The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve lies in the midst of an estuary where the currents of Doboy Sound and the Duplin River converge. The Reserve encompasses ecologies typical of the Carolinian biogeographic region, which spans the south Atlantic coastline of the United States from North Carolina to upper Florida. The mission of the Reserve is to provide opportunities for long-term estuarine scientific research, and public education and interpretation, with particular emphasis on the ecology and geology of Sapelo Island.