Kids will visit four stations and learn about tides, oil spills, SCUBA diving, sanctuaries, and the inside of squids! Start in SSMC4, Rm 9153 and find out about this session's questions and prizes!

Site A: Oh No! An Oil Spill! (SSMC4, Rm. 9348)

Oil is spilled by accident into our oceans and bays from ships and pipelines. Have you ever wondered how that oil is cleaned up? What happens to those greasy birds you see on the television after a spill? Come and see how we clean up oil that has been spilled along our coastlines, what equipment we use to do the clean up, and how we know if the area has been restored so that animals and plants can live there. Find out why oil is harmful to creatures, such as seals, shorebirds, and fish.

Site B: Explore Your National Marine Sanctuaries - Dive In! (SSMC4, Rm. 11153)

Although the oceans cover 70% of the earth's surface, they are the least explored and understood places on this planet! Come take a virtual dive into the marine parks of the U.S. - our National Marine Sanctuaries! Come see the natural wonders that live beneath the ocean’s surface! In this session you will get to try on SCUBA equipment and speak with the some of our research divers. You will see slide shows and videos of amazing marine critters that live in our ocean waters, from the humpback whale to the sea otter, from the great white shark to the butterfly fish!

Site C: Cut and Chomp! (SSMC4, Rm. 9153)

This site will be a hands-on exploration of the body parts of a squid, and it’s role in the marine environment. Be prepared to get messy!

Site D: Up Close with Tides and Coastal Hazards! (SSMC4, Rm. 6153)

Explore tides up close with hands-on demonstration of field instrumentation used by oceanographers to determine tidal height and field position. Make a benchmark rubbing to take with you, perform electronic leveling of a tide station, sample salinity measurements and view different types of tide gauges and acoustic Doppler current profiler in the Hands On portion of this workshop. Also navigate through Real Time Tidal Measurements to learn about forces of astronomical tides, storm hazards, tidal predictions of the Chesapeake Bay and what’s happening at your favorite beach. See how tsunamis are formed and how they effect beaches.