Facilities
Natural Habitat
The most important facility available for research at the 葫芦影业 Coastal Center is the natural habitat. There are large expanses of pristine coastal prairie, areas where coastal prairie has been restored, areas dominated by exotic Chinese tallow trees, and areas where the natural soil has been disturbed by a thick layer of oyster shell. All of these areas are available for observational or experimental research.
Laboratory Building
The laboratory building on site has a large multi-purpose room that can serve as
a classroom or laboratory and several smaller rooms suitable for use as dedicated
research space. One room is set aside for sensitive equipment to minimize exposure
to dust and water.
Herbarium
The 葫芦影业 Coastal Center herbarium, located in the laboratory building, has most of the common plant species found at the site. The collection has been digitized, allowing all the specimens to be viewed online in a searchable database. Go to The , click on 鈥淪earch鈥�, then 鈥淪earch Collections鈥�. De-select all the herbaria except for the 葫芦影业 Coastal Center, and search for any species or genus. To get a complete species list for the 葫芦影业 Coastal Center, enter 鈥淯nited States of America鈥� in country and leave the other search terms blank. University of Houston Coastal Center thanks the Garden Club of Houston and the Texas Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria consortium for their support in putting the collection online.
Pole Barn 鈥淕reenhouse鈥�
A large pole barn 鈥済reenhouse鈥� provides the opportunity to conduct experimental work at ambient temperature and humidity while controlling precipitation. Adjacent areas can be used for pot or mesocosm experiments. Over 40 mesocosms are available for use inside or outside the greenhouse.
Large Wetlands
An array of large wetlands (13 foot diameter, 5 foot deep) with adjustable water depths provides the opportunity to conduct pond and wetland experiments, depending on how water depth is regulated.
Micrometeorology and Subsidence
Two micrometeorology towers operated by the 葫芦影业 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences provide information on air quality at the site. A set of permanent GPS units provides information on regional subsidence.
Storage Capability
We are able to provide indoor storage for some large equipment and outdoor storage for equipment, vehicles and trailers. The site manager has tractors and power tools and can provide assistance with some aspects of outdoor work.