Courtesy of Brianne Bobo:
It is said that the Hawaiian Islands are a result of the already formed volcanoes which resulted and formed mantle plume. Mantle plume is the “upwelling hot material from deep within the earth.” This is simply a theory that has experienced several negative comments and views toward this theory. One of the factors that could influence this theory is the idea of seismetic imagining. This simply means that the seismic waves that would be traced would settle the matter. The seismic waves travel from the earthquake through the mantle that is below the island of Hawaii. Although this idea forms of seismetic imaging, it is quite hard to place this device under or around the state of Hawaii. Instead, the network of recoverable seismeters are arranged on the ocean floor. With the help from both the seismeters on the ocean floor and on the island itself, it can be said that there is a matle plume on the ocean floor right below the island of Hawaii. It was discovered that it is nearly nine hundred miles into the mantle. Another way to discover this idea of mantle plume, was the scheme of shear waves. These are waves that travel slower off the earthquake, traveling through parts of the mantle. The images that they were able to see were three-dimensional figures of the mantle. The images that were found completely support the data and ideas of the plumes that are found in the lower mantle.
Hawaii’s origin, which is partly formed from volcanoes, has formed a trail in the mantle. The volcanoes are one of the features that occur around the plate boundaries and plate tectonics. The mantle plume has an unusual amount of hot rock within the mantle itself. These mantle plumes are the cause of volcanoes, more or less called hotspots. Hotspots are one of the reasons for the development of the Hawaiian Islands. The mantle plume theory discussed has supported evidence from the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount chain, which deals with the idea of the Hawaiian Islands. They were formed through these seamount chains, which is a underwater mountainous region.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters
Courtesy of Jahnna Rymer:
title: Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters
by Andy Coghlan
Source : WWW.NEWSCIENTIST. COM
Octopuses have been using coconut shells as a guarding place to keep them save. This is the first attempt of tool use seen by scientists in invertebrate animals. People living in Indonesian coastal villages discard coconut shells into the sea after use. When the octopuses come across these on the seabed, they drape their bodies over and around the shells, hollow-side up, leaving their eight arms dangling over the edges. The octopuses then lift the shells by making their arms rigid, before tiptoeing away in a maneuver. When the octopuses feel threatened, they flip the half shells over themselves and hide.
Finn the scientist, who made this study, argues that the behavior qualifies as tool use for a number of reasons. “First, he states that the shells are not permanent homes like those occupied by hermit crabs, but are carried around for future use. Also, it is a costly behavior for the octopus, both in terms of energy use and in potentially making the octopuses more vulnerable to attack.” The only issue with this assumption is that, there are uncertainties about whether the octopuses have learned this behavior by observing others, or by working it out for themselves in each case. "The finding is remarkable, particularly as the octopus transports the tool for future use," says Christopher Bird of Imperial College London, who studies tool use in rooks. "But simply observing tool use in the wild doesn't necessarily mean that the animal is cognitively sophisticated, as we don't know how the behavior developed."
This is an important article because it shows how many humans are affecting animals with contamination of the planet. It is also very important because it allows us to see how marine animals are becoming used to the contaminants that are placed In the ocean. Although marine animals might seem to be adapting to the changes in the ecosystem and to the things we throw in the ocean it is not a good thing to have, even if the octopus makes a good use of it. This scientific discovery allows for both an awareness of the magnificence and intelligence of organisms as well the environmental awareness of how our actions are affecting all organisms that live on the planet.
title: Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters
by Andy Coghlan
Source : WWW.NEWSCIENTIST. COM
Octopuses have been using coconut shells as a guarding place to keep them save. This is the first attempt of tool use seen by scientists in invertebrate animals. People living in Indonesian coastal villages discard coconut shells into the sea after use. When the octopuses come across these on the seabed, they drape their bodies over and around the shells, hollow-side up, leaving their eight arms dangling over the edges. The octopuses then lift the shells by making their arms rigid, before tiptoeing away in a maneuver. When the octopuses feel threatened, they flip the half shells over themselves and hide.
Finn the scientist, who made this study, argues that the behavior qualifies as tool use for a number of reasons. “First, he states that the shells are not permanent homes like those occupied by hermit crabs, but are carried around for future use. Also, it is a costly behavior for the octopus, both in terms of energy use and in potentially making the octopuses more vulnerable to attack.” The only issue with this assumption is that, there are uncertainties about whether the octopuses have learned this behavior by observing others, or by working it out for themselves in each case. "The finding is remarkable, particularly as the octopus transports the tool for future use," says Christopher Bird of Imperial College London, who studies tool use in rooks. "But simply observing tool use in the wild doesn't necessarily mean that the animal is cognitively sophisticated, as we don't know how the behavior developed."
This is an important article because it shows how many humans are affecting animals with contamination of the planet. It is also very important because it allows us to see how marine animals are becoming used to the contaminants that are placed In the ocean. Although marine animals might seem to be adapting to the changes in the ecosystem and to the things we throw in the ocean it is not a good thing to have, even if the octopus makes a good use of it. This scientific discovery allows for both an awareness of the magnificence and intelligence of organisms as well the environmental awareness of how our actions are affecting all organisms that live on the planet.
“Underwater Data Back Up Theory of Hawaii’s Origin” by Henry Fountain, New York Times
Andrew Robertshaw
It has always been thought that the Hawaiian Islands are volcanoes that have formed as a result of a mantle plume. A mantle plume is an upwelling of hot material from deep within the earth. This idea is just a theory, which is a well tested and almost proven hypothesis. A hypothesis is only a question posed once observations have been made and data has been collected. This relates to our class discussions and assignments dealing with the scientific method.
Cecily J. Wolfe of the University of Hawaii has said that “People have been waiting for the high-resolution seismic imaging”. This means that we want to be 100% sure that our theory on the Hawaiian Island is correct, and this technology could ultimately make this a reality. It has also been said that seismometers would be a vital aspect in proving this theory due to the fact that they can show how the seismic waves from earthquakes travel through the mantle below Hawaii.
My research paper was focused on seismometers and the way work, so this directly relates to the research I did. Some of my research included ocean bottom seismometer technology, which would serve as the main technology in the Hawaiian Islands theory. This was been a problem due to the fact that putting these seismometers on the ocean floor near Hawaii was very difficult and called for advanced technology. This was eventually made possible by a network of seismometers that was put in place due to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Through the new technology of the ocean bottom seismometer system and the seismometers on the island, the data collected definitely supports the theory of a mantle plume under the Hawaiian Islands. This plume is also very deep, maxing out at least 900 miles into the earth’s mantle. By using the data from earthquakes recorded in Hawaii’s area of a 5.5 magnitude or higher, researchers were able to put together 3-D images of the mantle. Those images showed a mantle plume, and how deep it actually was.
It has always been thought that the Hawaiian Islands are volcanoes that have formed as a result of a mantle plume. A mantle plume is an upwelling of hot material from deep within the earth. This idea is just a theory, which is a well tested and almost proven hypothesis. A hypothesis is only a question posed once observations have been made and data has been collected. This relates to our class discussions and assignments dealing with the scientific method.
Cecily J. Wolfe of the University of Hawaii has said that “People have been waiting for the high-resolution seismic imaging”. This means that we want to be 100% sure that our theory on the Hawaiian Island is correct, and this technology could ultimately make this a reality. It has also been said that seismometers would be a vital aspect in proving this theory due to the fact that they can show how the seismic waves from earthquakes travel through the mantle below Hawaii.
My research paper was focused on seismometers and the way work, so this directly relates to the research I did. Some of my research included ocean bottom seismometer technology, which would serve as the main technology in the Hawaiian Islands theory. This was been a problem due to the fact that putting these seismometers on the ocean floor near Hawaii was very difficult and called for advanced technology. This was eventually made possible by a network of seismometers that was put in place due to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
Through the new technology of the ocean bottom seismometer system and the seismometers on the island, the data collected definitely supports the theory of a mantle plume under the Hawaiian Islands. This plume is also very deep, maxing out at least 900 miles into the earth’s mantle. By using the data from earthquakes recorded in Hawaii’s area of a 5.5 magnitude or higher, researchers were able to put together 3-D images of the mantle. Those images showed a mantle plume, and how deep it actually was.
Tourists Numbers Rise, Antarctica Tightens Shipping Control
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34399680/ns/world_news-world_environment/
Over the past few years, Antarctica has been forced to tighten their shipping controls as tourist numbers have been steadily rising. Although the worldwide economy is in bad shape, there is alot of shipping that still takes place in the world and measures have been taken to ensure a reduced risk of human and environmental disaster. All vessels must now have hulls strengthened to withstand ice of the sea. Almost fifty nations signed the Antarctic Treaty, the world's main tool in managing the continent. The Polar Code will operate under a voluntary basis until it's ratified by treaty states and becomes binding. There was rules about leaving garbage or human waste behind on boats, but never really anything that said what kind of boats could use the water or what kind of fuel could be used. These are most important factors in determining the health and future vitality of the ocean. Heavy fuel oil will not longer allowed to be used in the Antarctic Ocean come 2013. This will have a major effect on the ocean as it will probably allow for more life to flourish in the ocean and the water supply will remain fresh and useful to us. The safeguards also serve the purpose to limit accidents in the region where heavy sleet, ice and fog pose major problems for ships, which could lead to accidents, which leads to a breakdown of the ship in the ocean, which leads to problems for rescuers and environmentalists alike. Tourist numbers have quadrupled in the region since ten years ago. This means alot more ships traveling in the ocean, alot more chemicals dumped into the ocean, and alot more potential garbage thrown overboard ships from careless consumers. The Treaty has been in the works for over fifty years, and it has just currently reached its forty-seventh signature.
