Opportunities to increase awareness of the ocean are limited in the junior cycle science curriculum across Europe. Dr Christine Domegan, lead methodologist for Sea Change, Whitaker Institute, NUI Galway, explains: “To co-create Ocean Literacy we need collaboration, discussion, participation and engagement across multiple stakeholders in Europe; from policy makers, to educators, and from media to mariners, children and grandparents.” This iBook is designed to infuse the engaging story of harmful algal blooms into teaching across the sciences. Harmful algal blooms, or HABs, occur when colonies of algae - simple plants that live in the sea and freshwater - grow out of control while producing toxins that can have harmful effects on fish, shellfish, marine mammals, birds and people.

During the launch, the author, Dr Robin Raine, from Earth and Ocean Sciences, NUI Galway, will speak about his experiences at the heart of the book. The audience will also be introduced to the teaching design used within the book, which aims to ensure the content can be taken up by science teachers and students to advance a “Sea Change” in Irish and European Ocean Literacy. The great response from both teachers and students after piloting the iBook in Irish, Swedish, and Belgian schools is a step forward to introducing Ocean Literacy into more aspects of education. Co-editors Dr Veronica McCauley and Dr Kevin Davison of NUI Galway’s School of Education, believe: “Teachers are becoming more technology-savvy in the classroom and are finding innovative ways to teach the curriculum so that it encourages personal interest in the sciences.” The importance of the ocean, and therefore Ocean Literacy, cannot be overestimated. The ocean defines and dominates everything about our planet. It is home to most of the life on Earth, regulates our weather and climate, provides much of our oxygen, and helps to feed the human population. Dr Robin Raine, author and lecturer at NUI Galway, says: “This book will introduce students to important features of our ocean as well as harmful algal blooms. It will act as a resource for teachers to strengthen and promote science through the topic of marine science.”