It’s a fact: Humans know more about the surface of the moon than we do the depths of the ocean.
We have maps detailing every mountain and crater on the moon’s surface, but only five percent of our ocean has been mapped in high resolution. Three people have journeyed to the Marianas Trench, the deepest point of the ocean, in the Western Pacific, while 12 people have walked on the moon.
Our ocean is vast, but it is a finite resource. The more we learn about it, and how it sustains life on Earth, the better chance we have of ensuring it endures for future generations.
Science comes to life at the National Aquarium, where students can investigate, explore, be amazed and inspired, and just have fun—all without leaving terra firma.
In Shark Alley, students can come face-to-face with large sand tiger sharks, with their mouthfuls of protruding, spike-like teeth. In the Living Seashore exhibit, they can gently touch skates and moon jellies—and learn about how they can protect these animals during their next trip to the beach. In Surviving Through Adaption, they can check out the vibrantly colorful peacock mantis shrimp, which lives in the crevices of coral and rocks on the ocean floor and can strike its prey with the speed of a .22-caliber bullet.
The National Aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures, through educational programs and hands-on learning for school and youth groups of every size. Build the next generation of active conservationists by contacting Central Reservation specialists at reserve@aqua.org or 410.576.3833.
Photo courtesy of David Coffey.