Over the past few years, Antarctica has been forced to tighten their shipping controls as tourist numbers have been steadily rising. Although the worldwide economy is in bad shape, there is alot of shipping that still takes place in the world and measures have been taken to ensure a reduced risk of human and environmental disaster. All vessels must now have hulls strengthened to withstand ice of the sea. Almost fifty nations signed the Antarctic Treaty, the world's main tool in managing the continent. The Polar Code will operate under a voluntary basis until it's ratified by treaty states and becomes binding. There was rules about leaving garbage or human waste behind on boats, but never really anything that said what kind of boats could use the water or what kind of fuel could be used. These are most important factors in determining the health and future vitality of the ocean. Heavy fuel oil will not longer allowed to be used in the Antarctic Ocean come 2013. This will have a major effect on the ocean as it will probably allow for more life to flourish in the ocean and the water supply will remain fresh and useful to us. The safeguards also serve the purpose to limit accidents in the region where heavy sleet, ice and fog pose major problems for ships, which could lead to accidents, which leads to a breakdown of the ship in the ocean, which leads to problems for rescuers and environmentalists alike. Tourist numbers have quadrupled in the region since ten years ago. This means alot more ships traveling in the ocean, alot more chemicals dumped into the ocean, and alot more potential garbage thrown overboard ships from careless consumers. The Treaty has been in the works for over fifty years, and it has just currently reached its forty-seventh signature.
Climate Talks Stall Briefly as Poorer Nations Walk Out
International climate negotiations were halted for several hours on Monday when dozens of developing countries, including China and India, refused to take part, saying that the world’s richer countries were not doing enough to cut their greenhouse gas emissions.
The move was mostly tactical as the climate talks entered a more serious week, by the afternoon representatives from developing countries said they were ready to turn the stakes. Still, the threat of nonparticipation from richer and poorer nations caused problems.
"The plenary was suspended," said John Hay, spokesman for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the body sponsoring the negotiations. "The plenary was suspended. A slew of technical meetings have not taken place. Its an indication of how adamant the G-77 are about these issues."
This group of 77 nations includes most the world’s poorest countries. Not only does it include the poor nations it includes major economies such as China and India.
The Chief negotiator for India said that the group’s representatives were growing frustrated with how the conference leaders had been conducting negations.
Jake Schmidt, director of international climate programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “This is all part of the negotiating dynamic, especially as you get close to the end game.”
The industrialized countries would spend $350 million over five years — $85 million of it coming from the United States — to spread renewable and nonpolluting energy technology in developing countries.
The depth of feeling about climate issues was clear Saturday when the police and organizers estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 participants joined a long march from Christiansborg Slotsplads, or Castle Square, southward to the Bella Center.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/science/earth/15climate.html?_r=1&ref=earth
The move was mostly tactical as the climate talks entered a more serious week, by the afternoon representatives from developing countries said they were ready to turn the stakes. Still, the threat of nonparticipation from richer and poorer nations caused problems.
"The plenary was suspended," said John Hay, spokesman for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the body sponsoring the negotiations. "The plenary was suspended. A slew of technical meetings have not taken place. Its an indication of how adamant the G-77 are about these issues."
This group of 77 nations includes most the world’s poorest countries. Not only does it include the poor nations it includes major economies such as China and India.
The Chief negotiator for India said that the group’s representatives were growing frustrated with how the conference leaders had been conducting negations.
Jake Schmidt, director of international climate programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said, “This is all part of the negotiating dynamic, especially as you get close to the end game.”
The industrialized countries would spend $350 million over five years — $85 million of it coming from the United States — to spread renewable and nonpolluting energy technology in developing countries.
The depth of feeling about climate issues was clear Saturday when the police and organizers estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 participants joined a long march from Christiansborg Slotsplads, or Castle Square, southward to the Bella Center.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/science/earth/15climate.html?_r=1&ref=earth
El Alto Bolivia
New York Times article “In Bolivia, Water and Ice Tell A Story of a Changing Climate” printed on Monday December 14th 2009 speaks of the threat of global warming. The threat in El Alto Bolivia deals with melting glaciers and the receding of the Milluni reservoir. The Glaciers provide parts of Bolivia with water and electricity. Some fear with the melting and possible disappearance of the glaciers could bring an end to some communities, such as El Alto. El Alto, a “poor sister city” of La Paz, could perhaps “be the first large urban casualty of climate change”. This fear of receding glaciers threatens more than El Alto. The existent climate change occurring threaten many glaciers in the Andes. A report made by World Bank suggests that the glaciers of the Andes could be eliminated somewhere in the next twenty years. A suggestion that threatens roughly one hundred million people. The glaciers receding and what will be done to help these poor countries dealing with a major crisis of what to do about water supply is a topic for debate in Copenhagen. Poor countries are asking for economical support from the rich countries. The United Sates and the European Union have both offered to give their share of support. The European Union made a pledge to pay at least 3.5 billion dollars. However the estimated price needed to support these poor countries in danger has been projected by economists to be one hundred billion dollars if not more than that. It is countries like Bolivia that have been the voice of poor nations being threatened by potentially climate induced catastrophes that have made demands from the wealthier nations and have even suggested that the poor countries stage a walk out in Copenhagen if they do not receive enough support from the wealthy countries. Climate change is occurring more rapidly than we once may have thought. Edson Ramirez, a Bolivian glaciologist, said he had predicted that one glacier, known as Chacaltaya, would disappear by the year 2020. However the Chacaltaya disappeared this year. The effects of global warming are evident and more threatening now, and not just a threat to come in the future. A decision must be made if the wealthy countries will help places like El Alto Bolivia survive or if the money would just add to what Todd Stern, lead negotiator for the United States, calls climate debt.
A Unique Geography -- and Soot and Dust -- Conspire Against Himalayan Glaciers
This article begins to discuss how no other place could possibly produce such a powerful atmospheric heat pump as the Himalayas. This is in reference to the rapid retreat of the glaciers in recent years. These mountains hold 10,000 glaciers that are melting more rapidly than in recent years. To the north of the Himalayas lies the Tibetan Plateau, to the west is deserts, and to the south is a bowl-like basin. The ice breaks off and and travels down the mountain through creviced valleys. The ice begins to thaw and add to lakes streams and rivers in the spring when the monsoon carries moist air from the Indeans Ocean. A little south of the Himalayas lies the Indo-Gangetic plain which is one of the most fertile and highly populated cities. As a result of this, there is much air pollution with a steady supply of industrial soot mixed with ash and other particles. To the west, the Thar Desert consists of arid dusty land. During the spring, dust and sand are picked up and pulled into the atmosphere. All of the pllutants join together to create a large, brown cloud that can be seen from space. This creates a blockade for solar radiation that actually causes the land surface to cool, although it absorbs it also. This heats up the air around the Himalayan foothills and actually forces moisture and hot air up the mountains. This is what the beginning of the article was referring to when making reference to a "heat pump." This endless cycle is detrimental to the people and geography of the Himalayas. The people depending on the bodies of water in that area suffer as a result.
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/terrain-heat-pump.html
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/terrain-heat-pump.html
Bonneville salt flats
Courtesy of John Heidenstrom:
Many people have heard of the Bonneville Salt Flats. But how they were created is a fact that usually gets left out. The salt flats are exactly what they sound like; they are a large flat surface of slightly hardened salt. This is the result of an ancient lake (Lake Bonneville) that dried up and what’s left behind what the large amount of potassium, magnesium lithium and sodium chloride (common table salt). At a glance it looks like a large snowy field. The Bonneville salt flats are so big that people say they can actually see the curve in the earth on them. Think of what you see when you look at the ocean for an example of seeing the curve in the earth. Ancient lake Bonneville was estimated to be the size of the current Lake Michigan and take up most of what is now Utah and some of its surrounding states. The current salt bed covers 159 square miles. It is fascinating that there was lake in a place that is now so hot and arid. It is also true that there was a lake of a similar size over parts of upstate New York called Lake Albany. The Bonneville salt flats are not the only salt flats on earth. There is an even larger salt flat in Botswana Africa. This is not used for racing for a lot of reasons but the biggest is that it’s just not a flat and predictable as Bonneville. The main reason that it is so flat is that in the winter there is a thin layer of water that covers most of the salt flats and that is what keeps it smooth for the speed freaks year after year. Naturally the large flat surface of Bonneville has attracted the inhabitance of humans. Being on the salt flats for any period of time is said to be a quite unpleasant experience. That has not stopped speed freaks from driving all types of crazy cars trying to set speed records. The vast and seemingly unending straightness of the salt flats allows people to drive all types of high performance land based vehicles at speeds that are too dangerous anyplace else in the world. This has lead to the creation of numerous organizations and events that are all about driving fast on the salt flats. The Bonneville salt flats are a very unique peace of landscape. The way that it was created seems controversial based on the research that I have done. The reason the lake dried up is mostly based of the change in climate. The region that it is in is very hot and without water in the summer.
Many people have heard of the Bonneville Salt Flats. But how they were created is a fact that usually gets left out. The salt flats are exactly what they sound like; they are a large flat surface of slightly hardened salt. This is the result of an ancient lake (Lake Bonneville) that dried up and what’s left behind what the large amount of potassium, magnesium lithium and sodium chloride (common table salt). At a glance it looks like a large snowy field. The Bonneville salt flats are so big that people say they can actually see the curve in the earth on them. Think of what you see when you look at the ocean for an example of seeing the curve in the earth. Ancient lake Bonneville was estimated to be the size of the current Lake Michigan and take up most of what is now Utah and some of its surrounding states. The current salt bed covers 159 square miles. It is fascinating that there was lake in a place that is now so hot and arid. It is also true that there was a lake of a similar size over parts of upstate New York called Lake Albany. The Bonneville salt flats are not the only salt flats on earth. There is an even larger salt flat in Botswana Africa. This is not used for racing for a lot of reasons but the biggest is that it’s just not a flat and predictable as Bonneville. The main reason that it is so flat is that in the winter there is a thin layer of water that covers most of the salt flats and that is what keeps it smooth for the speed freaks year after year. Naturally the large flat surface of Bonneville has attracted the inhabitance of humans. Being on the salt flats for any period of time is said to be a quite unpleasant experience. That has not stopped speed freaks from driving all types of crazy cars trying to set speed records. The vast and seemingly unending straightness of the salt flats allows people to drive all types of high performance land based vehicles at speeds that are too dangerous anyplace else in the world. This has lead to the creation of numerous organizations and events that are all about driving fast on the salt flats. The Bonneville salt flats are a very unique peace of landscape. The way that it was created seems controversial based on the research that I have done. The reason the lake dried up is mostly based of the change in climate. The region that it is in is very hot and without water in the summer.
