NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

"What is Marine Debris?" is a foldable poster created by the NOAA Marine Debris Program that provides an overview of general marine debris, plastic debris, garbage patches, the NOAA Marine Debris Program, the impacts of debris, general debris facts, and how you can help. It is designed to be folded, displaying information as it is unfolded to reveal a larger poster for display.

Descriptive poster all about the formation and truth about garbage patches.

Kelp forests are an important ecosystem that support a variety of species and grow predominantly along the Eastern Pacific Coast, from Alaska and Canada to the waters of Baja, California. Kelp forests can be found in four of our national marine sanctuaries along the West Coast of the United States. This collection has compiled wide-ranging resources from lesson plans, webinars, web stories, virtual reality videos, and more. You are invited to learn more about the importance of Kelp Forest Ecosystems, NOAA’s efforts to manage and conserve them, the species that call these forests home, and the threats kelp face.

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.

The "Did You Know?" marine debris bookmark series is full of vibrant and colorful images with fun facts about marine debris. Set each bookmark side by side and you'll see that the images connect-- a reminder that our land, ocean, and our actions are all connected. The bookmarks touch on marine debris issues like entanglement, derelict fishing gear, ingestion of debris by wildlife, and garbage patches. Finally, they remind us that trash doesn't belong in our ocean and that we can all contribute to the solution!

Poster about marine debris impacts specific to HI, including details on ingestion/entanglement, gyres, and solutions

Marine debris threatens marine life and our ocean and coasts. It affects us too, whether we are boating, fishing, swimming or simply enjoying a day at the beach. Trash can travel through storm drains, streams, and rivers and end up in our community, as well as in the ocean.

This poster collection is available to help spread awareness of marine debris and highlight some of the most important issues we're trying to address through prevention, removal, and research. All posters are available in PDF format to download and print.

As a part of the 50th anniversary of the 1972 National Marine Sanctuary Act, the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries released posters capturing the beauty and diversity of your National Marine Sanctuary System.

Coral reefs are one of the most important ecosystems on our planet that protect and foster biodiversity. The diversity of locations and reef types makes this system unique and allows for valuable comparisons of reefs from differing biogeographic regions and of differing levels of use. Explore this collection of NOAA webinars, lesson plans, posters, videos, infographics, virtual reality, and more learn about coral reef ecosystems and NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries’ efforts within the sanctuary system to preserve them and limit the impacts they face.