This portal provides access to a variety of educational and supporting materials for students and teachers of microbiology about the ecology, diversity and evolution of micro-organisms. Materials include information about microorganisms, extremophiles, and extreme habitats. There is also information about the Microbial Observatories (MO), research projects to study extremophiles and their environments ... Full description.

In this activity, the GLOBE Kids wonder why the hummingbirds have stopped visiting their school garden. They conduct an investigation, learning more about hummingbird needs, seasonal changes at their school, and what it's like in Costa Rica where the birds spend the winter. In Activity 1, 'All Year Long', students will learn about seasonal changes in a local habitat. They will learn how to make detailed ... Full description.

WhaleTimes will take young users on an adventure to the ocean. This resource provides a wealth of information and pictures on popular sea life, such as whales, seals, sea lions, sharks, penguins, and walruses. It helps the user to find out how animals survive in the sea, what they eat, where they live and much more. There are several computer activities for young kids, and a list of books that focus ... Full description.

Relevant sections in this resource include What are Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs), an Introduction to Algal Blooms and "Red Tide", Algae Species (which algae are responsible for the harmful effects?), Adverse Impacts, Human Illness (food poisoning associated with harmful algal blooms & information on diagnosis and treatment), HAB Distribution Maps, HAB events in the United States and around the ... Full description.

The Sun heats the Earth, but the Earth also emits some of the heat back into space. The net amount of energy determines not only seasonal weather, but also climate trends. According to NOAA, monthly snow and ice amounts have declined over the past decade. By matching maps of snow and ice amounts with maps of net radiation flux for the same time frame, this lesson will give students the opportunity ... Full description.

The Gulf of Maine Aquarium hosts this two-part activity. The focus is on seasonal changes in the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Part 1 uses an atlas and satellite imagery to examine the geography of the region and the changing boundaries of the ice sheet. Part 2 tracks annual changes in sea ice. There is an animation page showing changes in ice cover around Antarctica during 1991, and links ... Full description.

This ocean-science Web site allows users to learn about many important ocean processes, linked to teaching material and sources of real-time ocean data. The site also has complete college-level and graduate courses and textbook (which can be freely downloaded) in oceanography and physical oceanography. Full description.

Visitors can access information on a variety of water issues in Arizona, including the Colorado River, riparian areas, water conservation, water rights, and recreation. The Arizona Water Resources Research Center (WRRC) provides a glossary of water terms, a stream gauge map and a directory of water-related agencies and organizations, especially Arizona Project WET (Water Education for Teachers). Other ... Full description.

The Center for Watershed Protection works with local, state, and federal governmental agencies, environmental consulting firms, watershed organizations, and the general public to provide objective and scientifically sound information on effective techniques to protect and restore urban watersheds. The Center also acts as a technical resource for local and state governments around the country to develop ... Full description.

This USGS site contains graphs, tables, and charts for the following ground water topics: What is ground water, ground water flow diagrams, importance of groundwater, and trends in ground-water use. Ground water quality, pesticides, aquifers, waterwells, artesian wells, sinkholes, and land subsidence are also covered. There are a variety of links within all of the above topics and a very complete ... Full description.