"MOUNT KILIMANJARO COULD SOON BE BALD"
“The famed snows of Kilimanjaro may soon appear only in old tourist photos”. It has been predicted that the snowy mountaintops of Earth’s largest and tallest mountains, such as Kilimanjaro, will soon melt away. The article states, “the warming climate of recent decades has caused high-altitude glaciers worldwide, and especially those in tropical areas, to shrink substantially”. Over one quarter of the ice that was once present has now melted away since 2000. Kilimanjaro’s snow has been melting dramatically over the decades on continues to get worse. The annual rate of ice loss recorded in 2007 was 2.4 percent compared to 1950 which was 1.1 percent then 1.4 percent in 1980. Kilimanjaro has lost approximately 5.1 of ice thickness. The ice used to reflect the sun’s heat but now the suns heat is being absorbed by the dark rocks of the mountain that lie underneath the ice. So the mountain is heating up and the snow is melting even quicker.
It was reported that the ice only started melting in recent decades, which possibly means that the melting of Kilimanjaro could be a result of global warming. The issue that derives from this is that some of the runoff water that was created from the snow will no longer be available. Thankfully there are alternatives and the society in the regions are not dependent on Kilimanjaro’s snow. Therefore there is no serious damage done by the melting of the snow on Kilimanjaro but “lessons learned from field studies there could help scientists better predict when glaciers elsewhere in the tropics — many of which people depend on for water — will eventually disappear.”
“In Bolivia, Water and Ice Tell of Climate Change”
Courtesy of Aubrey Bobo:
In El Alto, Bolivia, Celia Cruz’s water tap across from her mud-walled home dried up in September. She no longer has water near her home, she has to go on daily pilgrimages to better-off-neighborhoods to retreive her water elsewhere. She has lived in El Alto for 10 years and he husband has a decent job, but they cannot buy water. They are thinking about moving back to the countryside. Two years ago there were no problems for Celia Cruz and her family, but two years later they cannot live without water. The glaciers that have provided them with water and electricity to Bolivia are starting to melt and disappear, they are vicitims of global warming. In a report that was taken last year, with climate change happening as is, many glaciers could be eliminated in the Andes within the next 20 years, which would threaten amost 100 million lives. The central focus is how to address the needs of the dozen of countries that are dealing with the climate change. World leaders in the rich nations, need to provide money and technology to the less fortunate countries to help adapt to the problems they are having. There was discussion by some of the poor countries if they would stage a walk-out if the rich nations refused to provide enough money to help them with their problems. Recently, the European Union agreed to pay 3.5 billion dollars for the next three years to help out the poor countries. They are initiating the help to the poorer nations. Bolivia is very concerned with this problem and they are demanding financial help to be paid in full and rapidly. They are nervous about the climate change and they need the help from the rich countries. The effects of climate change are happening so fast that they are not able to respond to them, reservoirs take five to seven years to build and they need more immediate help. People in these poor countries are already a at-risk population and now you are adding the stress of climate change to their lives. For residents that are in Bolivia and other poor countries, they are having negative consequences from the climate change that is happening from the glaciers and other sources.
In El Alto, Bolivia, Celia Cruz’s water tap across from her mud-walled home dried up in September. She no longer has water near her home, she has to go on daily pilgrimages to better-off-neighborhoods to retreive her water elsewhere. She has lived in El Alto for 10 years and he husband has a decent job, but they cannot buy water. They are thinking about moving back to the countryside. Two years ago there were no problems for Celia Cruz and her family, but two years later they cannot live without water. The glaciers that have provided them with water and electricity to Bolivia are starting to melt and disappear, they are vicitims of global warming. In a report that was taken last year, with climate change happening as is, many glaciers could be eliminated in the Andes within the next 20 years, which would threaten amost 100 million lives. The central focus is how to address the needs of the dozen of countries that are dealing with the climate change. World leaders in the rich nations, need to provide money and technology to the less fortunate countries to help adapt to the problems they are having. There was discussion by some of the poor countries if they would stage a walk-out if the rich nations refused to provide enough money to help them with their problems. Recently, the European Union agreed to pay 3.5 billion dollars for the next three years to help out the poor countries. They are initiating the help to the poorer nations. Bolivia is very concerned with this problem and they are demanding financial help to be paid in full and rapidly. They are nervous about the climate change and they need the help from the rich countries. The effects of climate change are happening so fast that they are not able to respond to them, reservoirs take five to seven years to build and they need more immediate help. People in these poor countries are already a at-risk population and now you are adding the stress of climate change to their lives. For residents that are in Bolivia and other poor countries, they are having negative consequences from the climate change that is happening from the glaciers and other sources.
‘Smart’ Electric Utility Meters, Intended to Create Savings, Instead Prompt Revolt
Courtesy of Caitlin Calahan:
“Millions of households across America are taking a first step into the world of the “smart grid,” as their power companies install meters that can tell them how much electricity they are using hour by hour — and sometimes, appliance by appliance. But not everyone is happy about it.”
Smart meters are part of the smart grid which is a system that delivers “electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to control appliances at consumers' homes to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency.”
These meters will allow households to see the price for the energy they are using per hour and its fluctuating rates in the market at different times of the day. They are aimed at saving consumers money. The meters will also aid in the incorporation of new energy sources such as wind, water, and solar energy. Consumers can save money by turning off utilities during peak periods of the day, ultimately saving them money because when less people demand electricity fewer plants will need to be operating, thus lowering costs.
The idea of these meters sounds good, but many people in California are unhappy and believe they are being charged at higher rates than based on their actual usage. For example, “at one (hearing) in Fresno, Calif., Leo Margosian, a retired investigator, testified that the new meter logged the consumption of his two-bedroom townhouse at 791 kilowatt-hours in July, up from 236 a year earlier. And he had recently insulated his attic and installed new windows, Mr. Margosian said.”
Benefits are expected to occur at the second and third stages after the cost of transition. But with our current recession, more people are worried to spend their money on a smart meter now if returns will not occur for some period of time.
Investing in energy resources, research and new ways to save energy such as smart grid is important for not only our country, but the world. Saving energy can lead to less pollution by power plants and homes and indirectly helps keep the atmosphere cleaner and our hydrosphere safer.
“But today, reining in energy consumption is less of a corporate priority: generating capacity is in surplus in almost all parts of the United States because the recession has shuttered so many factories. And in swaths of the eastern United States, the wholesale price difference between peak and off-peak demand is far smaller lately.”
Although smart grid and other programs are aimed to save energy and reduce costs, many homes and businesses are not buying due to the recession and current low prices. On a positive note, “among residential customers who volunteered for a test program (for smart meters) in California last summer, 70 percent saved money and 97 percent said they were satisfied with the program and wanted to stay in it, Mr. Tang of PG&E said.” Progress is being made which will only benefit our atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14meters.html?_r=1&ref=science (article)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid
“Millions of households across America are taking a first step into the world of the “smart grid,” as their power companies install meters that can tell them how much electricity they are using hour by hour — and sometimes, appliance by appliance. But not everyone is happy about it.”
Smart meters are part of the smart grid which is a system that delivers “electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology to control appliances at consumers' homes to save energy, reduce cost and increase reliability and transparency.”
These meters will allow households to see the price for the energy they are using per hour and its fluctuating rates in the market at different times of the day. They are aimed at saving consumers money. The meters will also aid in the incorporation of new energy sources such as wind, water, and solar energy. Consumers can save money by turning off utilities during peak periods of the day, ultimately saving them money because when less people demand electricity fewer plants will need to be operating, thus lowering costs.
The idea of these meters sounds good, but many people in California are unhappy and believe they are being charged at higher rates than based on their actual usage. For example, “at one (hearing) in Fresno, Calif., Leo Margosian, a retired investigator, testified that the new meter logged the consumption of his two-bedroom townhouse at 791 kilowatt-hours in July, up from 236 a year earlier. And he had recently insulated his attic and installed new windows, Mr. Margosian said.”
Benefits are expected to occur at the second and third stages after the cost of transition. But with our current recession, more people are worried to spend their money on a smart meter now if returns will not occur for some period of time.
Investing in energy resources, research and new ways to save energy such as smart grid is important for not only our country, but the world. Saving energy can lead to less pollution by power plants and homes and indirectly helps keep the atmosphere cleaner and our hydrosphere safer.
“But today, reining in energy consumption is less of a corporate priority: generating capacity is in surplus in almost all parts of the United States because the recession has shuttered so many factories. And in swaths of the eastern United States, the wholesale price difference between peak and off-peak demand is far smaller lately.”
Although smart grid and other programs are aimed to save energy and reduce costs, many homes and businesses are not buying due to the recession and current low prices. On a positive note, “among residential customers who volunteered for a test program (for smart meters) in California last summer, 70 percent saved money and 97 percent said they were satisfied with the program and wanted to stay in it, Mr. Tang of PG&E said.” Progress is being made which will only benefit our atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.
Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/14/us/14meters.html?_r=1&ref=science (article)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid
A delicate balance of sexual identity
Courtesy of Jahnna Rymer:
Source :Science
Title: A delicate balance of sexual identity
By: Gretchen Vogel
The difference between male and female is smaller than imagined on a cellular level. Rearchers have found that they can change ovary cells into testicular cells in mice by turning off a single gene. This discovery is the basis for new insights into the evolution of sex differences, and it may help doctors better understands sexual identity disorders and why some women go through early menopause.
It is known that the gene responsible for the fate switch, called Foxl2, was important to ovarian cells. Recent experiments with the gene have led to confusing results; female mice lacking the gene developed perfectly normal ovaries. After birth, however, the animals' ovaries started to deteriorate. But it was not clear what was going wrong. In order to find out what was wrong, scientists developed genetically engineered a mouse in which they could selectively turn off the Foxl2 gene in adult ovaries. With the gene inactive, a dramatic change took place in the female mice. Within 3 weeks, their ovaries were full of tube like structures usually found in testicle tissue. Researchers found that the ovarian cells were displaying the characteristics of several types of testicle cells although there was no sperm present.
Foxl2, it seems, is part of a larger genetic pathway that controls the identity of cells in the ovaries and testis. The researchers found that the protein made by the gene suppresses the activity of another gene called Sox9, which prompts the development of testicular cells. The study might create a pathway for researchers studying early ovarian failure, which causes some women to undergo early menopause. And it may also help explain why some children develop sexual characteristics that don't match their chromosomal gender.
This is an important research because it may lead to better understanding of many health issues that are currently affecting women as well as better understanding the human body and its complexity. This will bring new knowledge and broaden our view and knowledge of the people that surround us.
