Dead Zones

Chemicals used on crops to control insects affect ocean ecosystems when they –

• are washed into oceans, adding harmful substances.

• alter the climate and change ocean temperature.

• are made by using the salt found in ocean water.

• make rain water more acidic, destroying coral reefs.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following observations would indicate that runoff from terrestrial environments is reaching the ocean?

• Accelerated growth of algae.

• Increase in primary consumers.

• Decrease in toxic chemicals.

• Lower levels of carbon dioxide.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

The water that drains or flows off, such as rain that flows off from the land into streams and eventually the ocean...

• runoff

• overfishing

• invasive species

• marine algae

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

An area in the ocean that becomes contaminated with fertilizer, over grows algae, becomes oxygen depleted, and causes many marine life to die-

• deadzone

• end zone

• gulf

• runoff

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-5

The map shows how rivers feed into the Gulf of Mexico.   Which of the following human activities will most likely introduce chemicals, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, into the Gulf of Mexico?

• Farming near the Missouri River

• Sport fishing on the Arkansas River

• Camping on the Mississippi River

• Logging near the Ohio River

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

Some areas of an ocean are known as dead zones. These zones form when excess organic material decomposes. This increased decomposition uses up the oxygen from the water.   Which human activity is most affected by the increasing number of dead zones in the ocean?

• Commercial fishing, because fish cannot survive without oxygen

• Offshore oil drilling, because water in dead zones is toxic

• Commercial shipping, because dead zones change the course of ocean currents

• Sand mining, because oxygen is not available to form the sands on ocean beaches

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS3-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Which of these human activities is most likely to cause the excessive growth of phytoplankton
in the world’s oceans?

• The use of chemical fertilizers that are carried by runoff into rivers

• The logging of old-growth forests, which results in erosion

• The spraying of chemical herbicides that reduce carbon dioxide in the air

• The mining of fossil fuels, which requires digging underground tunnels

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS2-1