Connecting Tennessee to the World Ocean

In October 2009, the Tennessee Aquarium began an ambitious program, Connecting Tennessee to the World Ocean (CTWO), funded by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. CTWO consists of several individual projects, all intended to increase the ocean literacy of Aquarium audiences and to promote their adoption of an ocean stewardship ethic. While geographically removed from a coastline, our rivers are the roots of the ocean. The Tennessee Aquarium works to help inland residents understand their connections to the saltwater world and what's at stake as climate changes. This presentation will provide personal stories of ocean discoveries that may have already touched the lives of conference attendees – and how each meteorologist can work with their local zoo or aquarium to help inform their viewers and social media followers about Ocean Literacy.