Ecology

Page Updated June 2022 .

About Estuaries  EPA's overview of the National Estuary Program and profiles of the 28 estuaries in the program.

AIRNOW  Get up-to-the-minute information about air pollution in your community. Includes maps, forecasts, and information about the health effects of air pollution.

America's Wetlands  Great information about wetlands and what we can do to protect them. Well-designed and visually pleasing site.

American Rivers  Their mission is to protect America's river systems and to foster a river stewardship ethic. 

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge  Arctic Refuge manages approximately 19.64 million acres of land and water in northeastern Alaska. It is administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Bhutan-the Last Shangri-La  Companion site to the television program, The Living Edens. Journey to the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” and learn about its culture, history, and people.

Cloud Forests of Costa Rica  Visit the rain forests of Costa Rica. Be sure to view the Photo Gallery to see the forests and their animals.

Deserts: Geology and Resources  A site that provides information on where deserts form, how atmosphere influences aridity, desert and dune types, features, and wind effects, and remote sensing. Australia is the driest continent.

Earth's Water  As the saying goes ... "water, water, everywhere." This site on Water Science for Schools tells the story of where, how much, and in what forms water exists on Earth.

Endangered Species Coloring Book  Download an entire coloring book free at this Environmental Protection Agency site, or just print out pictures of your favorite threatened animals.

Exploring the Environment Homepage  This page links to NASA's Classroom of the Future, the Middle School Earth Science Explorer, and other NASA links.

Exploring the Tropics  This informative site is especially focused on plant life in the tropical rain forest: rain forest layers, plant adaptations, plant-animal interactions, economic plants, biodiversity, etc.

Great Lakes Ecopages  This site provides information on the biodiversity of the Great Lakes and the partnerships and habitat restoration techniques being implemented to conserve Great Lakes biodiversity.

Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab  The Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) conducts high-quality research and provides scientific leadership on important issues in both Great Lakes and marine coastal environments leading to new knowledge, tools, approaches, and awareness.

Journey to Amazonia  Learn about life in the tropical rainforest: in the water, on the land and in the trees. Become an Amazon Explorer in a fun interactive game. The site includes extensive teacher resources.

Mercury  Information about mercury, its health effects, studies, and what you can do.

National Parks – Finland  Get a glimpse of Finland’s pristine geography and learn about Finland’s parks here.

National Parks – Italy  Learn about the beautiful parklands of Italy.

Paleontological Research Institution, Ithaca, New York  This Web site provides information on the history of oil, the geology basis for oil, its uses and tools used to find oil.

PBS Living Edens: Bhutan, the Last Shangri La  Located in the remote Himalayan mountains, this kingdom remains isolated from the rest of the world.

PBS Living Edens: Borneo, Island in the Clouds  Borneo, located in the Indonesian Archipelago remains a remote land of mystery.

PBS Living Edens: Canyonlands  Journey into America’s western canyonlands and learn about the wildlife and ecosystem there. The human history of the canyonlands is also documented. Companion video available. With Web links.

PBS Living Edens: Costa Rica  Visit beautiful Costa Rica in Central America. More than 25 percent of Costa Rica has been designated either as national park land or biological reserve, wildlife refuge, or wildlife corridor. Companion video available. With Web links.

PBS Living Edens: Denali, Alaska’s Great Wilderness Track a year of life in Alaska’s remote Mt. McKinley National Wilderness.

PBS Living Edens: Kakadu  Kakadu, Australia’s ancient wilderness is featured in this virtual “visit.” Learn about the landscape, its seasons and animal life. Learn also about the controversy caused by the rich resources it possesses and the needs of its aboriginal people.

PBS Living Edens: Kamchatka  Siberia’s Far Eastern wilderness, wildlife and volcanoes are showcased on this web resource.

PBS Living Edens: Palau, Paradise of the Pacific  Author Nancy Barbour spent 12 years traveling and writing about Palau, its unique coral reefs and the culture and history of the Palauan people.

PBS Living Edens: Patagonia, Life at the end of the Earth  Patagonia, Argentina is an alluring realm of exotic extremes located at South America’s Southern tip.

PBS Living Edens: South Georgia Island  Located near the Antarctic continent, South Georgia Island is one of the most remote places on the earth.

PBS Living Edens: Thailand, Jewel of the Orient  Thailand, a kingdom from the 13th century provides a focal point for this glimpse into the culture and habitat of Southeast Asia.

PBS: Journey Into Amazonia  Journey into the world of the Amazon on this special WNET website.

Planet Pals  Learn how to save the planet! Get free stickers and free information.

Rainforest Glossary  A picture dictionary containing terms related to rainforests.

Smokey the Bear!  "Only YOU can prevent forest fires!"

Superfund Sites  From the Environmental Protection Agency. Superfund sites searchable by location.

Terra: Exquisite Images from Space  NASA's Terra has completed its on-orbit checkout and is now officially "open for business," using its five onboard instruments to monitor Earth's climate changes on a long-term basis.

The Great Lakes  The Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario) are an important part of the physical and cultural heritage of North America.

The John Muir Exhibit  Featured are writings by and about the naturalist, quotations, and extensive sources of information on his life and times.

The Nature Conservancy  The Nature Conservancy is a group whose mission is to protect the earth’s land and water so that the natural diversity of the planet can be preserved. This site contains informative articles and links to other relevant online resources.

Wealth of the Rainforest: Pharmacy to the World  This site, emphasizing the Amazon rainforest, features: a database to important rainforest plants, information & facts on the rainforest, a picture gallery and information on medical uses of plants.

Wild Russia Tour  Covering nearly one-eighth of the earth's surface, Russia harbors a tremendous variety of forests, freshwater ecosystems, mountains, and many other landscape types which vary among its 14 bioregions.