This site describes the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which stretches across six states including New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia and also the District of Columbia. Also included in the Bay watershed are several subwatersheds, smaller systems that drain into the streams and rivers that flow into the Chesapeake. More than 64,000 square miles of land drain into the ... Full description.

This explanation of the hydrologic cycle discusses evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, percolation, groundwater, and the water table. There is a diagram and a description of each as well as a discussion of the dynamics of the cycle, which powered by the Sun. In addition there are links that lead to all parts of the Properties of Water menu. Full description.

This site provides information about precipitation, evaporation, condensation, surface runoff, infiltration and transpiration, which are all part of the water cycle, a complex process that not only gives us water to drink and fish to eat, but also weather patterns that help grow our crops. The site has four sections. The introduction presents the overall concept while the second section covers each ... Full description.

This activity has students observe how ozone can damage rubber bands and through a comparison, they will be able to determine the relative ozone levels for different locations. After completing this activity students will understand that tropospheric ozone is often called bad ozone because it breaks down certain materials, be able to explain that concentrations of ozone are not uniform, and demonstrate ... Full description.

In this activity students use a map of the Mississippi Watershed to label and count rivers and the states associated with them in a particular watershed. Students "build" the watershed in a pan using modeling clay or soil. They use small objects to represent things such as pollutants, litter, fertilizers, sediments, etc., that could be transported by water flowing in the drainage system. Students ... Full description.

This resource allows students to make use of data generated by environmental sensors that are distributed throughout Black Rock Forest. It includes interactive activities to acquaint the student with remote sensing and with the data-gathering tools. The data are used in various activities that strengthen the students' understanding of the earth system. Full description.