This atlas provides over 400 full colour photomicrographs of the major ore-forming mineral associations and opaque minerals in non-mineralized rocks. It describes typical examples of each mineral from many classical localities throughout the world. For each association there is a listing of the major (and important minor) primary ore minerals, alteration products and gangue, typical textures, a brief ... Full description.

This guide provides a historical summary of each weather satellite launched by the United States. Information is available for polar satellites TIROS, ESSA, NIMBUS, ITOS/NOAA, TIROS-N/NOAA, and ATN/NOAA, and geostationary satellites ATS, SMS/GOES, GOES, and GOES-NEXT. The information includes mission objectives, descriptions of spacecraft, and participating organizations. Launch dates, sites, and ... Full description.

This essay describes the effort being made to predict the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and detect any relationship between it and global warming. Students will discover how computer models are being made of the oscillation and the progress that is taking place. They will also learn about the ramifications of making reliable predictions. The site has links to three other essays on the subject as ... Full description.

This activity will help students understand the complexity of ocean exploration. They will understand the technological applications and capabilities required for ocean exploration and the importance of teamwork in scientific research projects. Students will also develop abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry as they work together to fashion research equipment from common materials. In addition ... Full description.

This site offers descriptions for each of the major map projections now in use. The author treats each type of projection in detail and each explanation has a scientific illustration depicting a visual conception of the projection. Cylindrical projections discussed include cylindrical equal area (Behrmann, Gall's stereographic, and Peters), Mercator, Miller cylindrical, and oblique and transverse ... Full description.

The gravity studies addressed at this site are those that involve geophysical mapping and interpretation of features in the Earth's lithosphere. The emphasis is on the upper crust of the Earth that extends to depths of about 20 km, because it is this region where gravity and magnetic data can best help delineate geologic features related to natural hazards, natural resources, and tectonic events such ... Full description.

In this activity, students will learn about the bathymetry of Hudson Canyon, a submarine canyon on the Atlantic coast of North America. As they study Hudson Canyon, they will compare and contrast topographic maps and bathymetric maps, investigate the various ways in which bathymetric maps are made, and learn how to interpret bathymetric maps. Full description.

In this activity, students will investigate the occurrence of gas hydrates on the ocean floor. They will discover the importance of carbon, where carbon is stored on Earth, and that the largest reservoir of carbon is gas hydrates. Students will discover that Earth's climate changes, and how the greenhouse effect works. They will also learn about the potential of hydrates as a major new energy resource ... Full description.

In this lesson, students discover the instruments and techniques, both ancient and modern, that are used for marine navigation and position-finding. They will identify and explain at least seven different techniques used for marine navigation and position finding, explain the purpose of a marine sextant, and use an astrolabe to solve practical trigonometric problems. Full description.

This site presents information about the Global Positioning System (GPS), including basic information, images, and plentiful in-depth technical information about GPS. Topics covered include U.S. Department of Defense Satellite Navigation System, GPS Positioning Services Specified in the Federal Radionavigation Plan, GPS Satellite Signals, GPS Data, Position and Time from GPS, GPS Error Sources, Geometric ... Full description.