Sustainable Seas Institute
Ocean science for a healthier sea, from the Caribbean to the Arctic
SSI is a nonprofit ocean research organization. Aboard our sailing research vessel R/V Dawn and with partner expeditions, we study water quality and ocean contamination, share our data openly, and bring students and communities into the science.
Who we are
Science at sea level
Founded in 2025, the Sustainable Seas Institute studies the health of the ocean and the pressures on it. Our research spans water quality, emerging contaminants such as PFAS (often called forever chemicals) and microplastics, and how pollution moves through the ocean, from tropical islands to polar seas.
R/V Dawn, our 39-foot sailing research vessel, reaches small harbors and near-shore waters where land meets the sea, and partner expeditions carry our work to the Arctic and the Baltic. Samples are analyzed with our partners at UNC Charlotte, and the results are published openly for anyone to use.
What we do
Our work
Field research
Water sampling aboard R/V Dawn across the Caribbean, and with partner expeditions in the Arctic and the Baltic Sea, building baseline data on water quality and ocean contaminants.
Open data
Our results go into GOCOS, the Global Ocean Contamination Open-Source Ecosystem, a free platform where anyone can explore ocean contamination data and sampling stations from around the world.
Education and outreach
We bring undergraduate researchers to sea and into modeling and data work, connect classrooms to live field science, and share findings with island communities.
Coming up
Next expeditions
November 14 to December 3, 2026
Baltic Sea microplastics
Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Pena of Science in the Wild samples seawater aboard Le Commandant Charcot, from Bergen, Norway, across the Baltic to Helsinki.
December 16 to December 30, 2026
R/V Dawn: BVI to the Dominican Republic
After her hurricane season refit, Dawn sails west from the British Virgin Islands to the Dominican Republic, sampling at islands along the way.
In the field
From the Caribbean to the Arctic
Latest news
Field dispatches
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From the Baltic to the Bench: Ulyana Pena Samples for Microplastics
On November 7, PML collaborator Ulyana Pena of the University of Colorado Boulder and Science in the Wild sets off for northern…
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A New Mainsail for Dawn
When R/V Dawn came out of the water in Virgin Gorda for hurricane season, we knew the refit list would be long.…
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R/V Dawn Comes Ashore: Hurricane Season Prep and a Season of Upgrades
Every year, as the Atlantic hurricane season builds, R/V Dawn takes a break from her work on the water for a season…
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From St. Martin to the British Virgin Islands: R/V Dawn’s Latest Research Passage
R/V Dawn has wrapped up another chapter of her 2026 Caribbean research mission, sailing from St. Martin/Sint Maarten across to the British…
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GOCOS Is Live: A New Open Platform for Global Ocean Contamination Science
Today the Sustainable Seas Institute is proud to announce the public launch of GOCOS — the Global Ocean Contamination Open-Source Ecosystem —…
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From the Caribbean to the South Pacific: Expanding the Search for a Global Baseline
Following our successful campaign in the Caribbean, the Sustainable Seas Institute is turning its gaze to the South Pacific. We are preparing…
Support SSI
SSI is a 501(c)(3) private foundation. Your support keeps R/V Dawn sampling and our data free and open.
Partner with us
Researchers, institutions, and expedition operators can work with SSI on sampling, analysis, modeling, or data sharing.
Get in touch
Questions about our research, programs, or the data? We would like to hear from you.