OCEAN NIGHT · Ocean Night: helping society understand the importance of the marine ecosystem

Life started in the oceans. Oceans cover the majority of Earth's surface and are the single largest ecosystem on the planet. Billions of humans live in coastal areas and depend on the functioning of this ecosystem to live. Unfortunately, human activities are seriously endangering the health of the marine ecosystem. It is therefore critical to raise awareness of the richness of this ecosystem, its importance, the challenges it faces and what we, as citizens of the world, can do to improve and preserve it through our personal choices. With the MCSA Researchers Night proposal Ocean Night we aim to contribute to this challenge by raising marine science literacy across the general population and promoting the appreciation of the importance of the marine ecosystem. Our proposal brings together all public Research Institutes across Spain working on marine science for a comprehensive 2-years outreach program. We will leverage the substantial outreach experience of the Institutes to deliver a diverse and coherent program of events aimed at engaging a geographically wide and socially diverse set of regions within Spain.