estuary education worksheet answers

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Estuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats are typically found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal communities because their waters are brackish — a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater.

Estuaries are some of the most productive ecosystems in the world. Many animal species rely on estuaries for food and as places to nest and breed. Human communities also rely on estuaries for food, recreation, and jobs.

Of the 32 largest cities in the world, 22 are located on estuaries. Not surprisingly, human activities have led to a decline in the health of estuaries, making them one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), in partnership with coastal states, monitors the health of estuaries, educates the public about these ecosystems, and helps communities manage their coastal resources.

Estuaries are both beautiful and ecologically bountiful. Their natural expanses provide habitats for a wide range of animal and plant species. This is an image of the Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve. It is located on the south-central shore of Lake Erie in Erie County, Ohio, three miles east of Huron. It is one of the "Great Lakes-type" freshwater estuaries in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, and features freshwater marshes, swamp forests, a barrier beach, an upland forest, and a portion of nearshore Lake Erie. (Photo Credit: Jennifer Buchiet, Old Woman Creek Reserve)

New York City, with a population of over eight million people, is located at the mouth of the Hudson River Estuary which stretches 153 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and includes a wide range of wetland habitats. Home to more than 200 species of fish, the Hudson River Estuary serves as a nursery ground for sturgeon, striped bass, and American shad. It also supports an abundance of other river-dependent wildlife, especially birds.

Estuarine habitats are typically found where rivers meet the sea. This image shows the eastern half of North America as viewed from space. Mouse over the image to see some of the estuarine areas highlighted in this tutorial. And you can see that most of the land area drains into the Great Lakes, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Wherever freshwater rivers drain into these larger bodies of water, estuarine habitats are found.

The yellow squares in the image indicate some of the North American estuaries that contain NOAA's national estuarine research reserves.

These estuaries lessons are an overview of estuarine habitats, the threats facing them, and efforts to monitor and protect estuaries nationwide.

The Roadmap to Resources complements the information in the tutorial by directing you to specific online estuary-related materials from NOAA and other reliable resources.

Estuaries Lessons

More information.

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) includes this resource in its database. NSTA provides educators and students access to Web-based, educationally appropriate science content that has been formally evaluated by master teachers.

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A Focus on Estuaries

Jump to background information

This is Part 2 of Lesson 2 of Project Resilience curriculum . Students learn about the vital role estuaries play in coastal environments and build a model to represent the estuary services provided by these unique areas.

Learning Objectives

• Students learn what an estuary is.
• Students create a model to explore the important ecosystem services provided by an estuary.
• Students create an articulate metaphor to explain their model.
• Project Resilience Slide Deck (slides 12-18)
• Projector & Computer
• Estuary Model Metaphor- Student Sheet (PDF)
• Paint tray or large baking/roasting pan with a hole at one end for water drainage (one per group)
• Large water container with a spigot (one per group)
• Access to a sink or water source
• Bucket or tub to collect water drainage
• Books, box, or extra tubs to prop up the water containers
• Graduated cylinders (100mL or larger) or liquid cup measurers
• Spray bottles
• Modeling clay (about 5 lbs of clay for every three groups, for Parts 2-3)
• Soil (optional, could use sand from Part 1
• Clay tools, pencil, chopstick, or paintbrush to create features in the clay
• Indoor/outdoor carpeting (strips approximately 3” wide that fit in the paint tray)
• Kitchen sponges
• Food coloring

Preparation

• Print copies of the Estuary Model Metaphor Student Sheet (one per group)
• Prepare the classroom for the stream table/modeling activity.
• Organize the wetlands model building materials on a table and assign students to model building groups.
• View the Estuaries: Nature’s Water Filters animation in advance to ensure it works with your technology set up.

Note: Students will use clay in the paint trays during Part 2.

Introduction to the local estuary (10 minutes)

• Transition from the day before. Tell students today we will build upon our understanding of how the river creates land, but now we will focus on the unique types of land that form where rivers join the ocean.

