Many people may wonder what happens in the vast stretches of the world's oceans. For some, it is simply a matter of "out of sight, out of mind". Fortunately that is not the attitude at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara. For one of their latest projects, they decided to estimate and visualize the global impact humans are having...

Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet...and the most threatened. Artificial reefs may help stem the loss of these valuable and beautiful habitats, with shipwrecks, old subway cars, and other structures taking the place of living coral or rocky outcrops. The following Web sites introduce artificial reefs, reef ecology, and some ongoing efforts to establish reef communities...

Australia's National Tidal Facility is a "fully self-supporting agency within The Flinders University of South Australia specializing in tidal predictions, sea level monitoring and contemporary marine science issues." Their Data Inventories page contains links to products including Australian Baseline Array Sea Level and Meteorological Data, South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project...

Supported by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, Trophos is a cooperative Belgian and Dutch project aimed "at a better understanding of the processes structuring the higher trophic levels in the North Sea." The Trophos website includes sections on project Objectives, Background, Activities, Databases, and Partners. The Background section contains a list of relevant publications, and brief...

Many scientists consider the Earth’s oceans to hold some of the last real mysteries on the planet, with new species still being discovered every year and the depths of the deepest seas yet unexplored. These engaging interactives from the Woods Hole Oceanagraphic Institution were a clear reader favorite, bringing blue water and sundry sea life onto our monitors and into our conversations. Of...

The Oceanographic Products and Services Division (OPSD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "collects, analyzes and distributes historical and real-time observations and predictions of water levels, coastal currents and other meteorological and oceanographic data." This wonderful site explains the science behind the tides and changing water levels, gives historical...

NOAA's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) "develops, operates, and maintains a network of buoy and C-MAN stations." After viewing the virtual tour of the NDBC's facilities and efforts, users can find interactive maps of the numerous data collecting buoys. Researchers can find recent and historical ocean current velocities, wind speed and direction, air and sea temperatures, and other oceanographic...

Created and managed by a team of partners, including the United Nations, the Ocean Data Viewer was developed "to help inform decisions that are important for the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity." The Data Viewer website is elegant and intuitive, even for neophytes, and it offers sixteen datasets combined in a mashup style format with a political map of the world. On the homepage,...

Part of the Earth Observing System Data Information System, the Physical Oceanography Distributed Active Archive Center is responsible for archiving and distributing data relevant to the physical state of the ocean. The data, which are intended for use in oceanographic and other interdisciplinary scientific research, is freely available. Products include sea surface height, ocean wind, and sea...

The Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography at Old Dominion University provides this website to educate users on how scientists examine ozone in Earth's stratosphere. The Classroom Resources links offers a thorough twelve chapter online textbook with digital graphics, comprehensive discussions, and review questions. Educators and students can find a tutorial and download for Image2000 software,...