Ocean Today Kiosk Online
This website provides access to current and archived videos of the Ocean Today kiosk at the Sant Ocean Hall in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The Ocean Today Kiosk is a dynamic, visitor-friendly multi-media experience that illustrates both the ocean's influence on humans and their influence upon the ocean. The website offers a transcript of the video along with links for more information.
http://www.alaskafisheries.noaa.gov/newsreleases/2011/orangesubstance081811.pdf
Alaska - NOAA determines "orange goo" in Alaska's Kivalina village is fungal spores
The "orange goo" that washed ashore earlier this month in the remote Eskimo village of Kivalina along Alaska's northwest coast is fungal spores, not microscopic eggs as preliminary analysis indicated. Scientists at the NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center's Auke Bay Laboratory announced last week that the substance was biological in nature, rather than oil or pollution as originally thought by concerned residents of Kivalina. Per standard scientific procedure, samples were sent to NOAA's Analytical Response Team for a more thorough and detailed analysis and verification process.
At NOAA's National Ocean Service Center for Coastal Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research, based in Charleston, S.C., a team of scientists highly-specialized and equipped to analyze microbiologic phenomena such as this determined that the substance is consistent with spores from a fungi that cause rust, a disease that infects only plants causing a rust-like appearance on leaves and stems. Rust fungi reproduce to infect other plants by releasing spores which disperse often times great distances by wind and water. However, whether this spore belongs to one of the 7,800 known species of rust fungi has not yet been determined. More information will be posted on the Alaska Fisheries Science Center website as it becomes available.
"Some of the planet's most beautiful and diverse ecosystems are at risk. With temperatures on the rise, coral reefs are at greater risk for coral bleaching. Using ocean observing system data from NOAA's National Data Buoy Center, this classroom activity examines ocean temperatures off Puerto Rico to see how coral reefs are being impacted and predict what's on the horizon. Brought to you by Sea Grant's Bridge website and COSEE-NOW.
This activity was developed in response to the 2005 massive coral bleaching event in the Caribbean caused by high sea surface temperatures. Using ocean observing system data, water temperatures can be monitored to evaluate the likeliness of other bleaching events.
Via the COSEE-NOW online community, we were able to receive valuable feedback on making the graph of water temperature more user-friendly and expanding the discussion questions to evoke some higher level thinking from students.
This activity has been demonstrated to teachers at the National Marine Educators Association conference and Virginia Sea Grant professional development institutes; and to graduate students in several different settings.
http://www2.vims.edu/bridge/DATA.cfm?Bridge_Location=archive0406.html"
Plankton*net
Plankton*net is a communal source of information about marine phytoplankton. Users can browse through an extensive collection of descriptions and still and video images organized alphabetically or by taxon. Links are provided with each species description to numerous websites containing information about the organism.
Harmful Algae
This website from NOAA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is meant to serve as a comprehensive resource for information about harmful algal blooms (HABs). Links include basic information about HABs, how they affect humans and ecosystems, the latest HAB news, and information about meetings and conferences.
Harmful Algae
This website from NOAA and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is meant to serve as a comprehensive resource for information about harmful algal blooms (HABs). Links include basic information about HABs, how they affect humans and ecosystems, the latest HAB news, and information about meetings and conferences.
Endangered Species Day
Endangered Species Day, May 21, 2010, celebrates America's wildlife legacy with a celebration of our nation's wildlife and wild places, and is an opportunity to learn about the everyday actions that people can take to help protect our nation's disappearing wildlife and last remaining wild places. Visit the website to download educational materials, register an event, and check out the toolkit.
Disneynature's Oceans
Disneynature's big-screen movie, Oceans, will be released on Earth Day, April 22, 2010. Disney is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy for the initiative, See OCEANS, Save Oceans, with a portion of each ticket sold for the film's opening week (April 22-28, 2010) going to help establish new marine protected areas in the Bahamas.
An Educational Activity Guide and Educator's Guide are available for downloading from the website.
"The Museum's science-rich website for curious minds ages seven and up makes complex scientific concepts accessible and fun through games, activiites, and stories. Kids can search Ology to learn more about their favorite science topics."