dissolved oxygen
All living things in the Chesapeake bay require what to thrive?
Oxygen! Animals use gills to extract oxygen from the water
What is the main cause of the Chesapeake Bay’s poor health?
Excess nutrients
Wetlands act like a ? Because they slow the flow of nutrients into the bay?
Sponge or buffer
Picture 1
Algae / algal blooms
Dissolved oxygen refers to the amount of oxygen present in _______ and is measured in mg/L.
Water
True or false:
higher water temperatures hold more oxygen
False! Cooler temperatures hold more oxygen.
What is the ”biggest driver of biodiversity loss on the planet” (after habitat destruction and greenhouse gases)
daily double
Nitrogen pollution
Thousands of aquatic species live and thrive in wetlands environment which makes it a feeding ground for larger animals. What do we call this process?
The food chain
Picture 2
Nutria
_______ and ________ are the two nutrients of concern in the bay.
nitrogen and phosphorus
hypoxia / hypoxic means…
Low oxygen (minimal, very little oxygen)
Three sources: runoff, wastewater treatment plants and ? are where nutrients in the bay come from
Air pollution
Name one thing that makes an invasive species
daily double for both
1. Not native to the region
2. Threaten native species by outcompeting them for resources
Picture 3:
Plankton
________ leads to algae blooms.
Excess nutrients in the water
Pycnocline is…
The boundary where fresh and saltwater meet
Algae blocks sunlight from getting to underwater grasses. What do we also call underwater grasses?
SAV / submerged aquatic vegetation
In the next 100 years, it is predicted that water levels will rise 1.3 ft to ?
Picture 4
Nitrogen cycle
Hundreds of fish, birds, and mammals depend on wetlands for a habitat. Humans rely on wetlands for ________ and ________?
Fishing and hunting
After Bacteria uses up oxygen to break down algae in the water, what happens to the aquatic life?
Animals suffocate from lack of oxygen
SAV and ? help contribute more oxygen into the waters of the bay.
Phytoplankton
What two things threaten wetlands the most?
Rising sea levels and invasive species
Picture 5
Photosynthesis
As sea level rises, so will _____ and ______!
Flooding and erosion