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Coastal Waters Laboratory facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Coastal and Marine Institute Laboratory (CMIL) is a special science lab. It used to be called the Coastal Waters Laboratory. This lab is run by the College of Sciences at San Diego State University (SDSU) in San Diego, California.

CMIL is located right on the coast, near San Diego Bay. It's in an area called Point Loma. This spot used to be a Navy training center. Now it's part of the Liberty Station area.

What They Study

The CMIL lab studies environmental problems. They focus on the coastline of southern California. Many problems happen where land meets water, like in estuaries. These issues are often caused by cities growing near the coast.

Current Projects

CMIL works on several important projects:

  • Coastal GIS Center: This group uses maps and computer tools to study coastal areas.
  • Wetlands Restoration Center: Also known as the Pacific Estuarine Research Lab, this team works to bring damaged wetlands back to health.
  • Coastal and Marine Ecology Group: These scientists study how living things interact with their coastal and ocean environments.
  • Beach Water Quality Center: This center checks how clean the water is at beaches.

HPWREN

The lab uses a special internet connection called the High Performance Research and Education Network (HPWREN). This helps them send and receive a lot of data quickly.

Lab Equipment

The CMIL lab has many tools and spaces for its research:

  • A large lab building that is about 50,000 square feet.
  • Outdoor areas with aquariums and a greenhouse, covering 10,000 square feet.
  • A system that brings fresh seawater from San Diego Bay into the lab all the time.
  • A big room for classes, talks, and workshops about ocean issues.
  • A place to fix boats and for SCUBA diving activities.
  • Special labs for different types of research, including:
    • The Coastal Zone GIS Laboratory, for mapping and data.
    • The Virus and Pathogen Laboratory, for studying tiny germs.

Coastal Zone Campus

Right next to CMIL, the City of San Diego has another lab. This lab is for studying wastewater and the ocean.

Together, these labs form a "Coastal Zone Campus" on San Diego Bay. Scientists from different groups can work together here. They share new ideas and research about the coastal environment. This helps them learn more about the ocean and protect it.

See also

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