Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems Program

The Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems (CCRE) Program is a long-term field site dedicated to investigations of coral reefs and associated mangroves, seagrass meadows, and sandy bottoms.  Field operations are based at the Carrie Bow Cay Field Station on the Meso-American Barrier Reef in Belize.

Please visit the main CCRE webpage for more information about the CCRE and its available research facilities.

Carrie Bow Cay Field Station

The Carrie Bow Cay Field Station serves as a permanent site in the Smithsonian's Tenenbaum Marine Observatories Network, a global-scale network of sites which spans latitudes and ocean basins.  For over forty years, research at Carrie Bow Cay Field Station has focused on the topography, origin, geological development, and oceanography of the Meos-American Reef and its numerous islands. Located fifteen miles offshore on the Meso-American Barrier Reef, Smithsonian scientists and their collaborators travel there to conduct research on the biology, ecology, and geology of coral reef systems.

Carrie Bow Cay allows immediate access to reef environments, seagrass habitats, and mangrove islands. Visitors have access to vessels, diving facilities, seawater tables, and laboratory space along with housing and meals.