In this lesson, students explore how groundwater contamination can spread through aquifers by participating in a groundwater plume simulation. Students will consider where they would look to determine the source of groundwater contamination and where they could turn for assistance; explore the possible contamination of Nevada groundwater by a major nuclear test site by reading and discussing, "Concerns ... Full description.

Water rights are used to allocate water in an organized and systematic manner. In this activity, students will learn the categories of water rights, understand their historical aspects, and understand why water rights are needed. Extension activities are also provided. Full description.

This resource covers components of the hydrologic (water) cycle. Although it is geared to high school level, middle school students could grasp the content with assistance from an instructor. Specific topics include the distribution and movement of water in the Earth system, such as evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff, and ground water. Full description.

This simple activity demonstrates how the ocean get its salt. Required materials are low cost and easy to obtain. Full description.

Robowell is an automated process for monitoring selected ground-water-quality properties and constituents. It was developed to provide a cost effective monitoring system that met protocols expected for manual sampling. Users have access to real-time water quality data. There are also links to other water quality sites. Full description.

This page presents a narrative history of the Colorado River Compact, which has provided the management framework for this natural resource since 1922. Full description.

This site contains information about snow, glaciers, permafrost, sea ice and cryospheric trends. The cryosphere is the portion of the Earth's surface where water is in a solid form, usually snow or ice. Seasonal snow cover, the largest component of the cryosphere, covers up to 33 percent of the Earth's total land surface. Glaciers and ice sheets cover about 10 percent of the Earth's land area. Nearly ... Full description.

In this lesson, students assess the causes and effects of massive arsenic contamination in the water supplies of 43 of Bangladesh's 64 districts. Students evaluate why this contamination occurred, how it affects the population of Bangladesh, and why this environmental catastrophe is proving so difficult to solve. Full description.

This website presents the story of Comet LINEAR, which broke apart in 2000, revealing what many scientists thought all along - water in Earth's oceans could have come from outer space. The article discusses findings from the breakup of Comet LINEAR and the possibility of water in its composition. Full description.

This site presents clues to suggest that liquid water once flowed on Mars - raising hopes that life could have arisen there - but the evidence remains inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. Full description.