Oceanography Internet Resources for Earth Science Teachers
An Annotated
List by Angie Harris
Students and Teachers
Created by the University of Washington School of Oceanography this site has links to teacher resources and frequently asked questions. There are exhibits presented by the University on the oceanography of the Puget Sound area and Hydrothermal vent systems.
Magic- Marine and Geology Interactive Cruise
This site is an interactive cruise site that was designed for high school students to get actively involved in oceanographic research. The focus looks at fundamental problems and theories of crustal plate formation and oceanography. The site started in ,96 by the U Washington when the cruise took place has information and resources that keep it relevant presently.
Part of the ThinkQuest library this site gets raving reviews. It takes you on an interactive tour of and ocean vent system and includes links to sites on the fauna, geology and significance on and of ocean vents plus activities and opportunities for questions and discussion.
PBS created this site to complement their television series Savage Seas. It is great for information on a wide variety of ocean topics from historic shipwrecks current events like El Nino. The graphics are excellent and the info is, too! You might want to consider checking out the video series.
A creation of The Franklin Institute Online this page is focused on conservation of oceans. The School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania took the challenge to oversea the ocean and you can see their investigation of ecosystems. The site allows you to take an online ocean journey of your own through a list of various web sites for students and teachers.
Definitely too elementary for older students. This site is interactive covering topics of currents, temperature, waves, fronts, upwelling and more through a story about Victor the Vector. Set in 5 different episodes this may work well for a class or small group activity.
Sponsored by Navel Meteorology and Oceanography Command this site provides a resource for students to explore oceanographic information and activities through the Student,s Sea of Knowledge link and has a search option to look up specific topics.
If you,re looking for a educational site on El Nino that is at a middle school student,s level this is your best bet! It gives a great introduction and allows for further learning with links leading to related interests. This is a product of the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the University of South Alabama.
The Science Learning Network set up this page with some fantastic areas of study that branch out with your interest. The main headings take you into a theme page that spreads out with "exploration" areas and well-done graphics and diagrams.
The U.S. Geological Survey,s educational site on water offers information on water, pictures, data, maps and an interactive center. The thing I liked about the interactive center was that it allowed you to communicate with other people and classes on their view on water issues and ideas.
Sponsored by Wheelock College, Boston and the National Science Foundation, this site has pages for students, teachers and the general public. Using telecommunication WhaleNet has linked researchers, data, whales and classrooms. They even have directions to build a whale that students can walk through!
An interactive tour of a tide pool is the highlight of this page. Click on the Intertidal Zone Chart and you,ll be able to visit and learn about the tide zones and what they hold! The page is a creation of a young student and I was very impressed with the graphics and information.
The Smithsonian has created and exhibit that covers much of the workings of our watery planet. Links cover everything from recent discoveries, ecosystems, El Nino and currents and thermal vents.
This site is a public education site designed to raise ocean awareness. It has current ocean news stories that can be useful in a classroom or could be of interest otherwise.
Wow to WOW! This site has studying help for students, teaching resources for teachers and uses real-world environmental problems to help students learn in the classroom. Data is based out of many Minnesota sites so although it,s not oceanography, its water.
A marine science information page that is sponsored by the Bamfield Marine Station and Friends, this site is an ocean link! It has search and question capability as well as news, facts, records and student links for "Eco-Adventures" and "Salty Science".
Put together by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System this site is really a great overview on estuaries and a link to other sites on the topic. It is basic but is covers the info well with pics and all.
A Canadian Coast Guard site this one takes you on an expedition to the Arctic. The Young Explorer button will take students into a informational puzzle page and the other buttons lead to information on the journey, the animal and marine habitants of the Arctic and resources.
International Year of the Ocean (1998)- Kids and Teachers Corner
Although the international year of the ocean was a few years back this site and is sources are still valuable for students and teachers. It includes a TON of great buttons to explore and almost makes you wish the year of the ocean came around more often. Covering everything from coral reefs, activity guides, fact sheets and fish this site has it all!
