Discovery

Wet, wet, wet

In summer our thoughts turn to beaches and surf. Here are some sites that you can look at to learn more about the watery world and where it joins the land.

http://tybalt.eco.cri.nz/camera/
This is the main page for the Cam-Era project -- a network of cameras set up around the New Zealand coastline which take photographs every hour and puts them onto the Web for everyone to use. Soon you will be able to see what the surf is like at your favourite beach before you leave home.

http://www.whale.org/ocr/ocrtop.html
The Whale Conservation Institute carries out a range of research activities. Follow the links from this page to "whale net" -- a database of information built up from observations made by people throughout the world -- and their interactive education pages.

http://www.npm.ac.uk/pml/LOISa.html
This is an introduction to the Land-Ocean Interaction Study which is studying the movement of materials into and out of the coastal zone. It links to detailed summaries of research projects; some knowledge of coastal geomorphology and oceanography would be an advantage. Although aimed at academics and tertiary students, it is worth a look for teachers and parents wanting to keep abreast of current research.

And if it's raining and you don't want to think about oceans, try out the Planet Student site on:
http://www.newscientist.com/student
A team of students have produced a fun tour around the New Scientist offices and environs, including a trip to the Chemistry Lab, and other interactive activities. It is a fun, adventurous site and well worth a trip. You will need Java-enabled browsers (Internet Explorer or Netscape v3.0 or better) to see parts of this site.