1998 Year of the Ocean Marine Education U.S.A.: An Overview 



K-12 MARINE EDUCATION 



National Standards 



The National Science Education Standards by the National Research Council (National 

 Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1996) contain almost no mention of the ocean, i There is no 

 mention of the oceans or life in the sea in the major sections on Physical Science, Life Science, 

 Science and Technology, Science in Personal and Social Perspectives, or History and Nature of 

 Science. The citations above are in Earth and Space Science. Inferred references can be found in 

 the citations regarding water, although a knowledgeable person would need to point these out. In 

 the references to fossils, evolution and biological diversity, the ocean connection is never 

 explicit. The words "ocean," "sea," "marine," or even "water," do not appear in the index. This 

 omission is appalling. Of course, no oceanographers were on the consulting advisory panel. 

 There is a crucial need for an addendum to the National Science Education Standards detailing 

 how the ocean fits in with the cited standards. 



Admiral (ret.) James Watkins, President of the Consortium for Ocean Research and 

 Education (CORE), recognized this omission and pointed out that, in fact, the ocean sciences 

 comprise "one perfect implementation mechanism to meet national standards." In his address to 

 the National Marine Educators Association conference in Chicago, August 1997, he said, "The 

 so-called content standards of the National Science Education Standards include categories, each 

 of which 1 will discuss in conjunction with utilizing ocean sciences as the ideal implementing 

 tool." To this end , Admiral Watkins remarked on the following categories: 



Unifying Concepts and Processes in Science. "The science of biochemistry, which is 

 one of the most interdisciplinary fields ever developed, was invented by marine scientists 

 in order to understand the global carbon budget and its role in controlling climate." 



Science as Inquiry. "Ocean science is still a science of untold discoveries. Each research 

 cruise raises as many new questions as it answers old ones. Some refer to oceans as the 

 last frontier here on earth." 



Physical Science. "Study of the sea covers every aspect of physics, from the classical 

 dynamics of wave theory, to the most fundamental aspects of high energy physics related 

 to how sea water interacts with deep undersea muons and neutrinos. It is these studies 

 which will feed into our understanding of such seemingly unrelated subjects as nuclear 

 fusion as an energy source." 



Life Science. "The ocean holds the key to the origins of life, as shown in the 

 chemosynthetic behavior of deep-sea vent biota. How can life exist in the absence of 



' Here are the only citations: (1) page 159, "ocean floors are the tops of thin oceanic plates." "...to change continuously earth's 

 crust, oceans, atmosphere..."; (2) page 160, "Water evaporates. ..collects in lakes, oceans, soil...". "Oceans have a major effect on 

 climate, because water in the oceans holds a large amount of heat." (3) page 189. "This energy transfer is influenced by. ..static 

 conditions such as the position of mountain ranges and oceans." 



K-10 



