Geological Sciences: Recommended Websites

The Paleobiology Database (PaleoBioDB) is a non-governmental, non-profit public resource for paleontological data. It has been organized and operated by a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, international group of paleobiological researchers. Its purpose is to provide global, collection-based occurrence and taxonomic data for organisms of all geological ages, as well data services to allow easy access to data for independent development of analytical tools, visualization software, and applications of all types. The Database’s broader goal is to encourage and enable data-driven collaborative efforts that address large-scale paleobiological questions.

The AMNH Paleontology collections contain an estimated 4.75 million specimens. They are divided into four collection units: Fossil Amphibians, Reptiles, and Birds (FARB); Fossil Fish; Fossil Invertebrates; and Fossil Mammals. The Division of Paleontology also houses an extensive archive of materials relating to the history of the Division and its collections, including fieldnotes, manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, scientific illustrations, and works of art.

Explore 2D and interactive 3D images from the collections of the University of Michigan’s Museum of Paleontology. 3-D bones from elephant-like mammoths and mastodons are available on the site, along with photo galleries of early whales and other vertebrates. The number of 3-D bone models on this new website is expected to grow into the thousands as additional specimens are added. The resolution of the images is high, and viewers have the ability to use a "BonePicker" tool to pull individual bones from a skeleton and examine photorealistic 3-D versions of those bones up close.

Climate Monitoring is a service of NOAA's National Climatic Data Center, the “world's largest archive of climate data.” NOAA has a policy of providing open access to physical climate data, and as such, this Web site provides a vast amount of information, much of it updated monthly, weekly, or daily.

NOAA Climate.gov is a source of timely and authoritative scientific data and information about climate. Climate-related information includes brief feature articles, videos, interactive presentations, and visualizations.

Current, authoritative information about climate change. The Publications section leads to the full-text of reports, convention documents, training materials, and UN documents.

Climate Change Policy & Practice is a knowledge management project for international negotiations and related activities on climate change. It was launched in 2008 and is managed by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Reporting Services. Site features news and information on the activities of the UN and international organizations in responding to the problem of global climate change.

PetDB is a scientific information system that maintains a geochemical data collection of ocean floor igneous and metamorphic rocks. PetDB contains analytical data (major oxides, trace elements, stable and radiogenic isotope ratios, analytical ages) for whole rocks, volcanic glasses, minerals, and melt inclusions for samples from mid-ocean ridges, fracture zones, back-arc basins, young near-ridge seamounts, and old oceanic crust.

Resources including reports, programs, laboratories, and other geochemical products from the USGS.

NGDC's Mission is to provide long-term scientific data stewardship for the Nation's geophysical data, ensuring quality, integrity, and accessibility. NGDC's data holdings currently contain more than 400 digital and analog databases, some of which are very large.

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geomagnetism Program is to monitor the Earth’s magnetic field. Using ground-based observatories, the Program provides continuous records of magnetic field variations covering long timescales; disseminates magnetic data to various governmental, academic, and private institutions; and conducts research into the nature of geomagnetic variations for purposes of scientific understanding and hazard mitigation.

Web site for MBL in Woods Hole, with connections to the Oceanographic Institute as well. Contains the searchable E.coli gene database, a collection of electronic resources in marine science, and links to marine science databases.

The National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) is the surface water component of The National Map. The NHD is a comprehensive set of digital spatial data representing the surface water of the United States using common features such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, canals, and oceans. These data are designed to be used in general mapping and in the analysis of surface-water systems using geographic information systems (GIS).

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in Earth’s environment and conserve and manage coastal and marine resources to meet the nation’s economic, social, and environmental needs.

The mission of the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) is to provide scientific stewardship of national and international marine environmental and ecosystem data and information. The NODC archives and distributes global oceanographic data and information. NODC provides data products and services to scientists, engineers, resource managers, policy makers, outdoor adventurers and hobbyists, as well as other users in the United States and around the world.

The Ocean Data Viewer provides an overview and access to a range of data, and relevant conventions, which are available to help inform decisions that are important for the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library is the largest oceanography library in the world, offering unparalleled resources in marine and earth sciences.

Offered as part of Carleton College’s On the Cutting Edge program, this site brings together data sets, tools, lesson plans, and interactive visualizations to address a number of topics in the field of oceanography.