Source :Science
Title: A delicate balance of sexual identity
By: Gretchen Vogel
The difference between male and female is smaller than imagined on a cellular level. Rearchers have found that they can change ovary cells into testicular cells in mice by turning off a single gene. This discovery is the basis for new insights into the evolution of sex differences, and it may help doctors better understands sexual identity disorders and why some women go through early menopause.
It is known that the gene responsible for the fate switch, called Foxl2, was important to ovarian cells. Recent experiments with the gene have led to confusing results; female mice lacking the gene developed perfectly normal ovaries. After birth, however, the animals' ovaries started to deteriorate. But it was not clear what was going wrong. In order to find out what was wrong, scientists developed genetically engineered a mouse in which they could selectively turn off the Foxl2 gene in adult ovaries. With the gene inactive, a dramatic change took place in the female mice. Within 3 weeks, their ovaries were full of tube like structures usually found in testicle tissue. Researchers found that the ovarian cells were displaying the characteristics of several types of testicle cells although there was no sperm present.
Foxl2, it seems, is part of a larger genetic pathway that controls the identity of cells in the ovaries and testis. The researchers found that the protein made by the gene suppresses the activity of another gene called Sox9, which prompts the development of testicular cells. The study might create a pathway for researchers studying early ovarian failure, which causes some women to undergo early menopause. And it may also help explain why some children develop sexual characteristics that don't match their chromosomal gender.
This is an important research because it may lead to better understanding of many health issues that are currently affecting women as well as better understanding the human body and its complexity. This will bring new knowledge and broaden our view and knowledge of the people that surround us.
“Quake Threat Leads Swiss to Close Geothermal Project”
Courtesy of Doug Johnson
(from NY Times, December 10, 2009)
I have recently completed a project on prediction of earthquakes, and lucky me, there is news of earthquakes in Basel, Switzerland. I thought this might have something to do with earthquake prediction, as this 60 million dollar plant was closed. It was my belief that it was due to a possible upcoming quake, but as I read on, I found that it was a result of the work going on in the plant that has caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the past few years. The man in charge of this geothermal energy project, Markus O. Haring, is going to trial this week facing criminal charges. The recent events in Switzerland are seen as a major setback to those that are for using geothermal energy as an alternative source.
The United States is also involved in geothermal energy, as a company known as AltaRock (located in California) is the country’s first test of this new form of energy. This project is very similar to the Basel project, and involves drilling miles underground past the hot bedrock, and pumping in water to create steam. As for the fault located near Basel, it is highly unlikely that the project could cause a slip in the rock and trigger a major quake. Unfortunately, it is possible that it could cause an earthquake large enough to cause around half a billion dollars worth in damage. With this kind of threat, it may be more of a risk having the plant open than it’s worth. Geothermal energy should still work in less populated areas, and the way I see it, the bedrock of earth can be reached from anywhere, so why not just move the operation? The plant in California is undergoing inspection in the wake of these events, but should continue operation. I would imagine that the houses in this part of the country are built to withstand small earthquakes, as they experience more than their fair share of them every year. As for those in Switzerland, they can breathe easier now that the millions of dollars in damage each year may finally come to a halt.
(from NY Times, December 10, 2009)
I have recently completed a project on prediction of earthquakes, and lucky me, there is news of earthquakes in Basel, Switzerland. I thought this might have something to do with earthquake prediction, as this 60 million dollar plant was closed. It was my belief that it was due to a possible upcoming quake, but as I read on, I found that it was a result of the work going on in the plant that has caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the past few years. The man in charge of this geothermal energy project, Markus O. Haring, is going to trial this week facing criminal charges. The recent events in Switzerland are seen as a major setback to those that are for using geothermal energy as an alternative source.
The United States is also involved in geothermal energy, as a company known as AltaRock (located in California) is the country’s first test of this new form of energy. This project is very similar to the Basel project, and involves drilling miles underground past the hot bedrock, and pumping in water to create steam. As for the fault located near Basel, it is highly unlikely that the project could cause a slip in the rock and trigger a major quake. Unfortunately, it is possible that it could cause an earthquake large enough to cause around half a billion dollars worth in damage. With this kind of threat, it may be more of a risk having the plant open than it’s worth. Geothermal energy should still work in less populated areas, and the way I see it, the bedrock of earth can be reached from anywhere, so why not just move the operation? The plant in California is undergoing inspection in the wake of these events, but should continue operation. I would imagine that the houses in this part of the country are built to withstand small earthquakes, as they experience more than their fair share of them every year. As for those in Switzerland, they can breathe easier now that the millions of dollars in damage each year may finally come to a halt.
New Super-Earth's Orbit Sun-Like Stars
Earth-Like Planets Orbit Sun-Like Stars
An international team of planet hunters has discovered as many as six low-mass planets, around two nearby Sun-like stars, including two "super-Earths" with masses 5 and 7.5 times the mass of Earth. The researchers, led by Steven Vogt of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, said the two "super-Earths" are the first ones found around Sun-like stars.
The team found the new planet systems by combining data gathered at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) in New South Wales, Australia. Three of the new planets orbit the bright star 61 Virginis, which can be seen with the naked eye. Astronomers and astrobiologists have long been fascinated with this particular star, which is only 28 light-years away. Among hundreds of our nearest stellar neighbors, 61 Virginis stands out as being the most nearly similar to the Sun in terms of age, mass, and other essential properties.
The second new system found by the team features a 7.5-Earth-mass planet orbiting HD 1461, another near-perfect twin of the Sun located 76 light-years away. At least one and possibly two additional planets also orbit the star. Lying in the constellation Cetus, HD 1461 can be seen with the naked eye in the early evening under good dark-sky conditions. The 7.5-Earth-mass planet, assigned the name HD 1461b, has a mass nearly midway between the masses of Earth and Uranus. The researchers said they cannot tell yet if HD 1461b is a scaled-up version of Earth, composed largely of rock and iron, or whether, like Uranus and Neptune, it is composed mostly of water. In the past year, it has become evident that planets orbiting the Sun's nearest neighbors are extremely common.
According to Butler, current indications are that one-half of nearby stars have a detectable planet with mass equal to or less than Neptune's. Due to improvements in equipment and observing techniques, these ground-based methods are now capable of finding Earth-mass objects around nearby stars, according to team member Gregory Laughlin, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC. This could mean that there is inhabitable planets in the universe that are very similar to Earth.
POLLUTANTS: UP IN FLAMES
This article focuses on forest fires in New Orleans and the pollution that they create. "Forest fires have the potential to release toxic industrial and agricultural pollutants previously trapped on soil." During the forest fires the fertilizers and pesticides in the soil are being burned and travel through smoke spreading throughout the region, in the biosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere. This means “there’s a growing potential for these persistent organic pollutants, which have been deposited in ecosystems over the decades, to move around.” These toxins can end up in areas where they are banned or should not end up such as reservoir. The toxins can travel in masses of great distances. The article followed a forest fire in Siberia with a satellite and watched the toxins reach the United States.
On the contrary it is argued that the toxins burned are not a serious issue. This is because the toxins that travel through the atmosphere after being burned are not very concentrated and only exist in small quantities.
Regardless of this argument burning toxins is very dangerous and hazardous to the environment. It can cause a multitude of problems such as acid rain. One problem that seems to come into all of Earth's environmental issues is global warming. With global warming only getting worse, more forest fires will continue, therefore more toxins will be burned and be released into the environment. This is of serious concern because it is destroying animal and human habitats. It is necessary that humans stop the use or at least limit the amount of fertilizers used in the environment because of its harmful affects.
Is there really a patch of garbage twice the size of Texas floating in the Pacific? Yes!
When I first heard that there was a patch of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of Texas, I immediately (as I'm sure you would too) went to my computer and Googled it and sure enough, it's true. It is the largest landfill in the world and it is filled with millions of pounds of garbage, most of which is plastic. Obviously, the garbage presents a very dangerous hazard to marine life, but the fact that over 90% of this garbage is plastic makes the situation even worse because when plastic is digested, it is extremely poisonous to marine life and plastic doesn't biodegrade. According to the United Nations environmental program, every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic and about 10% of the plastic produced in the world each year ends up in the worlds oceans.
But back to the garbage patch. The reason for the collection of all of this debre into one patch is due to ocean currents that keep the garbage pushed together. It was discovered in 1997 by ocean researcher Charles Moore and sicne then has received massive public attention. It is estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources and the remaining 20% from ships.
The question remains, is there any cleanup efforts currently in progress? The answer is no, however there are several different organizations planning out methods to begin a massive cleanup of this garbage patch.
But back to the garbage patch. The reason for the collection of all of this debre into one patch is due to ocean currents that keep the garbage pushed together. It was discovered in 1997 by ocean researcher Charles Moore and sicne then has received massive public attention. It is estimated that 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources and the remaining 20% from ships.
The question remains, is there any cleanup efforts currently in progress? The answer is no, however there are several different organizations planning out methods to begin a massive cleanup of this garbage patch.
Volcanic Hazards
This article talks about volcanoes and the many types of hazards that are associated with them. All volcanoes are capable of creating a deadly eruption. An element of unpredictability is always present with volcanoes. Scientists are always studying volcano behavior and ways to avoid an eruption. Some different hazards of volcanoes are: lava flows, pyroclastic density currents, pyroclastic falls, lahars, and gases. Lava flows can be very fluid or very viscous. Fluid flows are hotter in temperature and move faster than viscous lava. Viscous flows are not as hot and do not travel as far. These flows can reach temperatures of 1,800 - 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Pyroclastic density currents are an explosive eruptive phenomenon. They are a mixture of pulverized rock, ask, and hot gases. A pyroclastic surge is a dilute flow, that usually occurs when magma interacts with water. A pyroclastic flow is a concentrated avalanche of material and usually forms from the collapse of a lava dome. Pyroclastic density currents of any kind are deadly. They can travel at speeds up to 650 mph and can reach 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Pyroclastic falls occur when defragmented rock is ejected from a volcanic vent during an eruption. Lahars are a specific kind of mudflow made up of volcanic debris. They can be caused by melted snow and ice on the volcano when it erupts. Volcanic gases are one of the most deadly components of a volcano. Most of the gas released from an eruption is water vapor, but carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, fluorine gas, hydrogen fluoride, and other gases can be hazardous or even deadly. Volcanoes have many different hazardous effects to them.
http://geology.com/volcanoes/volcanic-hazards/
"Geothermal Project in California Is Shut Down"
Obama administration’s first geothermal project was unexpectedly abandoned. The company AltaRock energy was in charge of the project, located in California, to “extract vast amounts of renewable energy from deep, hot bedrock”. The project was Obama administration’s first major test of geothermal energy. The project costs millions of dollars and was funded by the government and private investors. One possibility that the project was shut down was because the funding fell through or because the harmful affects that occurred as a result of geothermal drilling.
