This site provides background information and a general description of Cyanobacteria, which are both aquatic and photosynthetic. That is, they live in the water and can manufacture their own food. The site explains the importance of these bacteria in the production of oil deposits. More important, however, is the fact that the oxygen atmosphere that we depend on was generated by numerous Cyanobacteria ... Full description.

In this activity students work in groups to design experiments to test the effects of cold on rate of diffusion, enzyme activity, nerve activity, dissolved oxygen, blood flow characteristics and lipid characteristics. After teacher approval, the group performs their experiment and reports their results to the rest of the class for class discussion. Students will: design a controlled experiment; record ... Full description.

In this activity, students will dissect a fish purchased from a fish market to study its external and internal anatomy. They will observe its gills, kidney, and blood through a microscope and take a variety of measurements of many of the internal organs. They will practice their observation skills by making accurate illustrations. These data and drawings will then be compared with some Antarctic fishes ... Full description.

In this activity, students will observe the effect of the gases resulting from a burned fossil fuel on the heat absorption of air and determine the ability of phytoplankton to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This activity is part of a set of three activities exploring the effects of phytoplankton on water and air. Full description.

In this activity, students will observe the effect that gases resulting from the burning of a fossil fuel have on the heat absorption of air, and determine the ability of phytoplankton to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This activity is part of a set of three activities, which explore the effects of phytoplankton on water and air. It uses the same experimental set-up as the activity Carbon ... Full description.

In this activity, students will have the opportunity to witness the fragile nature of organisms with regard to temperature. These organisms include common bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Students will understand the role of temperature in determining what kinds of organisms are found in unforgiving environments. As part of the activity, they will practice aseptic technique ... Full description.

In this activity, students will collect chemical, physical, and biological data from a local lake throughout the year. These data will be contrasted with parallel data from an ice-covered lake in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDV) in Antarctica. They will explore the differences between their local environment and a perennially ice covered fresh water lake in the MDV. Full description.

In this activity, students will design experiments to gain some understanding of the feeding rates of Rotifers and/or Tardigrades (charismatic microfauna). These organisms are the largest found in Lake Hoare in the Taylor Valley, making them the top predator in the food chain of this lake ecosystem. The rate of feeding and the amount of food available may determine population size. Students will use ... Full description.

In this activity students measure photosynthetically available radiation (PAR). Students determine the solar input by calculating the amount of heat absorbed by a known mass of water exposed to a known cross-sectional area of sunlight. Students discuss the variables influencing their measurements, the reasons why solar input might vary, measure and calculate solar input at their watershed testing ... Full description.

This activity is the second part of a set exploring photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) measurements. Students determine solar energy available at the water testing site using the same method to determine the solar constant. The energy being reflected back to the atmosphere by the water source (albedo) is measured; which infers the amount of energy available for photosynthesis by aquatic ... Full description.