Hydrosphere

1. Involves conserving and protecting something valuable, such as the planet, its ecosystems and natural resources
4. Any substance below 7 on the pH scale
5. A liquid that dissolves substances called solutes
6. Type of marine ecosystem that is controlled by movement of tides and contains a diverse array of well-adapted organisms due to the changing nature of the ecosystem
7. A measure of how suitable water may be for drinking
11. Oxygen Oxygen found in a body of water; measurements may be used to indicate the degree of health of the water
13. Valuable water resource on Earth; provides drinking water
15. The area of land drained by a river and its branches
16. scale The scale that is used to identify acids and bases (ranges from 0-14); acids are below 7, bases are above 7, neutral is equal to 7
17. All the water on or surrounding the surface of the planet (oceans, lakes, rivers, water in the atmosphere)
19. The area at the mouth of a river where its current meets the ocean; contains brackish (part fresh, part salt) water; acts as a marine habitat, buffer for pollutants, filter to remove run off pollution and breeding ground/nursery area for aquatic organisms
21. A process that occurs when less-dense surface water is drawn away from shore by currents and is replaced by cold, denser, more nutrient-rich water from below

2. Cycling of water (H2O) on Earth through a variety of processes
3. The area of land where surface water drains when the ground is unable to absorb it
8. Underground rock layer than contains a vital source of water for human consumption and use
9. Cloudy or opaque; due to stirred up sediment or particles in water
10. The process of purifying or clarifying water to make it more potable
12. Ocean Type of marine ecosystem that is often reliant on chemical energy and is independent of sunlight energy or photosynthetic producers
14. Refers to the amount of salt contained within a solution
18. Any substance above 7 on the pH scale
20. Ocean Type of marine ecosystem that relies on algae to act as producers and provide the majority of energy for the food chain; the majority of the world's oxygen is produced in this ecosystem