What happens when rivers and oceans mix? Launch Lab

Name
Date
Class
C22L2
Launch Lab
LESSON 2: 10 minutes
What happens when rivers and oceans mix?
Freshwater and saltwater ecosystems have different characteristics. What happens in areas
where freshwater rivers and streams flow into oceans?
Procedure
1. Read and complete a lab safety form.
2. In a plastic tub, add 100 g of salt to
2 L of water. Stir with a long-handled
spoon until the salt dissolves.
3. In another container, add 5 drops
water. Gently pour the colored water
into one corner of the plastic tub.
Observe how the color of the water
changes in the tub.
4. Observe the tub again in 5 minutes.
of blue food coloring to 1 L of
Copyright © Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Data and Observations
Think About This
1. What bodies of water do the containers represent?
2. What happened to the water in the tub after 5 minutes? What do you think happens to
the salt content of the water?
3.
Key Concept How do you think the biodiversity of rivers and oceans differs?
What organisms do you think might live at the place where the two meet?
Biomes and Ecosystems
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