Adventures Aquatic
BIOME EXPLORERS
Laura Perdew Illustrated by Lex Cornell
Adventures Aquatic
BIOME EXPLORERS
Laura Perdew Illustrated by Lex Cornell
Out on the ocean, exploring . . .
Feel the ocean spray against your face.
Taste the salt on your tongue. Breathe deep and smell the air.
On the horizon, see the whales! Hear them spout!
A biome is a community of plants and animals that live together in a certain climate.
Ahoy, biome explorer!
Grab a swimsuit and a life jacket because we’re on our way to study the largest of all of Earth’s biomes—WATER!
I bet you can predict what the main characteristic of this biome is.
Did you know there are two types of water biome?
Trickling creeks, glassy lakes, and raging rivers are all fresh water.
Oceans and seas with their crashing waves and rolling tides are salt water. The ocean can be refreshing to swim in, but don’t drink it—too salty.
The freshwater biome includes springs, streams, creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes, as well as some wetlands.
Before we take off, look at the map.
What do you notice?
Water, water EVERYWHERE!
This biome covers more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface.
On our boating adventure, we’ll visit both freshwater and saltwater biomes.
Almost all of Earth’s water is in the ocean— more than 96 percent.
Let’s launch our freshwater exploration on the banks of the mighty Mississippi River.
And it’s a BIG RIVER, isn’t it?
That’s because it rains A LOT in this river basin.
Hundreds of tributaries, from dozens of states, feed this river through spring, summer, fall, and winter.
NOW, ALL ABOARD!
The Mississippi River basin covers all or part of 32 states and two Canadian provinces.