Geothermal energy is a large alternative to the use of fossil fuels. Geothermal energy is potentially the best way of obtaining alternative energy because it is can be done quickly, efficiently, and is affordable. The geothermal project “could be quickly tapped as a clean almost limitless energy source.” The concepts and advantages of geothermal energy are vast and the amount of energy that cane obtained is endless. The problem with geothermal energy is that it requires drills to dig deep into the Earth, which causes small but dangerous earthquakes. But some “geothermal methods do not require drilling” so there s still much potential for success.
AltaRock has received millions of dollars to begin geothermal energy but has yet to really progress. AltaRock wants to start drilling on a different site because during the drilling steam was emitted from the cracks and fractures were observed. “By nature, fracturing creates earthquakes, though most of them are small.” (A nearby resident claimed to have felt an earthquake and blames the drilling for it.)
Geothermal energy “holds enormous potential to heat our homes and power our economy while decreasing carbon pollution”. Unfortunately geothermal technology has not been perfected and has not fulfilled its potential but hopefully son enough geothermal energy will become humanity’s main sources of energy.
Ecuador- Guagua Pichincha volcano
As of the 27th of September 2009. IG reported that both the seismic activity and fumarole emission remained at a low level. There was also activity reported back in February of 2009. Recently, four preheated explosions have been reported. After researching volcanoes for my research paper, I have learned how incredibly far we have come in monitoring volcanic activity as well as predicting upcoming eruptions. Today, we are able to predict within weeks, and possibly if we are lucky a couple months before a volcano erupts. We have come a long way from the early 1900's when Novarupta occurred and the inhabitants of Alaska were all a part of this catastrophic event. According to the article, these explosions In Ecuador happen due to an increase of the internal steam pressure, possibly related to the increase of precipitations observed in the zone of volcano. Because of this, the Geophysical Institute recommends that it is not allowed to descend to the interior of the crater since the phreatic explosions could be repeated and the people could take the rock hit, other materials and/or rarefaction waves that are generated by these events. What I found incredibly interesting was that these phreatic explosions occur mostly when there is a large amount of rainfall. I had no idea before reading this article that the amount of rainfall in a region could determine whether or not a volcano started to show signs of dangerous activity. The volcano has been under close surveillance for the last couple of years, since 2007, and has yet to have any serious type of explosion. The area has been experiencing a variety of different earthquakes have been occurring, and they are continuing to be monitored.
It is incredibly important to monitor earthquakes and their size in order to determine when the volcano may possibly erupt. When officials believe that an eruption is about to occur, they notify the public via news outlets such as the newspapers and the television, and keep them up to date with whatever information they can. Scientists and officials have become incredibly good at keeping the public notified about such activity because volcanic action is easier to keep track of with modern technology. This is not the only volcano under watch. Thanks to the technology, every volcano can be put under watch, and the public is usually notified about any threatening activity. Today, getting information about volcanic activity is made incredibly available to everyone, and as a result of all the technology, such a natural disaster does not have to be so catastrophic.
Demand for Palm Oil Destroys Wildlife in Sumatra
Courtesy of Elizabeth Martini:
As the world consumes more and more mass produced products, the earth suffers. Because of the selfish attitudes of modern day humanity, habitats are being destroyed to supply superfluous amounts of products to stores around the world. A major problem in today’s world is the exploitation of palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia. The ecosystem has been stripped of its natural inhabitants, the trees preserved only to be used by consumerism. These silent forests wait only to be taken to benefit humanity. Animals have been forced to evacuate their habitats because the disrupted ecosystem is no longer sustainable. Several species, like the Sumatran Orangutan, have been threatened by extinction because of the continuous disappearance of forests.
Many people do not know how much palm oil has been incorporated into everyday products. Often misrepresented as vegetable oil, palm oil is present in products like chocolate, cosmetics, and soap. Some companies, like Unilever and Sainsbury (a supermarket in England) are working under the standards of the RSPO, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, to make palm oil more sustainable and to raise awareness on the subject. Even with these efforts, organizations like Greenpeace criticize companies for not doing enough. After progress is made sustaining palm oil, CNN projects that in the future only a small percentage (less than 10%) will be reusable. Plans to replant the excavated areas do not make up for the destruction; the forests take hundreds of years to form and now will have to start over. The environment of places like Sumatra will continue to suffer immensely for consumer productivity.
The plants and animals are not the only agents affected by this exploitation. The clearing of these large scale forests emits tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is another factor responsible for global warming. With this effect, not only does animal and plant life suffer, but the future of humanity on earth will be jeopardized as well. Expending nonrenewable resources is extremely detrimental to life on earth. The companies who so dearly rely on palm oil as a resource will suffer too when the earth eventually runs out of raw materials.
As the world consumes more and more mass produced products, the earth suffers. Because of the selfish attitudes of modern day humanity, habitats are being destroyed to supply superfluous amounts of products to stores around the world. A major problem in today’s world is the exploitation of palm oil in Sumatra, Indonesia. The ecosystem has been stripped of its natural inhabitants, the trees preserved only to be used by consumerism. These silent forests wait only to be taken to benefit humanity. Animals have been forced to evacuate their habitats because the disrupted ecosystem is no longer sustainable. Several species, like the Sumatran Orangutan, have been threatened by extinction because of the continuous disappearance of forests.
Many people do not know how much palm oil has been incorporated into everyday products. Often misrepresented as vegetable oil, palm oil is present in products like chocolate, cosmetics, and soap. Some companies, like Unilever and Sainsbury (a supermarket in England) are working under the standards of the RSPO, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, to make palm oil more sustainable and to raise awareness on the subject. Even with these efforts, organizations like Greenpeace criticize companies for not doing enough. After progress is made sustaining palm oil, CNN projects that in the future only a small percentage (less than 10%) will be reusable. Plans to replant the excavated areas do not make up for the destruction; the forests take hundreds of years to form and now will have to start over. The environment of places like Sumatra will continue to suffer immensely for consumer productivity.
The plants and animals are not the only agents affected by this exploitation. The clearing of these large scale forests emits tremendous amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This is another factor responsible for global warming. With this effect, not only does animal and plant life suffer, but the future of humanity on earth will be jeopardized as well. Expending nonrenewable resources is extremely detrimental to life on earth. The companies who so dearly rely on palm oil as a resource will suffer too when the earth eventually runs out of raw materials.
PCB's
Courtesy of T Abele:
I read an article in Science Daily News. This article was published on December 8,2009. The title of this article is called “Scientists Detect PCB’s on South America’s Highest Peak.” The article has to d with pollution that was spread to an unusual environment.
The snow on the famous mountain, Mount Andes is actually polluted with PCB’s. Scientists discovered this by taking small samples from the mountaintop. The toxins were “carcinogenic chlorine compounds.” The situation is bizarre because the toxins found here were at the highest amount found anywhere in the entire world. These toxins have been banned since eight years ago. Two of the types of toxins found on Mout Andes were called hexachlorobiphenyl also known as PCB 138 and heptachlorobiphenyl, which was also known as PCB 180.
This has scared many scientists and prompted them to investigate several other mountain and similar areas. They unfortunately also found a large amount of pollutants in the Alps. This case happened to put a threat on our water supply.
Some scary effects of these dangerous pollutants are hair loss, kidney damage, fatigue, and skin acne. Scientists also believe it is a possible cause of infertility. Humans are not the only living organisms that are affected. These pollutants have also had dangerous affects on several animals living in these environments.
Scientists have compared the studies of pollution in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The southern hemisphere is far less polluted that the northern hemisphere. Mountain ranges in the southern hemisphere are in much better shape than in the northern mountain ranges. It is better for mountain ranges to have a higher concentration. Scientists have noticed the polluted mountains have much smaller concentrations than normal. Sometimes four to ten times smaller than normal. An example of this scenario is the Andes; they have a far less concentration than normal. Thus proves that the Southern Hemisphere is at a higher risk for danger.
Scientists are still studying mountains and taking samples but it is clear that these land figures are in danger. They have made it clear how important it is for these illegal pollutants to be found and for the use of them to end.
I read an article in Science Daily News. This article was published on December 8,2009. The title of this article is called “Scientists Detect PCB’s on South America’s Highest Peak.” The article has to d with pollution that was spread to an unusual environment.
The snow on the famous mountain, Mount Andes is actually polluted with PCB’s. Scientists discovered this by taking small samples from the mountaintop. The toxins were “carcinogenic chlorine compounds.” The situation is bizarre because the toxins found here were at the highest amount found anywhere in the entire world. These toxins have been banned since eight years ago. Two of the types of toxins found on Mout Andes were called hexachlorobiphenyl also known as PCB 138 and heptachlorobiphenyl, which was also known as PCB 180.
This has scared many scientists and prompted them to investigate several other mountain and similar areas. They unfortunately also found a large amount of pollutants in the Alps. This case happened to put a threat on our water supply.
Some scary effects of these dangerous pollutants are hair loss, kidney damage, fatigue, and skin acne. Scientists also believe it is a possible cause of infertility. Humans are not the only living organisms that are affected. These pollutants have also had dangerous affects on several animals living in these environments.
Scientists have compared the studies of pollution in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. The southern hemisphere is far less polluted that the northern hemisphere. Mountain ranges in the southern hemisphere are in much better shape than in the northern mountain ranges. It is better for mountain ranges to have a higher concentration. Scientists have noticed the polluted mountains have much smaller concentrations than normal. Sometimes four to ten times smaller than normal. An example of this scenario is the Andes; they have a far less concentration than normal. Thus proves that the Southern Hemisphere is at a higher risk for danger.
Scientists are still studying mountains and taking samples but it is clear that these land figures are in danger. They have made it clear how important it is for these illegal pollutants to be found and for the use of them to end.
