This website integrates video footage and information with lesson plans and activities to teach students about the intertidal zone of the oceans. This zone is a habitat for only a few species due to extreme fluctuations in moisture level, heat, salinity, and sunlight. The activities in this unit are designed to enable students to investigate the creatures of these zones and how they have adapted to ... Full description.

In this lesson, students examine the rich array of marine wildlife that lives in waters surrounding the Indian subcontinent, explore the relationships among organisms in coral reefs, and learn about environmental dangers to coral reefs and research methods to protect them. Students will use the Internet to conduct research about scientific discoveries and environmental protection activities, discuss ... Full description.

This activity will help students understand algal blooms. They will devise their own experiments to test the effects of nutrients on algal growth, or younger students may follow the steps outlined in a sample activity which is provided. Students will be reminded that they need to have controls and replicates in their experiments. As a result of this activity, students will come to understand the requirements ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will investigate absorption, reflection, and scattering of light in the deep sea and discover the concept of bioluminescence. As they proceed, they will learn that white light (visible light) is comprised of all colors of the spectrum, that the quantity of light decreases with increasing depth in the ocean, the quality of light changes with increasing depth, and that red light ... Full description.

In this activity, students observe nutrient depletion as they germinate and grow nutrient-demanding seedlings. They will discover that all plants require nutrients to grow and thrive and that these nutrients are found in the soil and absorbed through the plants' root systems. They will also learn that nutrients are dissolved in water and are distributed throughout the plant via its circulatory system; ... Full description.

These two activities illustrate the relationship between water pressure and depth. They offer students an exploration of the relationship between pressure and depth, an opportunity to construct an experimental apparatus, experience in taking measurements with the apparatus, and an introduction to the impact of pressure on the lungs. Full description.

Salmon Homing Instincts is an activity that enables learners to experience what it is like to be a returning salmon attempting to find its home by smell. Scientific research suggests that salmon use the smell of water to find their home stream; even after being out in the open ocean as many as six years. The activity allows the entire class to participate in the life cycle of the Pacific salmon and ... Full description.

This article describes a new method of studying climate change. A previously unnoticed cooling trend that persisted for a millennium caused enough ice to build up in Antarctica's Ross Sea that thousands of Adelie penguins abandoned their colonies beginning about 2,000 years ago. The techniques may also help to refine our understanding of climatic change on the southernmost continent. This article ... Full description.

This activity will offer students an introduction to chemiluminescence and bioluminescence, an opportunity to observe the effect of temperature on reaction, and an activity that integrates art and science. Students explore how the temperature of the chemicals that combine affects a chemiluminescent reaction. They will also learn that since solar radiation does not reach the ocean depths, the bottom ... Full description.

This resource features three sections devoted to learning about coral reefs: an online tutorial, an educational roadmap to resources, and formal lesson plans. The tutorial presents an overview of coral biology and threats to coral reefs. Topics include characteristics of corals, the relationship of corals and zooxanthellae, stony corals and reef formation, the importance of coral reefs, and natural ... Full description.