"Estuaries are bodies of water and their surrounding coastal habitats, typically found where rivers meet the sea. Estuaries harbor unique plant and animal life because their waters are brackish -- a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater." (NOAA)

• Show students an example of what an estuary looks like (slide 14). The example in the slide deck shows the area where the Mississippi River meets the Gulf of Mexico in southern Louisiana.
• Point out the wetlands areas in the estuary image from the previous step (in slides).
• The northern border of the estuary begins near the city of Morganza, LA (not shown on the map, but this might serve as a reference location for Louisiana residents). From there, the estuary includes all of the land between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi Rivers as they flow down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Building an estuary (30 minutes)

• Transition to the stream tables. Tell students their objective is to learn why estuaries are important.
• Break students into small groups (four or five students, depending on class size and materials available) and give each group a stream table tray and a large amount of modeling clay.
• Tell them that their task is to build a model of an estuary, adding wetlands to the coast of their stream tables, and then use the materials provided to model how the presence or absence of an estuary affects the land, water, and the plants and animals that live there.
• To begin, spread a layer of modeling clay in half of the tray to represent land. Leave the other half empty to represent a body of water. Be sure to leave the end with the drainage hole uncovered (this will be the "ocean" side of the tray)
• Shape the clay so that it gradually slopes down to the water. Smooth the clay along the sides of the tray to seal the edges.
• Use clay tools, a pencil, the opposite end of a paintbrush, etc. to form a meandering river with tributaries in the clay that lead to the body of water. Note: Natural levees will often form when the river is carved in the model. If so, have students smooth them down so that it will be easier to model flooding with their model.
• The land should also slope towards the river so that when water is added, some of it will run into the river channel.
• Projecting a map image of the Mississippi River might also be helpful for students to visualize the pattern.

Note: students may enjoy recording a time-lapse video of their model, or taking photos.

• How does the presence/absence of wetlands affect the amount of water that flows out into the ocean?
• How does the presence/absence of wetlands affect the amount of sediment that flows out into the ocean?
• How do rainfall events of differing intensity affect the environment (average rainfall, heavy rainfall, flooding) with and without wetlands?
• How does the presence/absence of wetlands affect the number of pollutants that flow out into the ocean?
• Review the facilitation tips listed in the Inquiry Activity: Modeling an Estuary in the box below as needed to provide guidance during the modeling activity.

Inquiry Activity: Modeling an Estuary

Facilitation tips:.

Note: Use the same basic setup from the How a Delta Forms activity (Lesson 2: Part 2), only this time use clay instead of sand.

• Ask students to brainstorm how they will add water to their system before they get started. How will they represent a typical rainfall vs. a heavy rainfall vs. a flood? How will they determine if adding wetlands to their model has an impact on the amount of water that flows into the ocean?
• Students may want to write out a brief outline of steps as they plan to create different situations.

• Groups can rinse their model between setups if they desire. The clay and features will remain intact.
• The food coloring is suggested as a way to simulate pollutants in the water. Students can decide whether to add the food coloring directly to the river or add it through the spray bottle, or both! Encourage experimentation.
• As students complete their modeling and metaphor tables, encourage them to visit other groups to compare and explain their models to each other.

Note: Models will be used again in the Modeling Hydrologic Modification lesson, do not discard them!

Wrap-up: Discussing the importance of estuaries (10 min)

• What happened to the sediment when there wasn’t an estuary present?
• What happened during heavy rain or flood?
• What did your model show about how pollutants move through the system?
• The functions of an estuary are referred to as “ecosystem services,” filtering the water from pollutants and excess nutrients, holding on to sediment, and slowing the flow of water.
• Ask students to relate their models to the function of estuaries shown in the animation.
• Point out that as it rains, many nutrients are carried into the river and end up in the estuaries as well, not just sediment and pollutants. The nutrient-rich marshes and soils that form in estuaries are a habitat for many species of plants and animals.
• How is the estuary you live in important to you as an individual? How is it important to the community?
• What evidence is there of ecosystem services provided by the Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary?
• What examples of changes to the estuary/wetlands are you aware of? How does this impact our community? (The land along the road headed to Grand Isle is an example of fragmented marshlands. Grand Terre Island is also an example of marshland loss.)
• Consider creating a class list of their ideas and posting it for later reference.

Assign journal prompt #3

• Prompt #3: Think about the ecosystem services that an estuary provides to the environment and describe how the environment you live in could change if the estuary were no longer there. Come up with your own metaphor for what an estuary is like and describe it.

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Background Information

The barataria-terrebonne estuarine system.