Clams Clean Up Water
Courtesy of T Abele:
I read an article from Science Daily that was published on January 1,2009. The article was called “Biologists Clam Up Waterways To Determine Sources Of Pollution.” There was more than one author that contributed to this piece. The article focused on the contribution clams give to scientists and the natural ability for them to clean our waters.
There are a tremendous amount of toxins and pollutants in our environment, many of them being in out waters. Clams are a unique type of creature that helps solve this problem. They naturally clean water by absorbing the bad pollutants that contaminate our water. They do this by soaking water up through their tissue and also when they eat. Scientists have been placing them in several waters to eliminate toxins and to give data that can be studied. When scientists collect some of these clams they can study the type and amount of pollutants that theses clams absorb. Arsenics, pesticides, and PCB’s are all common types of pollutants that are in many of our rivers and water sources.
Scientists are nicknaming these creatures “pollutant traps.” These clams are so handy because depending on where they are collected they give scientists an accurate idea of what pollutants lay in certain areas. Scientists can have a better understanding of the majority of pollutants and the popular spots that are affected. Scientists are placing clams in Natural parks in an effort to keep their waters in the best shape possible. Clams are also being put on waters next to highways because they tend to be a large spot of pollution.
These clams have detected chemicals that were illegal for our environment. The state of Maryland was one state that got caught with illegal pollutants. The clam’s detected pollutants that were not recent and were beginning to spread into larger areas. This would have just spread more pollution.
This method that scientists are using is good for our environment and is also an inexpensive method. No pollution or dangerous materials are dumped into the environment during the process. This method is “eco friendly.” The clams are very beneficial to us not only for water sources but also for the fact that they are aiding marine life.
I read an article from Science Daily that was published on January 1,2009. The article was called “Biologists Clam Up Waterways To Determine Sources Of Pollution.” There was more than one author that contributed to this piece. The article focused on the contribution clams give to scientists and the natural ability for them to clean our waters.
There are a tremendous amount of toxins and pollutants in our environment, many of them being in out waters. Clams are a unique type of creature that helps solve this problem. They naturally clean water by absorbing the bad pollutants that contaminate our water. They do this by soaking water up through their tissue and also when they eat. Scientists have been placing them in several waters to eliminate toxins and to give data that can be studied. When scientists collect some of these clams they can study the type and amount of pollutants that theses clams absorb. Arsenics, pesticides, and PCB’s are all common types of pollutants that are in many of our rivers and water sources.
Scientists are nicknaming these creatures “pollutant traps.” These clams are so handy because depending on where they are collected they give scientists an accurate idea of what pollutants lay in certain areas. Scientists can have a better understanding of the majority of pollutants and the popular spots that are affected. Scientists are placing clams in Natural parks in an effort to keep their waters in the best shape possible. Clams are also being put on waters next to highways because they tend to be a large spot of pollution.
These clams have detected chemicals that were illegal for our environment. The state of Maryland was one state that got caught with illegal pollutants. The clam’s detected pollutants that were not recent and were beginning to spread into larger areas. This would have just spread more pollution.
This method that scientists are using is good for our environment and is also an inexpensive method. No pollution or dangerous materials are dumped into the environment during the process. This method is “eco friendly.” The clams are very beneficial to us not only for water sources but also for the fact that they are aiding marine life.
Rising Sea Levels Could Affect Manhattan
Rising sea levels has been a popular topic in the scientific community as well as the news. When most people think of rising sea levels, they think of beaches and islands that will be affected, but one place that usually isn’t thought of is New York City. However, scientists have been concerned for New York City for many years now because of its “large population and logistics.” There are over 8 million people living in New York City along with thousands of businesses and industries.
The article talked about how sea levels have risen in the past and how they are predicted to rise in the future. Over the last century, sea levels have risen steadily by about 1.7 to 1.8 mm per year, but in the last decade this number has increased to about 3 mm per year. This sea level rise is contributed to the warming of the oceans and melting of glaciers.
The rate at which sea levels rise is predicted increase as time goes on. The article mentions a study done by Columbia University scientists that predicted “a rise in sea level of 11.8 to 37.5 inches in New York City and 9.5 to 42.5 inches in the metropolitan region by the 2080’s.” The higher the sea level rises, the higher the risk of hurricane storm surge for New York City.
By the 2050s, sea levels are predicted to rise 15 to 19 inches in New York City. By just this 1.5 foot increase in seas can cause a category 3 hurricane on a worst case track, could cause great flooding in many parts of the city bringing about massive destruction. This destruction could ruin buildings, roads, trains, and housing.
In my opinion, this article really opened my eyes to the potential effects of climate change and the possible destruction it could produce in one of the greatest cities in the world. If nothing is done, there will be a lot of negative affects on coastlines and cities. These negative affects will harm businesses, people and industries as a whole.
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/archives/2006/sealevel_nyc.html
“Be Careful What You Fish For” by Monica Davey, New York Times
Andrew Robertshaw
This article covered a possible dilemma that the Great Lakes region could be dealing with in the near future. Evidence of Asian Carp has shown up close to Lake Michigan in the waterway that links the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan. This fish is enormous and is supposedly a well established conqueror of the Mississippi River. The carp can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Scientists fear that if the fish were to swim into Lake Michigan that the ecosystem of this region would change completely. This is a large concern because the Great Lakes make up one fifth of the earth’s fresh water. This issue is leading to searches for the fish to prevent their unwanted presence.
These fish were first brought here in the 1970’s to help eat at the algae from ponds in the Deep South. Due to this fact, we should not look to nature for this dilemma we will be faced with, but rather look toward our original actions that ultimately developed into this problem. Although it is our fault, I don’t think we can really put the blame on ourselves. Who would have thought that a fish put in ponds to consume algae, a beneficial reason, would end up escaping from ponds, and ultimately cause a problem almost forty years later.
Scientists believe that this problem can be handled at many ways. Dams, levees, and flood diversion projects are just a few of the solutions. They redirect the water to solve the problem, but often this will lead to new unwanted circumstances. $20 million has been spent to build high tech electric fences in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal to keep the carp from entering Lake Michigan. This will ultimately help the problem but will not solve it completely. Another outstretched permanent solution would be to put all the fish back where they should be and then separate the lakes from the Mississippi River watershed.
Saturn's Largest Ring
A press release was published in October of this year announcing the discovery of a new ring around Saturn, one that is now labeled as its largest and most difuse ring that we know of. This ring begins at approximately four million miles away from Saturn itself, and ends at about seven million miles away. Not only is the ring immensely wide, but it is incredibly tall, too, spanning well over twenty times the diameter of Saturn.
Saturn has two main categories for its rings. Its main section is the brighest and easiest to see through use of a powerful, visible-light telescope. These rings are very dense and very thin, and are comprised of particales called "moonlets," which are termed as fragments of rock and ice. In Saturn's main rings, these moonlets range from the size of a pebble to the size of a house, and are frequently colliding with each other. Saturn's second category of rings is where its largest rings fall into. In contrast, these ring particles are extremely small, most accurately resembling smoke. It was discovered that this particular ring is composed of tiny shards and dust particles, and is so spread out in comparision to Saturn's visible rings that one wouldn't even realize that they were inside of it. Unlike the visible, dense rings, this ring can only be seen through use of the satellite Spitzer's infrared lighting, which first spotted the ring to begin with.
It has long been wondered what the connection between Saturn's rings and moons were. Some believed that the moons swept up these particles and threw them into the path of other moons. With the discovery of this ring, this hypothesis is very possible, for Saturn's outer ring follows the path of the moon Phoebe, both of which travel opposite of most of Saturn's moons and rings. It is now thought that Phoebe is sweeping up these ring particles and expelling them at the moon Iapetus, in which case would account for the moon's strange dark spot. Furthermore, this would prove that Saturn's rings aren't stationary, timeless particles. Instead, it would prove that like every other natural process, Saturn's rings follow a cycle. If their cycle ends with a collision into a moon or other object, then perhaps it is possible that larger rock fragments - like meteors - can enter a moon's atmosphere and strike its surface, thus propelling new ice and dust fragments out into Saturn's enormous ring. Such a discovery would be a huge leap in understanding how Saturn's rings are formed and what exactly their relationship with Saturn and its moons is.
Saturn has two main categories for its rings. Its main section is the brighest and easiest to see through use of a powerful, visible-light telescope. These rings are very dense and very thin, and are comprised of particales called "moonlets," which are termed as fragments of rock and ice. In Saturn's main rings, these moonlets range from the size of a pebble to the size of a house, and are frequently colliding with each other. Saturn's second category of rings is where its largest rings fall into. In contrast, these ring particles are extremely small, most accurately resembling smoke. It was discovered that this particular ring is composed of tiny shards and dust particles, and is so spread out in comparision to Saturn's visible rings that one wouldn't even realize that they were inside of it. Unlike the visible, dense rings, this ring can only be seen through use of the satellite Spitzer's infrared lighting, which first spotted the ring to begin with.
It has long been wondered what the connection between Saturn's rings and moons were. Some believed that the moons swept up these particles and threw them into the path of other moons. With the discovery of this ring, this hypothesis is very possible, for Saturn's outer ring follows the path of the moon Phoebe, both of which travel opposite of most of Saturn's moons and rings. It is now thought that Phoebe is sweeping up these ring particles and expelling them at the moon Iapetus, in which case would account for the moon's strange dark spot. Furthermore, this would prove that Saturn's rings aren't stationary, timeless particles. Instead, it would prove that like every other natural process, Saturn's rings follow a cycle. If their cycle ends with a collision into a moon or other object, then perhaps it is possible that larger rock fragments - like meteors - can enter a moon's atmosphere and strike its surface, thus propelling new ice and dust fragments out into Saturn's enormous ring. Such a discovery would be a huge leap in understanding how Saturn's rings are formed and what exactly their relationship with Saturn and its moons is.
Bacteria and Decision Making
Courtesy of T Abele:
I read an article that was published in science Daily on December 14, 2009. The article was based on bacteria and how it relates to humans reactions. The name of this article is “Bacteria Provide New Insights Into Human Decision Making.” Several scientists contributed to this article.
Scientists have been studying bacteria and have gathered different pieces of information that affect how people make decisions regarding their health, wealth, and choices affecting society. This article involves the study of genes, physics, chemistry, complex biological systems, and mathematics.
