The Acid Ocean Virtual Lab offers free interactive digital learning tools on climate change and ocean acidification. The Lab contains three sections: (1) learning the main facts on ocean acidification (2) studying the effects of acidified seawater on urchin larval growth, and (3) a virtual urchin larvae measurement experiment. The lab is part of the bigger transatlantic ‘Inquiry to Student Environmental Action’ (I2SEA) project that promotes international collaboration among high school and secondary school students as they learn about, discuss, and envision solutions to shared environmental challenges. On the website of the project is also a carbon footprint calculator.

Starting from 2010, the Shark Trust systematically asked UK based anglers to record all sharks, skates and rays they catch. In time, the information collated by the project will increase the understanding of inshore shark, skate and ray populations throughout the UK, feeding into the development of more effective management and, where necessary, protection. The Shark Trust has produced a Shark, Skate and Ray Identification Guide, as well as a pocket guide and CD-ROM – and a wide range of additional leaflets and posters. Anglers can record their catch using an online recording form.

Aquascope is an educational website about the Swedish coastal areas: it contains information on the different coastal and marine environments (sandy and rocky beach ecology, cliffs, pelagial waters, waves), on (over-)fertilization of Swedish waters, seals, anglerfish, octopus, cnidarians and algae. It also contains many fact sheets with scientific illustrations, photos, identification tips and distribution maps of the organisms living in the coastal and marine environments. Furthermore, tips for your own investigation (how to investigate the beach, press macro algae, snorkel and study a shallow soft bottom) and tips for books and webpages about the sea are provided.

Portal to Finnish environmental and climate websites with content on the Baltic Sea: Information on the water level and freezing of the Baltic Sea, sea and ice content on the sea’s physical features / Material related to the protection of the Baltic Sea / Information about marine management, the condition of the Baltic Sea and the monitoring of it, marine oil spill response and Finnish marine research / The state of the Baltic Sea / Algal situation / Reporting algal observations / The materials of the Aranda and Muikku research vessels of SYKE / The Baltic Sea and climate change.

BeachWatch organises beach cleanup days, where thousands of volunteers get involved in the most influential fight against marine litter in the UK. As a volunteer, you can either join an existing BeachWatch cleanup activity or organise one in your coastal neighbourhood yourself. Every year, BeachWatch compiles an annual litter report, based on data collected from all the BeatchWatch activities. This report is then used as a backup for talks with companies, water companies, decision makers and leaders.

‘BioBlitz’, a UK based Citizen Science project, consists of activities that are a collaborative and flexible race against the clock to discover as many species of plants, animals and fungi as possible, within a set location, over a defined time period (usually 24 hours) and including marine and coastal areas. A BioBlitz activity usually comprises a group of scientists, students, naturalists and other members of the public working together. Each year, the Marine Biological Association (co-)organises a Bioblitz-event. On this website, you can find reports of these marine-related events.

The Biowatch website sells waterproof fish identification cards with pictures, with (scientific and common) names and with principal characteristics (e.g. range of length) of 40 fish species from the coastal Mediterranean. The fish ID-cards contain fish names in 8 different languages, and hazardous species are indicated. Log sheets for recording fish, as well as field guides in the form of booklets are available in English, Russian, German and Greek. Snorkeling recommendations are given on the website. The Biowatch field guides and ID-sheets are used in the citizen science project COMBER (Citizens’ Network for the Observation of Marine BiodivERsity).

The project BlackSeaSCENE (2005-2008) and its upgrade (2008-2011) have developed an extended research infrastructure network around the Black Sea. The project website offers a large (meta-) database on scientific measurements taken by different partners in the Black Sea. The website also offers general information about the Black Sea: its physical description and ecological status, as well as information about all the countries surrounding the Black Sea.

The ‘Blue Sound’ project was launched in 2010 by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and partners to connect more people with the marine environment of Plymouth Sound and estuaries (UK). Therefore, a snorkeling and beach guide were developed, as well as an interactive map showing art, snorkeling and fishing locations around Plymouth, added up with practical information, photos (uploaded by the public) and information on what can be fished for at these locations. A Blue Sound Action Group helps to tell more people about the marine life in the Sound.

