Mid-Cayman Rise Expedition 2011

Expedition Education Module

Ocean Explorer Expedition Education Modules (EEM) are designed to reach out in new ways to teachers, students, and the general public, and share the excitement of daily at-sea discoveries and the science behind NOAA’s major ocean exploration initiatives with people around the world. The Mid-Cayman Rise Expedition 2011 offers a unique opportunity to engage explorers of all ages as we continue our journeys to parts of our ocean planet that no one has seen before - deep-sea ecosystems associated hydrothermal vents of the Mid-Cayman Rise.

Why Are Scientists Exploring the Deep Sea of the Mid-Cayman Rise?

Expedition Purpose

Why Are Scientists Exploring the Deep Sea of the Mid-Cayman Rise?

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 Classroom Lessons

Here you will find links to other lesson plans residing on the Ocean Explorer website that have been developed for previous NOAA expeditions, and have content that relates to this expedition.

Multimedia Discovery Missions

The Multimedia Discovery Mission Demos are a series of 14 interactive multimedia presentations and learning activities that address topics ranging from Chemosynthesis and Hydrothermal Vent Life and Deep-sea Benthos to Food, Water and Medicine from the Sea.

 OceanAGE Careers

To see archived video highlighting some of the careers that will be represented onboard the ship during this expedition, click on the OceanAGE Careers page.

 Resources and Links

The Web links below are provided for informational purposes only. Links outside of Ocean Explorer have been checked at the time of this page's publication, but the linking sites may become outdated or non-operational over time.

  • Mid-Cayman Rise 2011 expedition website.
  • Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection.
  • A free printable book for home and school use introduced in 2004 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of NOAA; nearly 200 pages of lessons focusing on the exploration, understanding, and protection of Earth as a whole system.
  • German, C. R., A. Bowen, M. L. Coleman, D. L. Honig, J. A. Huber, M. V. Jakuba, J. C. Kinsey, M. D. Kurz, S. Leroy, J. M. McDermott, B. Mercier de LŽpinay, K. Nakamura, J. S. Seewald, J. L. Smith, S. P. Sylva, C. L. Van Dover, L. L. Whitcomb, and D. R. Yoerger. 2010. "Diverse styles of submarine venting on the ultraslow spreading Mid-Cayman Rise". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(32):14020-14025.
  • Proskurowski, G., M. D. Lilley, J. S. Seewald, G. L. Fruh-Green, E. J. Olson, J. E. Lupton, S. P. Sylva, D. S. Kelley. 2008. "Abiogenic Hydrocarbon Production at Lost City Hydrothermal Field". Science 319:604-607.