Place-based education (PBE) and active learning are effective strategies for geoscience education. However, traditional PBE via field trips requires significant resources, time, physical abilities, and expertise of teachers. We provide an alternative PBE experience by showing how different kinds of geoscience videos can be spatially organized into one digital interactive virtual environment. Here, we present the Google Earth Geoscience Video Library (GEGVL) which uses Google Earth and location specific videos about Earth events to create a virtual PBE experience. Using Google Earth, GEGVL organizes place-based videos by locations and links pertinent non-place-based videos and allows users to roam the globe in search of geoscientific videos that are pertinent to them or their students. Currently GEGVL contains 150 videos organized into ten different geoscience disciplines: Plate Tectonics, Minerals, Structural Geology, Metamorphism, Magmatism, Hydrology, Environmental Science, Sedimentology, Paleontology, and Paleomagnetism. Despite stability challenges with Google Earth integration, results of user surveys among lower division undergraduates show that the design logic of GEGVL is promising virtual PBE organizer for interesting students in and helping them learn about Earth sciences.

Biological Hotspot research of fish larvae in estuarine waters of Timbulsoko Village, Demak was conducted in April-June 2019 in Timbulsoko Village. Timbulsloko has fertile waters because many fishermen make this location as a fishing ground area. Timbulsloko has the potential to become a nursery ground area and feeding ground for fish due to natural mangrove habitat but the abrasion disaster resulted in the degradation of the nursery ground habitat for early stage fish. The results showed that fish larvae caught in the waters of Timbulsloko Village consisted of 13 families. The composition of the types of fish larvae caught are Mugilidae, Siganidae, Gobiidae, Leiognathidae, Scatophagidae, Chanidae, Latidae, Engraulidae, Gerreidae, Carangidae, Bagridae, Sillaginidae, Ambassidae. The most common types of fish larvae are Ambassidae fish larvae, which are 46.98%, while the least caught are Carangidae fish larvae, Sillaginidae which is 1.01%. The largest abundance of fish larvae is 428,271 ind / m3 found at D2P2, while the abundance of fish larvae is at least at E1P1270 point with an abundance value of 51,498 ind / m3. The similarity of ecological habitat values at D2P2 and A2G1 points based on PCA analysis and the similarity of contours from spatial depth interpolation indicate the biological hotspot in the mangrove waters of Timbulsloko Village.

Biological Hotspot larva ikan diperairan estusri Desa Timbulsoko, Demak dilakukan pada bulan April-Juni 2019 di Desa Timbulsoko. Timbulsloko memiliki perairan yang subur dikarenakan banyak nelayan yang menjadikan lokasi tersebut sebagai daerah fishing ground. Timbulsloko memiliki potensi untuk menjadi daerah nursery ground dan feeding ground untuk ikan dikarenakan adanya habitat mangrove yang alami akan tetapi bencana abrasi mengakibatkan degradasi habitat nursery ground untuk ikan stadia awal. Hasil penelitian menunjukan Larva ikan yang tertangkap di perairan Desa Timbulsloko terdiri dari 13 famili. Komposisi jenis-jenis larva ikan yang tertangkap adalah Mugilidae, Siganidae, Gobiidae, Leiognathidae, Scatophagidae, Chanidae, Latidae, Engraulidae, Gerreidae, Carangidae, Bagridae, Sillaginidae, Ambassidae. Jenis larva ikan yang paling banyak adalah larva ikan Ambassidae yaitu 46,98% sedangkan yang paling sedikit tertangkap adalah larva ikan Carangidae, Sillaginidae yaitu sebesar 1,01%. Kelimpahan larva ikan terbesar adalah 428,271 ind/m³ terdapat pada titik D2P2, sedangkan kelimpahan larva ikan paling sedikit pada titik NP4 dengan nilai kelimpahan adalah 25,974 ind/m³. Kemiripan nilai ekologis habitat pada titik D2P2 dan A2G1 berdasarkan analisis PCA dan kesamaan kontur dari interpolasi kedalaman secara spasial mengindikasikan adanya jejak biological hotspot di perairan mangrove Desa Timbulsloko sebelum terjadinya bencana abrasi.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resultant cancellation of geoscience fieldwork, as well as outstanding accessibility issues inherent in conducting fieldwork, we developed a virtual geological fieldtrip (VFT) to the Huronian age deposits in the Whitefish Falls area, Ontario, Canada. This region is a geologically significant site in which many Ontario universities conduct undergraduate teaching due to the high-quality exposures. In this contribution we describe and comment on the development of this openly available resource, the motivations in doing so, the challenges faced, its pedagogical impact and relevance, as well as provide suggestions to others in the development of such resources. Our multimedia VFT combines 360° imagery, georeferenced data on integrated maps, and multi-scale imagery (aerial/drone, outcrop, and thin section images). The VFT was built using the Esri Storymaps platform, and thus offers us the opportunity to review the effectiveness of building such resources using this medium, as well as our approach to doing so. We conclude that the Esri Storymaps platform provides a sound medium for the dissemination of multimedia VFTs, but that some aspects of in-person fieldwork remain hard to replicate. Most notably, ‘hands on experience’ and specific activities such as geological mapping. In addition, while VFTs alleviate some accessibility barriers to geoscience fieldwork, substantial barriers remain that should remain the focus of both pedagogical and geoscience work.