This is a student activity guide giving various ideas that students could pursue to study about whales. A button off of the site links to an activity guide for teachers studying whales with their class and more information on the Adopt a Whale program and the International Wildlife Coalition.
A page with a turtle twist, here you,ll find all you ever wanted to know about marine turtles. This is a network of sites giving awareness to the threat towards marine turtles. If you click on the contents you,ll be connected to sites for kids, turtle biographies, a library and turtle cam.
Savage Earth: Waves of Destruction
Another great PBS program with a web page built in. This is a fantastic site with video and info. I,d really like to catch these shows while they,re on TV and not just the web! The rest of the series might be worth a look if you,re an Earth Science buff.
Discovery School Ocean Lessons
A relative of the Discovery Channel this series of web pages is very informative. Teachers the lesson plans are quite good. Unfortunately most will ask you to buy resources from the company. The ideas however are adaptable and there are other net links with most. Students hit the student tab and you,ll be connected with homework help, games, adventures and other cool links.
This site is great fun and really for students and teachers! Great sound effects, experiments, and more science fun facts than you can imagine. Teachers checkout the Teachers, Lounge. Students I,d recommend the Goodies section and the Sounds of Science, the Home Demos are cool, too!
Coastal Erosion Virtual Field Trip
This is a well-done site but at a higher level of learning. The set up is easy to use and the field trip leads to conclusions on coastal erosion. I,d encourage you to take a trip along the CA coast its worth a visit!
This site is basically an index created because of all the questions posed to the NOAA on wind and sea. It is a compilation of 1000 plus sites! The link you might be interested in is the Teachers, and Students, Corner!
Tsunami info at a student level, cool graphics and good links included. You can also try ExploreZone for other science topic info.
Yes this is a glacier site but you can connect to the Oceans button (or others are good too!) The oceanography info and depth is fantastic and easy to understand answering all sorts of questions on oceanography and relating it to Global Connections. Teachers check out the using Glacier in your curriculum link!
National Data Buoy Center"Science Education
Here you,ll find questions to discover answers for with a click. Topics including sea breezes, air pressure, hurricanes and tides. The Questions lead you to explanation and more questions and there are good diagrams to boot!
This is an ocean exploration site updated by week it has features of interest, the current mission and archives as options for the user. The page is updated through correspondence with submersible and scuba teams that bring daily journal entries with pictures sound bytes and stories of the ocean.
Split into Student and Teacher categories this site on ecosystems is well-done. I was especially impressed with the Marine Ecosystem link. The graphics are great and the information is detailed and well written.
Oceanography An ONR Science and Technology Focus
This site takes the technology that the Navy and Marine Corps use and make it work for students and teachers. The site is packed with ocean facts and information.
PBS is at it once more with the series Secrets of the Ocean Realm and respective web pages. Well done once again this site focuses on the creature of the ocean. It has a classroom activities link, quizzes and once again a great look at a part of the ocean!
Dive and Discover Expeditions to the Sea Floor
This site is AWESOME! You can take various expeditions exploring different parts of the ocean and different phenomena. The trips are well written with graphics, in-depth links and animation. Way to go Woods Hole!
Use the COOL Educational Tools to look up different topics. I checked our the page on the Coriolis Effect, it had a lesson idea and some resourceful sites. You can try other topics as well, the site is put together by NASA and is really a great resource for teachers and students.
SurfRider is an environmental marine program that has set up some great educational information for students and teachers including, current news, videoclips, and views on polluted runoff and coastal wetlands. The What You Can Do button will give students a chance to solve the problems by getting involved.
A Science Odyssey Mountain Maker Earth Shaker
This is a program on tectonics made for student use. There is an online activity that can be done using Shockwave. (The program) It is really cool you get to move tectonic plates and sea the results and different kinds of boundaries. The links off of the main page are valuable, too.
Teachers
The El Nino Theme Page gives access to distributed information on El Nino. Its at a teacher,s level but would be good for increasing your knowledge, finding current news information and asking various questions on the topic.
