Aquarius is a focused satellite mission to measure global sea surface salinity. Launching in 2009, this mission will provide the first global map of sea surface salinity with unprecedented accuracy, resolution and coverage. The importance of salinity measurements in understanding coastal ocean processes is critical. Because of its dynamic range in the coastal oceans, salinity is a critical factor ... Full description.

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

Students can view these television programs about a variety of ocean science topics right in their classroom. They are presented by real scientists and feature a call-in question and answer session to end the lesson. Teacher packets containing information pertaining to program topics, activities to do with students, pages for students' individual use, and vocabulary and reference lists, are available ... Full description.

This is the education section of a larger site about the Aquarius underwater habitat in the Florida Keys. It includes classroom activities exploring concepts of buoyancy, pressure and light; a series of classroom activities exploring the biology of corals; and an on-line book about coral reef biology. Full description.

This site allows students to explore a hydrothermal vent system on the East Pacific Rise as if they themselves are inside the Alvin submersible. The virtual field trip incorporates a great deal of high quality video from the Alvin and also very realistic 3-D animation to create a convincing model of a vent system. The students can map, sample, and explore the deep ocean environment just as the research ... Full description.

The New Millennium Observatory (NeMO) is a seafloor observatory off the coast of Oregon, which studies the relationships between submarine volcanic events and the chemistry and distribution of hydrothermal vents and the biologic communities that depend on them. The research activities at NeMO provide an extraordinary educational opportunity, both from the daily reports from expeditions at sea and ... Full description.

Ocean chemistry, particularly the carbon cycle, is featured in text and illustrations, with quantitative graphics and a lab demonstration. Graphics include the global carbon cycle from 1980-1989, annual carbon dioxide flux, ocean chlorophyll concentration east of Buenos Aires, and a cartoon showing upwelling of nutrients. Full description.

With three levels to choose from on each page - beginner, intermediate or advanced - this site provides a good introduction to the structure of the ocean. Included are excellent graphics and text about patterns of ocean salinity and temperature with depth, as well as surface currents, deep ocean circulation and even the water cycle. Extensive in-text links provide the means for users to explore the ... Full description.

Estuaries have physical traits, and scientists use a variety of measurements such as water depth, salinity, and current speed to describe an estuary. This site describes the various measurements that make up the physical properties of an estuary, using Narragansett Bay as an example. Specific sections of this site focus on water chemistry (temperature, salinity, oxygen, chlorophyll a, and pH), circulation ... Full description.

The Mote Marine Laboratory Phytoplankton Ecology Program focuses on microscopic plants in the oceans, many of which produce harmful toxins. This program addresses phytoplankton behavior, photophysiology and bloom dynamics. This site contains data from investigations, which utilize remote sensing technology for monitoring natural phytoplankton blooms as well as laboratory studies to understand how ... Full description.