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June 8th is World Ocean Day, a global day of ocean celebration. Throughout the entire month of June, NOAA is offering public events to help get people engaged in ocean science and conservation. Here's a roundup of five ways you can observe World Ocean Day with NOAA, Sea Grant, and our many partners at science centers and aquariums.
University of Washington oceanographer Jan Newton uses an oceanography instrument to measure conductivity, temperature and depth in Puget Sound. (Image credit: University of Washington)
For more ideas, search the full list of World Ocean Day events offsite link.
1. Visit a NOAA lab, research center, or sanctuary
Who: NOAA Western Regional Center
What: To celebrate World Ocean Day, NOAA’s Sand Point Campus will be open to the public so visitors can learn more about NOAA’s work via lab tours, short science presentations, films, exhibits, and interactive activities. We will also announce the results of an art contest for K-12 students within the Puget Sound Educational Service District.
When: June 9, 12:00 – 6:30 pm
Where: NOAA Western Regional Center in Seattle, WA
Who: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
What: “Celebrate the Seas” — Partner organizations will host interactive activities to help ocean lovers of all ages learn about the marine world and how we connect to it. Visitors can see live ambassador zoo animals, play interactive games, touch marine animals in the touch tank, learn how to respond to a dolphin stranding, see the shell sand table, create cyanotype prints using sun energy, and much more.
When: June 8, 4:00–7:00 pm
Where: Stewart Beach Park, Galveston Island, Texas
Who: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
What: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary will partner with UC Santa Barbara researchers to provide hands-on activities to educate the public about ocean chemistry change at the Sea Center World Ocean Day Festival. Sanctuary staff and volunteers will also provide information about visiting the Channel Islands and the sanctuary system. There will be free public access and partner organizations offering information about our changing ocean.
When: June 3, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Sea Center Aquarium World Ocean Day Festival , Santa Barbara, California
Who: Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
What: John Calambokidis, Senior Research Biologist at Cascadia Research Collective will present “New Giants of the Salish Sea: Latest research on the return of humpback and gray whales to our region offsite link." Early birds can meet Big Mama, a life-sized walk-inside humpback whale display. Sponsored by Peninsula College, Cascadia Research Collective, NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, The Whale Trail, and Feiro Marine Life Center, this is a free presentation and open to the public. For more information contact Barbara Blackie: bblackie@pencol.edu or 360-417-6253.
When: June 5, 5:00 – 7:30 pm
Where: Peninsula College, Keegan Hall (Science and Technology), Building M, Room #125 Port Angeles, WA
What: World Celebration of the Ocean — To honor the Year of the Monk Seal and the Mālama Honua Voyage. Please join us for lessons on the Hawaiian Star Compass, Ti leaf lei making, Hawaiian moon calendar activities and Arts and Crafts.
When: June 10, 9:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Where: Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, 76 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720
Who: NOAA’s Pacific Islands Region offices
What: World Ocean Day Celebration offsite link to support NOAA's Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center and NOAA's Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office's 2017 Year of the Monk Seal celebration. The celebration is a collaborative effort with Ko Olina Resort, Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa and other community partners. The event will feature local entertainment, educational booths, and a special showing of the Disney animated movie "Moana" and will celebrate the 2017 Year of the Monk Seal, World Ocean Day and the return of Hōkūle‘a and Hikianalia to Hawaii.
When: June 10, 4:00 – 9:00 pm
Where: Ko Olina Beach Park on Oahu Hawaii, 92-100 Waipahe Place, Kapolei, HI 96707
Who: Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
What: On World Ocean Day, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Exploration Center will teach visitors all about the Pacific Ocean. Guests will also be able to make their own personalized button, view plankton caught in the bay through microscopes, and can make their own fish prints!
When: June 8th, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Where: Sanctuary Exploration Center, 35 Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, CA 93933
2. Watch an ocean documentary
Who: Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
What: Short film event offsite link, featuring films from the International Ocean Film Festival in San Francisco.
When: June 9, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Where: Oakland Museum of California
Who: Florida Sea Grant
What: World Ocean Day Event — exhibits, including the NOAA Marine Debris-funded Florida Microplastic Awareness Project, presentations and screening of the film "Silent Sea."
When: June 8, 1:00 – 7:00 pm
Where: UF/IFAS Extension Flagler County Office, 150 Sawgrass Road, Bunnell, FL 32110
3. Visit a Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center
Who: South Carolina, Oregon Coast, and Aquarium at Ft Fisher and Pine Knolls
What: Punch Out Plastics (campaign hosted by Ocean Project) — Visitors will text in level of concern about plastics in the ocean and also discuss their specific concerns.
When: June 8
Where: South Carolina Aquarium offsite link, Oregon Coast Aquarium offsite link, and the North Carolina Aquariums at Ft Fisher offsite link and Pine Knolls offsite link
What: Shedd Aquarium will continue the “Shedd the Straw” campaign that they started on Earth Day, where they will spend the day talking about plastic in the ocean and hosting activities on the floor.
When: June 8
Where: Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois
Who: Texas State AquariumWhat: The aquarium will be launching a plastic pollution temporary exhibit in their new building.