For the 2016 British Science Week programme, the School of Marine Science and Technology is offering a select number of activities to get people of all ages involved. In place of the usual series of bookable events, the organisers would like to join schools with activities either in classrooms or in sessions at the Dove Marine Laboratory. They encourage a creative programme and are happy to discuss ideas for hands-on sessions. Whoever is interested in running marine science or marine engineering themed activities for their school should get in touch quickly.

Classroom@Sea started as the outreach component of an EU-funded research programme called EuroSTRATAform. It aims to bring real marine science into the classroom. For this, teachers are recruited to work alongside a scientific team on a UK research ship and to report back to the Classroom@Sea website. This site contains stories from teachers that joined scientific cruises. Information is given on different topics related to marine science. The site also offers descriptions for experiments for teachers.

In this site you can find a multimedia travel journal from Urania, the oceanographic research vessel of the Italian National Research Council. Not only research measurements are shared, but also news, impressions and stories from the researchers on board during their travel on the Adriatic Sea (3-17 May, 2012). Website visitors can read the reports, send a comment and contribute to the research experience.

An educational aid for 5-16 year olds, teachers, students and adults to promote and advance education and knowledge about plankton biology and ecology. This is achieved through disseminating information derived from the study of plankton populations in the oceans and coastal seas with reference to the continuous plankton recorder survey. It presents PDF resources that are freely available for download about the human impact, fact sheets on plankton, marine food webs and identification guides. There is a news section on courses, workshops and events in 2013.

In the project CRAM-Q, students had the opportunity to learn about the research activities and daily work in a marine animal rehabilitation centre. The project intended to raise awareness among students of how important the recovery of marine animals is for biodiversity conservation, and of the negative impacts of human activities and other threatening factors. Project activities were mainly experimental and laboratory activities allowing a ‘hands-on’ approach and stimulating the development of critical scientific thinking. The activities took place in the laboratories and recovery areas of the CRAM-Q centre, as well as on the coast and at school.

The National Oceanography Centre (University of Southampton) takes groups and individuals out on the research vessel Callista for a ‘Discover Oceanography’ session. Participants go on an excursion on the Southampton Water to learn about oceanography while collecting biological, physical, chemical and environmental data. This unique trip is not exclusive for classes; during school holidays it is open to all sorts of groups and the general public. Throughout the year there are a number of open days and public talks. The Callista can accommodate a maximum of 36 passengers, but she typically sails with around 25-28 adults on board.

eCO2 School Lab is a virtual interactive laboratory on the topic of ocean acidification, developed for high school students (K8-K12). It offers three perturbation experiments based on the reaction of calcareous red algae in a high CO2–world. Students handle two virtual aquariums (one representing actual conditions and one representing IPCC forecasted conditions for 2100 AD) by measuring algal growth and development. The Lab is supported by a multi-media miniWiki providing background information. Although eCO2 School Lab can be played individually, its real aim is to stimulate group discussions about ocean acidification and its impact on marine ecosystems.

Ecomare is a visitor centre at the island of Texel, The Netherlands. It is a nature museum, seal sanctuary, sea aquarium and a bird sanctuary. Ecomare organises a variety of nature excursions for the general public and for schools. The Ecomare website includes an extended (1800 pages) online encyclopedia, covering information about various marine animals and plants, the North Sea, and the relation between society and the environment.

EuroSITES is a science project (2008-2011) to enhance nine European deep ocean observatories and integrate them in a network. These observatories are fixed at chosen locations as mooring lines from the sea surface to the seafloor. They continuously measure the physical, chemical and biological processes of the oceans (and the (sub-)seafloor) sending data back via satellite to shore stations. These data are vital to understand how our oceans are changing. The Outreach site of EuroSITES lets you explore the results of the deep ocean observations, aiming at increasing awareness about ocean observatories for measurement of long-term time-series.

Ifremer, Marum, UPC and Oceanopolis have produced several short movies to increase people’s knowledge of deep water circulation close to the seafloor (i.e. at the Benthic Boundary Layer), the open ocean and hotspots regions. The preparation, deployment and need of deep sea observatories is explained in a number of movies. Introductions are given to the Neptune and Venus Canada projects, as well as the RV Suroit expedition Marmesonet (Sea of Marmara, Turkey) and the RV Polarstern expedition ARK XXIV/2 (Longyearbyen-Reykjavic). Also, a film concerning research on marine mammals in East Sicily is presented on this site.

