Project Marine Ecology Research (MER) is an ecological curriculum designed to involve secondary students in the study of the marine biome. The background material and learning activities concern the study of the San Francisco Bay Area. The guide is divided into two major parts. In the first part, a history of the Bay Area is given. It includes the nature of the region, major changes, and important aquatic species. The bay-delta-estuarine ecosystem is discussed in detail. Particular attention is given to the life histories of the king salmon and the striped bass. The relationship between organisms and water quality is also treated. This section ends with a discussion of the future of this area. Part two contains the laboratory investigations. These activities complement the earlier discussions and directly concern an analysis of the Bay Area. Topics include the study of a plankton population, the San Francisco watershed, and biological sampling of a mud flat. (MA)