Get Involved

LATEST TODAY'S CATCH

NOAA's Adopt a Drifter Program

Apr 20, 2012 - 12:50PMNOAA is working with students across the globe to place floating buoys throughout the ocean through their Adopt a Drifter Program. The buoys will drift with the help of ocean currents and record the sea surface temperature and...
Jun 3, 2011 - 2:55PM
June 8th is World Ocean Day- a great time to celebrate all that the ocean...
Sep 19, 2010 - 12:09PM
Marine debris--or trash that has washed or been dumped into our ocean and...

SPOTLIGHT

How You Can Help the Ocean

Make the ConnectionThe first step in making a difference is learning about the ocean and how your actions have an impact....
Dec 13 2009 - 7:14pm
Make the ConnectionThe first step in making a difference is learning about the ocean and how your actions have an impact. Keep reading to learn everyday things you can do to help protect and restore the seas. And don't forget to share what you've learned with friends and family.  
May 25 2012 - 12:15pm
If you were choreographing a dance about the ocean, how would you do it? Would you dart around like a lobster in a hurry? Dive like a dolphin? Float like a jellyfish?
Light Painting Tutorial
Oct 12 2011 - 4:05pm
What does a bioluminescent creature that lives more than two miles below the surface of the ocean and a glow stick have in common? More than you think. Bioluminescence is the process by which living organisms produce their own light. Using a photographic technique called light painting, you can do...
Oct 13 2010 - 10:51am
For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit a coral reef, you know that it’s an experience you are unlikely to forget. Coral reefs are among the world’s most magnificent ecosystems. Their beauty alone makes them incalculably valuable, but beyond aesthetics, their importance to both...
Climate Change and the Chesapeake Bay
Feb 14 2011 - 4:14pm
Students are working with the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Md., to develop an informal education plan that will communicate information about Chesapeake Bay marsh restoration and explain the effects of climate change and sea-level rise on the bay's marshes. As part of the Third Student Summit...
Apr 13 2012 - 2:11pm
Amazing Ocean is a brand new, free mobile app developed by the U.S. Department of State that features Smithsonian Ocean Portal and Sant Ocean Hall content. The app allows users to explore photos, videos, and rich ocean-themed content on their mobile devices.
Jun 15 2012 - 9:58am
For the past week, the Indonesian Biodiversity Research Center (IBRC) diving class of 2012 has seen countless fish in shades of pink, blue, yellow, red, and green darting through corals and the overhangs of a shipwreck. They witnessed stunning bioluminescent plankton flash like fireflies in the...
Oct 30 2009 - 6:00pm
In September, during the Sant Ocean Hall's first anniversary celebration, the Ocean Portal Team hit the museum floor to tell visitors about the OP and get some early feedback. Let's face it, we spend a lot of time at our computers, so we were very excited to meet people face-to-face. We asked...
Nov 12 2010 - 5:05pm
A formal signing of a memo of understanding with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which continues and builds upon Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History partnership with them in ocean science research, marine research, climate literacy, outreach and...
Jul 19 2011 - 1:58pm
This week people representing federal, state, and local governments, academia, non-profits, and private industry are in Chicago for the biennial Coastal Zone Conference. This meeting will give more than 1,000 attendees the opportunity to discuss ocean issues, strategies, and solutions.
Sep 15 2011 - 12:05pm
Marine debris damages habitat, entangles wildlife, helps transport invasive species, and harms marine animals that mistakenly ingest the trash thinking it is food.  As part of the Smithsonian's Art's and Science program, the museum hosted "DYOB: Design Your Own Bag."  The program aimed to...
Apr 21 2011 - 3:21pm
For more than 40 years, Earth Day has been a day to get your hands dirty—or wet! No act of green or blue is too small. Whether you choose to plant a tree or pledge to use less water, small collective acts add up. They also help raise awareness and inspire protection of the Earth and its ocean.
Students study the effect of climate change on crabs.
Feb 8 2011 - 5:37pm
What can students do to help the ocean? It turns out, a lot! These students from across the United States and Mexico are developing action plans on ocean and climate-related issues in their local communities. They’re getting advice from their teachers and experts at aquariums and marine research...
2011 Student Summit on the Ocean   Coasts Webcast  Part 2
Mar 28 2011 - 2:59pm
Recorded Feb. 15, 2011, this video from the Third Student Summit on the Ocean and Coasts includes public awareness and education presentations that were presented by delegations from the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher (2:20), Shedd Aquarium (17:30), Veracruz Aquarium (30:15) and the...
May 30 2012 - 1:20pm
Here at the Ocean Portal, we celebrate the ocean every day. But one day a year -- World Oceans Day on June 8 of each year -- is reserved for each person to join us in honoring that great, salty body of water that covers more than 70 percent of our planet.
Jan 23 2012 - 3:33pm
Page 1 NOAA Multimedia Discovery Missions Coral reefs are vibrant ecosystems teeming with color and life. Most grow in the warm sunlit waters of tropical seas. Beautiful and accessible, shallow water corals are beloved by the public and well known to scientists. In contrast, deep-sea corals are...