Students were in for a treat when former head of the Mariana’s Monument, Dr. Larisa Ford, presented on the Mariana’s Trench. Dr. Ford broke down her presentation between deep sea biology, Mariana’s geology, information on indigenous peoples, and how all are affected by ocean acidification. The overwhelming favorite of the students was learning about the deep sea creatures. Many students were disappointed when Dr. Ford definitively explained why the megalodon was not lurking in the trench. Eight classes from three states either joined in person and via online to listen to the presentation. In person students were able to participate in a Mariana’s Trench information text scavenger hunt. All participating ocean acidification classrooms were sent the resources digitally. Dr. Ford further encourage informational reading by giving all participating students across the nation Mariana’s Monument bookmarks.
