NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

Data in the Classroom has structured, student-directed lesson plans that use historical and real-time NOAA data. The five modules address research questions and include stepped levels of engagement with complex inquiry investigations with real-time and past data.

The Deep Ocean Education Project is a collaboration among NOAA Ocean Exploration, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Schmidt Ocean Institute featuring high-quality ocean exploration and science education materials from the three organizations. The Deep Ocean Education Project website – launched in 2021 – is built around themes that are easily searchable, address key ocean-related phenomena, and encourage and support three-dimensional approaches to teaching and learning for K-12 education. The objective is to provide a one-stop resource hub for public, educators, and students looking for deep-sea educational materials. The website also includes information on how to connect with research vessels, including a list of upcoming events and opportunities, and live feeds of expeditions.

Dive into tutorials on corals, estuaries, global positioning, pollution, ocean currents, and tides. Learn the basics about these topics and how they are a part of NOAA's work.

Follow along with the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer as its crew study deep sea ecosystems and animals. During live stream periods, you can listen along as scientists comment on what they are seeing and identify animals and deep sea features in real time. 

The ocean absorbs the extra carbon dioxide we emit into the atmosphere when we burn fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas, and that changes the chemistry of the ocean. We call this “ocean acidification.” The change in chemistry is reducing the amount of calcium carbonate in the ocean. Just as humans need calcium to build their bones, sea creatures need calcium carbonate to build strong skeletons and shells. Ocean acidification changes the chemistry of the ocean and causes “osteoporosis of the sea,” which prevents animals at the bottom of the food chain from building and maintaining the protective shells they need to survive.

This 3D coral polyp model shows a cross section of a single polyp, including its tentacles, gastrodermis, stomach cavity, and the complex skeletal structure underneath. It is a generic representation and not a replica of any particular species. Each half has interlocking pegs that allow a full polyp to be assembled.

Deep-sea coral communities, like the ones found in the national marine sanctuaries of the West Coast, are home to many diverse species. This curriculum takes students into the deep sea to identify the soft corals, hard corals, invertebrates and fish found in these communities and to investigate the unique biology of deep-sea corals. Learn the threats these animals face and what we can do help protect them.

An activity book for educators and students

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 how natural variation in food availability on reefs around the world and how this may influence coral resilience and recovery from bleaching events.

In 2015, NOAA scientists went on a research expedition in the U.S. Virgin Islands aboard the NOAA Ship Nancy Foster to continue to map the Caribbean's sprawling coral reef ecosystem, home to an amazing variety of ocean life. The science team used multibeam sonar, scientific echosounder, underwater gliders, a remotely operated vehicle, and other high-tech tools to locate previously-unknown seafloor habitats; to map out coral reefs in fine detail; and to find 'hotspots' where many species of fish gather to spawn in rhythm with the lunar cycle. Explore their findings through videos, photos, podcasts, and other information.