The FAMAR (FAnerógamas MARinas) project is divided into two parts: FAMAR-Environmental Monitoring (FAMAR-Sea) is a project in which volunteers get actively involved in environmental monitoring of seagrass beds in the bay of Cadiz. This programme is purely scientific and participants help the scientists in surveilling the quality of the seagrass beds. The second project is called Environmental Education (FAMAR-EA): in this project volunteers contribute to the development of a series of informative and educational materials about the values of seagrass in the Bay of Cadiz. FAMAR-EA's education and outreach activities are targeted both at the general public and at schools.

The Research cluster ‘Future Ocean’ offers school programmes to pupils and teachers of (primary and) secondary education. Lectures are given at the ‘Kids and Students University’ and ‘Ocean Lab’ workshops are organised for classrooms. ‘Expedition boxes’ with teaching materials (about climate change, marine chemistry, plankton, benthos and hydrology) are borrowed to teachers, and a yearly Federal Environmental Competition has been organised (2009-2012) for 13-18 years old scholars. Also, a 360° dome production film was released, as well as a school book “Abenteuer Weltmeere”. Some pupils and teachers were also given the opportunity to spend a day on scientific research vessels.

The Great Eggcase Hunt project aims to get as many people as possible hunting for eggcases that have either been washed ashore, or are found underwater by divers and snorkelers. In recent decades several species of sharks, skates and rays around the British coast have dramatically declined in numbers. The empty eggcases (or mermaid’s purses) are an easily accessible source of information on the whereabouts of potential nursery grounds and provide the Trust with a better understanding of species abundance and distribution. It is a popular marine volunteer recording programme with more than 100.000 records of eggcases. The website offers identification sheets of sharks and rays, a database of the records, distribution maps, a manual and a form to submit eggcase findings.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust offers education programmes (school visits), mainly on their yacht Silurian, on the beach and in schools in the west of Scotland. Courses on marine cetacean species are being organised for interested adults, and the Trust often contributes to other events and talks. They have also developed a range of teaching resources, which are available online, as well as an array of online activities called ‘just for kids’, that complement the school visits. They have been collecting marine mammal sightings in the Hebrides from members of the public dating back to 1989.

The website of the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER) is partly dedicated to marine science education and outreach. This section contains information, online games, videos, a quiz and class materials. Information is provided about waves, the ocean in numbers, history, law of the Sea, discovering new species, and life around hydrothermal vents. In the ‘explore’ section, information, blogs, interviews, glossaries and maps on research cruises are available. A multimedia section contains animations, images, podcasts, videos and photos. Games are included, ocean job profiles are listed, and links to websites with interesting information or resources are revealed.

Social Media - The project JUMP covered activities for students, to increase their knowledge on coastal marine systems, biodiversity, food webs, marine currents, physicochemical properties of seawater, and science communication. The type of activities were diverse, but had an emphasis on experimental and laboratory activities enabling a hands-on approach and the development of critical and analytical thinking. On the JUMP Facebook page, a short summary of the project is available, as well as photos of different activities.

Nausicaá has compiled a toolkit for teachers on marine biodiversity (diversity of life, food webs, adaptation, the sea as a resource for humans, and the importance of the coast as nursery for marine organisms). The kit consists of downloadable classroom activities (games and worksheets) and field activities. Other teaching aids are provided in a brochure containing information, classroom activities and links to other websites providing worksheets and activities. Many resources can be ordered (offline) at the Nausicaá aquarium. Topics: ‘one global ocean’, ‘from sea to plate’ – ‘seafood’, ‘citizen of the ocean's passport’, ‘safety at sea’.

Social Media - The Centre de Découverte des Algues was a private outreach centre that offered events, conferences, excursions, cooking workshops and seaweed discovery tours, large-screen projections of observations under the microscope, etc. This discovery centre participated in the scientific outreach component of the European project Marinexus. It’s facebook page contains photos and short announcements or descriptions of their activities.

Litus is a research project to investigate the influence of industrial and recreational activity on the functioning of sandy littoral (shallow water and beach) areas. Students can participate in monitoring the sandy beaches, on which they investigate the flora, fauna and abiotic characteristics. Instructions on how to do field measurements are provided on the website, as well as general information about the littoral zone.

