july05b.indd


inter net resources 
Peter Fritzler 

Marine science resources 
Starting points for researchers and students 

The American journalist and author Am­brose Bierce once defined the ocean as 
“a body of water occupying about two­thirds 
of a world made for man—who has no gills.” 
Perhaps it is for this reason that humans are 
so captivated by the marine environment, for 
it is one that has been the least understood. 
Despite the fact that the ocean covers the ma­
jority of the Earth’s surface and contains many 
organisms unique to it, human knowledge 
of the ocean is significantly less than that of 
terrestrial life. Yet with continued advance­
ments in technology over the last 150 years, 
humans have increasingly ventured into the 
deep. And with a new millennium of ocean 
exploration upon us, the need to improve our 
understanding of the ocean environment and 
its impact on humans is paramount. 

Like the oceans, the Web is also a complex 
and deep environment in need of human 
understanding. Despite the pervasiveness of 
Google and other search engines, fi nding in­
formation on the marine environment can be 
complex and daunting. By no means compre­
hensive, this guide serves to provide a starting 
point for researchers and students using the 
Internet to study this area. While emphasis 
has been placed on those sites signifi cant for 
academic studies, many of these sites may 
appeal to the general public as well. 

Metasites and general 
• AquaNIC: Aquaculture Network 

Information Center. Coordinated by the 
Mississippi­Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, 
AquaNIC is a gateway to the world’s elec­
tronic aquaculture resources. AquaNIC pro­
vides links to thousands of state, national, 

and international aquaculture publications; 
newsletters; visual media; calendars; job 
services; directories; and specialty sections 
for species and production systems. Access: 
http://www.aquanic.org/. 

• Census of Marine Life (CoML). Co­
ordinated by the Consortium for Oceano­
graphic Research and Education, CoML is a 
decade­long, international research program 
assessing and explaining the diversity, distri­
bution, and abundance of marine organisms 
throughout the world’s oceans. Through 
field studies and other projects, ranging from 
analyzing historical documents to modeling 
future ecosystems, CoML will enable scientists 
to compare what once lived in the oceans to 
what lives there now, and to project what will 
live there in the future. Access: http://www. 
coml.org/coml.htm. 

• EurekAlert Marine Science Portal. 
Maintained by the American Association for the 
Advancement of Science, the Marine Science 
Portal is an online global news service and direc­
tory providing links to digital libraries, databases, 
educational tools, maps, U.S. and international 
laws and regulations, programs, publications, 
and organizations. Of particular value are the 
press releases announcing significant news, new 
articles in journals, funding opportunities, and 
meeting dates. Access: http://www.eurekalert. 
org/marinescience/. 

• OceanPortal. Maintained by the 
IOC Ocean Services Section of UNESCO, 
OceanPortal includes a directory of Web 

Peter Fritzler is sciences librarian at the University of North 
Carolina-Wilmington, e-mail: fritzlerp@uncw.edu 

© 2005 Peter Fritzler 

C&RL News July/August 2005  528 

mailto:fritzlerp@uncw.edu
http://www.eurekalert
http://www
http:http://www.aquanic.org


sites providing information and data about 
the ocean and ocean­related topics. These 
include sections on marine data resources, 
scientific topics, agencies and institutions, 
associations, commerce and trade, marine 
policy and conservation, and an extensive list 
of resources for librarians. Access: http://ioc. 
unesco.org/oceanportal/. 

• UN Atlas of the Oceans. An Internet 
portal providing information relevant to the 
sustainable development of the oceans, the 
UN Atlas of the Oceans is designed for poli­
cymakers needing to become familiar with 
ocean issues and for scientists, students, 
and resource managers needing access to 
databases and approaches to sustainability. 
Access: http://www.oceansatlas.com/. 

Federal offices, agencies, and programs 
• Coastal and Marine Geology Program 

(CMGP), U.S. Geological Survey. CMGP is 
charged with studying the marine geology 
of the nation’s coastal and offshore marine 
environment. The site provides access to 
the Interactive Map Server, allowing users to 
view and create maps using available CMGP 
datasets; seafloor mapping surveys; and an 
online resource locator for fi nding research 
projects, educational materials, photographs, 
movies, maps, publications, and datasets. Ac­
cess: http://marine.usgs.gov/. 

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA). NOAA is the lead 
federal science­based agency responsible 
for predicting changes in the oceanic and 
atmospheric environments and living marine 
resources and providing related information 
to a diverse body of user groups. The NOAA 
site is a valuable starting point for obtaining 
information on tides and currents, current and 
archived weather data, buoy data, fi sheries 
statistics, marine mammal protection efforts, 
paleoclimatology, air quality and atmospheric 
processes, coastal services and management, 
navigation, mapping, real­time imagery and 
remote sensing, and historical information. 
Access: http://www.noaa.gov/. 

