University of MarylandCenter for Environmental Science

Guiding our state, nation, and world toward a more sustainable future.

susquehanna flats
susquehanna flats

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science leads the way toward better management of Maryland’s natural resources and the protection and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. From a network of laboratories located across the state, our scientists provide sound advice to help state and national leaders manage the environment and prepare future scientists to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. 

Research Highlights

Chesapeake Bay's role in greenhouse gas release and capture

A team of scientists from UMCES spent several days aboard the Chesapeake Bay research vessel Rachel Carson collecting DNA from the Chesapeake Bay. Their goal was to understand how much the Chesapeake Bay is a source of greenhouse gases to atmosphere versus a sink, or container, and how it impacts the Earth’s changing climate.
Two researchers on a research Vessel

Core Research Areas

tree canopy

Biodiversity & Invasive Species
wind turbine

Climate & Energy
person standing in a pond

Coastal & Estuarine Science
lab beakers

Environmental Chemistry & Toxicology
hands holding a fish

Fisheries & Aquaculture
microbe

Genes & Microbes
people on a boat

Ocean Science
grasses

Restoring & Sustaining Ecosystems
rows of corn

Terrestrial Ecology & Land Management
forest stream

Water Resources & Watersheds

Our Campuses

Appalachian Laboratory
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Chesapeake Biological Laboratory
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Horn Point Laboratory
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Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology
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Integration and Application Network
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Water meets marsh and land
Maryland Sea Grant College
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Appalachian Laboratory

From the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay, Appalachian Laboratory scientists conduct research on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems throughout the world, with an emphasis on the rich and diverse environments of Western Maryland and the broader Appalachian region.
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Chesapeake Biological Laboratory

Located where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay, the oldest publicly supported marine laboratory on the East Coast is a national leader in research on fisheries, estuarine ecology, environmental chemistry, and toxicology research of the Chesapeake Bay and aquatic ecosystem around the globe.
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Horn Point Laboratory

From the banks of the Choptank River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, scientists engage in world-renowned research in oceanography, water quality, restoration of sea grasses, marshes and shellfish, and expertise in ecosystem modeling.
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Institute of Marine & Environmental Technology

Located in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, scientists pursue cutting-edge research in microbiology, molecular biology, and biotechnology, using marine microbes to develop alternative energy, and supporting sustainable aquaculture and fisheries.
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Integration and Application Network

The Integration and Application Network (IAN) is a dedicated group of scientists intent on solving, not just studying environmental problems.
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Maryland Sea Grant College

Water meets marsh and land
Fostering strong connections between researchers and natural resource managers working to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
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Graduate Education

Graduate Education

Applied Ecology & Conservation Biology

Gain scientific training in addressing conservation issues, especially those pertaining to the persistence of native communities in a changing environment, landscape fragmentation, conservation/development conflicts, watershed assessment, and integrated resource management.
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two people testing water in a stream

What's New

UMCES Centennial Logo, featuring the Number 100 with an image of a heron within the numbers

University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science: A Century of Innovation and Impact
UMCES will celebrate its centennial year with an event series highlighting legacy and future vision for 2025 and beyond.
Watersheds on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard will be among the areas most affected by underground saltwater intrusion by the year 2100 due to sea level rise and changes in groundwater supplies, according to a NASA-DOD study. NASA’s Terra satellite captured thi

Globally diverse working group mobilizes to tackle increasing oceanic salt intrusion into estuaries and tidal rivers

Ming Li and an international team of scientists will address increasing salt intrusion and its impacts on freshwater resources and water supplies, an increasingly global threat, over the next four years.
Yantao Li

Innovative philanthropy pushes the boundaries of environmental science discovery
Philanthropy enables scientists to answer early key questions and obtain critical proof-of-concept results that can be used to leverage support from traditional funding agencies.
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