MAR-ECO is an international science project investigating the diverse animal life along the vast underwater mountain chains of the mid-Atlantic ridge between Iceland and the Azores. The project includes an extended public outreach initiative, allowing people to learn about deep sea life, the mid-Atlantic ridge, marine ecology and scientific research cruises, by offering a range of short articles (information, fact sheets) on these topics. A school network is listed on the website, science cruise blogs are published, films and photos are available, and a summary of (travelling) exhibitions is published as well. Scientific reports are also available for scientists.

Marine Dimensions is a social enterprise dedicated to marine environmental education, research and conservation. The programme includes school tours, marine biology courses and activities for kids. Marine Dimensions runs workshops and courses for kids, teens and adults, both outdoors and indoors. Marine Dimension’s biologists (and sea creatures) regularly visit schools and attend public events. They run summer camps, wildlife tours and community based conservation projects. The website offers a description of these activities, and limited information about sharks, rays, necklace shells and mermaids purses. The website’s kids zone contains some dead links, however.

The main objective of Marinexus is to create a network of research and outreach structures, based in Plymouth and Roscoff, in order to give the public information about marine ecosystems in the Western Channel, and to make them aware of the ability of these ecosystems to cope with the effects of human activity. The education is for the general public to provide information to limit human impact to marine environment and also strengthen interactions between the cross border area.

Marlisco is a European project aiming at increasing awareness of the impact of litter on the marine environment, identifying the land-based activities that are involved and finding solutions to reduce that impact. Objectives are to understand the sources, type, distribution and fate of marine litter in European Seas, to check stakeholder’s perceptions, assess practices and potential solutions, evaluate the effectiveness of the Marine Litter Action Plan, promote it through the web, and stir dialogue among key stakeholders. The project included a school video contest, public displays, educational packs, exhibitions, a best practices database and guide, discussion forum and a documentary.

MarumTV is a Youtube channel started by MARUM, the centre for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen, on life and work at sea or in a lab. MARUM researchers investigate the role of the oceans in the Earth system – particularly with regard to global change. It captures the interactions between geosphere and marine biosphere, and provides information for sustainable use of the oceans. The youtube channel contains videos about specific research projects (e.g. the deep biosphere, climate research), about general topics (e.g. cold seeps, rare species in the deep sea), and even school lab experiments for kids.

‘Mon océan & moi’ is an outreach programme whith a focus on online dissemination. With the main objective to disseminate Ocean Sciences to a non-scientific public, its internet portal allows to specifically address young people. The website covers topics and activities that can be used in formal and informal education. Subjects cover marine phytoplankton, marine zooplankton, observation of the oceans and seas, and the ocean seasons.

The project MyOcean (2009-2012) led the demonstration phase of what is now the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service. The ‘Science and Learning’ section of the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service offers information on methods and principles of (satellite-based and in-situ) ocean observation, monitoring and modelling/forecasting. Apart from other information, a list of satellites and their sensors is made available.

The Ocean Sampling Day (OSD) is a summer solstice (June 21st) sampling campaign of the world’s oceans, held in 2014 and 2015. This citizen science initiative collects seawater samples for microbial analysis and measures environmental parameters of the sites in order to get insights in patterns of microbial diversity.

Free downloadable board game for adults and children. Players go on a virtual journey of exploration around the globe, in which they have to answer questions about biological, geological, physical and chemical, but also historical, geographical and technological issues relating to the study of the seas and ocean. By playing the game, people are meant to adopt a broad, holistic understanding of the importance of the ocean to life on Earth. The game comes in two versions (for children, and for adults), which differ in their functioning and content.

OceanTeacher is a web-based training system that supports classroom training, blended training (= combined classroom and distance learning), online tutoring and online self-learning. It has been developed as a training system for ocean data managers, marine information managers and marine researchers who wish to acquire knowledge on data and/or information management. The Ocean Teacher system comprises two main components: The OT Classroom, containing courses on oceanographic data and information management (through a collection of outlines, notes and other documents) and the OT Vimeo Channel, containing series of videos of lectures and demos.

