The Encyclopedia of the Sanctuaries offers photos, streaming video and important facts for more than 100 key animal and plant species from each of the national marine sanctuaries. It allows users to search for their favorite species or browse the wildlife of each sanctuary by category, ranging from spiny lobster to killer whales and from white-tipped reef sharks to sea anemones. The encyclopedia entry ... Full description.

This radio broadcast reports on the Hidden Ocean cruise, a one-month expedition to catalog what lives in the Arctic ocean and which of these organisms is at risk. The broadcast describes experiments to gather organisms from below drilled ice, from freshwater pools created from melted ice, and at the bottom of the ocean collected from a trawl net. Many of the organisms described depend on the sea ice ... Full description.

This set of activities is designed to help students dive deeper into the topics covered in The Marine Fisheries Series, a PBS program exploring the immense changes threatening marine fisheries worldwide and the efforts being made to restore them. Each activity has been peer reviewed by an Advisory Board and correlated to national science and social studies education standards. Full description.

This lesson introduces random sampling, one of the key concepts employed by scientists to study the natural environment, including microbial communities. Students first learn about the abundance and diversity of marine microbes. Colored beads in a bag are then used to represent different types of microbes, with the bag itself representing the ocean. Working in groups, each student randomly samples ... Full description.

"Key concepts in microbial oceanography" was developed by scientists and educators at the National Science Foundation-sponsored Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE). It is intended to convey the key concepts in microbial oceanography in jargon-free language for a variety of formal and informal audiences. Full description.

Ocean FEST is a program of hands-on, ocean-themed science activities for students in grades 3-6 and/or their families. Our goals are to: (1) educate participants about ocean and earth science issues that are relevant to their communities; and (2) inspire students--especially those from underrepresented groups--to pursue careers in the ocean and earth sciences. "What Microbe Are You?" attempts to change ... Full description.

The National Sea Grant Library (NSGL) is the digital library and official archive for NOAA Sea Grant documents. It is the only comprehensive collection of Sea Grant –funded documents from over 30 programs and projects across the country. This collection encompasses a wide variety of subjects, including oceanography, marine education, aquaculture, fisheries, aquatic nuisance species, coastal hazards, ... Full description.

This NOAA program supports effective management and sound science to preserve, sustain and restore valuable coral reef ecosystems. Students can read about the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, learn more about local and national coral reef action strategies, and find links to more information on coral reefs. The site also offers a search for publications and data and a general search of the site. Full description.

This resource features three sections devoted to learning about coral reefs: an online tutorial, an educational roadmap to resources, and formal lesson plans. The tutorial presents an overview of coral biology and threats to coral reefs. Topics include characteristics of corals, the relationship of corals and zooxanthellae, stony corals and reef formation, the importance of coral reefs, and natural ... Full description.

This site serves as a gateway to three sections devoted to learning about tides and water levels: an online tutorial, an list of links to tidal resources, and formal lesson plans. The tutorial is an overview of the complex systems that govern the movement of tides and water levels. It is content rich, is presented in easy-to-understand language, and includes many illustrative and interactive graphics ... Full description.