Excerpt below from The Barataria Terrebonne National Estuary

"The Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary System (BTES) is a biologically rich and productive ecosystem encompassing 4.1 million acres of upland forests, swamps, marshes, bayous, bays, and barrier islands, bound on the west by the Atchafalaya River and on the east by the Mississippi River in south Louisiana. Sixteen parishes fall within its boundaries. Those parishes include Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, Terrebonne, West Baton Rouge and only small portions of Iberia, St. Martin, and Orleans.

"The BTES produces a half-billion pounds of fish and oysters annually and supplies 10-15% of our nation’s oil production. Its expansive marshes provide habitat for previously endangered species such as the brown pelican and the bald eagle, as well as other waterfowl and migratory birds. Recreational opportunities for residents and visitors from around the world abound. The health of the estuary and the quality of its bayous, bays, fish, and wildlife are critical to our regional economy and the sustenance of our nationally-unique culture.

"The most important factor contributing to land loss in the BTES is subsidence, a complex process in which marsh sediments compact and sink under their own weight. Historically, the annual floods over the banks of the Mississippi River provided fresh water and sediment to BTES marshes, which kept them above water. Levees were constructed to protect communities across the nation from these floods, but they also prevent water and sediment from reaching the BTES marshes.

"Subsidence drowns coastal marshes, causing chemical changes in wetland soils, which eventually kill marsh vegetation. Without plant roots to hold it together, the marsh soil breaks up and is carried away by wave action. The end result is the marsh converted to open water. This additional volume of water causes an increase in the tidal prism, forcing passes to enlarge and reducing the lengths of barrier islands, which protects interior marshes from wave action and hurricanes. Barrier islands are also subsiding, and due to both these stressors, they ultimately disappear without new sediment inputs.

"Other human-caused and natural factors can influence land loss rates in the BTES. For example, canals and raised roadbeds, breached natural ridges, and other hydrologic modifications can interrupt tidal exchange and allow salt water intrusion."

What is an estuary?

Excerpt below from NOAA's Estuaries website

"An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water, and its surrounding coastal habitats, where salt water from the ocean mixes with fresh water from rivers or streams. In fresh water, the concentration of salts, or salinity, is nearly zero. The salinity of water in the ocean averages about 35 parts per thousand (ppt). The mixture of seawater and fresh water in estuaries is called brackish water, and its salinity can range from 0.5 to 35 ppt. The salinity of estuarine water varies from estuary to estuary and can change from one day to the next, depending on the tides, weather, or other factors (Levinton, 1995).

"While strongly affected by tides and tidal cycles, many estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by reefs, barrier islands, or fingers of land, mud, or sand that surround them. The characteristics of each estuary depend upon the local climate, freshwater input, tidal patterns, and currents. Truly, no two estuaries are the same. Yet, they are typically classified based on two characteristics: their geology and how saltwater and freshwater mix in them.

"However, not all estuaries contain brackish waters. There are a small number of ecosystems classified as freshwater estuaries. These estuaries occur where massive freshwater systems, such as the Great Lakes in the United States, are diluted by river or stream waters draining from adjacent lands."

Video: What’s An Estuary? Now you Know

Why are estuaries important?

Information below from NOAA's Why Are Estuaries Important?

Estuaries are important natural places. They provide goods and services that are economically and ecologically indispensable. Often called nurseries of the sea (USEPA, 1993), estuaries provide vital nesting and feeding habitats for many aquatic plants and animals. Most fish and shellfish eaten in the United States, including salmon, herring, and oysters, complete at least part of their life cycles in estuaries. Estuaries also help to maintain healthy ocean environments. They filter out sediments and pollutants from rivers and streams before they flow into the oceans, providing cleaner waters for marine life. Estuaries and their surrounding wetlands are also buffer zones. They stabilize shorelines and protect coastal areas, inland habitats, and human communities from floods and storm surge from hurricanes. When flooding does occur, estuaries often act like huge sponges, soaking up the excess water. Estuarine habitats also protect streams, river channels, and coastal shores from excessive erosion caused by wind, water, and ice.

Threats to estuaries

Excerpt below from NOAA's Human Disturbances to Estuaries

"Because they are transitional areas between the land and the sea, and between freshwater and saltwater environments, estuaries can be seriously impacted by any number of human, or anthropogenic, activities.