The authors of this article attended the University Of California, located in San Diego. These authors noticed bacteria in genes was mostly affected by stress. These stressful decisions are often put off until the last minute. Eshel Ben Jacob stated, “ Everyone knows the need to try to postpone important decisions until the last available moment but apparently there are simple creatures that do it well and therefore can really teach us, these are the bacteria.” This information is handy for not only scientists but also economists because they have a better understanding of how people will react to a crisis or unplanned situation.
In our environment the amount of bacteria that is present is much more than the amount of people on earth. There is one hundred times as many bacteria then people. Bacteria are studied to respond to certain issues. Starvation, being poisoned and irritation are all examples of some issues that would be highly reactive. When responding to these three situations there is a certain process that bacteria undergoes. Dormant states become highly resistant to the environment and bacteria functions fully.
When decision-making is being made there is a chemical message and reaction that takes place. This process involves the network of genes and proteins.
This new study that is being undergone by scientists is more advanced than previous research. Scientists have discovered that bacteria that affects stressful decision-making is normally on target. This means the first initial reaction is released instead of sometimes a more appropriate reaction.
I read an article that was published in science Daily on December 14, 2009. The article was based on bacteria and how it relates to humans reactions. The name of this article is “Bacteria Provide New Insights Into Human Decision Making.” Several scientists contributed to this article.
Scientists have been studying bacteria and have gathered different pieces of information that affect how people make decisions regarding their health, wealth, and choices affecting society. This article involves the study of genes, physics, chemistry, complex biological systems, and mathematics.
The authors of this article attended the University Of California, located in San Diego. These authors noticed bacteria in genes was mostly affected by stress. These stressful decisions are often put off until the last minute. Eshel Ben Jacob stated, “ Everyone knows the need to try to postpone important decisions until the last available moment but apparently there are simple creatures that do it well and therefore can really teach us, these are the bacteria.” This information is handy for not only scientists but also economists because they have a better understanding of how people will react to a crisis or unplanned situation.
In our environment the amount of bacteria that is present is much more than the amount of people on earth. There is one hundred times as many bacteria then people. Bacteria are studied to respond to certain issues. Starvation, being poisoned and irritation are all examples of some issues that would be highly reactive. When responding to these three situations there is a certain process that bacteria undergoes. Dormant states become highly resistant to the environment and bacteria functions fully.
When decision-making is being made there is a chemical message and reaction that takes place. This process involves the network of genes and proteins.
This new study that is being undergone by scientists is more advanced than previous research. Scientists have discovered that bacteria that affects stressful decision-making is normally on target. This means the first initial reaction is released instead of sometimes a more appropriate reaction.
Saturn's Unique Moon: Iapetus
I always found the solar system to be something of great interest for myself. Therefore, when I found the article "Solving a Tonal Mystery in Orbit Around Saturn" in the New York Times, I decided to post something about it on this Earth Science blog.
Ever since Iapetus (one of Saturn's several moons) was discovered in 1671 by Giovanni Cassini, it has been a mystery. The mystery that always remained until just recently was the appearance of Iapetus. Iapetus appeared to have a surface that consisted of two totally different tones- one dark and one light. A picture from the article that was taken back in September of 2007 is shown on the left.
This solar mystery is probably one of the oldest. And for the longest time, scientists believed that the darker shaded areas of the moon were a result of dust that lands on this moon while in orbit around the planet. They also believed the dust came from one of Saturn's other moons that were also in orbit.
However, recent studies and experiments have caused scientists to redirect their thinking when it comes to figuring out the cause of the two-toned Saturn moon. Recently, scientists have decided not to base Iapetus's appearance soley on the dust theory dealing with its orbit. Instead, they've come up with a theory regaurding the moon's rotation on its axis.
Iapetus has a significantly slow rotation that takes up to eighty Earth days. With this slow rotation, the sun is able to warm areas of water ice into water vapor. this wate vapor than migrates to other locations on the moon. When this wator vapor reaches areas that are much colder (because they are in avoidance of the Sun), the water vapor freezes once again into ice. Therefore, the areas that are shaded in bright color are the areas in which more ice has been formed, whereas, areas that darker in appearance are those areas in which ice has been evaporated and transferred somewhere else.
I feel as if scientists can learn a lot more about the solar system as a whole after figuring out this long lasting mystery. After reading this article, I begin to wonder what other effects are caused by the tilt of a moon or planet.
On-Mountain Environmental Efforts
Of course, recent years have brought new technology and new ideas in attempts to augment the “green” movement. While the release of fossil fuels is certainly key to global climate change, the destruction of natural habitats can harbor some effects that are just as devastating. Humans desire to develop these habitats in multiple ways including for housing developments and commercial buildings. Yet one of the most interesting ways to develop a natural habitat is for outdoor enjoyment such as that of a ski resort. A ski resort can encompass hundreds of acres--many of which the trees are cleared from, not to mention the building of base areas and villages which strains the natural resources of the area. Recently, some mountain companies have made a conscious effort to make environmentally friendly decisions when expanding terrain or adding new technology to their resort.
First, let’s examine some of the efforts of Stowe Mountain Resort, located in northwestern Vermont. The newly constructed base area has been designed to be so environmentally friendly that it was designated the recipient of the Audobon’s “Green Community Award.” It is the first mountain in the nation to receive such an honor. Their efforts include securing a 2,000 acre wildlife preserve, installing energy efficient rooms in the base hotel, using recycled paper, and creating a 110 million gallon snowmaking lake that protects nearby streams from potentially negative water quality impacts. A second mountain that has tried to make an effort is Mount Snow, located in southwestern Vermont. An upgrade in the snowmaking systems there has eliminated the need for over 200,000 gallon of diesel fuel which equates to approximately 25,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Looking out west, resorts like Deer Valley, located in Utah, are also showing an environmental commitment. Like Stowe, they have formed a protected area that encompasses close to 1,000 acres as well as maintaing a constant forest management plan. They also test the water that runs off the mountain, cleaning it of any “total suspended solids.”
It is clear that the call to help the environment is being heard by all. It will be interesting to see how mountains continue to make environmentally friendly decisions while still using the land’s resources.
Panda Genome
Courtesy of T Abele:
I read a very interesting article in science news that pertained to a very unique anima, the panda bear. This article was published on December 13,2009. Laura Sanders wrote the article. The name of this piece is “Panda Genome Unveiled.”
The article focuses on a female white and black panda named “Jingjing.” Her recent DNA discovery helps scientists and researchers understand why pandas tend to have such picky diets and therefore can help in the efforts of saving this “endangered species.”
A group of scientists made a discovery of the fact that the panda’s genome is in fact smaller than humans. An interesting fact was that pandas have 21,000 genes for encoding proteins and humans have almost the same amount.
By understanding how these genes work, scientists also made another discovery. This was discovering that inbreeding was not the case for jingjing. Inbreeding is a method that scares scientists because it is unnatural to the animal and harmful to the panda population. Saunders wrote“ Jingjing’s two copies of DNA in each of her cells differed in many places, demonstrating a surprisingly high rate of heterozygosity.” The term heterozygosity means a presence of different alleles at one or more loci on homologous chromosomes. This discovery has caused scientists to believe that the inbreeding is not the main cause of the small population of pandas that is reaching extinction.
By researching jingjing’s genes scientists have learned the rate at which pandas “ genetic makeup” changes. The rate is very little and one scientist in the article compared pandas to a “living fossil.”
This discovery of the genetic makeup leads to the understanding of why pandas have such a picky diet consisting mainly of bamboo. “T1R1 “ is a gene that was decoded. This gene does not allow pandas to taste certain food groups such as meat and broths. This explains their dislike for other foods, it does not appeal to them. Scientists also discovered that pandas are in fact capable of digesting meat and that bamboo is actually harder to digest.
The article concludes that the discovery of these new genes can help the panda population. The more we understand about these mammals the more we can help the population and try to limit extinction.
I read a very interesting article in science news that pertained to a very unique anima, the panda bear. This article was published on December 13,2009. Laura Sanders wrote the article. The name of this piece is “Panda Genome Unveiled.”
The article focuses on a female white and black panda named “Jingjing.” Her recent DNA discovery helps scientists and researchers understand why pandas tend to have such picky diets and therefore can help in the efforts of saving this “endangered species.”
A group of scientists made a discovery of the fact that the panda’s genome is in fact smaller than humans. An interesting fact was that pandas have 21,000 genes for encoding proteins and humans have almost the same amount.
By understanding how these genes work, scientists also made another discovery. This was discovering that inbreeding was not the case for jingjing. Inbreeding is a method that scares scientists because it is unnatural to the animal and harmful to the panda population. Saunders wrote“ Jingjing’s two copies of DNA in each of her cells differed in many places, demonstrating a surprisingly high rate of heterozygosity.” The term heterozygosity means a presence of different alleles at one or more loci on homologous chromosomes. This discovery has caused scientists to believe that the inbreeding is not the main cause of the small population of pandas that is reaching extinction.
By researching jingjing’s genes scientists have learned the rate at which pandas “ genetic makeup” changes. The rate is very little and one scientist in the article compared pandas to a “living fossil.”
This discovery of the genetic makeup leads to the understanding of why pandas have such a picky diet consisting mainly of bamboo. “T1R1 “ is a gene that was decoded. This gene does not allow pandas to taste certain food groups such as meat and broths. This explains their dislike for other foods, it does not appeal to them. Scientists also discovered that pandas are in fact capable of digesting meat and that bamboo is actually harder to digest.
The article concludes that the discovery of these new genes can help the panda population. The more we understand about these mammals the more we can help the population and try to limit extinction.
“Cataclysmic” flood in Mediterranean Sea
Courtesy of T Abele:
I recently read an article from science news that had to do with a water channel. This article was called “The Big Spill: Flood Could Have Filled Mediterranean In Less Than Two Years.” This article was published on December 9,2009. Lisa Grossman wrote the article.
This article talks about a “cataclysmic” flood that affected the Mediterranean Sea. This occurred several millions of years ago. The main point of this article is how the Mediterranean Sea was not always a sea. In fact for a long time it was a big empty basin. Scientists are saying a large flood from the Atlantic Ocean was so powerful that it filled this basin and shaped the form of what is now called the Mediterranean Sea. The flood was very powerful and shaped the rocks and soil on the edges of the sea.
The calculations of this flood are intense. The height of water was more than ten meters high. An interesting statistic from Daniel Garcia-Castellanos is “The model shows one hundred million cubic centimeters of water flow through the channel per second, with water gushing at speeds of 100 kilometers an hour.”
