History

Great vision, insightful policy, community generosity, and scientific dedication is how the now prestigious and highly regarded Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences has grown to international standing.

Read a detailed history in this free e-book: BBSR The First Century (PDF)

1903

Scientists from Harvard University and New York University join with the Bermuda Natural History Society to open a marine biological center at Flatts Inlet in Bermuda, called the Bermuda Biological Station for Research.

1926

BIOS is incorporated in New York as a US not-for-profit organization.

1932

BIOS moves to its current location on Ferry Reach, St George’s thanks to the gift of facilities and a modest endowment from the Bermuda Government and the Rockefeller Foundation. Operating primarily in summer, BIOS is used by US university professors and their students.

1954

Hydrostation ”S” is established, marking the beginning of the longest-running continuous ocean study in the world and the start of increased international scientific attention for BIOS as it becomes a year-round research center.

1975

The Bermuda Government establishes an inshore-water monitoring program supported by the Institute's faculty and researchers (formerly the Marine Environment Program).

1976

The Bermuda Program is initiated, offering local Bermudian students the opportunity to work collaboratively with BIOS scientists through an intensive hands-on research internship.

1978

The Oceanic Flux Program begins, creating the longest record of deep-ocean sediment trap studies in the world.

1988

BIOS becomes a critical link in an international effort to understand the ocean and atmospheric system as part of the Joint Global Ocean Flux Study.

1988

The Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) begins, establishing BIOS as one of two US centers for time-series studies on temporal variability in the ocean and providing key data on changing climate and the ocean.

1991

BIOS becomes an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site, helping to train the next generation of scientists.

1994

The Risk Prediction Initiative, a collaboration between climate scientists and (re)insurers, is established.

2004

The Naess Building, housing vital laboratory and office space is completed and becomes an operational part of the BIOS campus.

2006

First cruise aboard R/V Atlantic Explorer.

2007

Bermuda Biological Station for Research is renamed as Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences.

2012

BIOS’s on-island education courses are integrated to form Ocean Academy, a suite of programs offering experiential marine science education for Bermuda’s students and teachers.

2014

BIOS acquires its first Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), a Slocum glider using innovative technology to increase the frequency and spatial coverage of BIOS’s traditional oceanographic ship-based measurements.

2015

The Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences-Simons Collaboration for Ocean Processes and Ecology (BIOS-SCOPE) program is funded to study the microbial ecology of the Sargasso Sea and advance our understanding of role this community plays in the global carbon cycle.

2021

BIOS is one of 13 institutions selected to participate in a new NSF Science and Technology Center (STC) "Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet" (C-COMP)

2021

BIOS joins the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University, and its mission helping to ensure a thriving future for all.

2022
The College of Global Futures announces the launch fits fourth school, the School of Ocean Futures, which advances a learning, discovery and partnerships that shape a thriving global future.
2023
BIOS Celebrates 120 years of oceanographic research with an emphasis on the North Atlantic Ocean and the Bermuda platform, anchoring a unique part of the global ocean-observing system.