NOAA to rebuild historic science lab in Beaufort, North Carolina

Today, NOAA announced plans to fund the reconstruction of a new laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina. This new lab will replace the former building that was permanently closed in 2024 due to significant hurricane-related structural damage. The project will be funded using $64 million from the 2025 Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. Design and preconstruction work is expected to begin in early 2027.

Established in 1899, the NOAA Beaufort Laboratory is the nation’s second-oldest federal marine science laboratory, predating NOAA by more than 70 years. Following a routine inspection, NOAA determined the laboratory sustained foundational damage that made building occupancy unsafe. The new facility will be built above the floodplain and designed to withstand storm and flooding events.

“For more than a century, the dedicated experts at NOAA’s Beaufort Laboratory have produced world-class science that supports our economy, advances national priorities, and enhances coastal resilience,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D, NOAA administrator. “This state-of-the-art facility, located within the country’s second-largest estuary and adjacent to the Gulf Stream, will enable NOAA to continue its groundbreaking research while strengthening collaboration with industry and academic partners.”

The new laboratory space will broaden NOAA’s research and services, both in coastal North Carolina and across the U.S, by:

• Researching, monitoring and forecasting harmful algal blooms;
• Deploying uncrewed systems for underwater habitat mapping and coral restoration;
• Serving as a research hub to support South Atlantic fisheries management and stewardship of marine resources;
• Evaluating the performance of natural infrastructure for coastal protection; and
• Managing the Rachel Carson National Estuarine Research Reserve and providing opportunities for education, research and compatible traditional uses.
  
  

About the Beaufort Lab campus

The Beaufort laboratory houses staff from NOAA’s National Ocean Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, as well as the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). The NERR is managed through a federal-state partnership between NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and the NC Division of Coastal Management.