The WRD mission is to collect and disseminate reliable, impartial, and timely information that is needed to understand the Nation's water resources.

WHOI is the largest private non-profit oceanographic institution in the world. WHOI is dedicated to research and higher education at the frontiers of ocean science.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

The American Geological Institute is a nonprofit federation of 46 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 120,000 geologists, geophysicists, and other earth scientists.

The American Geophysical Union (AGU), which was established in 1919 by the National Research Council and for more than 50 years operated as an unincorporated affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences, is now a nonprofit corporation chartered under the laws of the District of Columbia. The Union is dedicated to the furtherance of the geophysical sciences through the individual efforts of its members and in cooperation with other national and international scientific organizations.

The American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG), founded in 1963, is the largest association dedicated to promoting geology as a profession. The Institute adheres to the principles of professional responsibility and public service and is the only international organization that certifies the competence and ethical conduct of geological scientists in all branches of the science with members employed in industry, government, and academia. AIPG emphasizes competence, integrity and ethics. AIPG is an advocate for the profession and communicates regularly to federal and state legislators and agencies on matters pertaining to the geosciences. It presently has more than 5,500 members in the U.S. and abroad, organized into 36 regional Sections.

The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, AMS has a membership of more than 14,000 professionals, students, and weather enthusiasts.

The Association for Women Geoscientists is an international organization devoted to enhancing the quality and level of participation of women in geosciences and to introduce girls and young women to geoscience careers. Membership is open to anyone who supports AWG's goals.

The Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG) contributes to its members’ professional success and the public welfare by providing leadership, advocacy, and applied research in environmental and engineering geology.

The Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS) is an international, applied scientific organization with approximately 700 members. One of the society’s major activities is producing its annual meeting, the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP). In addition, it develops and distributes a peer-reviewed scientific journal, the Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics (JEEG), as well as an electronic quarterly newsletter, FastTIMES.

The Geochemical Society is a nonprofit scientific society founded to encourage the application of chemistry to the solution of geological and cosmological problems. Membership is international and diverse in background, encompassing such fields as organic geochemistry, high and low-temperature geochemistry, petrology, meteoritics, fluid-rock interaction, and isotope geochemistry.

The Geological Society of America provides access to elements that are essential to the professional growth of earth scientists at all levels of expertise and from all sectors: academic, government, business, and industry. The Geological Society's growing membership unites thousands of earth scientists from every corner of the globe in a common purpose to study the mysteries of our planet and share scientific findings.

The Geoscience Information Society facilitates the exchange of information in the geosciences through cooperation among scientists, librarians, editors, cartographers, educators, and information professionals.

The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) was founded in 1919 for the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, and the arts. It encourages fundamental research about natural materials; supports the teaching of mineralogical concepts and procedures; and attempts to raise the scientific literacy of society with respect to issues involving mineralogy in the widest sense.

NAGT's purpose is to foster improvement in the teaching of the earth sciences, to emphasize the cultural significance of the earth sciences, and to disseminate knowledge in this field to the general public. NAGT works to raise the quality of and emphasis on teaching the geosciences at all levels. Members include K-12 teachers and college and university faculty as well as educators working with the general public through outlets such as museums and science centers.

The National Ground Water Association is a nonprofit organization is comprised of more than 13,000 U.S. and international groundwater professionals - contractors, scientists and engineers, equipment manufacturers, and suppliers. Its purpose is to provide guidance to members, government representatives, and the public for sound scientific, economic, and beneficial development, protection, and management of the world's groundwater resources.

SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology) is an international not-for-profit Society based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through its network of international members, the Society is dedicated to the dissemination of scientific information on sedimentology, stratigraphy, paleontology, environmental sciences, marine geology, hydrogeology, and many additional related specialties.

The Society of Exploration Geophysicists is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the science of applied geophysics and the education of geophysicists. SEG fosters the expert and ethical practice of geophysics in the exploration and development of natural resources, in characterizing the near surface, and in mitigating earth hazards.

The U.S.G.S. Photographic Library offers access to more than 30,000 color and B/W photos taken during geologic studies of the U.S. These images provide a visual history of the discovery, development, and sciences of the United States and its Geological Survey. Some photographs have been used in U.S.G.S. publications, but most have never been published. Images can be downloaded in JPEG and GIF format.