Classroom activities based on how scientists study active volcanoes on the deep ocean floor. Activities include: locating an earthquake epicenter, recording geological and biological information during an ocean floor traverse, creating cross-section profiles of the ocean floor, and graphing seafloor data. Resources include videos and teacher guides. Full description.

National Ocean Service (NOS) scientists collect, study, predict and disseminate information about tides and water levels. Tutorial introduces the causes and variations of tides and currents, their impacts on human activities, navigation and organisms. Lesson plans include data for classroom activities, as well as resource links and teacher guides. A NSTA SciLinks selected site. Full description.

Teaching activity illustrates how levees on the Mississippi River exacerbated flood damage in St. Louis during the Great Flood of l993. Students build a model of a river system and observe the results of flooding without levees, with wetlands (sponges), and with levees. Part of a teacher's guide accompanying a NOVA special aired on PBS. Full description.

Overview of coral reef conservation and research by National Ocean Service. Provides a coral reef definition and background on: coral biology and life cycle, zooxanthellae and symbiosis, ecology, reef formation and distribution, importance of reef habitats and ecosystems, current research and protection efforts, including the Coral Reef Early Warning System. Lesson plans include: tutorials on the ... Full description.