"The greatest threat to estuaries worldwide is, by far, their large-scale conversion by draining, filling, damming, or dredging. These activities result in the immediate destruction and loss of estuarine habitats. Until the last few decades, many estuary habitats in North America were drained and converted into agricultural areas; others were filled to create shipping ports and expand urban areas. In the United States, 38 percent of the wetlands associated with coastal areas have been lost to these types of activities (Good et al., 1998). In some areas, estuarine habitat loss is as high as 60 percent.

"Of the remaining estuaries around the world, many are seriously degraded by pollution. People have historically viewed estuaries and waterways as places to discard the unwanted by-products of civilization. Pollution is probably the most important threat to water quality in estuaries. Poor water quality affects most estuarine organisms, including commercially important fish and shellfish. The pollutants that have the greatest impact on the health of estuaries include toxic substances like chemicals and heavy metals, nutrient pollution (or eutrophication), and pathogens such as bacteria or viruses.

"Another, less widely discussed human-caused disturbance is the introduction of non-native or invasive species into estuarine environments."

Monitoring estuaries

Excerpt below from NOAA's Monitoring Estuaries

"The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) is a partnership program between NOAA and U.S. coastal states that protects more than one million acres of estuarine land and water. The health of every reserve is continuously monitored by the NERRS System-wide Monitoring Program or SWMP (pronounced “swamp”). SWMP measures changes in estuarine waters to record how human activities and natural events, including weather, affect coastal habitats."

Part 2 Extensions

• What ecosystem services are estuaries providing?
• How are estuaries like a sponge?
• Where do the pollutants that estuaries filter come from?
• What role do estuaries play in a flood?

In a whole class discussion, ensure that students understand what is meant by “ecosystem services” and can explain the two ecosystem services described in the reading: water filtration and habitat protection. Brainstorm if there are other “services” estuaries provide.

• Discuss connections between the video and the estuary modeling activity they completed in class.
• Ask students to share any questions that they now have after watching the video. Post questions on a Driving Question Board for the class.

This activity was developed for Project Resilience , funded by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

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Montessori Science

Estuaries and intertidal zones: grade 5 lesson and worksheets, elementary science lesson and free worksheets on estuaries, intertidal zones, and the interaction of biotic and abiotic factors in these ecosystems..

• Intertidal Zone

Worksheet on Habitats in the Intertidal Zone

Worksheet on estuaries and intertidal zones, worksheet on biotic and abiotic factors in estuaries and intertidal zones, worksheet on interaction of biotic and abiotic factors in estuaries and intertidal zones.

Imagine what it would be like if you lived in a town that gets flooded every day. Sometimes you’re underwater, sometimes you’re not. Sometimes it’s awfully hot and dry, sometimes you’re miserably cold and wet. To survive, you would need to figure out where best to stay at certain parts of the day, when and what routes to take to find food, where to keep your food so it doesn’t get wet or washed away, how to keep cool if the sun is scorching hot, how to stay dry when the waters come, et cetera, et cetera. Basically, if you lived in a place like that, you would have to become really good at adjusting to constant change.

Well, some creatures on earth do live in places where conditions are always changing. There are “borderlands” — where the land meets the sea, or where freshwater meets saltwater, for example — where the resident organisms have become really good at finding ways to thrive in an environment that’s constantly in flux.

How do they do it?

That’s what we will explore in this lesson on the fascinating world of estuaries and intertidal zones.

An estuary is a place where freshwater from a river mixes with saltwater from the sea. (This combination of fresh and saltwater is called brackish water.)

As you might imagine, estuaries are affected by things coming from either direction: from the sea or from the river.

From the sea, there are the tides, the waves, and the salt. There are daily high tides and low tides so the water level is always changing. Waves can grow huge, especially when there are storms. And because this water brought in by the tides and the waves is salty, the level of salinity (how salty the water is) in the estuary also keeps changing. For this reason, the fish and other organisms that live in estuaries need to have the ability to tolerate different levels of saltiness in the water.

Mangroves are the perfect example of plants that have become expert in living in estuaries. To survive in the brackish water, some types of mangroves have filters in their roots that remove the salt from the water before absorbing it. Other types of mangroves have special structures in their leaves that actively spit out excess salt.

