SUBMERGE! bringing the ocean closer to New York City

The annual SUBMERGE!-NYC marine science festival started in October 2014 as an effort to bring the ocean closer to the millions who live and work in the great estuary that is New York City. Organized by the Hudson River Park and the New York Hall of Science, the event brings together oceanography groups, musicians, and food vendors with distinct connections to the coastal ocean and the Hudson River estuary. Oceanography groups can either participate in the festival by giving a science talk during a specific time slot, or presenting science stations to teach concepts through a more interactive, exhibition-type format. Here, we discuss the experiences of graduate students from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution who created a biological pump-themed science station for the first and second SUBMERGE! festivals (2014 and 2015). We will explore strategies for communicating different processes of the biological pump and its global significance for the oceans and climate. This festival-style setting also presents unique challenges in transferring knowledge, including how to evaluate successful transfer of knowledge. The festival is free and open to the public; the first year drew an audience of ~4500, half of which were adults over 30 years old and a third of which were children under 11 years old. Therefore, SUBMERGE! provides an opportunity for graduate students to contribute to the ocean literacy of thousands of New Yorkers as well as a unique experience for graduate students to develop their skills in talking to the public.