This text states that although all estuaries are similar in that they are semi-enclosed bodies of brackish water, they are categorized with regard to geological characteristics, and further distinguished on the basis of stratification and circulation patterns. According to their geological characteristics, estuaries are classified as: drowned river valleys or coastal-plain estuaries, bar-built estuaries ... Full description.

This report lays out recommendations and a strategic implementation plan for education and communications allied with the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Participants at the IOOS-COOS and Education Workshop developed these recommendations and helped shape the plan. The plan positions IOOS education and communications efforts as one component of a larger national education effort that promotes ... Full description.

This website is part of Visible Earth, which is hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and contains a searchable directory of images, visualizations, and animations of the Earth. This section contains images pertaining to coastal processes, marine geophysics and sediments, ocean chemistry, circulation, optics, and temperature, and waves, winds, and sea ice. Each image ... Full description.

This lesson addresses the topic of Harmful Algal Blooms. Students will discover that harmful algal blooms (HABs) occur when algae, simple plants that live in the sea and form the base of the food web, produce toxic or harmful effects for people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds. They will also learn that HABs have been reported in almost every coastal state in the United States, and that ... Full description.

This Classroom Connectors lesson plan teaches students about the various resources provided by the worlds oceans. The site provides goals, objectives, an outline, time required, materials, activities, and closure ideas for the lesson. The Classroom Connectors address content with an activity approach while incorporating themes necessary to raise the activity to a higher cognition level. The major ... Full description.

The Global Programme of Action (GPA) was established to guide national and regional authorities toward counteracting marine degradation from land-based activities. Key to this effort is the GPA Clearinghouse, an extensive work-in-progress for which this site is the central node. Searches with the clearinghouse mechanism are first qualified by any of four approaches: by Pollutant Source Category, Regional ... Full description.

This six-day unit provides an in-depth look at the dynamic forces at work on the sea floor. Throughout the unit, students collect their findings in a portfolio. The comprehensive curriculum materials include teacher tools with individually downloadable readings, detailed daily breakdowns of tasks that include teacher strategies for using the activities, a portfolio grading sheet, a project rubric ... Full description.

This teaching box is designed to teach students about the biotic and abiotic factors that drive the process of upwelling in the oceans. Students will deepen their understanding of the dynamics that create a seasonal abundance of marine life in coastal upwelling zones by exploring marine food webs, primary food production in the ocean, density and wind-driven currents, and seasonal changes in resources. ... Full description.

This article describes some of the technological tools used by ocean researchers and how they are employed. Users can read about the uses of satellites, shipboard computer systems, sonar systems, GIS (geographic information system), and hand-held computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) in oceanographic research. A variety of other moored, floating, or towed instruments are also descrobed. ... Full description.

The Voyage of the Odyssey is a five-year program designed to gather the first ever baseline data on levels of synthetic contaminants throughout the oceans of the world. It uses whales, albatrosses and pelagic fish as indicator species for measuring the health of the seas. There is a map to locate the current position of the Odyssey and ship logs, video, and audio reports to learn about the experiences ... Full description.