The National Marine Sanctuary Program identifies, designates and manages areas of the marine environment of special national significance due to their conservation, recreational, ecological, historical, research, educational, or aesthetic qualities. Access information and pictures of marine sanctuaries all over the U.S. and its territories. Discover ways to get involved with the sanctuary program, ... Full description.

El Nino is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific with important climatic consequences around the globe. This NOAA theme page features links to widely distributed information. Includes data, graphics, forecasts, historical perspectives, and in-depth analysis. It is intended to be useful to scientists, administrators, students and the general public. Links include sites ... Full description.

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.

The Environmental Visualization Program (EVP) produces enhanced imagery and animations of environmental phenomenon from satellites and other remote sensing technologies, both of which are available on this site. As part of the NOAA National Satellite and Information Service (NESDIS), the EVP is committed to creating imagery that educate the public about resource management, weather and water issues, ... Full description.

Located in Princeton, New Jersey, GFDL conducts research where the goal is to expand the scientific understanding of the physical processes that govern the behavior of the atmosphere and the oceans as complex fluid systems. Site provides information on current research projects, faculty and staff, requesting data, and educational programs. The Gallery provides exceptional figures and animations of ... Full description.

Teaching activity about El Nino, how it forms, and its effects on the weather of the world. Includes background information, data, applications, and additional activities. Links to related sites, as well as a wealth of similar NOAA lessons covering a variety of marine and environmental science topics. Full description.

Excellent images of ocean topography, continental margins, crustal age, Great Lakes bathymetry, plus images of available posters and slide sets. Downloadable animations also available. Links to other NOAA resources. Full description.

A web portal to real-time, GIS-based coastal observations and NOAA forecasts. Select location and specify: meteorology, oceanography, river, water quality or other observations; tidal predictions, weather or ocean condition forecasts. You can choose in situ or remote sensing data collection systems, overlap different types of observations and forecast information on a single map, compare several data ... Full description.

Links to a variety of current oceanographic databases. Provides access to in situ and remotely sensed data, models, and a photo library from all over the world. Data available includes temperature, salinity, biological, nutrients, oxygen, and many more. View sea surface temperature animations, sea level changes, and plankton profiles for anywhere in the world. Data, graphs, and more are available ... Full description.

NOS measures and predicts coastal and ocean phenomena, protects large areas of the oceans, and works to ensure safe navigation. Educator information includes Discovery Kits, which consist of 4 different classroom units on corals, estuaries, geodesy, and tides and water levels, Discovery Stories, 2 case studies concerning the Exxon Valdez incident and the lionfish invasion occurring along the U.S. ... Full description.