Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's resource and activity center for teachers and students. Find teaching units for K-12 on: coral reef habitats and marine life; human dependence and impacts on the reef; biodiversity and threatened species; coastal zone and reef management. Lesson plans offer objectives, inquiry learning focus activities, resources, class or field activities. Student pages ... Full description.

Four lesson plans focus on understanding toxic and harmful algal blooms. Designed for use in conjunction with Bigelow Laboratory's "Toxic and Harmful Algal Bloom" web site. Each module includes background, learning objectives, student preparation, and standards-related classroom or lab activity. Topics cover: role of algae in the food web; development of algal blooms; impacts and bioaccumulation of ... Full description.

Water cycle concepts and basics including the distribution of water on the planet in oceans, rivers and lakes, glaciers and atmosphere. Defines basic terms: states of water, evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, melting. Good illustrations, maps and photos. Excellent list itemizes human uses and impacts on water and the water cycle. Links to more detailed references are provided, ... Full description.

Interactive content highlights three imperiled south Florida ecosystems: the Everglades, Florida Bay, and Florida Keys. Provides introduction, definition, and image of each habitat type within the ecosystems; outlines threats to ecosystems and conservation issues. Other features include: introduced species and their impacts; biological profiles for marine and freshwater fishes from the Florida Museum's ... Full description.

This comprehensive booklet from North Carolina Sea Grant explains what sand dunes are and how they work, their zonation, plant species and ecology. Provides information on dune erosion, vegetation types, planting and management practices. Also covers beaches, waves and shoreline processes that affect dunes, as well as human interactions. Includes good line illustrations. Full description.

This collaboration of over 20 institutions and agencies monitors target species of intertidal plants and animals at nearly 60 Southern California shore sites. Site provides species images and profiles, sampling methods, data and publications. Tidepools are the focus of a math curriculum that meets CA standards. Good resource for California teachers. Full description.

The benthos is an aggregation of organisms living on or at the bottom of a body of water. The benthic community is composed of a wide range of plants, animals and bacteria from all levels of the food web. Site provides an introduction to the benthos with descriptions of infaunal, epifaunal, and demersal benthic communities. You can also view an illustration of a sample benthic community. Full description.

One in a series of American Field Guides produced by PBS, this site features background material, standards information, and four classroom activities all concentrating on the intertidal zone. Activities include teacher instructions, time and materials needed, objectives, video, extension activities, assessment ideas, and links to additional resources. Site also links to additional American Field ... Full description.

Basic information describing the plants, animals, ecosystem, distribution and physical aspects of marshes available in PDF format. The website provides an introduction to the habitat, while the document provides much greater detail. Information is geared towards marshes in Nova Scotia, Canada, however, it is still applicable elsewhere. Site links to additional case studies and habitats. Full description.

This website has a wealth of resources on North Carolina's estuaries including lesson plans, field guides, field trips opportunities, professional development opportunities and online water and weather data. Site also features EstuaryCam, a live shot of Beaufort Inlet. Downloadable video is available of lessons, events, and workshops. Full description.