The article also talks about how early models showed this data put not on a time line. Scientists can now get a more accurate measure of how many years ago this basin was filled and transformed into the Mediterranean Sea.
This flood is debated to have taken anywhere from four months to two years to fill the entire Mediterranean Sea. Also this flood is said to have a large impact on the ecosystem and could have ties to affecting previous global climate. The article says sea levels dropped 9.5 meters due to this gigantic flood.
Scientists have also discovered a smaller flood that took place in North America in a more recent timeline. This flood occurred 12,000 years ago. This flood is linked to other different climate conditions. It was linked to a “cold snap.” Scientists are now researching whether the flood at the Mediterranean could of have had similar effects.
I recently read an article from science news that had to do with a water channel. This article was called “The Big Spill: Flood Could Have Filled Mediterranean In Less Than Two Years.” This article was published on December 9,2009. Lisa Grossman wrote the article.
This article talks about a “cataclysmic” flood that affected the Mediterranean Sea. This occurred several millions of years ago. The main point of this article is how the Mediterranean Sea was not always a sea. In fact for a long time it was a big empty basin. Scientists are saying a large flood from the Atlantic Ocean was so powerful that it filled this basin and shaped the form of what is now called the Mediterranean Sea. The flood was very powerful and shaped the rocks and soil on the edges of the sea.
The calculations of this flood are intense. The height of water was more than ten meters high. An interesting statistic from Daniel Garcia-Castellanos is “The model shows one hundred million cubic centimeters of water flow through the channel per second, with water gushing at speeds of 100 kilometers an hour.”
The article also talks about how early models showed this data put not on a time line. Scientists can now get a more accurate measure of how many years ago this basin was filled and transformed into the Mediterranean Sea.
This flood is debated to have taken anywhere from four months to two years to fill the entire Mediterranean Sea. Also this flood is said to have a large impact on the ecosystem and could have ties to affecting previous global climate. The article says sea levels dropped 9.5 meters due to this gigantic flood.
Scientists have also discovered a smaller flood that took place in North America in a more recent timeline. This flood occurred 12,000 years ago. This flood is linked to other different climate conditions. It was linked to a “cold snap.” Scientists are now researching whether the flood at the Mediterranean could of have had similar effects.
“Conditions Ripe for a White Christmas”
Courtesy of Alex Smith:
Everyone dreams of having snow on Christmas morning, well this year it could be snow to places that normally don’t experience a white Christmas.
Normally the chances of having a white Christmas are more than seventy-five percent in the north part of the United States and in the mountains in the west. These chances are increasing with an El Nino coming and having colder weather than normal this time of year in the deep south and Eastern Seaboard.
Meteorologists have been using computers that help find long-range forecasts. This computer has seen that temperatures in the whole eastern part of the country to be one to three degrees colder than normal throughout the whole month of December.
Just because the air is cold doesn’t automatically include snow, there needs to be a storm first. This is more likely to happen because there is an El Nino that is getting stronger each day. “An El Nino is when sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are warmer than normal, and the moisture and energy from this warm ocean water promotes a storm track across the southern part of the United States.” The storms most likely happen along the East Coast.
Because of this weather snow has already fallen in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, states that normally don’t see an inch of snow each year.
I found this article interesting because my cousin’s who live down south always are jealous on how I have a white Christmas every year. This year might be there chance at getting one too!
http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/cold-temperatures-plus-el-nino-storms-could-bring-snow-for-christmas/19273488?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sphere.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fcold-temperatures-plus-el-nino-storms-could-bring-snow-for-christmas%2F19273488
Everyone dreams of having snow on Christmas morning, well this year it could be snow to places that normally don’t experience a white Christmas.
Normally the chances of having a white Christmas are more than seventy-five percent in the north part of the United States and in the mountains in the west. These chances are increasing with an El Nino coming and having colder weather than normal this time of year in the deep south and Eastern Seaboard.
Meteorologists have been using computers that help find long-range forecasts. This computer has seen that temperatures in the whole eastern part of the country to be one to three degrees colder than normal throughout the whole month of December.
Just because the air is cold doesn’t automatically include snow, there needs to be a storm first. This is more likely to happen because there is an El Nino that is getting stronger each day. “An El Nino is when sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are warmer than normal, and the moisture and energy from this warm ocean water promotes a storm track across the southern part of the United States.” The storms most likely happen along the East Coast.
Because of this weather snow has already fallen in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, states that normally don’t see an inch of snow each year.
I found this article interesting because my cousin’s who live down south always are jealous on how I have a white Christmas every year. This year might be there chance at getting one too!
http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/cold-temperatures-plus-el-nino-storms-could-bring-snow-for-christmas/19273488?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sphere.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fcold-temperatures-plus-el-nino-storms-could-bring-snow-for-christmas%2F19273488
“Do Stars Spawn Giant Black Holes?”
Courtesy of Alex Smith:
The most confusing part of space has been the biggest black holes in the universe. Scientists have been wondering how black holes have formed for years. There has been new evidence recently that says they could have been started “inside giant cocoon-like stars”. This is completely different then the theory that large black holes are “created by the clumping together of smaller black holes.”
The galaxy scientists are looking at is NGC-1097 that has a huge black hold that is surrounded by stars in its center. University of Colorado scientists think that the biggest black holes have been created by huge stars that were formed soon after the Big Bang.
But astrophysicist, Mitchell Begelman, of the University of Colorado at Boulder, thinks they have been formed “in the middle of even larger supermassive stars that could have held tens of millions times the mass of our sun.” He says “until recently, the thinking by many has been that supermassive black holes got their start from the merging of numerous, small black holes in the universe, this new model of black hole development indicates a possible alternate route to their formation.”
Begelman has been studying how the stars have formed and how they could have given a rise to huge black holes. The stars could have been formed a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Begelman feels the “cores of the giant stars had burned all their hydrogen, they would have collapsed, forming dense black holes.”
The gas from the stars would have remind but over time the black holes would “have swallowed all remaining stellar matter within their reach, ballooning rapidly to staggering weights. Begelman thonks that it is possible that both methods could have happened.
I tought this was really interesting because black holes are seen as a mystery to what happens after things get sucked up into them. Maybe if finding a new way they were formed can help us figure out what really happens.
http://news.aol.com/article/do-stars-spawn-giant-black-holes/807764?icid=main|main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fdo-stars-spawn-giant-black-holes%2F807764
The most confusing part of space has been the biggest black holes in the universe. Scientists have been wondering how black holes have formed for years. There has been new evidence recently that says they could have been started “inside giant cocoon-like stars”. This is completely different then the theory that large black holes are “created by the clumping together of smaller black holes.”
The galaxy scientists are looking at is NGC-1097 that has a huge black hold that is surrounded by stars in its center. University of Colorado scientists think that the biggest black holes have been created by huge stars that were formed soon after the Big Bang.
But astrophysicist, Mitchell Begelman, of the University of Colorado at Boulder, thinks they have been formed “in the middle of even larger supermassive stars that could have held tens of millions times the mass of our sun.” He says “until recently, the thinking by many has been that supermassive black holes got their start from the merging of numerous, small black holes in the universe, this new model of black hole development indicates a possible alternate route to their formation.”
Begelman has been studying how the stars have formed and how they could have given a rise to huge black holes. The stars could have been formed a few hundred million years after the Big Bang. Begelman feels the “cores of the giant stars had burned all their hydrogen, they would have collapsed, forming dense black holes.”
The gas from the stars would have remind but over time the black holes would “have swallowed all remaining stellar matter within their reach, ballooning rapidly to staggering weights. Begelman thonks that it is possible that both methods could have happened.
I tought this was really interesting because black holes are seen as a mystery to what happens after things get sucked up into them. Maybe if finding a new way they were formed can help us figure out what really happens.
http://news.aol.com/article/do-stars-spawn-giant-black-holes/807764?icid=main|main|dl5|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fdo-stars-spawn-giant-black-holes%2F807764
"Chu to Unveil $350 Million Plan to Spread Clean Energy"
The largest city in Denmark, Copenhagen, is launching a $350 over five-year project to “spread renewable and non-polluting energy technologies in developing countries.” The plan is called Renewable and Efficiency Deployment Initiative. The project was designed by a handful of countries including the United States to make efforts to limit the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted.
There are four major components to the plan. The first step is to “accelerate the deployment of affordable solar home energy systems and LED lanterns in communities lacking electricity.” By doing this the homes will be run by solar renewable energy that does not emit pollutions into the Earth. Solar energy is a great and efficient way to obtain electricity and is Earth friendly. The second component to the plan is to spread high efficiency appliances. The third component mentioned in the article is to establish a web-based exchange to promote actions of clean energy technology. The final component of the plan is “to offer policy support and technical assistance to low income countries”. All of the elements in the plan are intended to help out with Earth’s global warming and help prevent further pollution.
The Renewable and Efficiency Deployment Initiative is a plan with much potential. All of the components plan to tackle the crisis of global warming. It is necessary for all countries to take part in this plan and put money towards it. Countries such as America emit the most pollution in the world and it is their job to help cope with the damage that is done. Copenhagen is a developing country and it is a great place launching point for this plan.
Are dishwashers good for the environment?
http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/dishwashers.htm
In this article, it describes how dishwashers use less water, energy, and soap than hand washing. "Scientists at the University of Bonn in Germany who studied the issue found that the dishwasher uses only half the energy, one-sixth of the water, and less soap than hand-washing an identical set of dirty dishes". The article then goes on to talk about how dishwashers have improved over the years, how they have become more efficient and are now using less water than compared to even the early 90's. While you might think that dishwashers use more energy, newer models of dishwashers are now passing standards from the EPA and saving around $25 a year on energy costs. Using techniques such as running the dishwasher only when it is full, and propping the door open a little after the last cleaning cycle can also save energy on newer models that have more features.
Who would have thought that using a dishwasher would save more energy than cleaning the dishes by hand? Modern technology and advances are now making it easier for us to do less work and also helping the environment. Not only does the dishwasher use less water and energy but also soap. These days inventors are coming up with new ways to package soap, using little plastic squares and comprising the soap into a tiny little package. Using this is a lot less soap than you would normally use to hand wash these dishes. I agree with this article and not only are dishwashers modernized, but now companies are also thinking about the environment as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)