When investigating such large-scale phenomena such as the North Atlantic Bloom, the sharing of ideas is key for a successful outcome. "We get together a lot," says Dr. Mary Jane Perry. "And sometimes that means we get hot under the collar about certain things." It also meant the scientists liked to communicate and were not afraid to share their drafts with the others, even it they were less than perfect.

"Webinars are fantastic! Everyone can log in. It's a really easy way to get science out there."-Ivona Cetinic

Production of the outreach program required no less communication than the field work. Although individually responsible for one aspect of the experiment, the scientists worked together to build a cohesive story that built upon each other's presentations, sharing insights, ideas, and resources along the way. "My component was talking about the experimental design," says Dr. Eric D'Asaro. "Some of the webinars before mine presented scientific ideas. I used the scientific concepts presented earlier to [explain] how you'd use tools to address these concepts."

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Working together on the outreach program had another significant benefit: each of the scientists learned from their colleagues. "Listening to [Eric's] talks made me understand the physical nature of the bloom better," says Dr. Nicole Poulton, a biological oceanographer. Eric agrees. "It was fun learning new things."

"I learned more about what [Nicole] was doing and vice versa." -Ivona Cetinic

"Watching the other presentations helped me understand the experiment." -Melissa Omand

"It was interesting seeing the other scientists’ concept maps. You can definitely see how they think a little bit differently than you." -Nicole Poulton

"The [NAB Experiment] was another aspect for me. It was a foray for me into biological and chemical oceanography. It was fun learning new things." -Eric D'Asaro

"Listening to [Eric's] talks made me understand the physical nature of the bloom better." -Nicole Poulton