Dania Beach, Florida, a small coastal city about 10 miles south of Fort Lauderdale, is best known as a jai-alai haven and home of the International Game Fishing Association Hall of Fame. It's also where, for more than a decade, researchers at Nova Southeastern University's (NSU) Oceanographic Center have quietly studied coral ecosystems in association with the National Coral Reef Institute (NCRI), administered by NOAA's National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science.

Late last month, coral research at Dania Beach made its way to the limelight when NSU officially opened its new Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. The 86,000-square-foot research facility is now the largest in the nation dedicated to the study of coral reef ecosystems. The center will host coral specialists from across the globe, and make it possible for groundbreaking coral research to continue in the controlled setting of a state-of-the-art laboratory.

via NOAA-sponsored Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research Opens in Dania Beach, Florida - Ocean Service feature story.

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See also:NOAA-Supported Coral Reef Institute Finds Home in New Facility