Thursday, April 22nd is the 51st Earth Day, and this year the theme is Restore Our Earth. The first Earth Day in 1970 gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet, and today it is marked by more than a billion people each year. Below we’ve compiled a list of different ways you can take part in the build-up to Earth Day 2021! With plenty of options from GSO and others in Rhode Island and beyond, you’ll find numerous live virtual events, kids’ activities, things to do and things to catch up on in case you missed it (or ICYMI for short). Happy Earth Week!
Monday April 19
For kids:
Perfect for K-3 students, check out the now-classic coloring and activity book, Down Where the Water Is: A Coastal Awareness Activity Book from GSO and the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council.
ICYMI:
After a host of recent virtual screenings, the documentary Frozen Obsession will be broadcast on PBS stations across the country or viewed online at PBS.org. The documentary, shot in 4K, follows the 18-day, 2,000-mile Northwest Passage Project expedition through the stunningly beautiful and extreme Canadian Arctic aboard the Swedish research icebreaker Oden.
Things to do:
Check out the new Mariners’ Dashboard from NERACOOS (Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems), an improved way to visualize regional ocean data where you can now find current ocean conditions, observations, hindcasts, and forecasts all within a single dashboard.
Tuesday April 20
For Kids:
R.I. Resource Recovery has a fun Ready, Set, Sort! game to help you learn how to dispose of your stuff here in Rhode Island. As you play, you’ll learn if items can be recycled in your bin or cart, added to your home compost bin, dropped-off locally, or simply put in the trash. The more you play, the more you’ll learn how to keep valuable resources out of R.I.’s Central Landfill.
ICYMI:
For those with a passion for the sea and considering a degree in ocean science, you might be wondering what you can do in this line of work. Good news: there’s a rich variety of options! Watch a recent conversation with three GSO alums and learn about the three very different paths that they took in their ocean science careers.
Things to do:
As part of its 60th anniversary, GSO and the URI Arts and Culture Program are hosting Ocean View, an art exhibition and competition that includes artworks in all media from 25 area professional artists and a youth art competition with more than 200 artworks by Rhode Island K-12 students exploring the many ways in which we are all connected to the ocean. Learn more about how you can visit the gallery in person this Thursday and Friday, or see all of the artwork on our virtual gallery.
Wednesday April 21
Live events:
Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) Definitive Volume – Launch Event
8 a.m. ET
The world’s Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) are located in the most highly productive areas of the oceans along the margins of the continents. They produce 80% of the annual global marine fishery’s landings and contribute an estimated $27.7 trillion in ecosystem services each year to the global economy. Celebrate the importance of ecosystem-based management by joining the April 21 launch of the Large Marine Ecosystem Definitive Volume eBook, featuring the Coastal Resource Center’s director J.P. Walsh. The event is free but registration is required.
Bio at Noon: Alessandra D’Angelo
12 p.m. ET
Hear from GSO postdoctoral fellow Alessandra D’Angelo about her research on climate change in the Arctic, and identifying the Arctic Ocean as a sink or a source of methane by studying the metabolic pathways altering the budget of this climate-relevant gas. Learn how to join the lecture.
Narragansett Bay’s Plankton History
7 p.m. ET
Inspired by the Narragansett Bay Long-Term Plankton Time Series, GSO postdoctoral researcher Tricia Thibodeau created an art installment of the history of plankton in the bay over the past 50 years. Hear from Thibodeau speak about the project and Narragansett Bay’s plankton history. Hosted by the North Kingstown Free Library. The event is free but registration is required.
For kids:
Oceanography in a Mug: NOAA has some tasty try-this-at-home activities that show the physics and chemistry at work in both the ocean and your favorite mug of cocoa…or tea…or coffee. Which ocean sampling tools bear a striking resemblance to kitchen gadgets? Can you generate upwelling in your hot cocoa? They’ll cover all of this and more. So pour yourself a cup, and start learning!
ICYMI:
All ocean life is linked through what it eats and what eats it. These food chains combine into an interconnected marine food web. But what role do humans play in these complex webs? Join GSO student Kristin Huizenga and postdoctoral fellow Matthew Ramirez in this recent Ocean Classroom (Live!) episode as they discuss the interwoven world of marine food webs—everything from microscopic plankton, lobsters, sea turtles…to you!
Things to do:
April is Citizen Science Month, and SciStarter has a big list of opportunities for anyone who’d like to participate in scientific research, either in-person or virtually. This website offers thousands of opportunities for you to turn your curiosity into impact. Join a project or event from wherever you are to help scientists answer questions they cannot answer without you. If you are are interested in a a local opportunity to monitor water quality through a URI lab check out the URI Watershed Watch Program. This 30 plus year program has 250 sites throughout the state and also nearby in CT and MA. Right now is when they are looking for additional monitors for the season. The local Surfriders Foundation works through URI Watershed Watch for their monitoring.
Thursday April 22 (Earth Day!)
Live events:
GSO Student-Alum Networking Series: Sarah Fuller
3:30 p.m. ET
For this third talk in a new lecture series, all are welcome to hear from GSO Sarah Fuller who will discuss her career path so far. Fuller, the Operations Manager for Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Shipboard Scientific Services Group in Woods Hole, Mass., will talk on “Field Work to Field Support – A Career in Supporting Academia.” Details and link to the event.
For kids:
The National Ocean Service created Ten Activities to Introduce You to the Essential Principles of Climate Science, a free activity book that helps you learn about Earth’s climate system, the factors that drive and change it, the impacts of those changes, and what you can do to explore, understand, and protect our Earth. Download the full activity book or individual activities.
ICYMI:
If you missed last year’s Charles and Marie Fish Lecture, watch the archived presentation from journalist Ian Urbina, author of “The Outlaw Ocean” which draws on five years of perilous and intrepid reporting, often hundreds of miles from shore. Urbina introduces us to the inhabitants of a hidden world, and through their stories of astonishing courage and brutality, survival and tragedy, he uncovers a globe-spanning network of crime and exploitation.
Things to do:
Get outside! If you live here in Rhode Island, R.I. State Parks has created a list of 50 nature-based activities to help you take advantage of the outdoors. There are lots of fun activities you can do right from your home, backyard, or neighborhood. Try some of these activities on your own or with your family!