Marine Biological Association opens its Plymouth laboratory

Location. The laboratory was located on Plymouth Hoe, a large south-facing public space in the coastal city of Plymouth. The site is adjacent to the low limestone cliffs forming the seafront and commands views of Plymouth Sound. The specific laboratory structure, known as the Citadel Hill Laboratory, is set into the fortifications of the Royal Citadel.

Operations. The Marine Biological Association is a learned society with a scientific laboratory that undertakes research in marine biology. The MBA is home to the National Marine Biological Library, which began in 1887 as the association's research support library and whose collections cover the marine biological sciences. Over its history the MBA has also collected long-term observations of physical and biological parameters in the ocean, providing a foundation of data for studies of biological responses to marine environmental change.