The South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (South Slough NERR) is a site dedicated to scientifi c investigations that have direct applications toward improvements in regional coastal

zone management. The Research Program aims to understand patterns and processes that contribute to healthy coastal and estuarine ecosystems in the Lower Columbia biogeographic

regions.

 

Currently, the Research Program at South Slough NERR focuses on applying monitoring data to resource management problems, expanding system-wide monitoring efforts, developing a better understanding of the connections between estuaries and adjacent environments, and promoting the use of the Reserve for research that supports national priority issues and informed management of the Coos estuary and watershed.

 

 

 

 

Research efforts at South Slough NERR are focused on understanding estuarine functions and processes along with investigating links between watersheds, estuaries, and nearshore marine environments.  Since 1994, the Research Program has implemented multiple components of the System-Wide Monitoring Program, participated in regional scientific initiatives designed to

better understand natural and human induced changes in coastal ecosystems, coordinated studies to investigate the connections between estuaries and the nearshore Pacific Ocean, studied emergent and submerged vegetation and invertebrates found in estuarine environments, and supported graduate student research in the Reserve through the Graduate Research Fellowship program.  The recent addition of laboratory and office space for the Reserve on the campus of the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) provides the Research Program with increased capability to collaborate on projects with visiting researchers and to accommodate graduate students and project staff.