From the river, there is freshwater flowing from upstream, the sediments it picks up, and everything else that falls into the river and is carried along to the sea. When there are heavy rains, a great amount of freshwater flows into the estuary, making it less salty than usual.

Because estuaries link the river and the sea, they are important stops in the journey of fish that migrate from the river to the sea or from the sea to the river. The estuaries are where these fish are able to adjust little by little to a level of salinity that is different from what they are used to. For example, eels that live in the river but return to the sea in order to breed can avoid getting shocked by the sudden change in salt levels from freshwater to saltwater by spending some time in the brackish water of estuaries.

Estuaries are nicknamed “the nurseries of the sea” because a lot of fish lay their eggs there where it’s relatively safe from big predators and because there are a lot of nutrients brought in by both the river and the sea.

However, when there is too much nutrient — such as when water runs off from farms containing a huge amount of fertilizer, goes into the river, and is carried down to the estuary — it can cause the growth of too much algae. This harmful algal bloom (HAB) can eat up all the oxygen in the water as they decay and can even release poisonous toxins.

Soil eroded by rains can also get deposited into the estuary, making the water turbid (or muddy), drifting into the gills of fish, and covering the places where the fish lay their eggs. Chemicals, garbage, and other pollutants can also enter estuaries through the river.

Estuaries: Study Notes from the DepEd Module

Estuaries are called the nurseries of the sea.

Biotic factors – the living components of the estuary, including plants, animals, and microorganisms

• Examples are mangrove trees, migratory birds, and small fish.
• Sharks, dolphins, and other big fishes may also be found “visiting” in estuaries.
• Migratory birds stay in estuaries because of the availability of food in the area.

Abiotic factors – the non-living factors that affect the organisms in estuaries

• Kelp have strong root-like structures that keep them attached to rocks to prevent them from being carried away by the waves.
• Mangroves provide shelter against the waves to marine organisms.
• The combination of seawater and freshwater in estuaries is called brackish water.
• Mangroves and blue crabs adjust to the constantly changing salinity of water.
• Some organisms like fish prefer to breed in places with a low amount of salt.
• The temperature in the estuary differs, depending on the tides and the amount of sunlight.
• Some organisms use plants like mangroves to keep themselves concealed from direct sunlight or away from the coldness of the water.
• Sunlight is the source of energy needed for photosynthesis.
• Estuaries are shallower and receive more sunlight than the sea and so are more conducive for photosynthesis to take place.
• Algae, seaweeds, seagrasses, and other marine plants create their own food and produce oxygen through photosynthesis. These plants support other organisms like marine animals.
• The soil is the upper layer of earth in which plants grow.
• It is the main source of nutrients needed for plants’ growth.
• The type of soil in estuaries depends on the strength of the waves and the kinds of rocks in the area.
• Some areas are full of rocks, sand, pebbles, or clay.
• The topsoil layer in an estuary is composed mostly of peat or salt crust.
• Salt is found in acidic soil; this can be problematic to plant survival.

Intertidal Zones

“Intertidal zone” sounds like a very scientific term but, actually, if you’ve been to the beach, then you’ve been to an intertidal zone!

Simply, the intertidal zone is that part of the coast that is covered by water during high tide but is exposed or above the water level during low tide.

You probably noticed this while you were at the beach — that rocks that were above water when you arrived gradually became covered by the water as the tide came in, or that the edge of the water was just a few meters from your cottage at first but became farther and farther as the tide went out. That area that was covered by water when the tide was high but got exposed when the water receded (or moved away) is the intertidal zone.

Intertidal zones aren’t just at the beaches we go to. Everywhere the sea reaches — so basically all around every island in the world — there is an intertidal zone.

Intertidal zones can be rocky or sandy. They can also be muddy. They may be seemingly bare, like mud flats; grassy, like in salt marshes; or even be home to an entire forest of mangroves.

The organisms that live in the intertidal zone experience two totally different conditions every day: one when they are submerged in seawater (immersion) and the other when they are exposed to air (emersion). It’s like they live both underwater and on land. For that reason, they need to be able to survive extreme changes in moisture and temperature.

For example, barnacles and mussels keep seawater in their closed shells so that they don’t dry out during low tide. Some sea stars and fish take refuge in tide pools — holes, cracks, or crevices that hold seawater — when the tide goes out. In sandy areas, animals can also bury themselves in the sand so that they can stay cool and moist during low tide.

