In this activity, students will examine the three main factors that disrupt corals. Students will use a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool to evaluate threats on coral reefs, explain how certain fishing practices, pollution, and climate change can damage coral ecosystems, and describe the predicted consequences for coral reefs.

This classroom activity helps students understand how the angle of the Sun affects temperatures around the globe. After experimenting with a heat lamp and thermometers at differing angles, students apply what they learned to explain temperature variations on Earth. The printable six-page handout includes a series of inquiry-based questions to get students thinking about what they already know about temperature patterns, detailed experiment directions and a worksheet that helps students use the experiment results to gain a deeper understanding of seasonal temperature changes and why Antarctica is always so cold.

This multimedia resource, part of the NC Science Now series, describes how Dr. Roland Keys, Director of the Biodiversity and Earth Observation Lab at the NC Museum of Natural Science, is using remote controlled, hidden cameras, telemetry and GPS to record animal behavior and movement and to study whether human activity is affecting animal populations in a specific area. Components of this resource include a video, a related blog article, and an interview with Dr. Keys. Links to these components are provided on the page under the heading "UNC-TV Media."

This is an encyclopedia entry for the term "marine sanctuary." A marine sanctuary is a general type of marine protected area (MPA). The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary and the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Animals are featured. Text for this entry is appropriate for the middle and high school levels.

This encyclopedia entry is for the term "tide." The regular rise and fall of the ocean?s waters are known as tides. Along coasts, the water slowly rises up over the shore and then slowly falls back again. Text for this entry is appropriate for the middle and high school grade levels.