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
Where are all the fish going? Identifying patterns of genetic connectivity across the Hawaiian Archipelago
September 24, 2019 at 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Easter
Dr. Richard Coleman, former Dr. Nancy Foster Scholar at Hawai`i Institute of Marine Biology
Understanding connectivity and dispersal pathways, as well as identifying the underlying mechanisms influencing these patterns are essential to properly understand how biodiversity is generated in the sea and to inform management strategies. Since direct observation of larvae is impractical, a variety of genetic methods have been developed to characterize connectivity and dispersal patterns in marine organisms. Join Dr. Coleman as he explains how he incorporated several genetic-based approaches to assess connectivity of two recreationally important reef fishes across the Hawaiian Archipelago to assess connectivity between the Main Hawaiian Islands and the Papāhanaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
OceanReports: The first intelligent web application for marine spatial analysis of the entire U.S. EEZ
October 8, 2019 at 3 pm Pacific / 6 pm Eastern
Dr. James A. Morris, Jr., Marine Ecologist at NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science
OceanReports is the most comprehensive web-based spatial assessment tool for the ocean in the U.S., designed to improve decision-making and increase transparency for ocean and coastal users, and resource managers. The tool contains approximately 100 distinct data layers capable of analyzing energy and minerals, natural resources (including species and habitats), transportation and infrastructure, oceanographic and biophysical conditions, and the local ocean economy for any area of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Learn more about OceanReports from Dr. Morris and help NOAA determine how formal and informal educators can utilize this robust online product.
OceanReports was developed through a partnership between the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, NOAA, and the Department of Energy, and utilizes new and authoritative data from MarineCadastre.gov and other trusted sources.
Sinkholes to Stars: Exploring Microbial Ecosystems in Lake Huron’s Sinkholes
December 5, 2019 at 4 pm Pacific / 7 pm Eastern
Bopi Biddanda, Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University
Join Professor Bopi Biddanda as he shares the excitement of over a decade of exploration of life in Lake Huron’s sinkholes carried out in collaboration with NOAA’s Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. He will ponder the relevance of these findings to major issues of both scientific and societal interest such as Earth’s current biologic and physiologic diversity, oxygenation of early Earth in the distant past, and humanity’s ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. For an introduction to life in Lake Huron’s sinkholes, see this overview educational article.