Quiz Prep 1

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Across
  1. 3. The process by which subsurface water flows from aquifers or other saturated zones into surface systems such as springs, rivers, lakes, or oceans. It plays a key role in maintaining base flow and delivering nutrients and solutes to aquatic ecosystems.
  2. 6. A rapid proliferation of microscopic algae or cyanobacteria in an aquatic system, typically driven by nutrient enrichment (especially nitrogen and phosphorus). Blooms can produce toxins, block sunlight, and lead to hypoxic or anoxic conditions upon decomposition.
  3. 7. The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce food (glucose) and release oxygen.
  4. 9. Describes water or soil that contains a high concentration of nutrients (such as nitrogen and phosphorus) that promote plant and algal growth.
  5. 10. The point in the tidal cycle when the water level is at its lowest along the shore.
  6. 11. Tiny, often microscopic animals that drift in water currents and feed on phytoplankton or other small organisms. They form a vital part of aquatic food webs.
  7. 13. The condition in which the concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in water is lower than the saturation level expected under given temperature and pressure conditions. It often results from biological oxygen demand exceeding oxygen replenishment through diffusion or photosynthesis, and can stress or kill aerobic aquatic organisms.
  8. 15. The area of the shoreline that is exposed to the air at low tide and covered by water at high tide. It’s home to organisms adapted to both wet and dry conditions.
  9. 18. An optical property of water that describes the scattering of light by suspended particles such as silt, clay, plankton, or organic debris. High turbidity reduces light penetration, affecting photosynthesis and visual feeding in aquatic ecosystems.
  10. 20. The amount of oxygen gas present in water, essential for the survival of fish, plants, and other aquatic organisms.
Down
  1. 1. The process by which a body of water becomes enriched with nutrients (like nitrogen and phosphorus), leading to excessive plant and algal growth and a decrease in oxygen levels.
  2. 2. Refers to organisms whose internal body temperature varies with the ambient environmental temperature. Ectotherms regulate body temperature behaviorally (e.g., basking or seeking shade) rather than through internal metabolic heat production.
  3. 4. A tide with the greatest difference between high and low water levels. It happens when the sun, moon, and Earth are aligned (during new and full moons), which makes their gravitational pulls combine and strengthen the tides.
  4. 5. The point in the tidal cycle when the water level is at its highest along the shore.
  5. 8. A condition in which the level of dissolved oxygen in water becomes too low to support most aquatic life.
  6. 12. A tide with the least difference between high and low water levels
  7. 14. The regular rise and fall of sea level caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun on Earth’s oceans.
  8. 16. Zone An area in a body of water where oxygen levels are so low (often due to pollution and algal blooms) that most marine life cannot survive.
  9. 17. The gaseous envelope surrounding Earth, composed primarily of nitrogen (≈78%) and oxygen (≈21%), with trace amounts of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases. It mediates energy exchange, weather, and biogeochemical cycles essential to life.
  10. 19. The natural force of attraction between any two objects with mass. In the context of tides, it’s the pull of gravity from the moon (and to a lesser extent, the sun) that causes the ocean’s water to rise and fall.