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NOAA Center of Excellence in Oceans and Human Health

Center Overview

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The Oceans and Human Health Act of 2004 directed NOAA to establish an Oceans and Human Health Initiative “to coordinate and implement research and activities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration related to the role of the oceans, the coasts, and the Great Lakes in human health” and includes the formation of Centers of Excellence in Oceans and Human Health. As one of the Centers, the Hollings Marine Laboratory (HML) is developing new methods and approaches to identify and characterize chemical and microbial threats to marine ecosystems and human health and evaluate the health responses of marine organisms to stress. To accomplish these objectives the HML established and continues to build capacity in three core research areas. These are source tracking of marine pathogens, chemical contaminants, and applied marine genomics. A monitoring and assessment core is validating and testing the sensitivity of the new tools being developed. The results of the research program will be conveyed to environmental and public health managers, teachers, university students and citizens of all ages through a comprehensive education and outreach program.

The HML is operated as a partnership laboratory by NOAA, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the College of Charleston, and the Medical University of South Carolina. This unique partnership integrates basic, applied and biomedical scientists into multi-disciplinary research teams and establishes programs that link environmental conditions in the coastal zone to human health and socio-economic well being. These actions will bring the assessment cycle full circle. That is, NOAA will have effective tools to evaluate human impacts upon our coasts and assess the impacts of the coastal environment on society. The research conducted at the HML and the other NOAA research facilities will address the following questions: What are the cumulative impacts of coastal development on our marine biota and humans? Are the fish and shellfish safe to eat? Is it safe to swim in the oceans? What can be done to reduce these problems?