DataStreme Ocean is a new distance learning course on the fundamentals of oceanography developed by the Education Program of the American Meteorological Society and partially delivered via the Internet. This professional development course is intended for precollege teachers and covers the physical, chemical, geological, and biological aspects of oceanography from an Earth system perspective. DataStreme Ocean models scientific inquiry through a series of benchmark investigations keyed to environmental data. The course is problem-focused and emphasizes societal implications.

Designed after the delivery method of the highly successful DataStreme Atmosphere and DataStreme Water in the Earth System (WES), this semester-long course is offered by local implementation teams (LITs) each consisting of two precollege teachers and one professional scientist or college/university professor. LIT members collegially mentor participating teachers (8 per LIT). With NOAA support, course components were developed during 2002-03 and consist of a customized textbook, study guide, and homepage. The text serves as a reference for participants as they complete two investigations per week. The second half of the investigations are written to real environmental data by the AMS education staff in Washington, DC and delivered to participants via the course homepage which also includes links to selected oceanographic products. Teachers who successfully complete DataStreme Ocean can earn 3 graduate credits from the State University of New York at Brockport and agree to serve as an ocean resource person for their school or school district.

During Summer 2003, 23 DataStreme Ocean LIT leaders attended a week-long training session based at the University of Washington in Seattle. Guest lectures, exercises, and field trips to several NOAA facilities prepared them for the pilot offering of the course in the Fall semester of 2003. Only LIT members took the course during the pilot and provided constructive feedback for revision of course materials. National implementation of the course is scheduled for the Spring semester of 2004.