The inhabitants of the intertidal zone also need to be able to withstand waves. Organisms such as kelp, mussels, and barnacles are able to anchor themselves to keep from getting carried away. Sea stars have tube feet that look like suction cups, isopods have hook-like legs, and mussels produce threads with “glue” that keep them tied to rocks.

The intertidal zone is further divided into three parts:

• The high tide zone is only covered with water at high tide, so it is hotter and drier than the other two parts.
• The middle tide zone is submerged and exposed for roughly equal amounts of time.
• The low tide zone is usually covered with water and is only exposed during low tide. It is the zone that has the highest biodiversity because it can be home to even those organisms that cannot tolerate exposure to air for long. There is more marine vegetation here because it is submerged but the water is shallow enough that plenty of light can reach them, allowing them to do photosynthesis. Intertidal coral reefs are usually found here as well.

Intertidal Zones: Study Notes from the DepEd Module

The intertidal zone is the area that is above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide. It is also known as the foreshore or seashore.

The different habitats found in intertidal zones include:

• Coral reefs
• Salt marshes
• Rocky shores
• Mangrove forests

Coral reefs – provide shelter to thousands of fish

• Corals are animals that feed on plankton.
• The reefs protect the coast from strong waves and currents.
• Reefs serve as the sanctuary for young fishes.
• fish – different kinds
• sea anemones

Salt marshes – filled with seawater during high tide and drained during low tide

• sea grasses
• other plants that are tolerant of saltwater

Mud flats or tidal flats – areas where mud from the seas or rivers is deposited

• migratory birds
• sand dollars
• Algae, like sea lettuce, provide food for the herbivores in this area.

Rocky shores – areas where solid rocks are found

• brittle stars
• hermit crab
• shore crabs

Mangrove forests – areas filled with mangrove trees

• These trees have adapted to saltwater.
• They serve as the breeding grounds for different kinds of fish and shellfish.

The abiotic factors that affect the organisms in intertidal zones are similar to those in estuaries:

• amount of sunlight
• temperature
• type of soil

The worksheets below are interactive “live worksheets” — they can be answered and corrected/submitted right on this page.

Printable (PDF) versions of these worksheets are also available for free download — just click on links provided before each worksheet.

Note on the Worksheets

You can reduce the size of the worksheet by zooming out your browser screen. For Windows users, scroll down the mouse wheel while pressing the Ctrl key in your keyboard. If there are any errors/glitches, just refresh and try again.

You can get a printable copy of this worksheet here: Intertidal Zone Habitats Worksheet PDF  

You can get a printable copy of this worksheet here: Estuaries and Intertidal Zone Worksheet PDF  

You can get a printable copy of this worksheet here: Estuaries and Intertidal Zone Biotic and Abiotic Factors Worksheet PDF  

You can get a printable copy of this worksheet here: Estuaries and Intertidal Zone Interaction of Biotic and Abiotic Factors Worksheet PDF  

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Estuaries Biome: Definition, Types & Climate - Quiz & Worksheet

• Quiz & Worksheet - Types & Features of Estuaries Quiz

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1. what is a characteristic common to most estuaries.

• Salinity changes greatly from the headwaters to the mouth.
• They are usually formed by glaciers carving out valleys.
• Temperature changes are not influenced by air temperature.
• They are very deep.

2. Why are estuaries economically important?

• They are good places to go water skiing.
• They produce many nutrients that are essential to humans.
• They are good places to build dams.
• Most of the fish and shellfish sold in the world live in estuaries at some point.

About This Quiz & Worksheet

Estuaries share many commonalities, but they also have some differences. These assessments will assist you with making sure you understand all the key factors that surround this subject. You will be put to the test on how estuaries help economies, the shared attributes of estuaries, and some of the familiar names of estuaries.

