Research > Homework Center > Geography

Geography

Icebergs
Lightning
Magnetism
Maps
Mountains
Parks & natural wonders
Rivers
Temperature/precipitation
Time & calendars
Tornadoes
Tsunamis
Volcanoes
Water
Weather
Wind/air mass

Megasites

Explorers: http://www.met.fsu.edu/explores

This website from Florida State University is useful for both students and teachers interested in weather and geography and includes lesson plans and more.
General Geography FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) Index: http://geography.about.com/webapps/whereabout/geography.about.com/science/geography/
library/faq/blqzindexgeneral.htm

This website from About.com answers several questions about geography like "What is the largest marsh in the world?" or "What is the tallest point in the US east of the Mississippi?"

Avalanches

Avalanche!: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/avalanche

NOVA Online goes behind-the-scenes of avalanches, their beauty and their destruction. High graphics may lead to slow loading. Text version is available from the site.

Continents

The Ends of the Earth: http://www.batguano.com/polar.html

Take a journey through Polar exploration and discover how to survive the cold.

Glaciers

All About Glaciers: http://nsidc.org/glaciers/

Explores nearly all aspects of glaciers including data and science, facts, a gallery, a glossary and much more.
Glaciers and Glacial Ages: http://www.uvm.edu/whale/GlaciersGlacialAges.html

What are glaciers? What are the physical effects of glaciers?

Icebergs

Icebergs of Newfoundland & Labrador: http://www.icebergfinder.com/

This website answers frequently asked questions about icebergs as well as providing illustrations and information about viewing icebergs.
United States Coast Guard International Ice Patrol: http://www.uscg.mil/lantarea/iip/home.html

The coast guard posts daily iceberg reports online and provides answers to frequently asked questions.

Mountains

Mountain Voices: http://www.mountainvoices.org

This website presents interviews with over 300 people who live in mountain and highland regions around the world. Their stories about life in the mountains complement more formal information found in books and research. These stories cover topics such as agriculture, conflict, health, land, and social change, among others.
Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia: http://www.peakware.com/encyclopedia/index.htm

Be sure to check out the highest peaks!

Mt. Everest

Everest 50: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the First Ascent of Mount Everest (1953-2003): http://www.nationalgeographic.com/everest

This online celebration includes a timeline history of Mt. Everest, photos and many interesting articles related to the mountain, such as illnesses suffered by climbers, how much it costs to climb Mt. Everest, and the role of the sherpas. Good information to supplement what you'll find in books and encyclopedias.
MountEverest.net: http://www.mounteverest.net

At this website designed by climbers, you can read the latest news about Everest expeditions or check out the Climber's Survival Kit to get advice for your own expedition.
My Story: Edmund Hillary and Mt. Everest: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/hillary/

Read about how Hillary and the Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first people to summit Everest. There is also a glossary of Everest terminology.
NOVA Online: Everest: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/

This website features articles on the discovery of Mallory's body on Everest, the effects of altitude on the human body, climbing routes, and the history and culture of the region.

Parks & natural wonders

Weather

Weather megasites

KOIN.com Weather: http://www.koin.com/Global/category.asp?C=81476&nav=menu494_4

Portland-area and Northwest forecasts by KOIN-TV.
Cities Around the World: http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/cities.html

Find out what the weather is like in another city anywhere in the world. Click on a city name and then zoom in to see a real-time image of the city.
Converting Fahrenheit to Celsius: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wtempcf.htm

USA Today weather provides a gradual scale as well as the formula to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius.
MyCast Weather: http://www.my-cast.com/

Free personalized weather imagery, forecasts, storm-path projections and National Weather Service alerts for the locations you choose. Email account needed to sign up.
FEMA for Kids: http://www.fema.gov/kids/index.htm

Federal Emergency Management Agency helps youth prepare for natural disasters, like tornadoes and floods, and what to do if disasters occur.
Interactive Weather Information Network: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/iwdspg1.html

This National Weather Service page reloads every 60 seconds with updated information. Choose a state and an area, then discover climate information and more.
Making a Weather Station: http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/weatherstation.html

From the Miami Museum of Science, this website helps you learn about weather. Great images and images to complement the explanations.
Introduction to Meteorology: http://library.thinkquest.org/C0112425/main.htm

This site features introductions to meteorology for children and older students, with diagrams, animation, games, puzzles, tests and lists of useful books and articles. The "Staff Office" section allows students to contact the webmasters for answers to weather questions.
Meteorology: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/home.rxml

