Summary: Called "the rainforests of the sea," the world's coral reefs are home to millions of species. But these underwater ecosystems are in grave danger. This program travels to Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar; Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania; and Ras Mohammed National Park, Egypt, to study the fragile ecology and amazing biodiversity of coral reefs-and the impacts of tourism, pollution,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Over two decades ago, the original version of this program depicted the effects of wind, waves, and tides on the coastline of southeastern Massachusetts. Revised and updated for the 21st century, this edition takes a new look at the problem of erosion along America's shores, emphasizing the impact of climate change and sea level rise on our coasts. Continuing its case study of Cape Cod and the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Following National Geographic explorer and correspondent Nick Baker, this program takes a remarkable 5,000-mile road trip along one of the greatest mountain ecosystems in the world-the Rockies. Beginning at the northernmost reaches of the Yukon and ending in the breathtaking parklands of Yellowstone, Baker sets out to explore the natural history of these locations in the wake of an ambitious...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Part contest and festival, part educational event and scientific endeavor, Connecticut's popular BioBlitz brings together researchers from the University of Connecticut and other organizations to see how many species they can count in a local park-in a single 24-hour period. This program spotlights the 2000 BioBlitz, which took place at Hubbard Park, in Meriden-1,800 acres of mixed hardwood...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Have Earth's vibrant waterways-its streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans-become delivery systems for pollutants and poison? This program points to signs that toxic substances are overwhelming our planet's aquatic ecosystems. Viewers encounter many of the causes for this concern, including a radical decrease in frog populations, distressed marine mammals in estuary habitats, and disturbing changes...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: For nearly 10,000 years, the Earth's wild places have been replaced by agricultural landscapes—an occurrence that has left a single question in its wake: where are the wild things? In Forever Wild, a part of the PBS Scientific Frontiers series, host Alan Alda goes behind the scenes with forest and wild life advocates as they examine the questions brought about by a domesticated world: what does...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2002
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Summary: Drawing astonishing connections between forces thousands of miles apart, this program shows how life on earth is being pushed to extremes by a one-degree rise in average temperature. Specific topics include animal population declines, atmospheric developments above the oceans, and the widespread appearance of a previously rare respiratory illness. Viewers learn how many scientists believe these...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program analyzes the dynamic nature of rivers and the relationship between their forms and processes. It examines the various functions a single river needs to perform, and shows how to measure river form and process, relate the two, and synthesize several attributes of the form of a river channel. It examines the differences between low and high flow, and explains how to calculate the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: When seasonal rains sweep across South America, the Amazon River and its tributaries overflow their banks to create an ecosystem unlike any other-a place where, for six months out of each year, land-dwellers and water-dwellers mingle. This program joins an expert Amazon biologist in a journey into the flooded forests of the Amazon Basin to film dolphins navigating through treetops, a male...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program looks at the way soils can vary even within a small area of a forest. A well-developed podzol is examined in detail, with samples taken from the center of each horizon and then analyzed for organic content, soil acidity, mineral content, and particle size distribution. The measurements and analyses demonstrate why three soil profiles can be so very different in closely contiguous...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Millions of visitors have seen Yellowstone's bubbling mud pots and clockwork geysers, but 90 percent of the national park's 2 million acres are barely touched, holding far more than what most people see. It's a giant swath of terrain-much of it remote, some of it dangerous-but all of it commands awe and respect. Wolves, bison, and bears roam freely; an incredible number of waterfalls have been...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: The harsh environment of Antarctica offers numerous opportunities for science. This program depicts the challenges biologists, meteorologists, and geologists face as they study the continent's wildlife, climate, and formation. The video features analysis of fossils and ancient magma, shows how past weather patterns are examined in ice layers, and illustrates fish and bird population studies....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Planet Earth is an amazing machine, and we-and our future-are riding on it. This video introduces students to the Earth system's primary interacting subsystems (the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere); the nitrogen, carbon, and water cycles; and three surface processes: weathering, mass-wasting, and erosion. The greenhouse effect, the impact of acid rain on the environment, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: It could almost be said that Sylvia Earle-a tireless researcher and crusader for the protection of the ocean's ecosystems, sometimes referred to as "Her Deepness" or "The Sturgeon General"-has spent more time under water than she has on dry land. This classic program introduces viewers to the work of Dr. Earle and six other marine scientists supported by the National Geographic Society.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Whether they arise from human causes or forces within planet Earth itself, natural disasters threaten life and civilization with what seems to be growing frequency. This album of NewsHour segments studies troubling developments in marine, arctic, wetland, and urban environments—highlighting research opportunities that may help prevent future catastrophes. Coral reef decay, Everglades habitat...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Yosemite is a glaciated landscape born millions of years ago when colliding tectonic plates created the longest and highest mountain range in the continental United States. It is known for its steep granite cliffs, impressive waterfalls, and the world's largest living trees, the Giant Sequoias. But this is no five-star resort-this is the wilderness. With more than 700,000 acres of land,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007