Oceans, Lakes and Rivers

Ace on the Case: Secrets@Sea
http://www.secretsatsea.org

Altered Oceans
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/oceans/la-oceans-flash-day1,0,7544983.flash
A series of Flash videos, captioned photographs, and information graphics dealing with the effects of human pollution on the world's oceans. This is a visually rich resource for building awareness of the geographic locations and causes of low-oxygen "dead zones," where pollution makes water inhospitable for nearly all life. 21st century learners will be especially challenged by this site. Content requires visitors to interpret maps and graphically displayed information and to think about pollution in interrelated terms.

Ancient Creature of the Deep
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/fish/
The Coelacanth has been referred to as a "living fossil" due to its resistance to change during its 400 million year inhabitance of the Earth's oceans. This PBS site provides the exciting background of its discovery, information on the anatomy, and a quiz to test recently-acquired knowledge on this historic fish.

Arctic Passage
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/arctic/
This incredibly rich site, from Public Broadcasting's Nova series, is based on two Arctic explorations, one disastrous and the other successful, to find the fabled Northwest Passage. The site offers a description and a transcript of the Nova broadcast, a Teachers' Guide, and an amazing assortment of activities for students, offering them the chance to understand why one expedition failed (mysteriously disappearing) and the other succeeded. There's even a quiz on igloo building.

Arctic Theme Page
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/index.shtml  
The Arctic is a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by tree-less, frozen ground, that teems with life, including organisms living in the ice, fish and marine mammals, birds, land animals and human societies. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, provides Arctic information and a set of reputable indicators that describe the present state of the Arctic ecosystem and climate. This comprehensive, near-real-time Arctic Change Detection Product has been developed by the US/NOAA Arctic Research Office to track physical and biological changes for presentation on the web.

Be WorldWise
http://www.beworldwise.org/
Travel the seas virtually aboard a Tall Ship on a 19 month, 22 country voyage. On board, you will learn about the two teachers who signed on for the journey and their fellow crew members. Although the journey began in November of 2000, there are 12 months left to follow, so join in and track their progress. Classroom activities and lessons on Exploring the Oceans and Environmental Investigations.

Chesapeake and Coastal Bay Life
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/bay/cblife/  
Extensive site produced as a joint effort by several people associated with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Includes broad topical headings such as: Restoration & Protection, Bay Grasses, Harmful Algae, Bay Monitoring, Bay Life Guide, and Bay Education. Dropdown menus for each topic may lead to programs, scientific descriptions, drawings, photos, and more. Within the articles, hyperlinks exist to a glossary of scientific terms. Cool stuff, kid friendly, and meaningful to more than a Maryland audience!

Dive and Discover
http://www.divediscover.whoi.edu/

Empty Oceans, Empty Nets
http://www.pbs.org/emptyoceans/
PBS presents this site for students and adults to learn more about the international concern of overfishing. Each type of major fishery is listed with a case study, viewpoints, and further learning resources. You can even find out how to take action and contribute to the cause.

Estuary Live!
http://www.estuarylive.org/

ExplorA-Pond
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/pond/
ExplorA-Pond is a site that presents the ecology of a typical pond. The site is rich in resources, including an Adopt A Pond program, suggestions for studying pond life, a discussion board, and a virtual pond. In addition, the site offers collaboration opportunities, links to water resources, and lesson plans targeted at pond ecology.

FEMA for Kids: Tsunami
http://www.fema.gov/kids/tsunami.htm
FEMA presents a colorful introduction to tsunami science and safety for elementary-age kids. "A tsunami (pronounced soo-nahm-ee) is a series of huge waves that happen after an undersea disturbance, such as an earthquake or volcano eruption. Tsunami is from the Japanese word for harbor wave. The waves travel in all directions from the area of disturbance, much like the ripples that happen after throwing a rock. The waves may travel in the open sea as fast as 450 miles per hour."

Foundation for Water and Energy Education (FWEE)
http://www.fwee.org/ 
The Foundation for Water and Energy Education (FWEE) is committed to providing balanced information regarding the use of water as a renewable energy resource in the Northwest United States. This site provides a variety of informational resources. There is an online "tour" of a hydroelectric project, Time Line of Electricity and Hydroelectricity, short videos, and downloadable Curriculum Units.

Fun Zone: EducaPoles
http://www.educapoles.org/index.php?s=7&rs=13&lg=en&pg=1
Dedicated to all things Polar, this site is loaded with colorful entertaining animations on topics such as the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans, Icebergs, How Glaciers Work, etc.

Ice Stories
http://www.exploratorium.edu/icestories
In a series of live Webcasts held in celebration of the International Polar Year (2007-2008), educators at the Exploratorium in San Francisco will be talking throughout the month with scientists at McMurdo Station near the South Pole about the many research projects they're conducting. For instance, this season three giant helium balloons will launch near McMurdo Station and circulate in circumpolar air currents above Antarctica, collecting data about cosmic rays - very high-energy particles that zip through the galaxy at nearly the speedof light. If conditions permit, Exploratorium educators will be talking with the balloon scientists from their ice facility at Williams Field, where thegiant balloons are inflated and launched and their flights are tracked. Themuseum is holding live webcasts on this and other topics January 4, 11, 12, 18, and 25, and educators also can explore its archive of previous South Pole Webcasts, which feature research on penguins, ice cores taken from miles beneath the earth's surface, and construction of a new 10-meter telescope at the South Pole.