Athena Earth and Space Science K-12
When you get to this site hit the Oceans link. It takes you to a list of instructional material and curriculum resources for teaching oceanography.
I was really impressed with this site! It had a Data Tip link that covered in detail different ocean processes and gave you data and ideas to use in the classroom. TV and the Internet ocean-related programs were linked by recent dates. And the resources for teachers and students were high quality and numerous! The Bridge is supported by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, the National Marine Educators Association and the national network of Sea Grant educators.
There was an ecology focus at this site with information on biodiversity and marine habitats. The station has opportunity for schools in its area (Vancouver Island), offers summer camps and does co-op projects with university students.
A lesson plan and link resource for teachers which gives tips on navigating through the WWW and its vast amounts of information. The Naval and Meteorology and Oceanography Command sponsors the site.
Hit the K-12 link off of this site and you,ll find some amazing resources, lesson plans and educational support. The Sea Education Association (SEA) is a non-profit organization creating science programs for students and teachers
Bering Sea and North Pacific Theme Page
The site is an information resource on biology, ecology, meteorology and oceanography of the area. If you click into the info about Bering Sea and North Pacific Ocean you can dive further into atmospheric and oceanic interactions, currents and habitats.
Links, links and more links! Science related for the most part if you,re looking specifically for oceanography you,ll have to browse a bit!
Here,s a USGS site with links on research, current issues, facts and web highlights. If you click the pics of the field offices you,ll connect yourself with more resources on marine and coastal geology.
This site is at a higher level of interest but is definitely still interesting. It tracks tsunami events and data, has models of tsunamis and links to more tsunami info sites.
Earth Science Data Sets- Oceans: Ocean Waves
If you are looking for wave data this is the place"height, length, types, freqency and more. A Global Change Master Directory site that can also link you with other data sites if you submit a query.
This site is a good one if you take the time to use it right. It is a little wordy and at a highly scientific level but the modeling is excellent. Choose ocean waves or ocean winds and then go into the interactive presentationread on for a good time. It does get to be a lot of work for your demo but it,s worth a look.
This is a page created by Frank Potter, a science teacher. He has various oceanography links sorted by topic headings. Just pick an area and click on!
Tide and Ocean Current Predictor
Pick your location and the tide and current data is at your keyboard. If there isn,t "internal error" you should be set thanks to Biological Sciences at University of South Carolina.
This site similar to the California Beaches is a community/state concerned about it,s coasts. Although this is more economically in-depth it may be of interest in an oceanography project.
A World Time or ZULU time atlas that let,s you explore the globe time wise. Great for understanding Earth and Sun interaction and could be related well to tides.
Sponsored by the National Science Foundation this is an informational site with buttons for you to see pics, impacts of harmful blooms and the latest information. Not really a site geared toward students but the teaching information is valuable.
Sea WiFS Project Ocean Image Archive
Your Internet source for surface maps, temp maps topomaps and more! Plus photos, data and plenty of images! Well done and easy to use, you can even specialize maps for your area.
CIESE"Center for Improved Engineering and Science Education
A teacher site for science education you can click down for more specifics. I was really impressed by the online Classroom Projects link then go into Real Time Data for some oceanography labs that are well done.
Exploring Satellite Oceanography
This site contains a lesson plan introducing Satellite Oceanography by use of infrared Satellite Images from the archives provided. The lesson is at a higher level but with instruction it is usable for middle school.
Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center
Enter into the Public sector of the FNMOC. You can get access to daily wave maps, temp maps, forecasts and more! This is a great data/map resource.
Coastal Services Center Coastal Change Analysis Program
Take the project link to find what,s the latest in works going on at beaches and bays across the country. If you,re interested in data C-CAP gives you that opportunity too.
A beach erosion overview created for Californians but that works well for classroom use. You might consider using this and other public beach erosion awareness projects and articles to incorporate and economic aspect into and oceanography lesson.
Louisiana Barrier Island Erosion Projects
A geologic research site this may give students and teachers an in-depth look at a research project on an oceanography topic. The fact sheets are informative and full of pictures and diagrams.
