ISMAR conducts research in polar, oceanic and Mediterranean regions, focusing on the following themes:
> the evolution of oceans and their continental margins, studying submarine volcanoes, faults and slides and their potential impacts onshore
> the influence of climate change on oceanic circulation, acidification, bio-geochemical cycles and marine productivity
> submarine habitats and ecology, and the increasing pollution of coastal and deep-sea environments
> the evolution of fish stocks with a view to keeping commercial fishing within sustainable limits and improving mariculture and aquaculture practices
> natural and anthropogenic factors impacting economically and socially on coastal systems from pre-history to the industrial epoch.