Crossing Boundaries

"The dynamic nature of the BP oil spill has been a challenge for a range of communities - from hotel operators to fishermen to local community leaders. We know the American people have questions about how the federal government is responding to this crisis, and we are committed to providing the answers with clarity and transparency. The site you're viewing right now is a symbol of that commitment. "

"This educational Web site, designed to serve as a resource for students, teachers, and the general public interested in the biology and identification of mammals in North America, was developed by the External Affairs and Public Programs Division of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. The resources we make available are derived from the Museum's unparalleled natural history collections, its scientific research, permanent and special exhibits, libraries, and through collaborations with other organizations and individuals with special resources to complement the site.\n\nThis Web site includes detailed descriptions, images, and distribution ranges for more than 400 mammals native to the North American continent. The primary resources for the site have been based in the continental United States, but as the opportunity occurs, the site will be expanded to complete the species found in Canada and Mexico."

"ut the truth is that satellites are so last century-so much, in fact, that scientists have begun using them to document historical changes. The above picture, from NASA's 38-year-old Landsat program, shows the Lake Djoudj region of Senegal during a drought in 1979 and during a flood 20 years later. Even at this small scale it's clear how much information the pictures contain about how the land has changed."

If you can't install the Diigo toolbar, you can access the Diigolet app here and should be able to use it from any computer.

We live in the Global Location Age. "Where am I?" is being replaced by, "Where am I in relation to everything else?" The Geospatial Revolution Project is an integrated public service media and outreach initiative about the world of digital mapping and how it is changing the way we think, behave, and interact. Mission The mission of the Geospatial Revolution Project is to expand public knowledge about the history, applications, related privacy and legal issues, and the potential future of location-based technologies. Geospatial information influences nearly everything. Seamless layers of satellites, surveillance, and location-based technologies create a worldwide geographic knowledge base vital to solving myriad social and environmental problems in the interconnected global community. We count on these technologies to: * fight climate change * map populations across continents, countries, and communities * track disease * strengthen bonds between cultures * assist first responders in protecting safety * enable democracy * navigate our personal lives

Around the world, once-giant ecosystems have been cut up into tiny fragments. Islands of habitat have been left on the land that can be wiped by a single storm.

Up next, 30,000 species under the sea. A few years ago, marine biologists working off the coast of Oregon collected samples of seawater from the very deepest parts of the ocean there at two sites near an active ocean floor volcano. And once the samples are brought to the surface, biologists on the other side of the country, in Massachusetts, analyzed the samples to find out what kinds of microbes were living at the bottom of the ocean. And what they found was astonishing. An amazing array of microbes, more than 30,000 species many, which were never - have never been seen before. They are new to science. The results of that analysis were published earlier this month in the journal Science.

Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico has begun to make landfall in Louisiana's Chandeleur Islands. Nancy Rabalais, director of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, says the spill's effects on the larger Gulf ecosystem could last for years.

Life on Earth faces a crisis of historical and planetary proportions. Unsustainable consumption in many northern countries and crushing poverty in the tropics are destroying wild nature. Biodiversity is besieged.

As E.O. Wilson accepts his 2007 TED Prize, he makes a plea on behalf of all creatures that we learn more about our biosphere -- and build a networked encyclopedia of all the world's knowledge about life.

Legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle shares astonishing images of the ocean -- and shocking stats about its rapid decline -- as she makes her TED Prize wish: that we will join her in protecting the vital blue heart of the planet.

Human growth has strained the Earth's resources, but as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine "planetary boundaries" that can guide us in protecting our planet's many overlapping ecosystems.

Worldchanging.com founder Alex Steffen argues that reducing humanity's ecological footprint is incredibly vital now, as the western consumer lifestyle spreads to developing countries.

"This web map combines a few map services to illustrate some of the potential environmental impact of the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

Interactive map and timeline

Gulf Coast beach closings, oil slick and fishing ban map

"The National Park Service has been an integral part of the national federal response to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig which occurred in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, and tragically killed 11 of the rig's crew."

"As part of the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak, chemical dispersants are being utilized on the ocean surface and, for the first time, underwater. Dispersants work like dishwashing detergent - they break up oil into droplets, enabling it to mix more easily with the surrounding water. This presents a trade-off: Mitigating damage to the shoreline and surface means exposing the seafloor and water column to additional oil. This briefing brings together experts on the effects of dispersants to discuss how they work, the ongoing efforts in the Gulf, the toxicological and ecological trade-offs of their use, and the future of dispersant technologies."

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill site, hosted by the four Gulf Sea Grant programs, provides visitors with current information about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, as well as easy access to the archives of science-based and objective content gathered in the wake of the spill. Content will be continually updated, and visitors should check back often for new and revised information. "

A National Ocean Service Education lesson developed following the Exxon Valdez spill. This lesson focuses on the aftermath of an oil spill, its effects on the people and ecosystems, lessons learned, and what recovery means. It also includes links to an Oil Spill Trajectory Model, an Oil Spill Primer for Students, and How Toxic is Oil?