BP Oil Spill Information & Resources

The BP oil spill is considered one of the worst natural disasters of the Gulf coast since Hurricane Katrina. The oil spill not only is affecting the fragile wildlife of the Louisiana coast but is having a devastating effect on the fragile marine life that lives in the Gulf of Mexico. White there's no shortage of coverage of this disaster, it is somtimes hard to get concreate information (i.e. other than what you see on the news). A friend of mine had forwarded me an email they received that contains links to credible websites and resources. If you have any websites you think would be useful then please feel free to forward it to me via the contact page.

Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS) - Provides timely information about the environment of the United States portion of the Gulf of Mexico.
http://gcoos.tamu.edu

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - Provides daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings and climate monitoring to fisheries management and
coastal restoration groups.
http://www.noaa.gov

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) - Provides satellite images of the oil spill.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/oilspill/index.html

LSU Earth Scan Laboratory - Real-time access to satellite imagery and measurements of the atmosphere, oceans and coastal areas within the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea region.
http://www.esl.lsu.edu/home

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Response Resources - Features an Oil Spill Glossary and Frequently Asked Questions about the spill.
http://wsre.org/OilSpill/teachers-students-kids.asp

Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico (blog) - Links to resources, information, and activities for students and teachers regarding the oil spill.

The New York Times: Tracking the Oil Spill - Lesson plans and activities for teachers and students, based on New York Times' coverage of the spill.
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/05/the-drill-on-the-spill-lea rning-about-the-gulf-oil-leak-in-the-lab

PBS News Hour - Features general information about the spill and its impact on offshore drilling, the environment and the seafood industry, and provides a comparison of the Gulf of Mexico spill and the Exxon Valdez tanker spill in 1989. The site also provides teachers with information on how to incorporate the story into classroom lessons, as well as student worksheets and discussion questions.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/us/jan-june10/oil_04-30.html

Scholastic: Gulf Coast Oil-Spill Disaster - Teachers may instruct students to read the online news story and download a worksheet that helps develop students' critical thinking skills by having students underline the "cause" and circle the "effect" of each sentence which relates to the online news story about the spill.
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754187

NOAA Students and Teacher Resources: Responding to Oil Spills - Teachers and students may use the information and graphics to get general information about oil spills and what impact they may have on the environment.
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/audience_subtopic.php?RECORD_KEY%2 8subtopic_audience%29=audience_id,subtopic_id&audience_id(subtopic_audience)=2&subtopic_id(subtopic_audience)=8

NOAA Ocean Service Education - Teachers may use this resource to get ideas for the classroom, lesson plans and other materials to help students learn about oil spill recovery through the cleanup and recovery efforts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound.
http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/stories/oilymess/teachers.html

National Wildlife Federation - Tips for parents and teachers on how to talk to students about the oil spill. The site also provides links to other resources and activities.
https://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/School-Solutions/Eco-Schools-USA/Bec ome-an-Eco-School/Special-Report/~/media/PDFs/Eco-schools/TeachersGuide-OilSpill.ashx

National Wildlife Federation: The Big Oil Spill Questions and Answers - Kid-friendly questions and answers about the massive Gulf of Mexico spill.
http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/People-and-Places/Ranger-Rick-on-th e-Big-Oil-Spill.aspx

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Activities, curriculum guides, teaching tools, videos, and other resources about wetlands education.
http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/education

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Student Center - Provides students with links to various resources on coastal restoration, America's Wetlands, and other environmental information.
http://www.epa.gov/students/ecosystems.html

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) - Health information related to consuming seafood, health risks in the impacted areas and other related information.
http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/offices/?ID=378

Louisiana Emergency - State's response to the oil spill and to receive general information and media updates.
http://www.emergency.louisiana.gov