• National Centers for Coastal Ocean 
Science (NCCOS). Formed within the Na­

tional Ocean Service in March 1999, NCCOS 
centralizes all of NOAA’s coastal research 
centers in one group. NCCOS conducts and 
supports research, provides monitoring and 
assessment, and offers technical assistance 
to people managing coastal ecosystems and 
society’s use of them. Information on coastal 
ecosystems, particularly climate change, 
extreme natural events, pollution, invasive 
species, and land and resource use is 
available. Also included on the site is a 
searchable catalog of NCCOS publications 
from 1968 to the present, some of which 
are available full text. Access: http://www. 
nccos.noaa.gov/. 

• National Oceanographic Partnership 
Program (NOPP). An innovative program 
established by Congress in 1997, NOPP fa­
cilitates new interactions among 15 federal 
agencies, academia, and industry to increase 
visibility for ocean issues, and achieve a 
higher level of coordinated effort and synergy 
across the broad oceanographic community. 
Information on funding opportunities, proj­
ects, reports, and a national integrated and 
sustained ocean observing system are avail­
able. Access: http://www.nopp.org/. 

• Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Wa­
tersheds (OWOW). One of four program 
offices within the Office of Water at the 
Environmental Protection Agency, OWOW 
manages, protects, and restores the water 
resources and aquatic ecosystems of marine 
and fresh waters in the United States. This 
Web site is an excellent source of informa­
tion on estuaries, lakes, rivers and streams, 
and wetlands. Also available is information 
on pollution assessment and monitoring and 
habitat restoration. Users can also access 
the 2002 National Water Quality Assessment 
Database for state­reported water quality 
information and assessments of individual 
waterbodies along with information and da­
tasets for Total Maximum Daily Load by EPA­
regions and the states. Access: http://www. 
epa.gov/OWOW/. 

• Sea Grant. Administered through 
NOAA, Sea Grant is a nationwide network 
of 30 university­based programs that work 

July/August 2005  529 C&RL News 

http://www
http:http://www.nopp.org
http:nccos.noaa.gov
http://www
http:http://www.noaa.gov
http:http://marine.usgs.gov
http:http://www.oceansatlas.com
http://ioc


with coastal communities to conduct scientifi c 
research, education, training, and extension 
projects designed to foster science­based 
decisions about the use and conservation of 
aquatic resources. Users can access informa­
tion on theme research and national priority 
areas, funding opportunities, outreach and 
education initiatives, and a searchable direc­
tory of Sea Grant programs and directors 
through the Web site. Access: http://www. 
nsgo.seagrant.org/. 

International organizations 
• Intergovernmental Oceanographic 

Commission (IOC). IOC is an agency of 
the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c 
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) whose 
mission is to provide a mechanism for global 
cooperation in the study of ocean and coastal 
issues. Information on IOC efforts to study 
and facilitate marine environmental pro­
tection, fisheries and ecosystems, climate 
change, ocean observation and monitoring, 
coastal management, data management, and 
disaster mitigation, along with news and 
announcements, is available. A searchable 
interface for access to IOC publications and 
reports, some of which are accessible in full 
text, is also provided on the Web site. Access: 
http://ioc.unesco.org/. 

• International Council for the Ex­
ploration of the Sea (ICES). Founded in 
1902, ICES is an organization that coordinates 
and promotes marine research in the North 
Atlantic. It is the prime source of advice on 
the marine ecosystem to governments and 
international regulatory bodies that manage 
the North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. 
Users can access the ICES database, DATRAS, 
to obtain data on fi sh distribution from trawl 
surveys in the North Sea, Baltic Sea and 
Southern and Western part of the Atlantic 
Ocean, and obtain yearly catch records from 
1973 to 1990 for more than 200 species in the 
Northeast Atlantic Ocean using the site’s “Fish 
Stats” section. Also available via the ICES Web 
site is information on fish stocks and marine 
ecosystems, status reports on ocean climate 
(1998–2004), zooplankton (1999–2002), maps 

presenting the distribution of diseases of the 
fish and shellfish, and maps representing 
harmful algal bloom events from 1990 to 
1999. Access: http://www.ices.dk/. 

• International Tsunami Information 
Center (ITIC). Established in 1965 by the In­
tergovernmental Oceanographic Commission 
of UNESCO, the ITIC monitors the activities 
of the Tsunami Warning System in the Pacifi c. 
The Web site also provides information about 
tsunamis; what to do in case of a tsunami; 
access to the Historical Tsunami Databases 
for the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Pacifi c 
oceans; a directory of tsunami experts; links 
to tsunami­related research efforts; and a list 
of ITIC publications organized by year. Ac­
cess: http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic/. 

