The Oregon Coast System provides easy access for studying gelatinous grazers in the northern Pacific Ocean. The team has conducted research at various sites along the Newport Hydrographic Line, a string of research stations off the coast of Newport, Oregon, since February 2018. In contrast to warmer climates found at the Panama and Florida field sites, the Oregon Coast region offers temperate waters with average ocean temperatures between 46°F and 53°F. The sampling line crosses a narrow continental shelf and is subject to periodic upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich waters. This site is situated in the California Current, a large-scale ocean current stretching along the Pacific Ocean from British Columbia to Mexico. These conditions create an ideal ecosystem for an abundance of gelatinous zooplankton, phytoplankton, and other marine life.

Organism samples are collected in the open ocean aboard various oceanographic research vessels. Researchers and students have access to laboratories and equipment from the Bluewater Lab (PI Thompson) at Portland State University and the Plankton Lab (PI Sutherland) at the University of Oregon and the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB). Available equipment includes plankton nets, sorting equipment, microscopes, cameras, and flow cytometers.