Webinar Series

left to right: group of people whale watching from shore, John Armor, a group of diver collecting data

The National Marine Sanctuaries Webinar Series provides educators, students, and the interested public with educational and scientific expertise, resources and training to support ocean and climate literacy. This series generally targets formal and informal educators that are engaging students (elementary through college) in formal classroom settings, as well as members of the community in informal educational venues (e.g. after school programs, science centers, aquariums, etc.). However, the series is open to anyone interested in the topics listed below.

For distance learning programs about marine mammals and other protected species in the wild, please visit our Wildlife Viewing Guidelines and the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources' Marine Life Viewing Guidelines to ensure you are aware of the regulations.

Upcoming Webinars

left to right: ariel view of 3 seals resting on a shoal, 2 sea turtles resting on a beach while a bird stands on each turtle, a man made barrier proctecting the beach

Holu Lalo: A strategy for enhancing resilience of French Frigate Shoals Atoll

August 18, 2022 at 12 pm Hawaiʻi / 3 pm Pacific / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern

Kiloaulani Ka'awa-Gonzales: E. Gordon Grau Fellow, Contractor with UH Sea Grant in support of NOAA Pacific Region Executive Board

Located within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (monument), the tiny islets of Lalo (French Frigate Shoals) serve as critical terrestrial nesting and resting habitat for Hawaiian green sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals, and seabirds. With nearly 1,000 square kilometers of coral reef, Lalo supports the greatest variety of coral species in the monument; more than 600 species of invertebrates, many of which are endemic; and more than 150 species of algae. In this webinar, Kiloaulani Ka'awa-Gonzales will discuss the efforts taken by monument staff and their climate collaborators to 1) identify priority climate-related stressors present at Lalo, 2) explore adaptive management options to address these climate-related impacts, and 3) establish a comprehensive and collaborative resilience strategy outlining innovative implementation of actions intended to maintain and enhance the resilience of terrestrial and marine habitats at Lalo.

This presentation is part of the Third Thursday by The Bay webinar series at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, which is the visitor center for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. This lecture series is also supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

left to right: whale and calf swimming, a whale breaching while a shipping vessel transits in the background, a whale skeleton on the bottom of the ocean, a child holding a postcard with the following writing: Thank you for slowing down

Climate Change, Whales, and Kids: how science and education can protect species and fight climate change

September 21, 2022 at 12 pm Hawai`i / 3 pm Pacific / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern

Sara Hutto, Conservation and Climate Program Coordinator, Greater Farallones Association

Globally, whales and other megafauna play an important role in the carbon cycle and in reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide. In this webinar, the Climate Program Coordinator for Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries will discuss the latest science on "whale carbon," and the critical efforts underway to rebuild whale stocks by reducing impacts, such as lethal collisions with ships. Recent engagement with school children on the subject made a big splash, resulting in a renewed commitment from the largest container shipping line to continue to go slow for whales, demonstrating the important role that community engagement plays in ocean protection.