Teachers can access a variety of materials for use in the classroom, or as background reference material. The materials are grouped according to topic: Weather, Climate change, Oceans, Satellites and space, and Training. A list of external links to related materials is also provided. Full description.

Vortices of water, called "eddies," form off the northwestern coast of North America in the winter, and are particularly large during El Nino winters. Users can read and view satellite imagery which explains how these eddies carry nutrient-rich water offshore, providing nourishment for phytoplankton, microscopic plants which form the foundation of the marine food chain. This is part of NASA's Earth ... Full description.

Much like El Nino, the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) varies in a rhythmic pattern from decade to decade. The NAO is the relationship between a high-pressure system over the Azores Islands and a low-pressure system over Iceland. This site uses text, photographs, and maps to explain what the NAO is and how it affects weather in Europe, the United States, and as far away as the Middle East. Full description.

This article explains how the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite has been used to track large-scale ocean waves called Rossby waves. This new data indicates that the waves may move faster than previously thought, which may have implications for global weather forecasting. Links to related sites are provided. Full description.

This site uses satellite imagery and text to show how wind-driven upwelling in ocean waters off the coasts of Peru and Northwest Africa provides nutrients that support some of the world's richest fisheries. Full description.

This site, part of NASA's Classroom of the Future program, describes how oceanic temperatures, currents, and atmospheric pressure patterns vary and, under certain conditions, produce an ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) event. It features text, scientific illustrations, a glossary, teacher pages, and a list of references. Full description.

The Earth Observing System (EOS) consists of a series of Earth-observing satellites, a data system, and teams of scientists who will study the data. Educators can access a set of links to educational materials and publications, and real-time satellite tracking data. Other materials include mission profiles, information on the 24 measurements taken by EOS, research papers and reports, news articles, ... Full description.

This virtual tour of the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Planet exhibit can be navigated by clicking on the floor plan which is pictured, or it can be searched by image, subject, or topic outline. Links to educational materials and to a special curator's tour are also included. Full description.

The major wind systems of the earth determine much of the large scale oceanography with which we are familiar. The local winds modify the ocean and the overlying atmosphere on a minute-to-minute and day-to-day basis. This site consists of imagery of different types of local winds taken by the Space Shuttle. It also features text descriptions of local winds such as katabatic winds in Europe, the harmattan ... Full description.

This archive of ocean-color imagery produced by SeaWiFS and Aqua-MODIS contains images from 2002 to the present. The images are viewable in a variety of formats: chlorphyll concentration, sea surface temperature, aerosol index, smoke index, and many others. Yearly, seasonal, monthly, weekly, or daily images are available. Full description.