which is bordered on the east by the Atlantic Ocean and on the south by Winyah Bay.  The quality of this site for ecological research is well recognized.

We welcome visiting individual researchers and classes to our coastal facility and have many resources to facilitate your field studies and research efforts.  Groups of up to 30 students can be accommodated for up to two weeks during most of the year.

Reference materials and local expertise enable visitors to quickly learn the habitats. Ongoing studies, many site-specific publications, archived collections, and comprehensive, long-term, computerized databases provide a baseline on which to begin new studies. On-site training with equipment and assistance with program design and development are available.

Regular communication (including video teleconferencing) and travel between the field laboratory and the Columbia campus make it possible for scientists visiting the field laboratory to interact with other researchers and to access additional research resources.

Laboratory space, lodging and/or meeting facilities, equipment, boats and vehicles, and staff assistance reservations should be made well in advance of your preferred visitation dates.  If you are faculty, staff or student from the USC-Columbia campus please CLICK  HERE.  If you are not affiliated with USC, please CLICK HERE.