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Use ocean discoveries to heighten public awareness of the full range of ocean issues and inspire the next generation of ocean scientists and explorers.

People are drawn to the oceans by their beauty, power, and infinite possibilities. Their inspirational power is demonstrated in centuries of literature, art, and music. Yet relatively few people understand the complex relationship between the oceans and the Earth's atmosphere, or grasp the magnitude of human impacts on fragile marine resources.

A recent survey found that many Americans have misleading ideas about the ocean and coastal environment. For example, only one in six knows that the leading source of petroleum pollution in rivers, lakes, and bays is car oil washed off streets into local waterways; most people think the leading sources are oil rigs, tankers, and refineries. Similarly, the majority of adults recently surveyed are unaware that the leading cause of entanglement of marine wildlife is abandoned fishing lines and nets. And four out of five Americans do not identify pollution running off the land as a problem for the oceans, although it is the leading source of marine pollution.

Continuing intensification of human activity near the coasts presents complex issues about marine and coastal ecosystems and societal choices. Comprehensive ocean awareness is critical to effective citizen participation in decision-making processes. Citizens have increasing needs for informal education and lifetime learning, as well as basic scientific literacy, to be capable of making sound choices. Children in particular need to be engaged in ocean and coastal marine science. Young students have been motivated by hands-on experiences, such as the National Ocean Sciences Bowl® , aquarium programs, GLOBE, Sea Partners, and Sea Camp. The ocean science community has the opportunity to make the oceans a major context in which to study the interactions of science, technology, and society.

Ongoing Concerns

• Although the government and private institutions support ocean science education and outreach programs, these efforts are rarely driven by a specific plan to assess and improve the quality of ocean science education for students, teachers, and the general public.
• Current ocean and coastal educational materials are not as effective or useful to educators as they could be because they are often not closely related to mandatory curricula and are highly variable in quality.
• Teacher education is critical, yet opportunities for it are limited.
• Federal agencies often have very specific educational responsibilities, such as boater education, safe handling of seafood, conservation, and pollution prevention. Many of these can benefit from and contribute to basic ocean educational materials and programs.

Recommendations

• Establish a nationally coordinated effort to improve and promote ocean science education.
• Make ocean science education materials widely available to educators and the general public.
• Develop partnerships and networks with education groups, such as the National Marine Educators Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and the American Zoo and Aquaria Association, to facilitate interaction between the ocean community and educators.
• Develop model programs, such as the Model Congress program, that bring students together to debate and create solutions to current ocean science and policy problems.
• Expand efforts to create discovery-driven, interactive Web sites for all federal ocean programs to engage children and adults in a lifetime of ocean discovery.
• Expand partnerships between the federal government and private entities, such as the National Geographic Society, to leverage resources and increase ocean and coastal educational opportunities for the public.

For more information

http://www.marine-ed.org/
http://www.vims.edu/bridge/
http://www.globe.gov
http://core.cast.msstate.edu/
http://www.aza.org/