The PERSEUS management office and the Athens School of Fine Arts have organised an art competition to introduce the dimension of Art in the Science world and vice versa. This "marriage" between science and art, or between the inspiration and the captured feelings, allowed visitors to explore our seas. Results were showcased in an exhibition entitled "Images of the sea". The works aimed to raise awareness on maintaining clean seas in Southern Europe. The exhibition culminated in an Awards Ceremony during the General Assembly meeting week.

Planeet Zee (Planet Sea) is a website for teachers and high school students (upper secondary school), containing information, photos, videos, illustrations and teaching materials (field and lab experiments) about the ocean and coast. It also contains information on several marine related professions. Planeet Zee also invites students to marine science and technology labs in Belgium, where they learn about marine research (do measurements, tests, calculations), and from which they make a science poster as part of a contest that gives them the chance to win a multi-day marine scientific journey. Planeet Zee also organises yearly workshops for teachers.

The Mário Ruivo prize aims to raise public awareness to the importance of the Ocean and the Ocean related services to Humankind. In 2012, the Prize, named as a tribute after EurOcean's first President, amed at rewarding an original short Movies (not longer than 15 minutes) under the theme: Seas and Us - Links between Ocean and Daily Life Activities. The movies of all candidates are available on the site.

Sandwatch is a UNESCO global programme in which children, youth and adults work together to collect science data and critically evaluate the problems facing their beach environments. They then design and implement practical activities and projects to address particular issues, enhance their beach environment and build resilience to climate change. The Sandwatch approach is called MAST: Monitoring, Analysing, Sharing information, and Taking action. The Sandwatch manual integrates the issue of climate change into all chapters and activities. It also includes a guide to documenting and sharing Sandwatch results via social networks and other means. Sandwatch links classroom activities to real-life issues relating to climate change, environment, sustainable development, cultural diversity, science and more.

The Marine station at Tjärnö, Sweden, invites students and teachers from different European countries to 4-day workshops at the marine station. Together they meet and discuss with scientists, design and execute small-scale experiments and document their work on marine ecology. The SEA ME website offers classroom- and field experiments that were conducted during these workshops. They aim at stimulating interest and encouraging students in secondary schools to continue studying natural sciences, at developing inquiry-based learning methods based on the concepts of scientific reasoning, and bringing together students and teachers with scientists in marine biology and promote the image science as a career.

SciLes is a social sciences research project that aims to develop digital tools (virtual inquiry learning environments), as to advance (1) the engagement of students towards scientific fields and (2) the co-construction of unsterstanding science and learning advanced reasoning in environmental science and policy (i.e. understanding the scientific bases of the global threats of our environment). The project aims to foster teachers' professional development.

Sea watch organises school visits, university and community lectures as well as specialist interest workshops. They keep the public informed by working closely with media, government, environmental partners and industry. They also organise adult training courses to give an overview of cetacean biology and ecology, conservation issues facing UK cetaceans, species identification, and recommended survey methods for monitoring. The courses provide an unparalleled opportunity to see marine mammals in the wild and to contribute to cetacean conservation in Britain. They ask members of the public to carry out surveys and they supply teaching materials and fact sheets for primary school educators.

Seasearch is a project for volunteer sports divers who have an interest in what they see under water, who want to learn more and who want to help protecting the marine environment around the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland. Seasearch organises courses on how to survey the British coastal waters, how to recognise different habitats, fauna and flora. The website also offers survey guidance notes and fill-in sheets for observation. The survey and annual reports give a summary of the surveys as well as the data (observed species).

The Limfjorden based Danish Shellfish Centre (DSC) is a research facility focusing on shellfish aquaculture, fisheries and estuarine ecology. The Dissemination Centre of DSC provides education and eco-tourism services, enabling visitors (schools, tourists and companies/associations) to learn about the Limfjorden ecosystem and DSC research fields. Activities include guided tours through the DSC facilities and the hatcheries, sailing trips to a mussel farm, snorkeling and beach tours, field, laboratory and/or cooking activities, one day or week courses for secondary or high school students to enrich and expand their knowledge through field and laboratory experiments.

The Shorewatch project is a programme in which citizens record archaeological sites, which are often at risk as they are prone to storms and erosion, along the Scottish coast. Shorewatch aims to get as much information as possible about the sites before it is too late. Anyone, from locals, community groups, schools to tourists can send photos and drawings of a site. The website contains information on how to get involved and how to record archaeological sites. Current projects are presented online, and explanations are given on why these data are being collected, who it is for and where people’s recordings go to. There are also forms and guidance notes available to help people start their own recording project.

