Webinar Series
The National Marine Sanctuary Webinar Series provides educators with educational and scientific expertise, resources and training to support ocean and climate literacy in the classroom. This series 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.).
Upcoming Webinars
Estimating Coral Feeding Habits from Space
May 21, 2019 at 6 pm Eastern / 3 pm Pacific
Dr. Michael Fox, Postdoctoral Scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Reef-building corals rely on a symbiosis with microscopic algae for much of their energetic needs. Rising ocean temperatures threaten this symbiosis and can cause it to break down in a process known as coral bleaching, which is one of the primary threats to the persistence of coral reef ecosystems globally. Corals are not helpless, however, as they are also excellent predators and if they can capture food to maintain their energy budgets while bleached they may have a greater chance for survival. Learn more how natural variation in food availability on reefs around the world and how this may influence coral resilience and recovery from bleaching events.
Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies – Vessel Speed Reduction in California
June 11, 2019 at 6 pm Eastern / 3 pm Pacific
Jessica Morten, Resource Protection Specialist, contractor to NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary & Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary through the Greater Farallones Association
California's nutrient-rich coastal waters are home to several species of large whales, including gray whales and endangered blue, humpback, and fin whales. The state is also home to four major shipping ports – San Diego, Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland – that result in thousands of large container and tanker transits taking place within California national marine sanctuary waters. In the past decade, over 10 whale fatalities have been recorded along the California coast as a result of ship and whale collisions, and recent research suggests that many more of these ship strikes are going undetected each year. To address this global issue, national marine sanctuaries along the West Coast have been working with a number of partners to better understand the issue of ship strikes and slow vessels down to reduce harmful air emissions and protected endangered whales.
Catch and Release: Large whale entanglements and response efforts to mitigate the threat
July 10, 2019 at 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern
Ed Lyman, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary
Entanglement or by-catch is a global issue that affects many marine animals, including large whales like the charismatic humpback whale. Hundreds of thousands of whales die worldwide each year, but the impacts go beyond mortality. When conditions and resources allow, trained responders under NOAA’s Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program attempt the dangerous task of freeing whales from life-threatening entanglements. However, the ultimate goal is to gain information to reduce the threat for whales and humans alike. The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary working closely with its partners and the community, coordinates response efforts for Hawaii, the principle breeding and calving ground of humpback whales in the North Pacific. The effort represents a unique and valuable opportunity to gain a broader understanding of large whale entanglement threat. Learn more about whale entanglements and response efforts from expert Ed Lyman.