UMW Libraries: Earth & Environmental Science: Internet Sources

Evaluating Information

Don't forget to evaluate the information that you find, especially on the Internet.

Ask yourself questions like:

Who wrote it?
Are they an expert?
How current is it?
Is it biased or neutral?
Is it accurate?

Use the Evaluating Resources Guide to determine if you are using an appropriate resource.

You can always ask a librarian for help!

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Useful Websites

Ecosystems
Ecosystems includes many programs from USGS. Topics include Invasive Species, Fisheries, Wildlife, Marine, Freshwater, and Terrestrial Ecosystem Projects and much more.
Endangered Species Program
Provided by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators
Access multilateral environmental treaty data.
Global Hydrology Resource Center
Provides both historical and current Earth science data, information, and products from satellite, airborne, and surface-based instruments.
NASA Hurricane Resource Page
U.S. Geological Survey
United States Environmental Protection Agency
USDA: United States Department of Agriculture

News Resources

Science News: Environment
Environmental SCENE
Topics include environmental research and policy. From Chemical & Engineering News.
Scientific American - Sustainability & Environment

Environmental Science Data Resources

Census of Marine Life (OBIS - Ocean Biogeographic Info System
OBIS is part of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
Climate Watch
From the World Resources Institute. Data on climate , greenhouse gas emissions, and other climate-relevant indicators. Search multiple datasets and create visualizations.
National Center for Environmental Information
Climate data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
EPA Envirofacts
Retrieve information about hazardous waste, toxic and air releases, Superfund sites, and water discharge permits. Search by topic or location.
Data.gov
Access government datasets on climate, energy, biodiversity, and many other environmental science topics.
FAOSTAT
Provides time-series and cross sectional data relating to food and agriculture for some 200 countries.
International Energy Agency: Statistics
Comprehensive energy production and consumption information for most countries.
NOAA Paleoclimatology
Paleo data come from natural sources such as tree rings, ice cores, corals, and ocean and lake sediments creating an archive of weather and climate back hundreds to millions of years. NOAA Paleo provides data and information scientists need to understand natural climate variability and future climate change.
ReefBase
Global information system for coral reefs.
SEDAC Data Sets
From the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center.
Many data sets that focus on human interactions in the environment.
The World Bank Environment Data
Data cover forests, biodiversity, emissions, and pollution. Other indicators relevant to the environment are found under data pages for Agriculture & Rural Development, Energy & Mining, Infrastructure, and Urban Development.