Songs of the Scottish Sea is a collaboration project between a filmmaker, marine scientists and musicians. The aim is to create two linked sets of four wordless films on the (1) Neart na Mara / The Power of the Sea; (2) Biadh na Mara / The Food of The Sea; (3) Slàinte na Mara / The Health of the Sea, and (4) Cumadh na Mara / The Shape of the Sea. The filmmaker, who is a resident for 2 years at SAMS, will work with scientists and staff at SAMS, post and undergraduate students as well as high school and primary school pupils, to produce 4 web-based documentaries providing the marine science background to the themes of the wordless films.

This experiment aims at collecting data about the behavior and habitat(s) of the Sunfish (Mola Mola), by use of aerial, surface and underwater vehicles that track tagged Sunfish specimens. An important goal of this project is the outreach to middle-schoolers in the Porto region, providing the students with a view of what academic research is like and elicit interest by answering their questions and queries. The interactions between the students and researchers are enhanced through publication of daily blog updates, a video conference with pupils and researchers, and a school visit during which researchers presented the Sunfish tracking experiment to the students.

The Baltic Sea Project (BSP) involves an international network of more than 200 secondary schools from countries around the Baltic Sea, striving for a better environment of the Baltic. Most schools are situated on the Baltic coast, but some are located inland. The schools are exchanging correspondence as well as exhibits, videos and even students. During their visits, the students usually study a local environmental problem together. The project website offers a teacher handbook and 9 extensive learners’ guides on the quality of water, air, rivers, environmental education, history, recycling and ecology. The project is supported by UNESCO and partly financed by the European Union.

The Centre for Environmental Interpretation and Monitoring organises lectures (by invited researchers), hands-on workshops and field trips on ‘Marine Biodiversity’ and ‘Discovering the Coast’. CMIA also hosts thematic exhibitions such as ‘There is Fishing in Vila do Conde’, ‘Coastal Erosion’ and ‘Journey to the Deep Sea’, among others. The Centre also operates as a Blue Centre (‘Blue Flag European Programme’) in summer, organising recreational-educational games and workshops aimed at promoting several themes related to the sea and water.

This blog aims to disseminate science, and facilitate the involvement of youth and the general public in issues related to marine science and environmental protection, and in particular to the oceans and ocean literacy. As part of the project OceanLab, the blog is open to submission of articles written by students across Portugal. The articles, all related to the principles of ocean literacy or to an activity conducted in the framework of the OceanLab project, are being revised by a team of experts. Articles get published on the blog, and the best one wins an OceanLab prize.

Monitoring the whales and dolphins in the ocean is at the heart of ORCA’s work. ORCA volunteers identify critical whale and dolphin habitats in UK, European and adjoining waters, from platforms of opportunity such as ferries and cruise ships. They conduct monthly scientific surveys, recording species, their locations and what the animals are doing. They give talks to passengers and run activities on deck and on land, providing expert knowledge of the astonishing marine wildlife on our doorstep.

The Oceans Academy provides free classroom resources for UK and international schools, educational events and workshops regarding the ocean(s). The project has identified areas of the UK Curriculum where ocean case studies are appropriate, so teachers can continue teaching the topics they are used to teach while simultaneously introducing their students to the oceans.

This website offers a teaser for the film “The Silver of the Sea”, which is a documentary about the yearly migration (over one thousand kilometers) of giant herring shoals that are several kilometers long and wide. The shoals are hunted by bigger fish, whales, birds and humans. Biologist and filmmaker Are Pilskog set out on a journey into the deep to expose this drama. As he follows the destiny of a young puffin chick, whose life is critical to the timing of young herring, the film tells the story of how even the greatest ecosystems of our planet may be vulnerable.

Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction located on the site of the shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built in Belfast. Visitors are guided through a number of galleries charting the history of the Titanic from its construction to its final resting place at the bottom of the Atlantic. One of the galleries, the Ocean Exploration Centre, provides an insight into modern 21st century ocean exploration. Visitors can witness an underwater expedition from Robert Ballard’s Exploration Vessel Nautilus, and get up close to some of the high-tech equipment used during deep sea missions. The centre offers a variety of onsite workshops for different age groups, and has developed a great number of downloadable education resources on ocean exploration, with a special emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics).