Quiz & Worksheet Goals

This quiz and worksheet will help you identify what you know about:

• The usual features of estuaries
• The significance of estuaries to economies throughout the world
• How a fjord is created
• Customary names for estuaries
• The definition of adapted

Skills Practiced

• Reading comprehension - ensure that you draw the most important information from the related lesson on types and features of estuaries
• Interpreting information - verify that you can read information regarding the economic importance of estuaries and interpret it correctly
• Defining key concepts - ensure that you can accurately define key terms, such as fjord

Additional Learning

To learn more about the different kinds and characteristics of estuaries, review the accompanying lesson called Estuaries Biome: Definition, Types & Climate. This lesson will aid you in comprehending the following:

• The definition of estuary
• Identifying the features of estuaries
• Learning the descriptions of various types of estuaries
• Comparing and contrasting the mouth of an estuary with the headwaters

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Three themed modules — Ocean Food Webs , Observations and Models , and Predators and Prey — contain 21 interactive investigations. These educational modules help high school students learn how scientist use models, or data rich representations of systems, to better understand and predict changes in environmental processes in the ocean, the weather, and climate. In these investigations, students use scientific data and models — the same ones NOAA scientists use — to explore human-caused changes in ocean ecosystems and the impacts these changes have on the animals in those ecosystems. The modules also include resources for educators, including student worksheets, NGSS alignment, and presentation graphics.

This guide includes eight elementary-level lessons, inspired by topics from the IMAX film Ocean Odyssey. Watching the film is not required for these lessons, but may enhance students’ learning experience of the topics presented in the activities. Educators can view a special extended preview offsite link of the film. Understanding the ocean and its ecosystems is essential to comprehending and protecting this planet. We must all be stewards for a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable ocean. The activities in this guide will help lead you and your students to learn more about our ocean planet, its myriad of wonders beneath the waves, and work to maintain healthy ecosystems that are resilient in the face of change.

Heat related illnesses and death are largely preventable with proper planning, education, and action. Heat.gov serves as the premier source of heat and health information for the nation to reduce the health, economic, and infrastructural impacts of extreme heat. Heat.gov is the web portal for the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS). This website includes data, forecasts, safety information, and much more.

Think about where you live. Have you ever been in a strong storm? Have you experienced flooding, a wildfire, or really hot days? These types of environmental hazards are happening more often because of climate change. Even though these events can be scary, there is so much you can do in your own community to make it better able to handle these challenges. When we work together to protect our communities from environmental hazards, we are building community resilience. In this activity book, you will learn all about community resilience and discover ways that you can make a difference. As you do the activities, keep track of your points. You will earn a badge at the end!

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Data in the Classroom has structured, student-directed lesson plans that use historical and real-time NOAA data. The five modules address research questions and include stepped levels of engagement with complex inquiry investigations with real-time and past data.

The Deep Ocean Education Project is a collaboration among NOAA Ocean Exploration, Ocean Exploration Trust, and Schmidt Ocean Institute featuring high-quality ocean exploration and science education materials from the three organizations. The Deep Ocean Education Project website – launched in 2021 – is built around themes that are easily searchable, address key ocean-related phenomena, and encourage and support three-dimensional approaches to teaching and learning for K-12 education. The objective is to provide a one-stop resource hub for public, educators, and students looking for deep-sea educational materials. The website also includes information on how to connect with research vessels, including a list of upcoming events and opportunities, and live feeds of expeditions.

Watch. Explore. Discover. View the beauty and mystery of the ocean realm captured on video around the globe. Videos are organized into collections to help educators.

This learning module is a cooperative effort between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NOAA’s National Ocean Service. It informs about sea level rise, its causes, and impacts; and challenges students to think about what they can do in response. This module features an integrated educational package of grade level-appropriate (6-12) instruction and activities centered on a 23-minute video presentation. Note that the video has scheduled pauses so educators may facilitate discussions of presented topics. Discussions will extend the total viewing time of the video.

SOS Explorer® (SOSx) is a flat screen version of the widely popular Science On a Sphere® (SOS). The revolutionary software takes SOS datasets, usually only seen on a 6-foot sphere in large museum spaces, and makes them more accessible. The visualizations show information provided by satellites, ground observations and computer models.

A map and compilation of the ancient and contemporary Hawaiian names by which the islands and atolls in Papahānaumokuākea are known.

Estuary Case Study | Marine Science Worksheet| Data Analysis | Bull Sharks

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How are species like oysters, sea grasses, and blue crabs affected by salinity changes in estuaries? What does euryhaline mean? Is bull shark behavior influenced by other predators? How can we study these things? Students are presented data and research methods for all of these questions in a large case study. Bull River Estuary is a fictional sub-topical estuary lined by mangroves and filled with lush seagrass beds, oyster reefs, and the bull sharks are abundant! The student handout is 8 pages long, plus 2 more pages of graphs.

