Webinar Series
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
Exploring Underwater Sound in our National Marine Sanctuaries
May 17, 2022 at 8 am Hawai`i / 11 am Pacific / 1 pm Central / 2 pm Eastern
Leila Hatch, Ph.D., Marine Ecologist, Science and Heritage Division, Claire Fackler, National Education Liaison, and Chloe McKenna, Education Intern, NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
SanctSound is a three-year project, managed by NOAA and the U.S. Navy, to better understand underwater sound within our national marine sanctuaries. The goal of the SanctSound project is to understand how sound varies in the ocean by collecting the same information in sanctuaries around the United States. SanctSound combines sound data with the other types of observations we make throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System in order to better understand and protect these special places. The SanctSound web portal allows users to explore the sonic features of each sanctuary, and to make comparisons among locations to better understand how similar or different they are from each other. Take a tour of this new portal and the new Ocean Sound and Impact of Noise Resource Collection.
Virtual Field Trip to the Channel Islands
May 18, 2022 at 1 pm Hawai`i / 4 pm Pacific / 6pm Central / 7 pm Eastern
Julie Bursek, NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Claire Fackler, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
In celebration of Kids to Parks Day, join staff from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on a virtual outdoor adventure from Ventura Harbor in California across the Santa Barbara Channel in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary to Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands. The channel crossing will be full of marine life experiences, such as humpback whales breaching, common dolphins surfing the wake of the Island Packers vessel, and sea lions darting in and out of kelp forests. You'll also have a chance to see the largest animal to have ever existed on planet Earth—the elusive blue whale. As you approach the islands, you'll learn more about this special marine protected area that is located in a major upwelling zone where nutrient rich waters rise from the deep-sea to the surface and feed over 28 species of whales and dolphins. Once on land, you'll take a quick hike and then cool off while snorkeling in the lush kelp forests and kayaking in sea caves surrounding the island. Following your exhilarating adventure to the Channel Islands, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about this special national treasure and collect your virtual ParkPassport Badge!
Mission: Iconic Reefs - An Ambitious Plan to Restore 7 Sites in the Florida Keys
May 19, 2022 at 12 pm Hawaiʻi / 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern
Marlies Tumolo, Education & Outreach Team Lead, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
The coral reefs of the Florida Keys were some of the world's most iconic reefs. Over the last 40 years reefs worldwide have suffered dramatic declines. Nearly 90 percent of the live corals that once dominated our reefs have been lost. Emergency action is required to ensure the health of coral reefs in the Keys for future generations. NOAA and partners have developed an ambitious approach to restore corals at seven sites in the Florida Keys. Join staff from Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary to learn about Mission: Iconic Reefs, a 20-year restoration plan to save Florida's coral reefs.
This presentation is part of the Third Thursday By the Bay Presentation Series at Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, which is the visitor center for Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hilo, Hawaiʻi. This State of the Monument lecture series is also supported by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Underwater Photography with Jesse Cancelmo
May 25, 2022 at 1 pm Hawai`i / 4 pm Pacific / 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern
Jesse Cancelmo, underwater photographer and former Advisory Council member for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
Have you ever wondered how to capture amazing photographs of marine life? Are you interested in improving your photography skills or trying something new? Jesse Cancelmo is here to help. An accomplished diver and underwater photographer, Cancelmo made his first scuba dive in 1969 on a coral reef in Bermuda. Since that plunge, he has stoked his passion by diving around the globe from World War II wrecks off the New Jersey coast to the coral reefs of Papua New Guinea. Cancelmo's photography and articles have appeared in leading wildlife, diving, and news publications including Dive Training magazine, BBC Wildlife, National Geographic, USA Today and Newsweek. Cancelmo is the author of four books: Diving Bermuda, Diving Cayman Islands, Texas Coral Reefs, and Glorious Gulf of Mexico, which features images of the coral reefs and marine life of the three countries with shorelines on the Gulf—Mexico, Cuba, and the U.S.
A longtime supporter and advocate for Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, Cancelmo will share his experience and expertise diving and taking photographs in the sanctuary and beyond. Whether you are brand new to underwater photography or an advanced photographer, Cancelmo will provide tips and information to help you enjoy your diving and photography, and have you ready for the 2022 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest.
Discover NOAA Resource Collections: Coral Reef and Kelp Forest Ecosystems
June 1, 2022 at 12 pm Hawai`i / 3 pm Pacific / 5 pm Central / 6 pm Eastern
Claire Fackler and Chloe McKenna, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
As part of our 50th anniversary campaign, we have been launching a new robust resource collection each month. Explore each collection of NOAA videos, lesson plans, webinars, web stories, virtual reality, and much more. In this new era of ocean conservation, we encourage formal and informal educators and other interested people to take advantage of the robust educational materials available in each topically-based collection. During this webinar, we will be focusing on the Coral Reef and Kelp Forest Ecosystems Resource Collections.