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OCEANS by Vikki Spruill |
1. While several government agencies have ocean programs, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has probably the largest ocean focus. Their site is a classic government site, loaded with information if you're willing to look. One links page (for those not willing to sift through) provides good links to oceanographic resources.
2. What can you do to help save the ocean? Visit the American Oceans Campaign Website. Issues, activities, action alerts, dolphin pictures, write your congressman--but no links to other sites.
3. For the science-minded, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is one of the US's premier oceanographic institutions. Their webpage provides lots of links and lots of information for beginner or expert. Not the most conservation-oriented site, but helpful for understanding the ocean environment.
4. Ocean Planet was a Smithsonian exhibition in Washington DC in 1995, and is currently a traveling exhibition to museums around the US. Visitors can "walk-through" the entire exhibition, read every word and see (almost) every photograph as they would appear on the walls of a museum. Unlike the museum visitor, web visitors have the benefit of linking to much of the background information used to develop the exhibition. Don't miss the "resource room"--a huge compilation of ocean websites (tip--visit the Giant Squid homepage!).
5. SeaWeb. I must admit to self promotion here, but I feel our own Website covers ocean issues in a way no other site does. Full of information on a variety of ocean conservation topics, includes The Ocean Update, a monthly newsletter of important, hot issues; The Ocean Report, a daily 90-second radio program hosted by renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle (accessible via RealAudio); featured scientists and their works; The Ocean Information Center, where you can find basic background information; and coming soon, Ocean Abstracts, a posting of recent scientific abstracts. Also lots of links to all kinds of ocean sites.
Also see--Scripps Institution of Oceanography, equal to WHOI in terms of science...or visit other Non-governmental organizations--Greenpeace, World Conservation Union, National Resources Defense Council, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Vikki Spruill is Executive Director of Seaweb. a project of the Pew Charitable Trusts.