To develop and foster collaborations among explorers and educators in ocean exploration, it is critical that educators be an integral part of the planning and conduct of exploration activities, whether ship- or shore-based. Development of these partnerships should be a crucial responsibility of each nation’s ocean exploration program, and could be accomplished through national scientific and educational professional organizations. Examples in the United States include the National Science Teachers Association, the National Marine Educators Association, the American Geophysical Union, the Centers for Ocean Science Education Excellence, and others.
CONCLUSION
The global ocean is teeming with undiscovered species and resources in vast under-explored areas. Yet even as our dependence on healthy, functioning marine ecosystems grows, our knowledge about the ocean and its role in keeping Earth’s systems in balance remains constrained. Given the importance of the global ocean in guaranteeing food security, providing resources, enabling worldwide commerce, and reminding us of our history, it is shocking that we still know so little about the ocean and the life it supports.
While steady progress in understanding of the ocean has been made possible by traditional hypothesis-driven research, a new program of exploration will permit us to make quantum leaps in new discoveries. A well-organized, adequately funded program in ocean exploration will allow us to plumb the depths of Earth’s last frontier and provide the foundation for better understanding, and better stewardship, of Earth’s ocean.