Hydrosphere Mid Unit

Where does most fresh water exist?

• ice caps, lakes, and streams

• glaciers, rivers, and oceans

• aquifers, ice caps, and glaciers

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Which best explains why inhabitants of an estuary must adapt to frequent environmental changes?

• Estuaries receive little sunlight.

• The water temperature is constantly warm.

• The salinity of the water is constantly changing.

• Low levels of oxygen are absorbed by the water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

A family living in a house needs to dig a new well before they will have usable water. Several options for the well location are shown in the diagram. Which location would be the best choice for the new well?

• Q

• R

• S

• T

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Which would most likely cause a sudden increase of nitrates in a waterway?

• spill from an oil tanker

• runoff from a boat yard

• runoff from a golf course

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Mary pours 1,000 mL of water into a beaker to represent all of the water on Earth. She then measures out 800 mL and puts it into another beaker. Which portion of Earth’s water is most closely represented by the 800 mL?

• water in the ocean

• water in the ground

• water in lakes and rivers

• water trapped in polar ice caps

Of the 74% of Earth’s surface that is covered in water, which contains the most water?

• lakes

• rivers

• oceans

• streams

Indicators of aquatic health are best observed under which conditions?

• once every ten years

• at the surface, every year

• once a year at many depths

• many times a year at many depths

The figure shows the zones of the ocean. Coral reefs require sunlight because reef-building coral contain photosynthetic algae in their tissues. The reefs must sit on the ocean floor for support and must remain underwater to survive. In which ocean zone does a reef most likely thrive?

• oceanic zone

• benthic zone

• neritic zone

• intertidal zone

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Which best explains why there is a greater concentration of oxygen located near the ocean’s surface?

• Sunlight warms the ocean’s temperature and stimulates oxygen production near the surface

• Plankton produces excess amounts of nutrients that remove oxygen levels from the atmosphere

• Marine life gives off oxygen instead of carbon dioxide, which makes the ocean water rich in oxygen

• Plants, which release oxygen, live near the surface of the ocean, where they receive large amounts of sunlight

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Which characteristic of a cold-water upwelling near the coast of Northern California results in a large concentration of marine organisms?

• loss of thermal stability

• high nutrient concentration

• consistent surface-current flow rate

• increased availability of dissolved oxygen

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1