Name: _______________________________________ Period: ______
Hydrosphere Webquest
Go to NC River Basin Program
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
River Basin Interactive Map: Cape Fear
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
Name: _______________________________________ Period: ______
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 Specific Heat Capacity and Water
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
Name: _______________________________________ Period: ______
winters compare with Nebraska’s?
Go to
Weather STEM Land and Sea Breeze 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 USGS Water Density
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
EARTH HOW: The Major Ocean Currents of the World 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
RESOURCE LIBRARY VIDEO Ocean Currents and Climate and watch the video on
“Ocean Currents and Climate.” Then answer the questions below from the passage
below the video.
Name: _______________________________________ Period: ______
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?
a. __________________________________________________
b. __________________________________________________
c. __________________________________________________