This concentrated, in-depth resource provides access to recent information on El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and La Nina in the Pacific Ocean, including data, graphics, forecasts, historical perspectives, in-depth analyses, prediction benefits, impacts on human life, and information on the 1997/1999 El Nino and La Nina events. Links to relevant data include Tropical Atmosphere Ocean Project (TAO) ... Full description.

This site houses a module on Water Quality. The module is designed to be informative and interactive. Students are presented with a simulated situation where their newest client, who owns a catch and release fishing guide service, is upset over the fact that the fish in a stretch of "Bear Creek" have been dying. The client has called on the student's firm to figure out what is killing the fish in ... Full description.

This article, from Earth: Inside and Out, takes a look at dendroclimatologists, scientists who study climate changes by examining the growth patterns of old trees. It introduces students to the work of Gordon Jacoby, a dendroclimatologist and co-founder of the Tree Ring Laboratory at Columbia University. The site explains the growth rate of trees and provides a picture of Earth's temperature changes. ... Full description.

This case study addresses the invasion of lionfish, a native to coral reefs in the tropical waters of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, to the Alantic Ocean off the southeastern United States. The study explains how scientists are using newly collected data and technology to learn how an invasive species like the lionfish affects an ecosystem. Students can learn about the environmental and economic ... Full description.

This United States Geological Survey (USGS) fact sheet discusses the geography and environmental setting of Chesapeake Bay, the largest estuary in the United States. Emphasis is on the effects of rapidly rising sea level within the bay, as seen in historic maps, personal observations, and annual mean sea level data. Other topics include possible reasons for the sea level change and the role of the ... Full description.

Planet Earth introduces students to ecology and environmental issues, while encouraging them to identify the importance of these issues and challenging them to be problem solvers. The module is broken into lead-up activities and a follow-up webquest. In Earth's Treasures, students identify environmental issues in general, and in their communities. You Make A Difference focuses students on a particular ... Full description.

This online exercise examines the interaction between humans and the environment in Manitou Springs, Colorado, and flooding hazards presented by the town's proximity to Fountain Creek. Introductory materials provide an overview of the town's history, land use, and the frequency of occurrence of flash flooding from the creek. Next, students examine a hypothetical 100-year flood scenario and look at ... Full description.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an exciting way to learn biology and is readily incorporated into large classes in a lecture hall environment. PBL engages students in solving authentic biological case problems, stimulating discussion among students and reinforcing learning. The example case studies suggested are mostly from human biology and medicine and are suitable for use in an introductory college ... Full description.

This website of the South Florida Restoration Science Forum (SFRSF), part of the South Florida Information Access (SOFIA), illustrates the environmental history of the Everglades area in Southern Florida. Pre-drainage conditions in the 1800's as well as how soils tell about the past and help researchers today, are discussed. Full description.

The Biological Indicators Program in the Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) is located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Biological indicators have been developed and applied at a variety of field sites in the eastern United States to assess and evaluate the effects that environmental stressors such as contaminants have on the health of aquatic organisms, populations, and communities. The ... Full description.