Category Archives: Websites

UN Environment Programme — Global Resource Information Database

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The UNEP has added another to its panoply of resources: The Global Resource Information Database (GRID) has been developed by the USGS EROS Data Center and Google Maps by employing remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and online mapping tools to create this free resource for use of geographers, political scientists, environmental researchers and policy decision-makers. “The atlas highlights sites around the world that have witnessed such dramatic environmental changes as glacial melt, desertification, deforestation, pollution, and population growth.”

Source: “Best Free Reference Websites, Ninth Annual List”, Reference & User Services Quarterly, Vol. 47(1), Fall, 2007.

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IPCC — Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

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The IPCC shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

The IPCC has a useful website that was just re-reviewed by today’s Scout Report. Notable is their new calendar of events, and especially the series: annual climate assessment reports. ‘Scientists and policymakers will also want to look at some of their exhaustive scholarly works which include “Safeguarding the Ozone Layer” and “Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage”.’ The “Activities” area includes information on their National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme.

Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research

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“Established in 1998, the Pfleger Institute of Environmental Research (PIER) is a non-profit organization ‘dedicated to education and research of the marine environment.’ From their headquarters in Oceanside, California, their team of scientists continues to work on a variety of studies on thresher sharks, roosterfish, and the giant sea bass. One rather nice highlight of the site is the ‘Field Notes’ area. Here visitors can learn about some of their ongoing research projects, which have included work on the swimming muscle physiology of the common thresher shark and the fine-scale movements of roosterfish. Visitors can also click on the “Publications” section to read the results of some of their scientific endeavors over the years. [KMG]”
From The Scout Report, Oct. 5th.

TeachEngineering from the National Science Digital Library

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Teach Engineering is designed for teaching sciences and applications to younger than college-age students, but there are some wonderful experiments and activities described here for anyone and everyone, which even include bibliographies. There is a very nice Environmental History Timeline, and there are lots of environmentally-appropriate projects/studies included, especially in the Chemistry, and Earth and Space, Life Sciences, and Physical Science. Or most seem to be under Science & Technology details, too. Click on Browse Curriculum, then subjects to get the details of the lessons and activities.

Think Globally, Act Locally

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International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives

Founded in 1990 in New York, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is a broad international association of local governments and related units of governance committed to sustainable development. The ICLEI provides support to their members through technical consulting and training programs, and their website also serves as a clearinghouse for this material, along with offering additional items, including research reports, newsletters, and policy briefs. On their homepage, visitors can read about their latest news, check job postings, and also learn about recent developments from their members. Most visitors will want to continue their exploration of the site by clicking over to the “Programs” area. Here they can learn about their “Cities for Climate Protection” campaign, read up on their biodiversity initiative, and take a look at their tools for creating sustainable cities. [KMG]

From the Scout Report, Vol. 14(30), August 10, 2007

United Nations Environment Programme

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The Mission of the UNEP:
“To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.”

Focus areas of the UNEP:

Biodiversity, Business & Industry, Chemicals, Civil Society and NGOs, Energy, Environmental Assessment, Freshwater, Governance & Law, Land, Marine & Coastal Areas, Ozone, Sustainable Consumption, Urban Issues

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NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management

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NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov
Source: the Scout Report, July 27, 2007, by KMG

“In light of a number of recent events, there is increased concern about the management of America’s coastal and ocean resources. It is a pressing issue for economic reasons, along with the simple fact that over fifty percent of the U.S. population lives close to the coastlines of two oceans and the Great Lakes. Persons interested in these matters will appreciate the NOAA Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management site, which features newsletters, information about their strategic plans, and copious amounts of material on their initiatives, which include dock management and community development partnerships. A basic overview of the issues facing coastal regions can be found in the “Coastal Issues” section of the site which contains brief summaries on marine debris, coastal hazards, water quality, and aquaculture. The site is rounded out by a “My state” section. Here, visitors can utilize a clickable map of the U.S. to learn about coastal management activities underway in their state.”

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)

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<a href="http://NSIDC.org”target=”_blank”>NSIDC is the leader in the field of cryospheric data management and distribution. They also conduct research and education. These data come from the field or are relayed from Earth-orbiting satellites. “The NSIDC supports research into our world’s frozen realms: the snow, ice, glacier, frozen ground, and climate interactions that make up the Earth’s cryosphere.”

NSIDC is part of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

CIRES, in turn, is one of the 21 joint research institutes of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
One of these is at GFDL (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory) on Princeton University’s Forrestal Campus, the Cooperative Institute for Climate Science