A primary function of the Reserve is to support and conduct original research. Research is conducted in-house by Reserve staff scientists, who also lend logistical and other support to visiting scientists conducting their own research in the Reserve.
Currently, most in-house research conducted by the Reserve focuses on salt marshes, with an emphasis on how marshes are changing and responding to sea-level rise. Much of this work builds upon long-term marsh monitoring as part of the SWMP Sentinel Sites program. Specific recent research projects include 1) a before-after-control-impact field experiment to quantify the effects of excavating new drainage channels to alleviate marsh waterlogging, 2) a multi-year collaborative research project with EPA in Narragansett, RI to better understand causes and effects of expanding crab populations on RI marshes, and 3) a multi-reserve collaboration to develop a new tool for quantifying and comparing relative marsh resilience to sea-level rise.