Science Helpdesk

Analyzing an ecosystem.Excellent quizz to test your knowledge on the basics of ecosystems.

Jack and the beanstalk.Cartoon film that uses the traditional pantomime story of "Jack and The Beanstalk" to link different types of feeding relationship. Includes reference to autotrophs, herbivores, carnivores, parasites, symbionts and saprotrophs.

The ocean food chain.Nice and easy to understand overview of the marine trophic levels. With links at the bottom of the page to help you explore further.

Marine food web.Interactive activity to place different marine species in their correct trophic levels.

If the Sun went out, how long would life on Earth survive?Learn about the chain of undesirable consequences that would result from our star suddenly dying off.

Earth's biomes.Great interactive animation showing the occurrence and main features of the Earth's biomes.

World biomes interactive map.Another great interactive map to see the occurence and learn the main characteristics of the world's biomes. With many activities.

What's it like where you live?A brief and very easy to understand introduction to the main biomes and aquatic ecosystems of our planet.

Water ecosystems.A brief introduction to fresh-water and marine ecosystems.

Great Barrier Reef.A National Geographic movie on the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure.

How wetlands work.Water lilies, turtles, frogs, ducks, snakes, dragonflies, minnows, herons, sticky black muck, monsters… What do these things have in common? Wetlands.

National marine sanctuaries.Collection of select videoclips and still images from USA's underwater treasures.

How the Galapagos islands work.One of the world's most famous ecosystems is the place that inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. But there's more to it than just finches and tortoises.

Scenes from Antarctica.A great set of 32 stunning photos taken in the Antarctica.

Global climate data map.This map can tell you the current climate in any country in the world: just drag a marker over the country on the map, and the map will return a calendar showing the precipitation, temperature and wind speed in the country for each month of the year.

9 of today's most important environmental issues.A list that neatly summarizes some of our most pressing environmental concerns.

Atlas of our changing environment.This map from the United Nations Environment Programme showcases 187 sites around the world where humans are having an adverse effect on the environment. The map uses illustrations, satellite images and ground photographs to highlight the impact of Humanity on the planet.

Anthropogenic biomes.Google Earth file showing a map of biomes created or transformed by humans.

Disappearing forests of the world.Google Earth file showing deforestation data for different countries.

Interactives: Garbage.Good lesson with coverage of topics such as solid waste, hazardous waste, sewage and waste reduction efforts.

What's the biggest threat to freshwater habitats?Learn what ar the freshwater habitats, why are they important, and how agriculture endangers them.

Why could China's Three Gorges Dam cause an environmental disaster?Is it a milestone of modern engineering or a potential environmental disaster?

Ocean debris turning Hawaiian beach into plastic.Consumer waste from the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" is turning a Hawaiian beach "into plastic".

Protected areas of the world.Google Earth file showing the protected area network for a number of countries.

Biodiversity hotspots.Google Earth file showing information about the Earth's 34 Biodiversity Hotspots, as defined by Conservation International. These are the most important areas for conservation, with very large numbers of endemic species. Each of the hotspots has lost more than 70% of its original forest.

Protected Planet.Protected Planet lets you view the world's protected areas on a Google Map. If you click on one of the mapped protected areas then you are taken to a close-up of the selected area, which includes photographs, points of interest in the area and links to related protected areas.

Ecokids.The Canadian website Ecokids has quite a list of little environmental games arranged in categories like Wildlife, Climate Change, Energy, Water, Waste, Land Use etc. The learning based environmental games are also bunched up according to age levels. For instance, in The Journey of a Wildlife Photographer you have to become a wildlife photographer and check out how animals and birds have adapted to the environment.

WWF - Have fun while making a point.Are you looking for games to find out more about key conservation issues such as endangered species, global warming and pollution? If you are, then go right ahead and indulge yourself!

Recycle City.See how the people of Dumptown turned their town around, reducing waste and saving money or play the Dumptown game and create your own scavenger hunt.

How composting works.Composting is a method that transforms solid organic waste into a product that can benefit the environment as a natural fertilizer for gardening and farming. Learn more.

50 ways to help the planet.50 actions that people can carry on in their daily lives to help preserve the Ecosphere.

5 green myths.Many of us have adopted small, easy habits to help make our lives a little more environmentally friendly. But how can you be sure your choices are right for the planet?

Top 10 myths about sustainability.In-depth article explaning the real meaning of such a popular word.

How do you clean up an oil spill?Despite stricter penalties and better ship design, oil spills haven't been eliminated. And when they happen, what can be done to clean up that mess?