If your students have a basic understanding of food webs, salinity, and what an estuary is, then this will work for any marine or environmental class. They'll stay busy for two full days learning all about the Bull River Estuary!

See preview for more details!

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View the Wild Blue Full Year Curriculum Guide for Marine Science to see a full list of the products offered for a Marine Science course, along with the lesson plans for each.

_________________________

Wild Blue Resources is not a big TPT store. Almost all of my resources offered are specifically for Marine Science courses, with a few Environmental resources as well. I am a veteran teacher and I have been teaching high school Marine Science for 20 years. My curriculum is created around what I have found (after 20 years) works best for on-level, non-advanced Marine Science classes. I create all of the content myself, and I have degrees in both Marine Science and Environmental Science. Like many of us, Marine Science is my passion :) I hope you find my resources valuable in your classroom!

___________________________

TERMS OF USE

This product is to be used by the original purchaser only, and is not to be shared with other teachers without purchasing additional licenses. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. Share setting on all documents included in this purchase must be set to private within your Google Drive. This resource is intended for classroom and personal use only and may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view to anyone aside from your students. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

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Data Nuggets

Bringing authentic research and data into K-16 classrooms

Urbanization and estuary eutrophication

Charles Hopkinson out taking dissolved O2 measurements.

The activities are as follows:

• Teacher Guide
• Student activity, Graph Type A, Level 4
• Student activity, Graph Type B, Level 4
• Student activity, Graph Type C, Level 4
• Grading Rubric

An estuary is a habitat formed where a freshwater river or stream meets a saltwater ocean. Many estuaries can be found along the Atlantic coast of North America. Reeds and grasses are the dominant type of plant in estuaries because they are able to tolerate and grow in the salty water. Where these reeds and grasses grow they form a special habitat called a salt marsh . Salt marshes are important because they filter polluted water and buffer the land from storms. Salt marshes are the habitat for many different kinds of plants, fish, shellfish, and birds.

Hap Garritt removing an oxygen logger from Middle Road Bridge in winter.

Scientists are worried because some salt marshes are in trouble! Runoff from rain washes nutrients, usually from lawn fertilizers and agriculture, from land and carries them to estuaries. When excess nutrients , such as nitrogen or phosphorus , enter an ecosystem the natural balance is disrupted. The ecosystem becomes more productive, called eutrophication . Eutrophication can cause major problems for estuaries and other habitats.

With more nutrients in the ecosystem, the growth of plants and algae explodes. During the day, algae photosynthesize and release O 2 as a byproduct. However, excess nutrients cause these same algae grow densely near the surface of the water, decreasing the light available to plants growing below the water on the soil surface. Without light, the plants die and are broken down by decomposers. Decomposers, such as bacteria, use a lot of O 2 because they respire as they break down plant material. Because there is so much dead plant material for decomposers, they use up most of the O 2 dissolved in the water. Eventually there is not enough O 2 for aquatic animals, such as fish and shellfish, and they begin to die-off as well.

Two features can be used to identify whether eutrophication is occurring. The first feature is low levels of dissolved O 2 in the water. The second feature is when there are large changes in the amount of dissolved O 2 from dawn to dusk. Remember, during the day when it’s sunny, photosynthesis converts CO 2 , water, and light into glucose and O 2 . Decomposition reverses the process, using glucose and O 2 and producing CO 2 and water. This means that when the sun is down at night, O 2 is not being added to the water from photosynthesis. However, O 2 is still being used for decomposition and respiration by animals and plants at night.

The scientists focused on two locations in the Plum Island Estuary and measured dissolved O 2 levels , or the amount of O 2 in the water. They looked at how the levels of O 2 changed throughout the day and night. They predicted that the upper part of the estuary would show the two features of eutrophication because it is located near an urban area. They also predicted the lower part of the estuary would not be affected by eutrophication because it was farther from urban areas.

A view of the Plum Island estuary

Featured scientists: Charles Hopkinson from University of Georgia and Hap Garritt from the  Marine Biological Laboratory Ecosystems Center

Flesch–Kincaid Reading Grade Level  = 9.6

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