As Many Exceptions As Rules

Dr. Lasbury is a scientist, educator, and writer who lives in Indiana. In his entertaining blog, exceptions to biological rules are used as a base to explore and reinforce the core concepts of biology. Ranked by Blogtopsites as once of the best science blogs, recent topics include free will (neural parasitology and domoic acid toxicity) and zombies (characteristics of life, cell theory, reproduction, homeostasis and  evolution). 
http://biologicalexceptions.blogspot.com.au/

Sound Waves: Coastal and Marine Research News from Across the USGS

Open your eyes and your interest in coastal and marine research by exploring this most informative publication. Created by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), this monthly newsletter was started in 1999 to provide the public and other parties with access to timely research findings and updates from the various units of the USGS. The newsletter contains sections such as Fieldwork, Research, Meetings, and Awards. A good place to start is the Recent Highlights from Past Issues area. Some of the gems here include scientific explorations of Hurricane Sandy's long-term effects and the juvenile surf smelt and sand lance populations in Puget Sound. Units contributing news pieces to Sound Waves include the Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the National Wetlands Research Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/index.php

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2013.https://www.scout.wisc.edu/

National Geographic Education Collections

The National Geographic Education website has a number of sections dedicated to different areas within the natural sciences including animals, climate change, ecosystems, engineering, oceans, migration and weather. On the site, visitors can dive in via the Latest Updates or browse the features. Visitors can use the filters on the site to look over the resources by Type, Grades & Ages, Intended Audience, and Subjects.

http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/topics/

NOAA Education Resources: Aquatic Food Webs

This nice site from NOAA starts with a bold statement: "Big fish eat little fish; that's how the food cycle works." It's a fitting introduction to this exploration of aquatic food webs. Offered as part of NOAA's main Education Resources site, this site offers a dozen well-produced videos, lesson plans, and data sets divided into areas that include Background Information and Multimedia. These items include "Tagging of Pacific Pelagics," "Census of Marine Life Biodiversity," and "Components of a Food Web." Visitors can also look over the Features area near the bottom of the site, whose offerings range from a profile of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary to a longitudinal study of sea trout in the food web. Finally, visitors can use the social media tabs to share resources from the site with colleagues and others.

http://www.education.noaa.gov/Marine_Life/Aquatic_Food_Webs.html

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2013. https://www.scout.wisc.edu/

Ocean Tracks

How are marine animals moving around when they are deep below the ocean's surface? It's a fascinating question, and one that has driven the work of part of Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). On this website, visitors can see the "tracks" of selected marine animals tagged by CSIRO and partner agencies. It's an amazing experience, and visitors just need to download a small plug-in to get started. Some of the marine animals here include white sharks patrolling Australia's southern coast and bluefin tuna on their oceanic migrations. The About area is a great way to learn about the research and technology involved with this complicated endeavor. Also, visitors can check out the low-tech/accessible version of the site if they are so inclined.

http://www.oceantracks.csiro.au/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2013. https://www.scout.wisc.edu/

Center for Ocean Solutions

The Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) "works to solve the major problems facing the ocean." COS was founded by three partners with similar commitments: the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, and the Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University. On the homepage, visitors can browse through a Featured News area and also look over video clips which explore topics like "Can Coral Reefs Survive the 21st Century?" Moving on, the materials on the site are divided into six sections, including Research Libraries, Publications, and Videos & Podcasts. Scholars and marine scientists should look over the Publications area to see a list of recent publications by COS researchers and affiliates arranged by topic. Finally, the podcasts are quite good, and they include discussions of dropping ocean oxygen levels and climate change adaptation.
http://centerforoceansolutions.org/
From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species provides taxonomic, conservation status and distribution information on plants and animals that have been globally evaluated using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. This system is designed to determine the relative risk of extinction, and the main purpose of the IUCN Red List is to catalogue and highlight those plants and animals that are facing a higher risk of global extinction. The IUCN Red List also includes information on plants and animals that are categorized as Extinct or Extinct in the Wild; on taxa that cannot be evaluated because of insufficient information; and on plants and animals that are either close to meeting the threatened thresholds or that would be threatened were it not for an ongoing taxon-specific conservation programme. 

http://www.iucnredlist.org/

NOAA Habitat Conservation

"The NOAA Fisheries Office of Habitat Conservation protects, restores, and promotes stewardship of coastal and marine habitat to support our nation's fisheries for future generations.

Our vision is healthy and sustainable habitat that provides a range of benefits for abundant fish and wildlife, commercial and recreational opportunities, and resilient coastal communities that can withstand hurricanes, flooding, and other threats"

http://www.habitat.noaa.gov/

The Scientist: Magazine of the Life Sciences.