The Virtual Marine Scientist project aims to familiarise students (16‐19 years) with the specific conditions in which marine scientists work and in which research is carried out. In a virtual environment, students discover how to design and run experiments in environmental science. The Virtual Marine Scientist offers a stimulating context in which one can learn about experimental work, including elements of cooperation and problem solving. Students learn about the impact of climate change and ocean acidification on species such as mussels, as well as formulate a hypothesis and apply for funding to test their hypothesis. Entering the website requires a login.

The VLIZ Marine Science Day is a yearly day-long gathering of more than 300 young experts from all marine and coastal scientific disciplines. They share knowledge through lectures, posters, demonstrations and interactive sessions (e.g. young scientist speed dating activity). Since 2015, an abstract contest is organised, enabling VLIZ to award one young scientist with a ‘VLIZ communication award’. The winner of this award receives year-long support from the VLIZ communication team to enhance and improve the communication and dissemination of his/her research topic and results.

This website is an online database of all stranded Cetaceans in the Netherlands from 1255 to the present day. The website provides an overview of recent strandings, species information, identification keys, sound recordings and a literature list. Visitors can report strandings on the site.

The Ocean Project has launched ‘World Oceans Day’ in 2002, to celebrate and honor the ocean. Since 2008, the United Nations officially recognized June 8th as World Oceans Day. On this day, hundreds of organizations and networks organise events and activities such as lectures, field trips, workshops, blue science cafés, sea markets and films. Organisers can post their event on the WOD website. Every year, a new media and outreach kit is made available. On top of that, the website is an extensive source of inspiration. You can find a series of highlighted initiatives for each year as well as summary reports.

Over the past 70 years systematic surveys of beachcast corpses of birds (`beached bird surveys') have been used in many parts of the world, but mainly in Europe & N-America, to document the effect of oil pollution. Those programs thrived mostly through the work of a large number of volunteers. This example focusses on their past, current and future use, and suggests starndardized methods for conducting them for optimal impact and use.

A RAS protocol to detect introduced, cryptogenic and native species, relying on a quantitative collection of fouling species from substrates in estuaries that are within armsreach.

A trained network of volunteers helps in monitoring the stranding of marine mammals along the Bay of Biscay, the Channel and the North Sea. It is noted that such volunteer-based schemes offer a low-cost option for yielding the required data, along with new proposed indicators.

A four year program involving 3825 Italian recreational divers and  snorkelers reportd 61 marine taxa encountered during regular dives. It is noted that with increased training and experience, the data gathered improves in quality, and is a viable option for biodiversity surveys.

The project aimed to assess Portuguese kelp conservation status through the use of community participation, field-based observations and through the use of GIS data. Through cross-referencing the citizen data with known information, this was achieved.

A new tropical invasive fish species was detected in the Mediterranean by a recreational diver participating in the Seawatchers project in Spain. This study uses this success story to highlight the potential benefits that citizen science can offer.

This paper discusses the discovery and first records for invasive gelatinous species in the Mediterranean though a Citizen Science initiative in the area. The general public were invited to submit sighting records, leading to the discovery after data checking.

A standardized training and recording framework used with the aim of gathering information on seabed habitats and associated marine wildlife in the UK and Ireland, through the participation of volunteer recreational divers.

Collects marine mammal sightings in the UK and Irish waters since the mid-1960s from a network of observers including ornithologists, fishermen, yachtsmen and the coastguard.

A study of dogwhelk populations  was carried out around the the North Sea coasts. The data was chiefly supplied by volunteers, and correlated well with scientist-collected data. The study aimed to look at cases of imposex in dogwhelk, and the links to TBT contaminants from anti-fouling paints.

Seahorse (Hippocampus) tagging and observation project in the seagrass (Zostera marina) beds of Studland Bay (Dorset, UK), with significant contributions of volunteer divers to the project.

REEF's Volunteer Fish Survey Project aims to educate and enlist divers in the conservation of marine habitats. Snorkelers and scuba divers are allowed to collect and report information on marine fish populations as well as selected invertebrate and algae species in temperate reef areas. The data are collected using a standardized method, and are housed in a publicly-accessible database. They are used by a variety of researchers and resource agencies, among which many biodiversity studies or human impact studies on fish communities, or studies on shark populations in coral reefs.

