Vessels of Opportunity in Marine Science Outreach and Education: Case Study and Caveats

Studying unexpected, ephemeral, or transient events in ocean ecosystems, such as gelatinous zooplankton blooms, is important because it provides us with valuable data on how our oceans may be changing in response to climate change and other anthropogenic activities. However, planning for such events is nearly impossible and making use of opportunistically acquired data allows the marine science community to be adaptive and efficient given the logistical and financial constraints of time at sea and in the field. Because such sampling events are often responsive rather than planned, they are typically not accompanied by outreach and education efforts. This commentary considers if opportunistically acquired data sets can be applied to generate opportunistic outreach and education activities. A case study is provided with successes and caveats outlined.