NOAA Sea to Sky: Education resource database

Explore current, forecasted, and historical El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) data.

Select the data preferred (vegetation data, habitat maps, weather, water, nutrient data, and more) to create a generated report.

This data explorer web app has real-time remote sensing data from the Pacific Northwest coast, including weather observations, ocean chemistry, ocean currents, river discharge, and more. View the Guide at the top for instructions on how to use this data portal.

Take a look back at 2001's Tropical Storm Allison, which never reached hurricane-level winds but brought devastating flooding to parts of Texas.

View coastal and Great Lakes rip current forecasts using the National Weather Service's surf zone forecasts. You can access the data using a map or list of locations. This website also has links to rip current safety resources. The forecasts provided are simple, categorical data: [BULLET THIS TEXT] Low Risk: The risk for rip currents is low, however, life threatening rip currents often occur in the vicinity of groins, jetties, reefs, and piers. Moderate Risk: Life threatening rip currents are possible in the surf zone. High Risk: Life threatening rip currents are likely in the surf zone.

It is no secret that the Northwest United States receives copious amounts of rain all year long. From San Francisco to Seattle, cloudy skies and rain are common weather patterns. One reason for this constant stream of precipitation are rivers in the atmosphere that transport moisture from Central and Western Pacific, resulting in precipitation in the U.S. These rivers are part of the cycling of water around the planet, and can also be found in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean basins. This animation shows the atmospheric rivers using a variety of data from visible and infrared satellites, to special satellite sensors that can detect microwave energy to visualize the river plumes, and even RADAR to measure the amount of precipitation released from the rivers.

In April 2005, NOAA and several partners conducted an emergency response drill in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The drill scenario involved a hypothetical grounding at Elbow Reef, off Key Largo, of the M/V Portsmith Trader, an 800-foot cargo vessel carrying 270,000 gallons of fuel. In the scenario, the grounding injured coral reef habitat and submerged historical artifacts, and an oil spill threatened other resources. The Safe Sanctuaries drill tested the capabilities of several NOAA programs, and included participation from the U.S. Coast Guard (the lead federal agency in the event of an actual incident) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries staff study, interpret, and protect shipwrecks as places to explore, discover, and appreciate our country’s maritime legacy. Shipwrecks are a key aspect in understanding the maritime heritage of the United States and can help us learn more about our past. These shipwrecks not only help Americans learn more about our country’s past, but provide education, tourism, and recreational opportunities as well.

Meteorology is an excellent topic to introduce middle and high school students to geoscience, physics, chemistry and applied mathematics. Satellite Meteorology learning modules provide scientists and educators with exciting activities and hands-on tools for investigation, inquiry, analysis and stewardship.

The idea of using successive satellite observations of clouds to determine wind direction and speed was pioneered by Professor Suomi of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This module provides an explanation of how this is accomplished. In this module, you will learn how satellite images are used to track clouds and derive winds and some of the problems and challenges associated with tracking winds from satellites.