Journey to Deep Sea Vents
http://ology.amnh.org/earth/deepseavent/index.html
Take a submarine down to the sea floor. As you descend you can see how temperature, pressure and light changes. See what creatures are living at the different levels, down to the bottom.

Kids' and Teachers' Corner
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/kids.htm
This page is part of a Web site created for the International Year of the Ocean. It has information on many marine-related topics from sea creatures to aquatic plants to water pollution prevention and more. There are fun activity books such as Puffy the Puffer's Book of Fun Fish Facts and Adopt a Buoy. (K-5)

Lost City Expedition Mission
http://www.lostcity.washington.edu/mission/introduction.html  
"Please join us on our expedition aboard the research vessel Atlantis to the Lost City Hydrothermal Field on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Using the submersible Alvin, and remotely operated vehicle ABE, we will explore in detail for the first time the Lost City vent field, which was discovered in December 2000. During this voyage, we will share with you deep-sea imagery and the new discoveries we make as we revisit this remarkable place where "forests" of limestone chimneys tower 180 feet above the seafloor."

Ocean Collection for Kids
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/eviau/edit557/oceans/
Follow links to four sites that explore Life in the Oceans, More Ocean Habitats, Mammals in the Ocean, and Ocean Life for Kids. Each site contains fun, interactive, easy-to-understand information and photos about its topic, along with a list of additional print and online resources for teachers. (K-3)

Ocean Explorer (NOAA)
http://www.oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/
Explorations from shipwrecks off the coasts of Greece and the Caribbean to the discovery of new sea life or even the explorations of underwater volcanoes, can be found at this site. There are also links to a Gallery with maps, pictures, videos, etc., a Technology area describing tools used during explorations, a Library area with resources, an Education area with lesson plans, and a For Fun page with an ocean challenge puzzle. Lots to explore!

Sail Safe
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/sailsafe/index.html
Get your sailing skills the fun way on the Sail Safe pages. The National Maritime Museum promotes safe sailing with these interactive lessons covering a range of topics from boats and buoys to weather and wind.

Sea
http://www.seasky.org/sea.html
This site is loaded with helpful information about the world's oceans and the wide variety of life within them. Sections include the Ocean Realm, Ocean Exploration, Sea Lab, Sea Gallery, Sea Links and Sea Games. (6-12)

Sea Vent Viewer
http://www.nsf.gov/news/overviews/earth-environ/interactive.jsp
1.5 miles is not very far — unless it's straight down to the floor of the oceans, where a most uncommon world exists. This National Science Foundation (NSF) site looks at some of the very strange fauna and flora able to exist at such a tremendous underwater depth.

Shore Memories
http://www.folklife.si.edu/explore/Education/Waterways/Shore_Memories/shore_memories2.html
The Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage sponsored a Mid-Atlantic Maritime Festival in 2004. This website is an online exhibition of the festival and provides a beautiful, cultural mosaic of Mid-Atlantic shore life. Navigate around information on Marsh Life, Boat Yards, Shore Memories and Maritime Recipes. Live recordings of traditional Mid-Atlantic music and storytelling are provided. View beautiful photo galleries of boats, water and beach scenes and hear fisherman talk about their craft. There are activities for students to participate in as well.

Tour of the Cryosphere: Earth's Frozen Assets
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/environment/cryosphere.html
The cryosphere (earth's frozen water, in the form of glaciers, permafrost, etc.) has an enormous impact on weather patterns, ocean currents, and the general well being of our planet. This amazing segment explains the importance of Antarctica, drifting polar sea ice and the shrinking cap around the North Pole. This narrated footage documents trends that occurred over 25 years.

Virtual Ocean
http://www.euronet.nl/users/janpar/virtual/ocean.html
Part of the website "An Introduction to Microscopy," these pages show what sea creatures can look like in larval form, as well as microscopic algae, sea squirts, and other smaller, often overlooked sea dwellers. Included on the main page is a link to "The Smallest Page on the Web." which higlights microscopic life in fresh water.

Water Cycle
http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/water/watercycle.shtml
Students will find a large colorful globe and illustrations that explain the water cycle in an easy-to-understand way. Once they understand the system, they can make their own water system models. There are links to more colorful sites about water such as water pollution and even a dolphin's diary.

Water Motion
http://www.forgefx.com/casestudies/prenticehall/ph/waves/waves.htm
This interactive tutorial allows students to 'manipulate' wind speed in order to see what effects that has on wavelength, wave height, wave speed and wave frequency. There is also an explanation of the buoy system used for testing waves.

Water Supply & Demand
http://www.purdue.edu/dp/envirosoft/groundwater/src/title.htm
Learn more about water supply and demand. This site offers information concerning world water distribution, the United States water budget, agricultural and industrial water usage, and household water usage.

Waves That Shook the World
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tsunami/
Tsunamis are a very deadly and very scary natural phenomenon. This site, from the producers of the PBS Nova series, focuses on the espcially deadly Indian Ocean tsunami of December 26, 2004. It explains the anatomy, as well as what is being done to prepare for future tsunamis. In addition, it shows potential hot spots for future tsunamis.

When Monsters Ruled the Deep
http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0512/feature3/index.html
Some ancient cultures believed that sea monsters ruled the oceans. Surprisingly, scientists have uncovered traces of these ancient creatures and have created virtual representations of how they might have appeared. National Geographic provides various interactive features here as well as size comparisons to modern man.

You Wouldn't Want To Sail on the Whaling Ship Essex
http://www.salariya.com/web_books/whaling/
Find out what life as a whaler would be like with this interactive Web book.