Big Ocean. Big Economy.

Nearly every community in Florida—and coastal communities around the world—depends on thriving seas. Florida's coastline industries range from shipping and cargo to fishing and tourism, an ocean economy generating one million jobs with a $39.5 billion economic impact. Nova Southeastern University is committed to supporting its future for generations to come.

NSU Ocean is a hub for global ocean research, education, and workforce development to drive the health and economic future of our oceans. Our mission is to bring together leading researchers, government agencies, industry partners, and communities to create oceans of opportunity.

NSU Expedition to Greenland Inspires Action on Rising Sea Levels

As Greenland’s ice melts at record speed, Nova Southeastern University’s Rising Seas Institute is leading efforts to understand and respond to the growing threat to Florida’s coasts and global shorelines. Florida Trend’s Brittney J. Miller’s feature follows Dr. Harry K. Moon, John Englander, and business leaders into the Arctic, where they document glacial melt and the complex challenges it poses for the future.

Leading the Fight for a Vanishing Legacy

People viewing icebergs from shoreline in Greenland

 

National Coral Research Programs

As the home of the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), NSU Ocean is a leader working to regrow, rehabilitate, and sustain the future of this keystone of our oceans.

Protecting the Future of Coral Reefs

A Key Collaborator in the Ocean Economy

NSU Ocean brings together student innovators, researchers, educators, marine industry experts, and entrepreneurs for events like the Ocean Exchange. Learn more about our collaboration with this annual event that works to advance innovation in ocean health technologies.

World-Class Ocean Research Centers, Facilities, and Collaborations

NSU Ocean is a hub connecting leading scientists with resources to power the next wave of oceanographic breakthroughs and discoveries. A premier center for oceanographic research and education in the Southeast, NSU is home to six ocean research institutes, more than 12 marine science labs, and a one-acre boat basin connecting scientists to the Atlantic Ocean.  

We dive deep to conduct leading-edge research on the biggest challenges facing our global seas. We're growing more resilient corals to plant on the only living barrier reef in the U.S., tagging sharks to monitor migration patterns from the Gulf of Mexico to the Galápagos Islands, and leading expeditions to Greenland's ice sheets to foster solutions for rising seas. These are the spaces and institutes that fuel the work of our scientists.

NSU Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center

A Partnership for the Oceans

NSU Guy Harvey Oceanographic Center

The heart of NSU Ocean, this state-of-the-art, 86,000-square-foot campus for oceanographic research offers access to the Intracoastal Waterway, Port Everglades, the Atlantic Ocean, a coral breeding facility, and 12+ labs.

A Partnership for the Oceans

NSU Rising Seas Institute

Discover How We're Adapting

NSU Rising Seas Institute

The NSU Rising Seas Institute pioneers adaptation strategies for sea level rise, empowering communities with research, collaborative planning, and global expeditions.

Discover How We're Adapting

National Coral Reef Institute

Learn How the NCRI Restores Coral Reefs

National Coral Reef Institute

Home to the Congressionally mandated NCRI, NSU Ocean offers state-of-the-art coral research facilities, including a one-acre boat basin and advanced labs to manage onshore and offshore coral nurseries.

Learn How the NCRI Restores Coral Reefs

Save Our Seas Shark Research Center

Saving Apex Predators

Save Our Seas Shark Research Center

From high-tech genetics to genomics to fieldwork, this center illuminates shark and ray science and affects meaningful policy changes, leading to the trade control of more than 140 shark and ray species and enhanced regulations of the shark fin trade.

Saving Apex Predators

NSU Marine Environmental Education Center

Explore Our Marine Education Programs

NSU Marine Environmental Education Center

A partnership with Broward County Parks and Recreation, the center inspires connections to marine life through educational programs, resident sea turtles, and interactive exhibits of South Florida’s coasts.

Explore Our Marine Education Programs

12+ Marine Science Labs

Dive Into Our Marine Science Labs

12+ Marine Science Labs

From deep sea biology to coral reef disease intervention, NSU Ocean’s world-class faculty lead more than a dozen labs with distinct research focus areas.

Dive Into Our Marine Science Labs

Onshore Coral Nursery

Revitalizing the Coral Reef

Onshore Coral Nursery

A multipurpose facility preserving and restoring Florida’s Coral Reef, this space houses, grows, and rehabilitates thousands of threatened, rescued corals and supports cutting-edge research.

Revitalizing the Coral Reef

DEEPEND Consortium

DEEPEND explores deep-sea biodiversity and long-term trends in the Gulf of Mexico. Through the initiative, NSU Ocean scientists discovered one in ten known Gulf species and developed key resource management tools.

Facilitating Eco-System Based Management

Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

Learn About Our Maritime Training

Institute for Disaster and Emergency Preparedness

NSU leads free occupational safety and health training for maritime workers through Project SEAMIST (Southeast Area Maritime Industry Safety Training).

Learn About Our Maritime Training

 

Sea Level Rise and Adaptation

Between glacial melt, extreme storms, and tidal flooding, rising seas threaten both coastal and inland economies worldwide with costly disruptions, placing $619 billion in property values at risk in Florida alone.

With global initiatives to spread awareness of these challenges, the NSU Rising Seas Institute at NSU Ocean is leading the way to a future of resilience and adaptation for coastal and inland communities.

Greenland Expeditions

The NSU Rising Seas Institute leads exclusive, multi-day expeditions to Greenland’s ice sheets. Participants engage in up-close encounters with extreme glacial melt and transformative educational experiences that inspire intelligent adaptation.

Explore the NSU Rising Seas Institute

Greenland expeditions views

Pioneering Shark Science

From tagging, tracking, and migration studies to genome sequencing illuminating the basis for shark cancer resistance, NSU Ocean is at the forefront of shark science and global conservation.

Protecting Apex Predators

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1,000+
Sharks Tagged by NSU Ocean Scientists
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5,000+
Corals Raised and Outplanted on Florida’s Reefs by NSU Researchers
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~3 Times
Increase in Broward County Sea Turtle Nesting During NSU’s 40+ Year Conservation Program
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$39.5 Billion
Estimated Impact of Florida’s Ocean Economy—with Crucial Shoreline Resilience Boosted by NSU Ocean

Leading Sea Turtle Conservation

NSU Ocean is working locally in South Florida to bring global hope for imperiled species, including the loggerhead, green, and leatherback sea turtles.

Local Shores. Global Impact.

Diving into Deep-Sea Ecology

Scientists with NSU Ocean have led international, collaborative projects to uncover little-known areas of deep-sea biology, discover new species, and advance crucial resource management strategies for some of our seas’ most economically important wildlife. 

Deep-Sea Science for Healthier Fisheries

Connecting Communities to Marine Conservation

NSU Ocean engages communities in sea turtle and shark conservation through hands-on marine education and long-standing partnerships, inspiring people of all ages to protect threatened species and understand how ocean health shapes human well-being.

Explore Programs and Impact

Teacher showing small children an animal skull.

Latest NSU Ocean and Research News

NSU Researchers Document Rare Coral Bleaching Event in S. Florida
NSU Researchers Document Rare Coral Bleaching Event in S. Florida
NSU Study Details Continued Decline of Critically Endangered Pillar Coral
NSU Study Details Continued Decline of Critically Endangered Pillar Coral
NSU Faculty Secure Major Grant Funding to Tackle Cancer, Heart Disease, and Health Disparities
NSU Faculty Secure Major Grant Funding to Tackle Cancer, Heart Disease, and Health Disparities
NSU Researcher Fuels Deeper Understanding of Marine Life
NSU Researcher Fuels Deeper Understanding of Marine Life