In recent years, global concern has grown regarding the degradation of marine ecosystems. Humanity has greatly benefited from the oceans, underscoring the constant need for restoration and conservation of marine ecosystems. International cooperation is essential for protecting the oceans, with Japan, an island nation surrounded by the sea, playing…

Marine pollution from oil spills, vessel discharges, and ballast water poses significant challenges to environmental sustainability and maritime operations. This research explores the potential of bioremediation techniques, focusing on oil-degrading microorganisms, biofilters, bioreactors, and marine plants, to address these issues. By integrating…

Collaborative programs are essential to fully engage and educate all who interact with the environment. Existing place-based programs targeting the care of Hawai'i's land and oceans rarely simultaneously engage the tourism industry and local communities. To address this gap, researchers from the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology developed a…

Sustainable aquaculture is essential to meeting the growing global demand for seafood while addressing environmental and socio-economic challenges. This research explores the integration of offshore and coastal aquaculture systems, emphasizing their complementary roles in achieving sustainability within the maritime domain. Offshore systems,…

Biofouling on ship hulls significantly impacts maritime operations by increasing drag, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions, while traditional antifouling methods often harm marine ecosystems. This research explores innovative biofouling mitigation strategies, focusing on bio-based coatings and active antifouling systems to enhance…

The Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts described in Version 3 of this guide represent content that does not fall neatly within traditional science disciplines, but rather supports a focus on integrated science. Many Fundamental Concepts illustrate more than one Essential Principle. This guide presents a vision of an ocean-literate…

The magnitude and scale of current threats to ecosystems requires interdisciplinary approaches to both science and training. For example, urbanization has resulted in increased runoff from communities into coastal habitats, necessitating work across the marine-terrestrial interface. This runoff holds myriad pollutants which can impact vulnerable…

The Essential Principles and Fundamental Concepts described in Version 3 of this guide represent content that does not fall neatly within traditional science disciplines, but rather supports a focus on integrated science. Many Fundamental Concepts illustrate more than one Essential Principle. This guide presents a vision of an ocean-literate…

We created a 2-week, dual-module summer course introducing high school students to environmental toxicology by teaching them quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a way to quantify gene expression of chemical defense proteins in response to exposure to environmental pollutants. During the course, students are guided through the various…

Marine communities are experiencing rapid environmental changes including warming temperatures and ocean acidification (OA). For organisms within these communities, responses to ocean change are shaped by population- and community-level interactions which may modify their responses. This dissertation integrates experimental, field, and modeling…

This work aimed to raise ocean awareness of 6th-grade students using marine invertebrates and integrating ludic activities within the curricula. Forty-two students from two public elementary schools from Northeast Brazil were selected. A pre-experimental design with pre-test/post-test was followed, using a questionnaire on…

This case study shares feedback from program alumni who are from underrepresented groups in STEM and who participated in either an undergraduate internship program or a Bridge to Ph.D. program designed to broaden participation in the marine and environmental sciences. The internship program was hosted by a Historically Black College and University…

Worldwide initiatives have been promoting awareness on marine environmental issues. In Brazil Maritime Mentality Program arises from political disputes over the right to use maritime spaces, Coastal Marine Environmental Education shares the same theoretical basis as Environmental Education and Ocean Literacy appears in the USA and became globally…

A common question posed to environmental scientists by nonscientists, particularly policymakers, is the following: In a world that is globally warmer, what will the new climate be like in specific geographical regions? This question has been and continues to be addressed by computer modeling, a technique that is out of reach for vast majority of…

As the impacts of climate change grow, we need better ways to raise awareness and motivate action. Here we assess the effectiveness of an Arctic climate change card game in comparison with the more conventional approach of reading an illustrated article. In-person assessments with control/reading and treatment/game groups (N = 41), were followed…