• International Whaling Commission 
(IWC). Set up under the International Con­
vention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1946, 
the IWC reviews and revises measures which 
govern the conduct of whaling throughout the 
world. The Web site provides brief summaries 
on the classification of species, life history, 
abundance estimates, and some descriptions 
of individual whale species. Individuals can 
also access information on catch limits, wel­
fare issues, whale sanctuaries, environmental 
impacts on whales, a list of member nations, 
latest news, and information on ordering IWC 
publications, including the Reports of the 
International Whaling Commission. Access: 
http://www.iwcoffi ce.org/. 

Academic societies and organizations 
• American Elasmobranch Society. 

This society is a nonprofit organization that 
seeks to advance the scientific study of living 
and fossil sharks, skates, rays, and chimaeras. 
The Web site includes information on species 
profiles, meetings, funding, bookstore, links 
to Web sites on elasmobranches, and careers. 
Also included is an image gallery and link to 
the International Shark Attack File. Access: 
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organiza­
tions/aes/aes.htm. 

• American Fisheries Society (AFS). 
Founded in 1870, AFS is the oldest and larg­
est professional society representing fi sheries 

C&RL News July/August 2005  530 

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/organiza
http://www.iwcoffi
http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic
http:http://www.ices.dk
http:http://ioc.unesco.org
http:nsgo.seagrant.org
http://www


scientists who work to improve the conser­
vation and sustainability of fi shery resources 
and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fi sher­
ies and aquatic science and promoting the 
development of fisheries professionals. Links 
to meetings, AFS chapters and divisions, an 
online bookstore, career information and 
job postings, and educational information 
are available. Access: http://www.fi sheries. 
org/html/index.shtml. 

• American Society of Limnology and 
Oceanography (ASLO). A leading scientifi c 
organization for researchers and educators in 
the field of aquatic science. Information on 
publications, membership, funding, careers 
and job opportunities, minority programs, 
meetings, public policy, and related links are 
available. Access: http://aslo.org. 

• Consortium for Oceanographic Re­
search and Education (CORE). A nonprofi t 
organization representing 74 of the nation’s 
academic institutions, aquaria, nonprofit 
research institutes, and federal research labo­
ratories, CORE conducts a variety of public 
policy, research, and educational activities. A 
directory of CORE institutions along with links 
to research and education programs, federal 
ocean agencies, policy reports and speeches, 
weekly reports, employment opportunities, 
and related links are available on the site. 
Access: http://www.coreocean.org/. 

• Crustacean Society. This scientifi c 
organization focuses on the study and dis­
semination of knowledge regarding all 
aspects of the biology of the crustacea. The 
site includes information on society business 
and news, various downloads, and links to 
crustacean­related resources on the Web. 
Access: http://www.vims.edu/tcs/. 

• National Association of Marine 
Laboratories (NAML). NAML is a nonprofi t 
organization representing 120 member labo­
ratories providing academic, research, and 
public service programs. NAML is composed 
of three regional associations: Northeast­
ern Association of Marine and Great Lakes 
Laboratories, Southern Association of Marine 
Laboratories, and the Western Association of 
Marine Laboratories. The site includes infor­

mation on meetings, funding and educational 
opportunities, downloadable videos, job post­
ings, information on minority recruitment and 
retention, links to affiliate marine laboratories, 
and LABNET (a pilot project for sharing data 
from multiple coastal data systems). Access: 
http://www.naml.org/. 

• Scientific Committee on Oceanic 
Research (SCOR). Established by the Inter­
national Council for Science in 1957, SCOR 
is a leading nongovernmental organization 
promoting international cooperation in plan­
ning and conducting oceanographic research. 
Links to the SCOR newsletter, meetings, 
research highlights, national reports, and 
research cruises are available. Access: http:// 
www.jhu.edu/~scor/. 

• Society for Marine Mammalogy. 
Founded in 1981, the Society for Marine 
Mammalogy studies, evaluates, and promotes 
the educational, scientific, and managerial ad­
vancement of marine mammal science. Infor­
mation on meetings, funding and educational 
opportunities, publications, careers, and links 
to related sites are available on the site. Access: 
http://www.marinemammalogy.org/. 

Databases and catalogs 
• FishBase. Developed at the Interna­

tional Center for Living Aquatic Resources 
Management in collaboration with the Food 
and Agriculture Organization of the United 
Nations and many other partners, FishBase 
covers more than 25,000 species of fi sh and 
has more than 70,000 synonyms and 180,000 
common names in more than 200 languages. 
More than 35,000 pictures illustrate these 
fish, and information about them has been 
extracted from 20,000 references. The clas­
sification of higher taxa follows the version 
of William N. Eschmeyer’s Catalog of Fishes. 
Data includes family, order, class, environ­
ment, climate, importance, resilience, distri­
bution, biology, ecology, diet, reproduction, 
and references. Access: http://www.fi shbase. 
org/home.htm. 

