While engaged in this activity students will explore phytoplankton, the food of tiny marine animals, particularly krill. Students will prepare a hay infusion in two identical glass aquarium tanks or a 1-liter glass jar and expose one to 24 hours of continuous light, and the other for only four hours during the school day, with all light blocked off by opaque material during the remaining hours. They ... 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.

This innovative course introduces undergraduate and graduate students in ocean science related majors to inquiry-based instructional strategies for communicating their passion for their subject area. These strategies, combined with college students' content knowledge and enthusiasm for sharing it, equip them to introduce ocean science to K-8 students and teachers in local schools. The site provides ... Full description.

The Coral Bleaching: Making our Oceans Whiter lesson was developed by National Geographic. This lesson plan deals with coral reefs and the recent increase in coral bleaching. The students will be learning about the ecology of reefs, the habitats they create, the algal symbiosis that ends with bleaching, and the role of human impact. The plan also outlines a role-playing debate for the students, and ... Full description.

This interactive map tool enables students and scientists to better understand the relationships between geophysical and geological processes, structures, and measurements with high-precision GPS data. It contains prepared images taken from the Jules Verne Voyager. Users can choose from a variety of base maps, add a number of geographic and geophysical overlays (e.g. plate boundaries, earthquake and ... Full description.

This guide introduces educators to the classroom use of oceanographic data from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). MBARI provides near real-time, quality controlled data on surface and subsurface temperature and salinity; CO2 and O2 concentrations; and relative fluorescence, used by scientists to better understand the Monterey Bay ecosystem and draw parallels to the ocean as a whole. ... Full description.