Estuaries and Oceans

What is an estuary?

• The land area that drains water into a lake river or pond

• The area where river meets the ocean, where fresh water and salt water mix.

• The large body of salt water that covers most of earths surface.

• The underground system that provides drinking water to an area.

Which letter marks the estuary in the diagram shown?

• B

• C

• A

• D

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

Which of the following are alternative names for estuaries?

• Bays

• Lagoons

• sounds

• all of the above

Why are estuaries important to our environment?

• Estuaries filter pollutants

• Estuaries provide nurseries for marine life

• Estuaries act as home for many wildlife

• All of the above

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The high productivity of estuaries has been attributed to primary production units. What of the following would not be considered a primary production unit in an estuary ecosystem?

• Phytoplankton suspended the floating in the sunlight zone

• Benthic algae, a type of plant living on what ever sunlight touches.

• Juvenile zooplankton brought to shore with the tide before hatching.

• Macroflora such as marsh, grass that provide nursery grounds for shellfish.

The blue crab is one of the fastest swimming crabs on the planet. This ability can be attributed to the crabs?

• Paddle like' rear feet

• Large claws

• body shape

• Jointed legs

What is brought to estuaries in a variety of ways, which is responsible for increasing estuary salinity?

• Rivers

• Streams

• Tides

• urban runoff

Many shore birds feed on the mud flats in estuaries, which of the following would be

• Tidal ingress

• Tidal recess

Ocean ecosystems are mainly in shallow water close to shore

• True

• False

an Intertidal/shore ecosystem organism must. . .

• cope with being exposed to the air at least once a month

• coped with being exposed to salt water daily.

• cope with low sunlight

• All except low sunlight.