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Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Left: Black and white image of a young man sitting at a desk, examining bird bones and holding a bird skull. Right: A young woman in an orange safety vest bends over a stream, collecting a water sample in a bottle.

Six Ways the Smithsonian Shaped Environmental Science in 60 Years

The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center turned 60 this year. We're celebrating with six of our favorite stories since 1965.

A young man and woman crouch on a wooden plank in a forest, with irrigation pipes across the ground. The man is pointing to a clear pipette in his hand.

Scientists Flooded a Forest to Catch a Ghost Forest in the Making. Here’s What They Found

Scientists sent hurricane-level floods into a Maryland forest to find out what extreme weather and sea-level rise mean for coastal woodlands

A woman wearing a straw sun hat stands on a dock with a forest behind her, holding out a plastic water bottle and smiling.

How Volunteers Helped Train Satellites to Health-Check the Chesapeake

Thousands of water samples. Hundreds of volunteers. Meet Chesapeake Water Watch, the big data project where volunteers are improving how satellites measure water quality in the Bay.

A brown river otter walks beside a white tree, with autumn leaves covering the ground.

River Otters Unfazed by Parasites, Poop While Eating

North American river otters eat, play and defecate in the same place. And their unhealthy habits make them ideal for detecting future health threats in the environment.

A woman in a red shirt stands on a wooden blue canoe beside a mangrove shoreline, unwinding a fishing net.

Local Women’s Voices Often Missing in Marine Protection

A new technique offers a way for managers to make sure they include the perspectives of local women when designing marine protected areas.

Gray smoke billows from fires on a mountainside, as seen from above.

Firefighting Planes Are Dumping Ocean Water on the Los Angeles Fires—Why Using Saltwater Is Typically a Last Resort

In Los Angeles, "Super Scooper" planes are dumping ocean water on the raging wildfires. But using seawater has downsides

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