NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer Research Articles

New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration: The E/V Nautilus and NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer 2011 Field Season

New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration: The E/V Nautilus and NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer 2011 Field Season

The NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer: Continuing to Unfold the President's Panel on Ocean Exploration Recommendation for Ocean Literacy

AbstractThe NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, commissioned as the first federal vessel dedicated solely to ocean exploration, will offer unparalleled opportunities to the scientific and education communities for “reaching out in new ways to stakeholders to improve the literacy of learners of all ages with respect to ocean issues” (<xref ref-type="bibr" rid="bib10">The President's Panel on Ocean Exploration, 2000</xref>) and for enhancing awareness of Ocean Literacy Essential Principle #7 — “The ocean is little explored.” Using a systematically mission-driven exploration protocol and advanced technological instrumentation and systems to explore little-known or unknown regions of the ocean, the ship will employ an integrated telepresence system that will provide broadband satellite transmission of data and discoveries in real time for science, education, and outreach. This paper describes the capabilities and assets of the ship, begins to address some of the opportunities that the ship will offer for “learning in new ways,” describes the Okeanos Explorer Education Forum held in the summer of 2008, and addresses some of the issues that will be taken into consideration in using real-time data in a variety of learning environments as the education program for the ship unfolds.