The Gulf Stream research site lies approximately thirty to forty miles off the coast of Florida. The Gulf Stream, a fast-moving current of warm seawater (74°F to 84°F), flows north from the Gulf of Mexico, pushing nutrients and organisms up along the East Coast of Florida before bearing east across the Atlantic Ocean. This wide, warm flow of seawater supports a diversity of oceanic organisms, including a fairly reliable supply of gelatinous grazers and other zooplankton.

The team has been conducting research at this site for two years. The coast off West Palm Beach provides easy access to open ocean waters from the coast via small boats. Here, research divers are able to collect a wide range of gelatinous grazers representative of large tropical and subtropical regions of the ocean.