HEALTHY OCEANS, HEALTHY PLANET

La Mar de Ciencia” is a competition for young artists interested in Science and the sea. Students of Primary and Secondary grade levels from Spain can present their videos, drawings and stories through the website www.lamardeciencia.es until March 10, 2017. “La Mar de Ciencia” is an initiative of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB) and "la Caixa" Banking Foundation and its aim is to bring the marine sciences closer to the students and raise awareness about the importance of improving our knowledge on the sustainable management of the oceans.

As a novelty, this edition, entitled "Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet", allows group participation in the video mode and the contributions can be presented in Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Galician and English. The winners will enjoy a scientific weekend in the Balearic Islands to learn more about the research carried out at the CSIC centres, participate in a SOCIB oceanographic campaign and visit the Marine-Terrestrial National Park of the Cabrera Archipelago. The classroom with the best video will be awarded with a digital whiteboard.

I reckon that this is a great opportunity to develop  students' awareness on the  enormous impacts that humans have  on marine ecosystems and resources.

If your students choose to focus on the Mediterranean sea, the program "Medclic: the Mediterranean in one click"  can be of great help.

For students aged 14-18, National Geographic offers a great amount of lesson plans on the threat which is being inflicted on our oceans.   I would  recommend the following one:

 http://www.nationalgeographic.org/lesson/human-impacts-world-ocean/

Let me finish by  stepping  back into the 17th century to pay my humble tribute to  Blaise Pascal, great mathematician, physicist and philosopher, who  warned us about the threats oceans have to face.

Among so many home truths, he said:

"The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble". 

Therefore, we can and we must do our best to protect our oceans and today we can start by encouraging our students to take part in the competition I suggested above these lines.