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.).
To learn more about safely viewing marine mammals and other protected species in the wild, please visit NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources' Marine Life Viewing Guidelines.
Upcoming Webinars
Into The Deep: Literally, Virtually, and Fictionally
September 10, 2020 from 6-8 pm PDT
Dr. James Lindholm, Author and James W. Rote Distinguished Professor of Marine Science and Policy at CSU Monterey Bay
Come hear Dr. James Lindholm share tales of undersea exploration, including on-going projects in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and beyond. Immersive, virtual dives will take you along the journey, and you’ll also discover how it all reappears in a new series of undersea adventure novels.
3D Modeling Coral Reefs: How Data Science Helps Us Better Understand Coral Reef Ecosystems
September 17, 2020 at 12pm Hawai`i / 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern
John Burns, PhD. University of Hawai`i at Hilo
Coral reefs are both culturally and economically important, yet these ecosystems still remain poorly understood. Join Dr. John Burns to learn how the Multiscale Environmental Graphical Analysis Lab uses cutting-edge 3D technology to map reefs in high-resolution. These 3D reconstructions are then layered with real-world data to improve our understanding of the biology and ecology of these habitats. This work has helped us to learn how coral reefs are changing over time, and how these changes affect associated reef organisms and the services we as humans depend on. Ultimately, our goal is to use innovative technologies to improve our understanding of coral reefs and develop techniques to help protect and preserve these ecosystems for future generations.
Giant Seabass: Kings of the Kelp Forest\
October 22, 2020 at 3 pm Pacific / 4 pm Eastern
Dr. Ryan Freedman, Research Ecologist, NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Giant Seabass are a species of large fish that live in the cool waters off the coast of California. This fish is the top predator of the kelp forest ecosystem, but the population has been low because of overfishing. Thanks to government protections in California, Giant Seabass are beginning to return to Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and NOAA is working with other groups to study them. The fish is unique because scientists believe it uses sounds to communicate. NOAA is working to record these sounds in the wild and study how these fish move around Santa Barbara Island, a small offshore island in the sanctuary.
What Has Happened at Hanauma Bay Without Direct Human Impact?
November 2, 2020 at 10 am Hawaiʻi / 1 pm Pacific / 4 pm Eastern
Sarah Severino, University of Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology
Hanauma Bay located within the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is one of the most famous and popular visitor destinations in all of Hawaiʻi. During normal times, Hanauma Bay attracts over over three million visitors per year and suffers greatly from overuse. Hanauma is both a Nature Preserve and a Marine Life Conservation District (the first of several established in the State of Hawaiʻi). Visitors are required by law to refrain from mistreating marine animals or from touching and walking on the coral reefs.
However, since March 2020, the Bay has been closed to all public uses. This has allowed researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology to study the impact of humans on the park’s diverse marine life. Join Ms. Severino as she discusses what researchers have learned so far and how this data can add to our knowledge of what happens to marine protected areas when human uses are taken out of the equation.