Oceanography/Hydrology

A science that deals with the ocean and its phenomena.

Resources in this category:

Aquatic Network
http://www.aquanet.com/

Aquatic Network calls itself the "Information Service for the Aquatic World. Subject areas covered include aquaculture, conservation, fisheries, limnology, marine science and oceanography, maritime heritage, ocean engineering, and seafood."

Bering Sea Climate and Ecosystem
http://www.beringclimate.noaa.gov/

This web site of the Bering Sea, one of the world's major fisheries, follows an explosion of interest in Northern Hemisphere climate study. Scientists here recognize a symmetric problem: climate change impacts ecosystems, and ecosystems serve as indicators for climate change. This site describes ecological and climatic indices for the Bering Sea which will serve as measures of climate and ecosystem status: weather, oceanographic and climate data, sea ice data, and fisheries and other biological data. This transitional website contains the main set of time series which will form the basis of a small set of Bering climate/ecosystem indices.

International Year of the Ocean
http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/

"The United Nations has declared 1998 the International Year of the Ocean (YOTO). This designation provides individual organizations and governments with an important opportunity to raise public awareness and understanding of the ocean and related issues." This site provides resources for students, teachers, and reporters. Brochures and a poster may be ordered at no cost. Fact sheets cover such topics as ocean exploration, weather, pollution, coastal development, and fisheries. There are extensive links to ocean related sites.

JPL's El Nino Watch
http://airsea-www.jpl.nasa.gov/ENSO/enso.html

"This page provides images and news releases based on observations of the El Nino phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon and other NASA/JPL satellites and instruments."

The Mariner's Museum
http://www.mariner.org/

"The Mariners' Museum, one of the largest international maritime museums in the world, is dedicated to "preserving and interpreting the culture of the sea and its tributaries, its conquest by man, and its influence on civilization." It is a nonprofit, educational institution accredited since 1972 by the American Association of Museums." Located in Newport News, Virginia, the museum provides this website, featuring an online tour of its collections and exhibitions.

NOAA El Nino - Southern Oscillation Page
http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/

"NOAA is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which has primary responsibilities for providing forecasts to the Nation, and a leadership role in sponsoring El Niño observations and research." This site provides extensive background information about El Nino, research publications, information for the public and the media, El Niño forecasts, observations and ongoing research. The site also provides graphics and animations detailing climate data, satellite observations, and oceanic changes. Some of the data is "real time".

NOAA National Ocean Service
http://www.nos.noaa.gov/

"NOS is the primary civil agency within the Federal Government responsible for the health and safety of our nation's coastal and oceanic environment. As part of NOAA, the National Ocean Service provides a wide range of products and services, established on the best scientific basis, for the protection of life, property, and the environment." A new addition to this site is the NOS MapFinder Service. "Visit this interactive map site to access NOS data and products at the click of a button."

OBIS – The Ocean Biogeographic Information System
http://www.iobis.org/Welcome.htm

"OBIS is a web-based provider of global geo-referenced information on marine species." Click on any point in the oceans of the world to see what marine creatures live there. Some of the organisms link to fact sheets from the Fisheries Global Information System. There is also an image library of photographs of marine life and lesson plans using the database for middle school science teachers.

Ocean Research Institute
http://www.ori.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/index.html

This site is strong in information about oceanographic research, including data about the ocean floor tectonics, research projects, and a searchable database of references to literature on this subject. It also contains some interesting links to earthquake information.

OceanLink
http://oceanlink.island.net/

"Ocean Link is a marine science information and interaction web site. It is also a partnership between several marine organizations, all committed to marine education. On these pages, you will find information about many marine science topics, including Marine Biology, Oceanography, Marine Mammals, Seabirds, Marine Pollution, Marine Invertebrates, Marine fish and much more!" Site includes an archive of its "Ask a Marine Scientist" questions and answers, links to sites about careers in marine science fields, lists of various marine animal records, a link to its "Ocean News" publication, links to marine animal pages on the Vancouver Aquarium's web site, and links to other marine science web resources.

Oceanography
http://www.onr.navy.mil/focus/ocean/

The Office of Naval Research's Science and Technology Focus Site for students and teachers. The oceanography section covers "waves, tides, currents, habitats, marine mammals and more." The "Sinking and Recovery of the USS Squalus" section includes information about the ship, the captain and rescue and leads to additional information on submarines and submersibles. Each of the two main sections mentioned above includes experiments for students and related Internet links. There is also a place to check out current research, and the ability to "Ask the CyberScientist."

