AlgaeBase is a database of information on algae that includes terrestrial, marine and freshwater organisms. At present, the data for the marine algae, particularly seaweeds, are the most complete. For convenience, we have included the sea-grasses even though they are flowering plants.

The material found at this site provides original, multidisciplinary, inquiry-based ideas to help enrich science teaching using the world famous Great Salt Lake as a springboard theme. During the lesson students will have the opportunity to view two types of algae (fresh water and Great Salt Lake species) under 400x magnification with a compound microscope. Students will make observations and record their observations on a recording sheet where they will describe what they see through drawing and words. The students will learn to identify different qualities such as cell structure, movement and other behavioristic qualities of the two different types of algae.

This site features links to broadcast quality audio files and transcripts from an interview with Dr. Carol Stoker about the Mars Analog Research and Technology Experiment (MARTE) which is to take place near the Rio Tinto in Spain. Interview topics include the MARTE expedition, the definition of an extremophile, the significance of the color and pH of Rio Tinto, equipment for the MARTE experiment, the possibility of a Mars drilling mission, and the resemblance of Rio Tinto geochemistry to that of Mars.

This Ohio Sea Grant website features a WebQuest-like activity that explores the development of a dead zone, an oxygen-deprived area where there is no life, in Lake Erie. The activity aims to teach students about the processes that contribute to the development of the dead zones in Lake Erie and examine a decision making process to determine how to treat or cure the dead zone. Links to a teacher page (with a lesson plan and resources) and student page (with references and instructions) are included.

This Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Studies page focuses on cyanobacteria, single-celled organisms thought to be the origin of plants. Cyanobacteria live in fresh, brackish, or marine water and are of concern to the CDC and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) because some can form harmful blooms that deplete the oxygen and block sunlight that other organisms need to live. They can also produce powerful toxins that affect the brain and liver of animals and humans. This website links to an informational page about cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (including impact to public health), general information, CDC activities, links to relevant websites, publications, and additional CDC topics.

This EPA website provides general information about dissolved oxygen, including what it is, sampling and equipment considerations, and sampling and analysis protocols. The site also features a chart of dissolved oxygen solubility as a function of temperature.

This Yellowstone National Park web site is dedicated to Lower Geyser Basin. It includes images and descriptions of Queen's Laundry and Sentinel Meadows, Sentinel Cone, Ojo Caliente, Pocket Basin Mud Pots, Imperial Geyser, Spray Geyser, Octopus Spring, Great Fountain Geyser, White Dome Geyser, Pink Cone Geyser, Bead Geyser, Narcissus Geyser, Steady Geyser, Silex Spring, Fountain Paint Pot, Fountain Geyser, Clepsydra Geyser, and Jelly Geyser.

For the first time in history, the global demand for freshwater is overtaking its supply in many parts of the world. The U.N. predicts that by 2025, more than half of the countries in the world will be experiencing water stress or outright shortages. Lack of water can cause disease, food shortages, starvation, migrations, political conflict, and even lead to war. Models of cooperation, both historic and contemporary, show the way forward. The first half of the course details the multiple facets of the water crisis. Topics include water systems, water transfers, dams, pollution, climate change, scarcity, water conflict/cooperation, food security, and agriculture. The second half of the course describes innovative solutions: Adaptive technologies and adaptation through policy, planning, management, economic tools, and finally, human behaviors required to preserve this precious and imperiled resource. Several field trips to water/wastewater/biosolids reuse and water-energy sites will help us to better comprehend both local and international challenges and solutions.

This Great Moments in Science radio transcript discusses the history of bioluminescence. It covers the first scientists to study bioluminescence, organisms capable of making light, biochemistry of the phenomena, and interesting stories. The audio version of this program can be downloaded and requires RealPlayer.

This Great Moments in Science radio transcript describes the three types of bioluminescence (bacterial, extracellular, and intracellular) and associated medical applications. The audio version of this program can be downloaded and requires RealPlayer.

This seven-page guide can be used to identify freshwater microorganisms. Categories include microscopic autotrophic organisms (i.e. algae), heterotrophic protozoa, other freshwater plankton (Animalia, Monera, etc), and arthropods. The guide is in the form of a table, with columns for name, picture, characteristic, and taxonomy.

This website describes HABHRCA, a legislative Act that authorizes funding for research on harmful algal blooms (HABs) and hypoxia to advance scientific understanding and our ability to detect, assess, predict, control, and mitigate events. The site discusses the Act, gives an overview of The Interagency Task Force on Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia, and features links to past plans and reports called for by HABHRCA 1998. It also serves as a jumping point to conferences and workshops, pertinent documents, and other informational resources.

This is an on-line prototype for a book aimed at teaching kids the effects of acid mine drainage on our environment through experimentation and observation. Experiments introduce litmus paper, pH testing, neutralization, identification of aquatic organisms and their use as water quality indicators, acid mine drainage, organisms in acidic environments (including plants, bacteria, and algae), oxidation-reduction reactions, the manganese cycle, the water cycle, and treatments for acid mine drainage. The entire document is also available in a downloadable Adobe PDF format.

This website features an overview of the Dinoflagellata, a large and diverse group of unicellular protists. Introductory information is displayed on the main page and links are provided to additional webpages featuring the dinoflagellate fossil record, life history and ecology, systematics and morphology. Links are also provided to other websites addressing various aspects of dinoflagellates.

This book excerpt is from Roughing It, Mark Twain's humorous account of his western travels in the late 1860's. The excerpt includes Chapters 38 and 39, which account for Twain's visit to Mono Lake. While the text contains exaggerations (often deliberate) and some factual errors, it is an enjoyable historical reference. This Mono Basin Clearinghouse site provides a menu of additional Mono Lake related webpages including reports and studies database, reports and studies online, raw data, field notes, photos, legal resources, current ongoing research, chronologies and timelines, geographic information systems, and links.

In this activity, students learn about ocean currents and the difference between salt and fresh water. They use colored ice cubes to see how cold and warm water mix and how this mixing causes currents. Also, students learn how surface currents occur due to wind streams. Lastly, they learn how fresh water floats on top of salt water, the difference between water in the ocean and fresh water throughout the planet, and how engineers are involved in the design of ocean water systems for human use.

Plankton*net is a communal source of information about marine phytoplankton. Users can browse through an extensive collection of descriptions and images organized alphabetically or by taxon. The software also allows registered users to contribute information and images online. Linkouts are provided with each species description to numerous websites containing information about the organism, including genetic sequences, images and culture collections. Plankton net is based on micro*scope software v. 6 and supports the features found in micro*scope.

This Rhode Island Sea Grant page features information regarding growth and development of a specific species (Mercenaria mencenaria) of Quahog, a hard-shell clam. The page begins with information about eggs and fertilization, takes readers through embryonic and larval stages, and concludes with a discussion on clam growth. Links direct users to related Sea Grant informational pages.

This Rhode Island Sea Grant informational page presents a descriptive guide to Quahog (a type of hard-shell clam) dissections. The page accompanies students performing a Quahog dissection, using colorful images and highlighted vocabulary terms to illustrate special features. In addition to general anatomy, the reference includes informational sections about feeding & digestion and respiration & circulation. Linked terms direct users to related Sea Grant web pages.