Marine or freshwater portion of the biosphere. Examples include freshwater (such as lakes and streams) and ocean or marine (such as estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, and the open ocean).

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• brackish water

• open sea

• hydrosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Aquatic system comprised of water with a dissolved salt concentration of no more than 1,000 ppm. Examples include standing bodies of fresh water such as lakes, ponds, and inland wetlands, and flowing systems such as streams and rivers.

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• marine life zone

• freshwater life zone

• hydrosphere

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Saltwater environment found in an ocean or its bay, estuary, coastal wetland, shoreline, coral reef, or mangrove forest.

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• brackish water

• open sea

• marine life zone

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Warm, nutrient-rich, shallow part of the ocean that extends from the high-tide mark on land to the gently sloping, shallow edge of the continental shelf

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• brackish water

• estuary

• marine life zone

Partially enclosed coastal area where a river meets the sea and seawater mixes with fresh water.

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• prairie potholes

• estuary

• marine life zone

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

Mixture of fresh water and salt water.

• aquatic life zone

• coastal zone

• prairie potholes

• estuary

• brackish water

Land along a coastline that is covered with water for all or part of the year. Examples include marshes and mangrove forests.

• aquatic life zone

• coastal wetland

• prairie potholes

• estuary

• brackish water

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Part of any ocean that lies beyond the continental shelf.

• open ocean

• coastal wetland

• benthic zone

• estuary

• brackish water

Rising levels of acidity in ocean waters, occurring because the oceans absorb at least 25% of the carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activities, especially the burning of carbon-containing fossil fuels. The carbon dioxide reacts with ocean water to form a weak acid that can endanger entire ecosystems.

• ocean acidification

• coastal runoff

• ocean plastic pollution

• acid rain

• brackish water

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Precipitation that does not sink into the ground or evaporate; fresh water that flows or is stored in bodies of water on Earth’s surface.

• surface water

• groundwater

• aquifer

• watershed

• runoff

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4