Oceanography for K-12: A Study of Our Oceans
http://www.mi.mun.ca/mi-net/ocean/index.htm

A site featuring educational resources as well as general information about oceanography. Includes teacher activities, many related links, and information for academics.

OceansCanada
http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceanscanada/

"Ahoy! If you're looking for links to everything oceans in Canada - from university programs to research institutes to policies and legislation - welcome aboard. Dive in and explore OceansCanada!" This site contains Policy and Legislation Information, Conferences and Contact Information, Comprehensive Links, Facts and Quotes, articles on Oceans and the Environment, Industry Information, and Ocean Monitoring and Protection. Site available in English and French.

River Watch
http://www.riverwatch.noaa.gov/

River conditions and forecast information for the Mississippi River Basin (including the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, and Arkansas Basins). Provides daily river level summaries and five-day forecasts for river stage heights (in feet).

Savage Earth
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageearth/

Articles "explain the science behind volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis, and feature original animations that illustrate the action of these natural phenomena. You can also Ask the Experts your questions, and explore other Savage Sites on the Web."

Savage Seas
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/savageseas/

This is the companion web site to the "Savage Seas" series which aired on PBS. The web site includes sections on the many topics covered in the television series. Excellent photographs and fascinating explanations highlight this well-designed site. Here is a description of the original series, of which many elements are included in the site: "In four riveting hours, SAVAGE SEAS gives viewers a new perspective on the oceans: their immense power and their inner workings. Harrowing first-person accounts, up-to-date science, and unparalleled undersea footage will probe watery phenomena that hold both terror and allure. SAVAGE SEAS goes beyond the sensational to offer rich scientific insight. Cameras follow technical experts as they investigate why oceanic events happen. Meet communities that depend on the sea and people who live in amazing circumstances, such as commercial fishermen who have one of the riskiest jobs on earth. The series goes on to look to the future, and to undersea mysteries we have only begun to unravel."

SeaWIFs Project
http://oceancolor.gsfc.nasa.gov/SeaWiFS/

Images from remote sensors of the oceans with data sets images, spacecraft details, ocean temperatures, receiving stations details, full resolution maps of the earth. Offers option of browsing images sorted by continent, ocean and date (among others). Also provides lesson plans and projects, but the images alone are worth a visit.

Steller Sea Lion Web Cam
http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/research/chiswell.php

Provides streaming video coverage of the Steller sea lions on Chiswell Island just south of Seward, Alaska.

Tide and Current Glossary
http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/publications/glossary2.pdf

(Adobe PDF file) A glossary of oceanographic terms used by the National Ocean Service. Terms reflect the implementation of changes activated at the National Tidal Datum Convention of 1980.

USGS - El Nino
http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/elnino/

This site provides news and information about El Nino. Included are news articles about the causes and effects of El Nino, research projects, and a graph of El Nino effects over the past 40 years.

USGS Water Resources Data of the United States
http://water.usgs.gov/nwis/

"These pages provide access to water-resources data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Online access to this data is organized around" the following categories: real-time, site information, surface water, ground water, and water quality.

USGS Water Resources Information
http://water.usgs.gov/

Includes datasets, publications, and agency information. Strong resource for hydrology information for the United States including water use, spatial data, and water conditions.

West Coast National Undersea Research Center Home Page
http://www.westnurc.uaf.edu/

"The West Coast & Polar Regions Undersea Research Center (WC&PRURC) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (SFOS) was established in 1990. The Center's mission is to promote, facilitate, and support quality undersea research along the west coast of the United States and polar regions. " This site includes a program description, list of related Internet Resources, and a description of science operations such as manned submersibles.

WINDandSEA: An Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences Internet Locator
http://www.lib.noaa.gov/docs/wind/windandsea.html

"This locator was built in response to the many reference questions that are posed to the library and is meant to make Internet searching more efficient for the NOAA community, the academic community, other government agencies concerned with oceanic and atmospheric issues, and the general public. Presently WINDandSEA has over 800 selected links to science and policy sites organized by topic and alphabetically within topic; sites that include government science agencies, educational institutions, professional organizations, and commercial organizations that have information relevant to the oceanic, atmospheric, and marine biological sciences. In addition, it has links to scientific bibliographies and glossaries. WINDandSEA is of value to educators, students, the scientific community, and environmental policy-makers. All of these sites have been reviewed and annotated by a technical information specialist of the NOAA Central Library staff."

WWW Tide and Current Predictor
http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/sitesel.html

"Harmonic tide and current speed predictor for the World Wide Web." United States locations only.