The Scientist is a magazine for life science professionals—a print and digital publication dedicated to covering a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, and other life-science fields. Through innovative print articles, online stories, and multimedia features, the magazine explores the latest scientific discoveries, trends in research, innovative techniques, new technology, business, and careers. Written by prominent scientists and professional journalists, articles in The Scientist are concise, accurate, accessible, and entertaining.

http://the-scientist.com/

National Oceanographic Data Center

The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) is an "organization that provides scientific and public stewardship for national and international marine environmental and ecosystem data and information." Their website contains helpful data related to physical, biological and chemical measurements derived from in situ oceanographic observations, satellite remote sensing of the oceans, and ocean model simulations. On the homepage, visitors can use the Access Data area to look for detailed profiles of the world's oceans, along with information on finding archived data sets. One recent feature added to the site is the "Gulf of Mexico Data Atlas." Visitors can use this atlas to toggle various data sets, such as soundings, place names, and so on for a detailed and nuanced understanding of this body of water. Moving on, the Publications area contains links to the NODC's Ocean Climate Laboratory, posters, and the NOAA Photo Library.

http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students

Students in the engineering and science fields need to communicate a broad set of often highly technical materials to lay audiences. This process can be challenging, and this nice set of materials from Pennsylvania State University will be a boon to students in these fields. The site has five main sections: Introduction, Presentations, Correspondence, Formal Reports, and Other Documents. The Introduction area contains three helpful documents that provide insights on crafting the style of any given document and assessing the audience. Moving along, the Formal Reports area gives helpful suggestions on composing laboratory reports, theses, and dissertations. The site is rounded out by a glossary of writing and composition terms and additional references and resources.

http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Lecture Archives - Environmental Science Institute

The Environmental Science Institute (ESI) at the University of Texas at Austin is dedicated to "fostering environmental research, education, and outreach across disciplines." To this end, the ESI has developed a set of resources for educators, including a nice series of lectures dating back to 1999. This section of the site provides interested parties with access to 77 of these talks, which address topics like fracking, dark energy, the evolution of human vision, and autonomous robots. Visitors can browse through the lectures at their leisure, and will find supplementary materials accompanying most of the talks. Users are encouraged to use these lectures in a variety of ways, and it is easy to imagine that the talks could be used in the classroom or in other informal settings.

http://www.esi.utexas.edu/hot-science-cool-talks/lecture-archives

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2012. http://scout.wisc.edu/

e-Atlas.org.au

"The e-Atlas is a partnership between many research providers in order to develop a portal to information about Australia’s tropical terrestrial and marine environments. By providing the means to share and access data, maps and information on topics relevant to the region, the ATLAS aims to promote collaboration and support the work of management agencies, researchers, reef-based industries and community groups. Decades of research have generated a large amount of data and information on the Great Barrier Reef and the terrestrial tropical ecosystems. Until now this information has generally been under-used."

http://e-atlas.org.au/

Wood's Hole Ocenaographic Institution

"The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society.WHOI is the largest private non-profit oceanographic institution in the world."

http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=7016

Ningaloo Atlas

"The Ningaloo Atlas is a partnership between government organisations, non-government organisations, researchers, industry, and the community to improve our understanding, raise awareness and celebrate the biodiversity, heritage, value, and way of life of the greater Ningaloo region"

http://ningaloo-atlas.org.au/

Ocean Data Viewer

http://data.unep-wcmc.org/

Created and managed by a team of partners, including the United Nations, the Ocean Data Viewer offers sixteen datasets combined in a mashup style format with a political map of the world. On the homepage, visitors can toggle different datasets, such as the global distribution of coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass species, and mean sea surface temperature. Visitors can customize their own maps for different uses such as illustrating various aspects of climate change, oceanography, and marine biology. Additionally, the site provides a link to the "Global Coral Disease Database", which provides detailed data on reported coral disease outbreaks and incidences across the world's coral communities.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Teaching the Ocean System

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/ocean/

This site brings together data sets, tools, lesson plans, and interactive visualizations to address a number of topics within this broad field of scientific inquiry. On the left-hand side of this page, visitors will find six pertinent sections, including "Teaching Materials" and "Internet Resources." The "Teaching Materials" area includes resources such as a classroom activity designed to help students learn about how climate change impacts tropical cyclone formation and coral bleaching. For those who are perhaps more visually inclined, the "Visualizations" area features helpful animations and illustrations of processes such as coastal wave mechanics and El Nino.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011. http://scout.wisc.edu/

PMEL CO2 - Carbon Dioxide Program

http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to investigate the evolving state of the ocean carbon chemistry with high quality measurements on ships and autonomous platforms. This website provides information on their public outreach efforts, along with news features on how these changes may affect everything from marine animal populations to tourism operations. The "Map & Data Viewer" shows collected carbon data via a 3D projection and the "Data Portal" contains historical data sets.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011. http://scout.wisc.edu/

MarineBio

http://marinebio.org/

The MarineBio site contains material on various marine species, ocean conservation, research projects, and habitat conservation. There are fifteen sections along the left-hand side of the site including "A Sea Ethic", "Marine Biodiversity", and "Alien Species". The "Ocean Life News" area of the site is a fine way to stay abreast with
current developments dealing with the world's oceans. Visitors can use two drop-down menus on the homepage to learn about key marine species. The site is rounded out by the "Deep Resources" area, which is a clearinghouse of information and academic resources that include relevant journals and online databases.

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2011. http://scout.wisc.edu/

Ocean Conserve

Ocean Conserve is an ocean conservation portal and internet search tool that provides access to reviewed ocean conservation news and information. It includes news web links and a subject directory.

http://www.oceanconserve.org/