'Observons la mer' was a dedicated regional scheme to collect opportunistic sightings of marine mammals along the Brittany coasts. Since 2002, it was organised by the LEMM (Laboratoire d'Etude des Mammifères Marins - Océanopolis).Data were collected by accredited observers, ornithologists, fishermen, sailors who were invited to collect data through the distribution of sightings reporting forms and posters in 1300 coastal locations. Marine Strandings were recorded by field correspondents (organizations or volunteers) and collected by the CRMM (Centre de Recherche sur les Mammif`res Marins).

Scientists estimated lobster catches in Southern Norway, based on volunteer catch diary recruitment among recreational fishers, and phone and internet-based interviews as well as other collaborations with commercial fishers. The study revealed that total estimated lobster catch was nearly 14 times higher than reported officially. 

Study of ringing recoveries of Razorbills and Guillemots in Denmark, that depended on the reporting of these ringed birds by people such as fishermen.

This study investigated nesting behaviour of loggerheads (sea turtles) in Zakynthos, Greece. Citizens and students have been of help to the scientist in charge.

The NW-Scottish Clyde fishing Fleet shared their knowledge and experience on interactions between (nephros) fishing and whitefish by-catch, as well as seals, during their fishing activities. This knowledge-sharing was accomplished through a distributed questionnaire, of which the return represented 664 man-years of traditional knowledge.

Study on bycatch of marine birds (common guillemots, Uria aalge) in gillnets and other fishing gear in the Baltic Sea, in order to investigate the relationship between common guillemot populations and fishing activities in the Baltic. Research was based on ringed bird recoveries, and logbook data on fishing efforts from the Swedish fishermen.

Ceredigion County Council has, together with a network of shore-based volunteer observers, been monitoring levels of boat traffic and the occurrence of bottlenose dolphins at seven sites at Cardigan Bay, Wales. This study demonstrates that networks of volunteer observers can provide a cost-effective, non-invasive means of gathering data on marine mammals for the purposes of coastal zone management.

In this study, the results of a survey on fishers' perceptions of recent changes in the eastern English Channel ecosystem were compared with fishery and bottom-trawl survey data.

Volunteers of the Dutch Seabird Group have collected northern fulmars from the North Sea, which were investigated for their stomach contents, in search of plastics. The results of this study were used in the OSPAR Ecological Quality Objective (EcoQO).

Capturing our Coast is a citizen science project aiming to find out more about the species that live in UK seas and how we can protect them through a training programme for volunteers. No previous knowledge is required, just enthusiasm and curiosity about the marine environment!

The Planet Aqua website is the continuing online presence of the national 'Planet Aqua' touring ocean literacy exhibition created by AquaTT (the Aquaculture Training and Technology organisation) and partners to raise ocean literacy in Ireland between February and March 2006.

The exhibition ran at the Lifetime Lab in Cork from the 4th-5th February 2006 and in Dublin at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham from the 20th February to 1st March 2006. 

In addition to the exhibitions, the project delivered a teachers' manual and an ongoing website at www.planetaqua.ie. 

The project was designed to inspire and stimulate young visitors to investigate the role of water on the planet through a virtual scientific "mission under sea", showing how we interact with water, how it benefits us and how life would be impossible without it.

Planet Aqua provided 5th and 6th class teachers with user-friendly support material that enabled them to explore and incorporate aquatic examples into the classroom. These resources and concepts are firmly grounded in the primary Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE): Science curriculum and are still available at the Planet Aqua Website.

Planet Aqua was organised by AquaTT and supported by the European Union, Discover Science and Engineering, the Marine Institute, the National Centre for Technology and Education, BIM, the Primary Curriculum Support Programme, the National Centre for Curriculum Assessment, the EPA, the Central Fisheries Board, An Taisce, Taidghe Mara Teo and the Lifetime Lab.

The National Maritime Museum of Ireland is housed in a 180-year-old Mariners' Church at the coastal town on Dun Laoghaire on the south shore of Dublin Bay. The museum offers maritime history tours led by experienced guides who describe Ireland's contribution to  the fields of exploration, navigation, radio, deep-sea cable technology, nature and wildlife, as well as lectures by invited experts and a regular newsletter.