Carteret County is a global center for marine sciences and research

While the Crystal Coast is perhaps most well-known for its sweeping scenic views, ample outdoor recreation and one-of-a-kind coastal lifestyle, the area is also a hub for world-class research.

The Duke University Marine Laboratory, the North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology and Marine Aquaculture Research Center, the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences, and the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory all reside in Carteret County.

With waterfront views and a location roughly 150 miles away from the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area, it's like a Research Triangle 2.0.

Andy Read, director of the Duke University Marine Laboratory, has been working in the ecologically diverse waters of the Crystal Coast for almost 15 years, managing the full-service campus of this "mini-Duke" and conducting valuable research — which is largely aided by the unique geographical benefits of the area.

"We're close to Cape Hatteras, which is a boundary between really important regions— we refer to them as biogeographic provinces. If you think about the northern, cooler regions of the Northwest Atlantic from Cape Hatteras all the way to New England, and then south to Florida, which is the subtropical area, it's a place where those two biogeographical regions meet," Read explained. "It's an area where we get a mixture of northern species and southern tropical species."

Endangered right whales, sea turtles and Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins — not only can Crystal Coast residents enjoy some of the best wildlife viewing in the country, but the diverse ecosystem also allows researchers and scientists to study these rare and endangered species up-close-and-personal.

In Read's lab, he and his team focus their efforts on a variety of projects, from developing algae-based biofuels to using marine robotics to map how coastlines change after storms. His team is passionate about doing what they can to make the Crystal Coast as vibrant and environmentally protected as possible.

"People come to the coast because they want the experience of living on the coast. They want to go out on the water and swim and fish. However, that brings more development along the coast, which brings its own set of pressures," Read said, noting the environmental impact that humans can have on natural surroundings. "How do we find the sweet spot there? And what tools can we give to coastal communities to manage growth and protect our natural resources?"

Similarly, Rick Luettich, director of the UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, is also working on ways to enhance life on the coast.

Love fresh seafood and crystal clear ocean waters? You partially have UNC's research to thank. UNC faculty have developed a method of rapid water quality testing that ensures that the oysters you get on the Crystal Coast are some of the freshest on the market — thanks to the outstanding water quality.

"An awful lot of the fish that are either harvested commercially or recreationally have a life cycle where they're in the coastal waters offshore for a while. During a critical part of their oftentimes early life cycle, they come into the estuaries. They come in close to the shores and grow up in what we call nursery areas," Luettich said. "The nursery areas often are affected by development, which can in turn impact the quality of the water. And so, it's critical that we keep those nursery habitats healthy so that we have a viable fishery."

In order to achieve this success, collaboration is key. For example, Read's lab was recently presented with an $11 million gift from an anonymous donor, which they used to construct the RV Shearwater, a state-of-the-art research vessel that will be available for lease by all of the research facilities along the coast.

"We were able to build a 77-foot aluminum catamaran. It's a boat that we basically designed that would meet our needs and the needs of our partners here along the coast," Read said. "And we designed it keeping in mind that people are working on a wide range of different research projects. We wanted it to accommodate anything from basic oceanography to understanding how currents work and how ocean productivity works."

Luettich echoes the sentiments of Read and said, "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill by itself would have a very limited ability to do what it does if it was just us here. I think that synergy [between all of the educational and research institutions here] is key to the success of all of our efforts, and I think that, in general, as they say, the whole is much greater than the sum of the parts."

The influence of researchers like Read and Luettich extends far beyond the Crystal Coast, however.

"What we learn here, oftentimes, is very relevant to other areas — other parts of the country, and again, all the way up to the global scale," Luettich said. "People from other areas come to find our faculty, and say, 'Gee, you can do storm surge modeling for coastal North Carolina. Can you also do it for coastal Louisiana?'"

Thanks to the work of research teams that are supported by Duke, N.C. State, UNC and NOAA, marine sciences are flourishing at the Crystal Coast. A 2018 economic impact of eight marine science institutions in Carteret County concluded the marine research cluster created 542 direct jobs and an annual direct economic impact of $54 million annually in the county.

As important as this cluster is to the economy and quality of life locally in Carteret County and across coastal North Carolina, the research going on at the Crystal Coast is helping both terrestrial and marine ecosystems thrive around the globe.