Disciplines of study along the Eastern Shore include:

Invertebrate Zoology

A vast number of taxa are represented only in marine environments (e.g. the phyla Ctenophora, Chaetognatha, and Echinodermata). Many commonly found groups, such as the crustaceans, bryozoans, polychaetes, molluscs, and cnidarians, show a tremendous diversification in form.

Botany

Strong zonation in plant communities across barrier islands results largely from the dissipation of ocean forces by the islands. Other nearby communities include upland forests, freshwater ponds and bald cypress swamps along the Pocomoke River.

Environmental

A complex set of pollutants threatens the Chesapeake Bay and includes toxins from point sources and nutrient and sediment loading from non-point sources. Vast changes in fisheries and submergent vegetation have been observed over recent years. Several protected and undisturbed systems around the Eastern Shore provide contrast to more impacted areas of the bay.

Geology 

Present day forces actively produce such geologically significant formations as large wash over fans, spits, ebb and flood tide deltas, dune bedding and marsh soils. Processes acting on island formation include spit growth and segmentation, upbuilding of submarine bars, and rising sea level.

Estuarine Science and Coastal Oceanography

The complexity of shorelines and bays along the Eastern Shore provides a natural laboratory for the study of water movement (tides and freshwater inflows) and of biological responses to such changes. Easy access to shelf waters allows for the study of classic water column processes leading to the formation and breakdown of physical, chemical, and biological stratification.

Vertebrate Zoology

Marine environments are home to fishes of diverse morphologies that are rare or absent in freshwaters. Such fishes include flatfishes, rays, sharks, and seahorses. Other occasional marine vertebrates include sea turtles and dolphin. Refuges, undeveloped lands, and open waters associated with the Delmarva Peninsula support a vast variety of shore birds, water fowl, and sea birds and are an integral component of the Atlantic flyway.

Ecology and Evolution

The proximity of diverse habitats allows for the comparison and contrast of community composition as well as individual morphological and physiological adaptations to stresses created by waves, tides, and salinity changes. Many abundantly found organisms along intertidal areas and in shallow bay waters are easily sampled and are ideal for experimental manipulation.

A residential environmental learning center and field station on Virginia's Eastern Shore