This website from the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign incorporates text, colorful diagrams, animations, computer simulations, audio and video to introduce fundamental concepts in the atmospheric sciences. It includes light and optics, clouds and precipitation, forces and winds, air masses and fronts, weather forecasting, severe storms, hurricanes, El Niño, and the hydrologic cycle.
National Severe Storms Laboratory: http://www.nssl.noaa.gov

Information about the NSSL and what they do, including current projects and research.
Reading Weather Maps: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/maps/home.rxml

Learn how to read weather maps here.
Remote Sensing: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/rs/home.rxml

How do radars and satellites help predict the weather? Learn here.
USA Today Weather: http://asp.usatoday.com/weather/weatherfront.aspx

Weather by USA Today news.
USA Today Weather Topics Index: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wresources.htm

Links for finding past weather and weather for travel,links for weather and climate.
Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com

Discover a city's current dewpoint, humidity, heat index, wind, pressure and weather history.
weather.com: http://www.weather.com

The Weather Channel online.
World Meteorological Organization: http://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html

This website connects you to national weather services by country.
World Weather: http://www.weather.com/common/welcomepage/world.html
?from=globalnav

Type the name of a city in the world and find out its weather conditions.
WW2010: The Weather World 2010 Project: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/home.rxml

Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provide information about recent weather storms and a "collection of multimedia instructional modules in meteorology and remote sensing, plus curriculum projects and classroom activities."

Climate

Clouds

The Cloud Case: The Beginning: http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/cloudless/

Learn about water vapor, evaporation, condensation, and more at this site.
Clouds and Precipitation: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/cld/home.rxml

Read about the development of clouds, the different types, and what precipitation is and the many forms it takes.

El Nino

Tracking El Nino: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elnino

What is El Nino? Its benefits and impacts and data.

Hurricane

Hurricane Center: http://www.accuweather.com/wx/school/hurricane.htm

Facts, anatomy, development and more.
Hurricanes: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml

Definition, movement, how they are named, destruction, development stages, and more.
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov

Find out information about present and past hurricanes from this site.
Typical Northern Hemisphere Hurricane: http://www.usatoday.com/weather/tg/whurwhat/whurwhat.htm

Move your mouse over the images to see how hurricanes work!

Lightning

Lightning: http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/lightning.html

This website clearly explains how lightning happens and has pictures.
Lightning: The Shocking Story: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/96/lightning

National Geographic explores the science of lightning.

Rainbows

About Rainbows: http://www.eo.ucar.edu/rainbows

How rainbows happen: Explained by Beverly Lynds of the Unidata Program Center in Boulder, CO.

Snow

Blizzard Attack: http://weathereye.kgan.com/expert/blizzard/

Play this interactive game and see if you make it through the blizzard alive!
Blizzards: http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/winter/blizzard.html?

What is a blizzard? How does it form? Find out at this website from the Weather Channel.
Blizzards of 1996: http://nsidc.org/snow/blizzard/

Learn about the definition of blizzards and why they are so dangerous. This website also has satellite images and surface maps showing the blizzards of 1996.
All About Snow: http://nsidc.org/snow/

Why is snow white? How big can snowflakes get? The National Snow and Ice Data Center answers these and other questions about snow.

Temperature & Precipitation

Tornado

The Fujita Scale: http://www.tornadoproject.com/fujitascale/fscale.htm#top

Basic information about the intensity of tornadoes and how they are rated. "The Fujita Scale is used to rate the intensity of a tornado by examining the damage caused by the tornado after it has passed over a man-made structure."
Inside a Tornado: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/tornado/tornado.html

What is it like to be inside a tornado? How did we discover this? Find out here.
Tornado Project Online: http://www.tornadoproject.com/intro.htm

Information on tornadoes, tornadoes of the past, top ten tornadoes, storm chasing, tornado myths and stories, the futjita scale (rates tornado intensity), tornado safety and more.
Tornado Safety Tips Brochure: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/tornadoes.shtm

From the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this website explains what to do before, during and after a tornado hits.

Tsunami

Savage Seas: http://www.thirteen.org/savageseas/neptune-main.html

This website from PBS Online explores tsunamis, trade winds, and freak waves. Use the Wave Machine to create your own wave (requires the Flash plug-in).
Tsunami: http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/intro.html

Everything you want to know about tsunamis.

Wind & Air Masses

Air Masses and Fronts: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/af/home.rxml

Discover warm and cold fronts and where they originate from and how they are modified.