• Marine Realms Information Bank 
(MRIB). A collaborative effort of the USGS 
Coastal and Marine Geology Program at the 

July/August 2005  531 C&RL News 

http:http://www.fi
http:http://www.marinemammalogy.org
www.jhu.edu/~scor
http:http://www.naml.org
http://www.vims.edu/tcs
http:http://www.coreocean.org
http:http://aslo.org
http:http://www.fi


Woods Hole Field Center and Woods Hole 
Oceanographic Institution, the MRIB Web 
site is a distributed geolibrary that catalogs 
and provides organized access to information 
about coastal and marine environments, the 
adjacent parts of the atmosphere and solid 
Earth, as well as to people, techniques, and 
organizations involved in marine science. 
Access: http://mrib.usgs.gov. 

• NOAA Central Library Catalog. An 
online bibliographic catalog containing 
the holdings of NOAA libraries around the 
country, and, in some cases, containing the 
full text of the documents cataloged. Collec­
tions consist of reports, special data fi les and 
datasets, documents, articles, and audiovisual 
resources related to ocean and atmospheric 
sciences. Access: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/. 

• ReefBase. An online information system 
on coral reefs, ReefBase provides information 
services to coral reef professionals involved 
in management, research, monitoring, con­
servation, and education. ReefBase provides 
data and information on the location, status, 
threats, monitoring, legislation, and manage­
ment of coral reefs in 131 countries, along 
with data on coral bleaching between 1963 
and 2005, downloadable datasets, and a 
bibliography of nearly 23,400 publications. 
Access: http://www.reefbase.org/. 

• Sea Grant Database. Maintained by 
the National Sea Grant Library, this database 
includes 36,000 bibliographic records for vari­
ous Sea Grant publications, and, in many cases, 
the full text of the document is also available 
online through the database. Subjects include 
oceanography, marine education, aquaculture, 
fisheries, limnology, coastal zone management, 
marine recreation, and law. Access: http://nsgd. 
gso.uri.edu/searchguide.html. 

• WODselect. The WODselect interface 
allows a user to search the World Ocean 
Database 2001 using user­specifi ed search 
criteria. The World Ocean Database is the 
world’s largest profile collection covering the 
oceans and contains measurements from 1874 
through 2000. Retrieval options include data 
on temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, 
inorganic phosphate, and 20 other profi les. 

Access: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/SE­
LECT/dbsearch/dbsearch.html. 

Discussion lists and e-newsletters 
• CORAL­LIST. Provides a forum for 

Internet discussions and announcements 
among coral health researchers and scientists 
pertaining to coral reef health and monitoring 
throughout the world. Access: http://www. 
coral.noaa.gov/ 

• FishNews. An automated, e­mail 
newsletter distributed by the NOAA Fisheries 
Services that provides electronic notifi cation 
of important actions, rules, policies, and pro­
grams that may be of interest to researchers, 
practitioners, educators, and the public. Access: 
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fi shnews.htm. 

• IAMSLIC. Discussion list for the Inter­
national Association of Aquatic and Marine 
Science Libraries and Information Centers, an 
association of individuals and organizations 
interested in aquatic and marine library and 
information science. Access: http://www. 
iamslic.org/about/listproc.html. 

• MARBIO. Discussion list providing a 
forum for all issues of interest to marine sci­
entists throughout the world. Access: http:// 
www.mote.org/marbio.phtml. 

• Marine Science and Education Lists. 
A directory of discussion lists related to ma­
rine science compiled by the Sea Grant Ma­
rine Advisory Program at the Virginia Institute 
of Marine Science. Access: http://www.vims. 
edu/adv/ed/lists.html. 

More resources online 
A more complete marine science re­
source listing, including links to status 
reports not covered here, is available 
online. Visit www.acrl.org/c&rlnews. 

Correction 
In the May 2005 Internet Resources ar­
ticle, “Women’s resources,” the National 
Organization for Women (NOW) was 
mistakenly referred to as the National 
Organization of Women. The editors re­
gret the error. 

C&RL News July/August 2005  532 

www.acrl.org/c&rlnews
http://www.vims
www.mote.org/marbio.phtml
http://www
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fi
http:coral.noaa.gov
http://www
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/SE
http://nsgd
http:http://www.reefbase.org
http:http://www.lib.noaa.gov
http:http://mrib.usgs.gov