Oceans à la Carte is a workshop for K-12 educators that offers a full menu of oceanography, marine, and environmental science presentations and workshop sessions for teachers, educators, and homeschool and group leaders. A variety of presentations by leading scientists conducting research around the world, hands-on activities, and content information sessions. Exhibitors from various environmental education organizations showcase their programs and provide free materials for participants. The next Oceans à la Carte Workshop will be held in the fall of 2009.

Oceans à la Carte 2007 focused on Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) in celebration of NOAA's 200 years of science. Large Marine Ecosystems are areas of the ocean characterized by distinct bathymetry, hydrography, productivity, and trophic interactions. They annually produce 95 percent of the world's fish catch. They are national and regional focal areas of global effort to reduce the degradation of linked watersheds, marine resources, and coastal environments from pollution, habitat loss, and over-fishing.

Featured Presenters from the 2007 Oceans à la Carte workshop included:

• Dr. Kenneth Sherman, Director of Narragansett Laboratory and Office of Marine Ecosystem Studies at NOAA Fisheries, Keynote Speaker - "Celebrating 200 Years of NOAA"
• Captain Steven Barnum, Director of the U.S. Coast Survey and Chief Hydrographer for the U.S- "Ecosystems-based Management and Large Marine Ecosystems"
• Christine Kirch, West Warwick High School/NOAA Fisheries - "An Overview of Large Marine Ecosystems" and "Socioeconomic Impacts on Large Marine Ecosystems"
• Dr. Kimberly Hyde, NOAA Fisheries - "How to Study Primary Productivity in the Oceans from Space"
• Dr. Chris Melrose, NOAA Fisheries - "Primary Productivity in a Large Marine Ecosystem"
• Dr. Nancy Thompson, NOAA Fisheries - "Fisheries and the Northeast US Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem"
• Jack Green, NOAA Fisheries - "Ecosystem Based Fishery Management"
• Peter Celone, Don Cobb, EPA - "Assessing Pollution in Large Marine Ecosystems"
• Dr. Sarah Knowlton, Rhode Island College - "Marine Pollution in Narragansett Bay"
• Dr. Tim Hennessey, URI - "Governance of Large Marine Ecosystems"
• Dr. Jon G. Sutinen, URI - "Socioeconomics of Large Marine Ecosystems"

Download the 2007 Oceans à la Carte presentations in PDF file format (file size listed in red). Information (text and graphics) in these presentations is for educational use only.

• Celebrating 200 Years of NOAA (Kenneth Sherman) 4 MB
• Panel Discussions (2) - Ibe Panel (A. Chidi Ibe) 9 MB; Barnum Panel (Steven R. Barnum) 55 MB
• Large Marine Ecosystems - An Overview (Marie-Christine Aquarone) 13 MB
• How to Study Primary Production in the Oceans from Space (Kimberly J. W. Hyde, Jay O'Reilly) 5 MB
• Primary Production in a Large Marine Ecosystem - The Northeast Continental Shelf (Christopher Melrose) 8 MB
• Fisheries and the Northeast U.S. Shelf Large Marine Ecosystem (Nancy Thompson) 49 MB
• Ecosystems Based Fishery Management (Jack Green) 13 MB
• Assessing Pollution in Large Marine Ecosystems (Pete Celone, Don Cobb) 48 MB
• Marine Pollution in Narragansett Bay (Sarah Knowlton) 948 KB
• Socioeconomics of Large Marine Ecosystems (Jon G. Sutinen) 4 MB
• Governance of Large Marine Ecosystems (Timothy M. Hennessey) 7 MB
• Future LME Assessment and Management (Kenneth Sherman) 214 KB