MORE THAN 2 MILLION STUDENTS TO TAKE A VIRTUAL VOYAGE

More than 2 million middle school and high school students will be able to set sail via computer this month on an International Year of the Ocean voyage of exploration.

Students will be able to use computers to follow the progress of live "argonauts" - teachers and students on the actual voyage - who will compare the surface, mid-level and deep sea ocean environments of coral reefs in Bermuda and kelp beds in Monterey Bay. The two-week research voyage, March 16 - 27, will be shared by two teams of argonauts in Monterey, who will chat with both the scientists in Bermuda and students nationwide via the Internet. The students will be conducting their own research projects and will report back using journals and digital images on the Internet.

The voyage is part of a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the JASON Project. NOAA is providing the ship McArthur, the officers and crews and the scientists for JASON students to compare ocean environments.

The McArthur is a 175-foot multi-purpose vessel that conducts oceanographic research, marine mammal population studies, and environmental assessments along the West Coast of the United States and throughout the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is operated and managed by officers and civilian crew of the Office of NOAA Corps Operations. McArthur can carry a scientific party of 12 for up to 30 days and has a range of 6,600 nautical miles. The ship's home port is at NOAA's Pacific Marine Center in Seattle, Washington

For more information contact: John Robinson at 408-647-4237.