Download Hydrosphere Webquest

Name: _______________________________________Date: _____________ Period: _______
Hydrosphere Webquest
Go to http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/riverbasins.html
1. What is the difference between a river basin and a watershed?
2. How many different river basins are in NC? In which river basin do you live?
Go to
http://www.eenorthcarolina.org/images/River%20Basin%20Images/final_web_capefear.pdf
3. “The __________-___________ (origin) of the basin are the ________ and
__________ rivers. These rivers ____________ in Chatham County just below B.
Everett ____________ ______ to form the Cape Fear River.”
4. Take a look at the inset article on page 2 titled, “Breaking Down Barriers.”
a. What was the purpose of the three lock-and-dam structures on the lower Cape
Fear River?
b. What does anadromous mean, and what are some examples of anadromous
fish?
c. Why are state and federal fisheries trying to have these dams removed?
d. Though the dams were not designed for water supply, which two cities draw
water from the impoundments?
5. “The river ends as a 35-mile-long coastal _______________ that is an important
_______________ area for juvenile fish, crabs and shrimp.”
6. “Estuaries, blackwater rivers and rocky streams in the basin support 42 rare aquatic
species.” Name five endangered species that live in or visit these waters.
7. Name two threatened species that live in or visit these areas, and tell what it means to
be considered threatened.
8. “The basin has 33 ________________, including B. Everett Jordan Reservoir
(“Jordan Lake”), the largest lake in the basin at 46,768 acres. Constructed in the
1970s, it is the main source of ____________ water for the town of Cary and a major
__________________ spot for the fast-growing ___________ region.”
9. “The most populated regions of the basin are in and near the ________ area
(Greensboro-High Point), the Durham-Chapel Hill area, Fayetteville and Wilmington.
The ____ counties contained within or overlapping the borders of the Cape Fear River
Basin are expected to grow in population from __ million to about __ million over the
next ____ years.”
10.“Large-scale livestock operations also compete for the region’s natural resources.”
What percent of the state’s total hog population is raised in the Cape Fear River
Basin?
11.“______________ and _____________ ____________ in runoff—from lawns, urban
developed areas, farm fields and livestock operations—increases the flow of
_______________ (such as ________________ and __________________) into
nearby waters. These nutrients can stimulate ___________ growth and decrease the
amount of _______________ that is available in the water for aquatic animals. Such
conditions can cause ___________ ________ and the loss of other vital aquatic
species.” (By the way, this process is called eutrophication!)
12.The state has designated Jordan Lake and the Haw River as “nutrient sensitive
waters.” How does this impact these two bodies of water?
13.What nearby river basin has experienced worse eutrophication problems than the Cape
Fear?
14.“Both regions, however, face similar pressures caused by ________________ source
pollution (polluted ______________ from _______). For example, _____________
__________ runoff makes the water ____________________ for various aquatic
species. Cities and towns throughout the river basin are developing strategies to
______________ and _____________ runoff.”
15.What are two ways in which individuals can help manage the quality and quantity of
runoff?
Go to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/heat-capacity.html
16.“Water has a high specific heat index.” What does that mean?
17.Give an example of how asphalt or metals have a low specific heat index compared to
water.
18.Why is the fish in the pond happy that water has a high specific heat capacity?
19.“The oceans and lakes help _______________ the temperature ranges that billions of
people experience in their towns and cities. Water surrounding or near cities takes
longer to ________ ____ and longer to ______ _______ than do _______ _________,
so cities near the ___________ will tend to have less __________ and less
__________ temperatures than __________ cities.”
20.Nebraska is a Midwest state, while Oregon is located on the West Coast next to the
Pacific Ocean. Although Oregon is higher in latitude, how do its summers and
winters compare with Nebraska’s?
Go to
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es1903/es1903page0
1.cfm and play the animation of land and sea breezes.
21.“Unequal ______________ of air over ________ and ___________ results in breezes
near shorelines. While the land is __________ during the _______, air above it
____________, and a _____________ ____________ blows _____ from the sea. As
the land ____________ off at ____________, air pressure over it _______________,
and a cool land breeze blows _______ to the sea.”
Go to http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/density.html
22.What is density?
23.Use the table to determine what happens to the density of water as its temperature
rises from 40oC to 100oC.
24.“Since water at about 39°F (4°C) is ______ dense than water at 32°F (0°C), in lakes
and other water bodies the ____________ water __________ below ______-dense
water.”
25.Why is ocean water denser than freshwater or pure water?
Go to http://www.geography.hunter.cuny.edu/tbw/wc.notes/7.circ.atm/ocean_currents.htm and
view the map of the world’s “Ocean Currents.”
26.What is the name of the current just off the East Coast of the United States? Infer
from the map why coastal waters along the East Coast are warm in the summer.
27.What is the name of the current just off the West Coast of the United States? Infer
from the map why surfers and swimmers typically wear wet suits when swimming off
the coast of Southern California in the summer.
Go to http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/ocean-currents-and-climate/
and watch the video on “Ocean Currents and Climate.” Then answer the questions below from
the passage below the video.
28.What five things power the ocean’s interconnected current, or circulation, system?
29.“The global conveyor belt includes both ___________ and _________ ocean currents
that circulate the globe in a _________-year cycle. The global conveyor belt’s
circulation is the result of two simultaneous processes: _______ ____________
currents carrying ________ ____________ water away from the __________ toward
the __________, and __________ ____________ ocean currents carrying
____________ water ___________ from the poles toward the Equator.”
30.The ocean’s global circulation system plays a key role in what three things?