Earth Science World - Earthscience world is a gateway to the earth sciences produced by the American Geological Institute. The site gives updated news on various geological related topics, accessible from the home page and under Earth Data in the left hand box. This also provides statistical information on natural resources and details of all recent seismological phenomena. The site also provides an on-line satellite weather check and warning system, but only for the U.S.A. Much of the site is dedicated to the imminent Earth Science Week which will run from October 13-19, 2002 with an invitation to educational institution to participate in the event. "Activities" suggests a series of lessons with full instructions for kids of junior school age, complete with computer interactions and recipes for cakes celebrating geological specials (no, not rock ones). For higher grades, "What on Earth" gives the sort of questions and answers for older students covering topics such as the differences between seismic waves and between cement and concrete. There is also a careers section, where the FAQs give a comprehensive view of the current situation regarding training and job prospects, at least for the U.S.A. Although the site is undoubtedly useful especially for up to date information on seismological activity and the weather, it is addressed mostly to U.S.A. residents. User friendliness could be improved for easier navigation from one section to another. Rating: 8 out of 10 (22 December 2002) CCL
http://www.earthscienceworld.org/
For Kids Only - Earth Science Enterprise - At this NASA site, students will be exposed to information regarding land, water, air, and natural hazards. The subject of remote sensing is enhanced with a story about Echo, the bat, whose far-flung adventures teach about echolocation and satellite imagery. While the activities seem to be aimed at a wide range of ages, the general look of the site does not seem especially geared to younger schoolkids, with the exception of a heading font that would add a touch of playfulness if it were more readable (in Netscape, at least). Games and other fun additions, such as the drag and drop puzzles, word search, and What on Earth Challenges are well done, but the virtual coloring pages in the land section with their small images can be taxing even for an adult, although there is an option to print them out. Teachers' guides and resources are available. Rating: 8 out of 10 (15 November 2002) AD
http://kids.mtpe.hq.nasa.gov/
If the Earth Could Talk - Not quite the Gaia fantasy one might expect, this site covers general topics from the earth sciences - volcanoes, rocks, minerals, dating (rocks, that is!), glaciers, soil & water, and mining, and there's a neat quiz. (28 September 2002) DB
http://www.inrs.uquebec.ca/cgq/eng/earth/inde...
NASA Earth Observatory - As a change from going to other planets, NASA's stated mission with this site is to provide freely-accessible satellite imagery and scientific information about the home planet, focussing on climate and environmental change, and they certainly accomplish this mission. The uncluttered home page gives the latest news and, when I viewed it, it had details of the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in Africa a few days before, with satellite pictures of the plume, together with ongoing bush fires in Australia. There are links from the home page to specialised sections, such as data and images, features, and reference, all divided into broad sections covering the atmosphere, the ocean etc., and providing highly detailed information, with extensive satellite images, many with superimposed scientific data. There are also animations that you can use to show, for example, the changes that occur with the seasons. There are also links to news, missions and experiments, each with the same sort of detail. The experiments section is a learning facility and includes very good interactive models to enable you to study, for instance, the environmental effects of an oil spill. Navigation is easy and works well, and there is a wealth of serious scientific information, together with stunning images, to be found. Rating: 9 out of 10. (22 March 2002) MDH
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
Visible Earth - At this time in our history, earthbound humans can get a glimpse of our home from space thanks to satellites and space missions. The Visible Earth project compiles these images from NASA and makes them available to the public domain for use by the media, scientists, researchers and anyone else interested in seeing the Earth from above. Images, including animations, are categorized by subject for browsing, and extensive searching features can help you to locate desired images. Moving through the site, thumbnail galleries provide an overview of images, and link to individual image pages with background information, including image source. Often, multiple size files are available for downloading with image dimensions, file type, and file size information to assist with selecting the appropriate file. On the help page, you will find links to each of the necessary viewing application for several computer operating systems, a handy tool if you are new to graphics. Whether you are looking for before and after shots of active volcanoes, ocean currents and water temperature, or human infrastructure locations such as the Great Wall of China, you are sure to find an image here that helps you to see our world in a new way. Rating: 10 out of 10 (4 February 2002) CK
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/
Drought: A Paleo Perspective - In an attempt to learn as much as possible about the cycles of drought, scientists at NOAA have been investigating ancient clues. Tree rings can yield data dating thousands of years back, but for information beyond that, researchers must examine sediment from lakes and sand dunes. The devastating effects of drought are outlined here, limiting the focus to North America. We don't tend to think of droughts as being as severe as tornadoes, for instance, but their tendency to be prolonged (parts of the Plains region of the U.S. suffered for eight years during the Dust Bowl Drought) can result in profound economic hardship. There is bad news: droughts with lengths surpassing any occurring in the 20th century have been seen in the not too distant past, and can be expected to occur again. By amassing quantities of data, scientists hope to be able to predict these natural hazards. (28 November 2001) AD
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_...
CIESIN: Center for International Earth Science Information Network - CIESIN is the Center for International Earth Science Information Network at Columbia University, a non-profit, non-governmental organization which aims to provide information to help scientists, decision makers and the public understand the changing world. The website provides interactive applications, metadata resources (descriptive information about data and information resources which aids in locating specific information), data resources (including international environment treaty texts, global population and social indicators of development), and information systems. CIESIN has been designated the World Data Center for Human Interactions in the Environment, with the role of facilitating access to and the exchange of socioeconomic data, and promoting the integration of these data with geophysical and ecological data. The website allows access to a huge amount of data and information for anyone anywhere in the world, also providing a text only version. (22 September 2001) KM
http://WWW.ciesin.org/
EarthNet - A beautifully presented educational site packed with activities, teaching resources and earth info. Set up by Canadian geologists, EarthNet is pitched at earth science educators and school students. From dinosaurs to planets and space, all things earth are covered in this user-friendly site. If you get stuck, EarthNet specialist contacts are only a click away. Activities ranges from data questions to 'make your own trace fossil', and there's a comprehensive search system that allows browsers to select a topic by its grade, subject or even by geographical area. Though the site leans heavily towards Canadian geology, there's plenty to interest everyone, including a site of the week and an illustrated geological glossary. (23 August 2001) JS
http://agc.bio.ns.ca/EarthNet/
