This week's In the News section deals with the Year of the Ocean. The six sites discussed provide information of various types about, and related to this topic. The United Nations declared 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean to bring attention to the "importance of the marine environment."

The California Coastal Records Project is being undertaken by Gabrielle Adelman and Kenneth Adelman to create an aerial photographic survey of the California Coast. The related Web site lets users locate and view spectacular photographs of a large percentage of the entire California coastline taken from a helicopter. Visitors can find photographs by clicking on the map of the coast, inputting a...

The General Land Office of Texas, the state's oldest agency, strives to balance economic development with preservation of its natural resources. The Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Program of the agency has an interesting Web site with information about the state's shorelines and its continuous efforts to slow erosion and maintain its beaches. Although many of the links on the page are about...

The Web site offers a comprehensive assessment of estuarine health in southeastern Australia -- a joint project of Museum Victoria and the Australian Museum. The project aimed to 1) evaluate whether predictive computer models currently used to monitor river health can be developed for Australian estuaries; 2) evaluate the abundance-biomass comparison method; 3) collect new data to support the...

Established in 1972 through the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR) is a network of protected areas representing different types of estuaries and biogeographic regions. Operated by coastal states with input from local communities and regional groups, NERR studies address coastal watershed management issues. The homepage provides an overview of...

Established in 1972 through the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR) is a network of protected areas representing different types of estuaries and biogeographic regions. Operated by coastal states with input from local communities and regional groups, NERR studies address coastal watershed management issues. For reserve data and data on water...

Created as a section of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Educational Resources page, Oceans and Coasts provides an annotated listing of NOAA's educational resources related to all aspects of marine life and ecology. The page lists approximately a dozen sites primarily aimed at the elementary and secondary school levels. Each site takes a slightly different focus,...