USGS Water Science for Schools - offers information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge. See the USGS Water-Science Topics List
Water on the Web - offers water science units and tools that help students understand and solve real environmental problems using advanced technology. Learn about aquatic ecology, water quality, and watersheds. See maps, summaries, and information on lakes and rivers nationwide. Use data visualization tools to watch data change through time and explore relationships among variables.
Water, Environment and Sanitation - background and updates on drinking water and sanitation issues around the world, focusing on child and family health, hygiene, and access to sanitation facilities. Features stories about the impact of sanitation improvement activities, water and sanitation country profiles, statistics, video clips, and general and technical documents. {UNICEF}
Water Resources Data - comprehensive source of real-time water data for the nation (surface& underground water and water quality). Real-time stream flow data is collected from over 8,000 on-line stations throughout the U.S.; maps and searchable data by county and watershed; data and reports on acid rain, atmospheric deposition and precipitation chemistry, and information about the transport of sediments and contaminants in stream.
Frequently Asked Questions: Tide Predictions and Data - topics related to tidal prediction, such as the highest tides, the difference between tide charts and tide tables, the accuracy of predictions, and whether coastal flooding is caused by "perigean spring tide" (when the occurrence of a new or full moon coincides with the moon reaching its closest point of approach to the earth).
Large Floods in the U.S.: Where they Happen and Why, (Circular 1245) - describes the geographic factors that influence the occurrence and impacts of large floods. The largest flows are related to specific combinations of regional climatology, topography, and basin size. Key factors include the general northward trend of decreasing atmospheric moisture, proximity to oceanic moisture sources such as the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and orientation of topographic features relative to directions of moisture flow, with the largest flows being at locations where topographically high areas are oriented perpendicular to directions of moisture flow.
National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) - "to provide comprehensive information on emerging and ongoing droughts, and to enhance the nation's drought preparedness;" maps and updates showing current drought conditions in the U.S., drought impact, and forecasts; educational materials, research reports, photos, news, and information about wildfires, hydrology, and water quality.
Sustainability of Ground-Water Resources, (USGS Circular 1186) - Ground water provides about 40% of the public water supply in the U.S.; this report provides information and discussion about our nation's groundwater supply.
Groundwater and Surface Water: A Single Resource,(USGS Circular 1139) - includes a chapter on the hydrologic cycle, and illustrates the interactions of groundwater and surface water. The report discusses issues related to water supply, water quality, and degradation of aquatic environments.
Tides and Water Levels - examines the complex systems that govern the movement of tides and water levels. Learn what causes tides, what determines their frequencies and variations, and how they're monitored and measured. Find lessons on forces that affect tides and how lunar cycles affect living organisms. Use the "roadmap" to find data and predictions regarding water levels and coastal currents -- information on which maritime activities throughout the world depend. (NOAA)
the Activity Center - interactive site provides an opportunity to contribute information to a global opinion survey relating to water use.
NOAA Discovery Kits - presents tutorials, lessons, and multimedia activities for learning about corals, estuaries, ocean currents, tides, and pollution from diffuse sources. Learn about corals and threats to them; causes of ocean currents and how currents affect people's lives; estuaries, the waters and habitats where rivers meet the sea and form some of the world's most productive ecosystems; and geodesy, the science of measuring and monitoring the shape of the earth and the location of points on its surface. (NOAA)