When: June 8
Where: Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi, Texas
Who: Seattle Aquarium
What: All of the talks and activities engage guests in sharing actions that people can do on an individual, community, and civic level. Themes provide examples of ocean health issues and ways to protect habitat and responsibly manage these issues. Sub-themes: ocean acidification, marine debris, microplastic, animal rescue and rehabilitation. Special guests will be the Octonauts and the Nature Conservancy. More events: https://www.seattleaquarium.org/
When: June 10–11
Where: Seattle Aquarium
Who: Oregon Coast Aquarium
What: By promoting responsible use and disposal of plastic to Aquarium visitors, Aquarium staff will highlight the 2017 World Ocean Day theme, “Our Oceans, Our Future”. The goal is to call attention to the ocean’s inextricable link to the well-being of our planet, and how stopping plastic pollution benefits the world’s largest ecosystem—from plankton to people.
When: June 24
Where: Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon
Who: Mystic Aquarium and West Marine’s BlueFuture Program
What: Engaging, hands-on activities during our biggest World Ocean Day celebration offsite link yet! Visit with local organizations that help to protect our ocean, learn how to make responsible and sustainable seafood purchases, discover how marine debris affects our ocean and explore solutions to the problem, plus so much more. Kids can even play in the mud – all in celebration of the influence our oceans have on the wellbeing of our planet.
When: June 10, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Where: Mystic, Connecticut
Who: Florida Aquarium
What: "Protect and Restore Our Blue Planet": focus on some of the positive impacts The Florida Aquarium has on our Ocean: Restoring Coral Reefs, Rehabilitating and Releasing Sea Turtles, Researching Shark health, and getting the Public and Local Businesses involved in Seafood Sustainability. There will also be a clean-up of the Riverwalk area with divers, kayakers, and land-based helpers cleaning up Tampa’s downtown.
When: Cleanup is June 10, 9:00 – 11:30 am. Aquarium’s event is from June 8–11.
Where: Cleanup is at Cotanchobee Park, Florida
Who: Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
What: The ocean provides habitat for millions of species of animals including sea turtles. In honor of World Ocean Day on June 8, you can enjoy "buy-one/get-one free" admission to the Environmental Learning Center and learn all about the sea turtles in our ocean.
When: June 8, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Where: 300 Tower Road, Naples, FL 34113
4. Join the movement online
What: We're celebrating World Ocean Day during the month of June by highlighting a select few of our 300 facts about our ocean and coasts. You can follow along on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Look for #30daysofocean.
When: June 1–30
Where: 30 Days of Ocean
What: Taking part in a Periscope event organized by California State Parks. California State Parks are doing Periscope events up and down the coast, one after the other. Our education coordinator at the Coastal Discovery Center in San Simeon, CA will be one of the guests.
Where: CA State Parks periscope offsite link
Who: Octonauts Corner, Resources for Younger Students What: NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research launched the Octonauts Corner webpage on oceanexplorer.noaa.gov. On this webpage visitors can download fun educational materials such as Creature Cards, a deep-sea creature chart, and view related videos from NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer expeditions. More content will be added as it becomes available. These materials are especially applicable for younger learners ages 3 and up. The Octonauts are a crew of eight adorable animals who explore the ocean in search of adventure. From their undersea "Octopod" base, the eight talented critters pursue their mission to explore new underwater worlds, rescue amazing sea creatures, and protect the ocean.Where: Octonauts Corner
Who: Schmidt Ocean Institute Ocean Exploration Google Hangout On Air What: On June 8, World Ocean Day, from 6-7 pm EDT/3-4 pm PDT, the Schmidt Ocean Institute will host a Google Hangout On Air featuring representatives from the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research and NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, the Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus, and Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor. Tune in as they discuss what it takes to keep these research vessels in operation and about the exciting tools they use to better understand our Ocean Planet. When: June 8, 6:00 – 7:00 pm EDTWhere: Ocean Exploration Hangout
5. Participate in cultural and environmental education
What: This year’s EE Symposium, Hawaii Environmental Education in a Changing Climate, through a partnership with NOAA Climate Stewards Education Project, will be sharing the latest tools, resources, and guidance on how to integrate the key themes of resiliency, stewardship, and meaningful action into your educational efforts. Furthermore, we will emphasize standards-based learning opportunities, highlighting the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). You’ll have the opportunity to learn from and network with EE practitioners, classroom teachers, community educators, resource managers, and conservation professionals from across the state and beyond!
When: June 8–10
Where: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii Island, at the Kilauea Military Camp
Who: Polynesian Voyaging Society
What: Malama Honua Fair & Summit offsite link — In celebration of Hōkūleʻa’s Homecoming after voyaging around Island Earth, local and global community members will gather for a three-day summit to discuss mālama honua stories of hope inspired by the Worldwide Voyage and develop sail plans for the future of Hawaii and our planet. NOAA Pacific staff have participated as crew on the voyage, and NOAA will be hosting a One NOAA informational booth as part of the event
When: June 17–20
Where: Honolulu, Hawaii
Who: Turtle Bay Resort
What: Sixth annual North Shore Oceanfest offsite link, one of Oahu's FREE premier community events. Ocean Fest brings together top ocean educators, activities, film, ocean crafts, food vendors, live music, hula and lots of great prizes. Enjoy a free, fun-filled afternoon of ocean education for all ages. This event is organized in part by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
When: June 3, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu, Hawaii