Project Oceanography Univ. of South Florida
This is a live television resource for middle school science students covering a variety of ocean science topics. You can register for free or watch past programs on the web. Check out the other links for more information, pictures and games.
If you haven,t heard of or always wanted to know more on the Jason Projects here,s your chance. Classes get the chance to participate in scientific expeditions. The animated site has links to read about past expeditions and info to participate in future ones.
Broken down into subjects this general water focused page is connected to great info on Oceanography. Check out the Ocean Topics page for more general reference sites and segments of oceanography on National Public Radio!
World Data Center for Marine Geology and Geophysics
The name says it all. It,s not the most exciting read but the data capability and variety at this site are good.
You can learn about the drilling and oceanography experimentation! You have to do a little searching at this site to find the info you might be interested in. The public information and videos of drilling are good to look at.
The technology here is in-depth. If you,re interested in reconstructing a map the system works but takes some time. I recommend reading the manual for understanding. Once you,ve got an understanding the maps are great!
Marine Biology- The University of Indiana
This site will link you with information on coral reefs and their futures in the environment. There also is a button connecting you to the Underwater Science Educational Resource Page.
Teachers, here is a lesson on the Coriolis Effect. There are investigative links and Internet resources available on the topic as well. It is well put together and the idea is easy to do.
This is a very general list of Coriolis demos used in a physics class. Many of them are do able for oceanography classes. The ideas are there but you,ll have to put the directions together yourself.
Coastal America Ecosystem Learning Center
The Coastal America site is a resource for information on coastal restoration. They have projects tracing the coasts of the US and even ones in the Great Lakes. You can find out about them with a click of a button. Check out what,s being done in your area.
The buttons along side the page take you into an explanation of different topics. The site is detailed but not very exciting graphically but information wise its good
No teacher or student links or pages are found here.
Aquariums
Sea World is a given in oceanography sites. For teachers it is an excellent resource for programs like Shamu TV that has episodes and information via web. There are also links for students, the Penguin Cam was out of service but that looked interesting.
The Alaska Sealife Center isn,t the best online resource but if you,re in the Alaska area you can book a class tour. There are good links to lesson plans and some updated information on ocean/ sealife research that is going on there.
For me the Shedd Aquarium is a little closer to home and their web page is fantastic. They have all sorts of animal resources just select Animals and Exhibits and you can discover pics and fact sheets on all your favorite aquatic life. You can read flashing fun facts, ask questions and do interactive coloring.
Minnesota Zoo,s Discovery Bay Marine Education Center
If you,re in the Minnesota area plan a trip to Discovery Bay the new Education Center at the Zoo OR visit it online! The system of pages provides information on the exhibits and animals and photos of the Zoo,s latest edition.
Another Minnesota attraction, the UnderWater World,s web page could use some updating but still provides information on various sea life in it,s exhibits and some fun facts and links to boot.
Coral World Marine Park & Underwater Observatory
Great web site set up! Tour a reef in the Virgin Islands through pictures and words. Places to visit include a Mangrove Lagoon, Shark Shallows, Stingray Pool and Reef of course. Its not a vacation but virtual tour none the less!
St Lawrence Aquarium and Ecological Center
Not the best site, it wouldn,t be much use to teachers unless you,re on the east coast. The site hasn,t been updated in years, I hope the aquarium is a little nicer!
Oregon Coast Aquarium- Keiko News Central
Have you seen Free Willy, the movie? Well this aquarium was Keiko,s home until he was released. Checkout news on Keiko,s progress in the wild and explore the site for more info on Orca whales, projects in the classroom with Keiko,s release and link to the aquarium for more info on exhibits. A really well kept site with current info!!
This site has some great pages. I especially liked the SurfCam that gave live view of the beach from the aquarium. If you hit the link Dive Into Science you,ll find some really interesting articles on the latest exhibits and various ocean inhabitants. Check out the KelpCam for me if you have a chance!
Check out this site,s connection to Educational Activities. You,ll find that the activities are really well put together for students to use on their own. And they,ve got resources for students to keep searching for more online.