Explore the ocean!

All life on Earth relies on the ocean — yet, the ocean is 95 percent unexplored, unknown and unseen by human eyes.

To understand, manage and protect the ocean and its resources, NOAA believes it is critical to support a systematic program of ocean exploration, using the best of ocean technology to explore, discover, inform, educate, and motivate.

The NOAA Ocean Exploration program strives to engage broad audiences to enhance America’s environmental literacy through the excitement of ocean discovery. Increasing this literacy requires high-quality, effective collaborations between ocean explorers and America’s teachers. NOAA regularly forms such collaborations to reach out in new ways to the public to improve the literacy of learners with respect to ocean issues.

Join us!

NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

Online Professional Development Center

Online professional development offered by NOAA's Office of Exploration and Research provides educators with more in-depth studies into specific ocean science content through the context of ocean exploration. In partnership with The College of Exploration, an online campus setting provides the venue through which educators from around the world can meet, view keynote addresses given by ocean explorers and ask questions of keynote speakers online.

Inquiry-based activities and other resources are also provided in a facilitated environment to enable educators to take content from the keynote addresses into a variety of teaching environments in an effort to enhance ocean science literacy and further promote Ocean Literacy Essential Principal #7 – “The ocean is largely unexplored.”