Using Waste, Swedish City Cuts Its Fossil Fuel Use (extra credit by Clarence Jackson)

Today, there are growing concerns over the burning of fossil fuels and the deadly emissions they release into the air. With the increased concerned of the effects of burning fossil fuels, Kristianstad, Sweden has turned to using manure, potatoes, cow intestines and other wastes to form biogas, a form of methane. The methane is then burned and used to heat about 80,000 homes in Kristianstad and the surrounding area. In addition to heating homes, the biogas can be used for electricity or refined fuel for cars. Since using the biogas, the city’s carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced by one-quarter in the last decade. The continued reduction of carbon dioxide is a definite advantage in the constant struggle of global warming. With a decrease of the carbon dioxide emissions, Kristianstad has taken steps to limit the pollution problems all humans face today. In the United States today there are 151 biomass digesters, mainly using manure and other wastes from small farms. The United States has not developed the biogas system mostly because of the high costs and the lack of support from the government. Burning the biogas does release emissions into the air. However, the emissions are fewer than burning coal or oil would release. Wisconsin and California have pushed to create biogas plants for local farms. Today, different cities could benefit from the use of biogas fuel. Using biogas fuel emits fewer emissions than burning the common used oil and coal. Because there is growing concern over global warming, the manure and other wastes that would just decompose and still release emissions in the air are now being put to use as a burnable form of energy. Therefore, using biogas makes manure and other wastes useful. Today, new sources of energy, such as burning biogas, have been developed to help the growing problem of air pollution, a cause of global warming. hal, Elisabeth. "Using Waste, Swedish City Cuts Its Fossil Fuel Use." New York Times. 10 Dec. 2010. Web. 12 Dec. 2010.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/science/earth/11fossil.html>.

The Oceans by Clarence Jackson

Today, concerns over global warming always deal with the issue of the emissions released in the atmosphere and the Earth’s climate raising temperature, a topic in Earth Science class. However, what is rarely discussed is the ocean, which absorbs almost thirty percent of the carbon dioxide released into the air. Earth science focuses on the natural sciences and the importance of the ocean to human life. Unfortunately, the amount of carbon dioxide that is absorbed by the ocean has increased yearly. Carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean, and increases the acidity of the ocean. Increased levels of acid in the ocean hurt marine life because carbonate atoms are destroyed with increased levels of acid in the oceans. Scientists across the world have been researching the different effects of the acid in the ocean. For example, it has shown that fish near the coral reef develop osteoporosis, a weakening of the calcium in the shells. Research also shows that clownfish and krill have not developed correctly in highly acidic oceans. Also, there has been a decline in the tiny snails that are food for the larger fish in the ocean. The decline in food for larger fish makes acidity a huge problem today. The microbes in the ocean produce about fifty percent of the oxygen we breathe. This is a significant problem for humans if the ocean is not taken care of. Also, marine life provides humans with omega-3 for an enriched diet. Therefore, the oceans must be protected and conserved. The Environmental Protection Agency has increased awareness of acidity in oceans. The EPA has encouraged coastal towns to test the acidity in the oceans. Different solutions to the acid problems have been proposed, such as creating sunshields for the Earth. However, the acid already present in the ocean is irreversible and sunshields are not guaranteed to work. The only true solution is to generate power and electricity while burning the least amount of fossil fuels. Increased air pollution that is absorbed by the ocean will not only harm the marine life, but also danger the entire human population. I believe that there needs to be steps in preventing the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in the air. Besides the major problems that it causes to the Earth's climate, carbon dioxide dissolving in the ocean directly increases the acidity of the ocean. Obviously, the ocean is extremely vital for human survival. The ocean must be conserved and protected, because once the damage is done, it is irreversible. We get oxygen sources and minerals from the marine life in the ocean. Also, the ocean is used as forms of transportation and recreation. Therefore, it is extremely valuable to human life. Haymet, Tony. "The Oceans' SOS." Los Angeles Times. 13 Dec. 2010. .http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-haymetdickson-oceans-20101213,0,956649.story

No signs of 'dead zone' in Gulf, feds say

By Christen Fikar

This article talks about how the oil spill is believed to be taking oxygen away from the Gulf of Mexico. They talk about how microbes in the Gulf are using oxygen to dissolve underwater oil. They have tested numerous places in the Gulf to test for oil, which they believe is not harmful to the organisms in the Gulf. The explosion occured in mid April and was not capped until July. The oil spill is causing economic problems and it is said that oil is now being found at the bottom of the gulf's floor. This relates to the course because it discusses the problems with how oil can affect living organisms and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It also relates to the course by affecting the animals in the Gulf. If they are affected we will not find out till years to come and it could affect the evolution of these animals. I think the oil industry should be more careful with off-shore drilling. I think that they should keep testing the Gulf of Mexico to make sure it is clean and healthy. This is one of the worst spills to occur in the history of the United States and hopefully it does not affect our environment greatly.

Israel Wildfires

Recently during the past week in Israel, there was a huge wildfire disaster that began in the forests near the Carmel Mountains. This fire is now spreading to the outskirts of Haifa and has already burned 3,700 acres of land. The fire has also killed 40 people and is still spreading. Over 15,000 people have been evacuated from the villages and towns that are near the area. Many articles have said that this fire has been expected due to the climate effects in the Mediterranean. With the climate rising and the decreased rainfall, the risk of having a forest fire in this area has increased tremendously overtime. According to Israel’s National Report on Climate Change, the frequency and intensity of the wildfires have been increasing more and more as an outcome of the longer droughts, rise in water evaporation, making everything much drier, and the increase in the heat waves. All of these combined make areas dry and hot causing the spread of the fires.

The Carmel Mountain Range normally receives at an average of 800 mm of rainfall per year. Before the wildfire that recently occurred in the mountains, there was a drought period of eight months and during this period there was a heat wave that occurred with temperatures at 30 degrees Celsius. Without this rainfall, the area has become much drier causing the wildfire to occur.

During this Earth Science course, we have learned about climate change and what has caused the temperatures in most places around the world to rise. We have learned that humans have a huge role in the climate change that is occurring. Since the Industrial Revolution, people have been using fossil fuels more and turning to industrial factories to produce products. This uses a lot of energy and also gives off a lot of pollution and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has partially caused the climate to change. These problems have led to the disastrous events that have occurred, such as the Israel wildfire.

Whenever I hear of climate change I always think of the ways humans are actually affecting the atmosphere themselves. This is causing many severe events worldwide that have killed and could killed hundreds of people. We need to control the energy we use and the carbon dioxide we put in the atmosphere. We are only harming ourselves and our future. The wildfires in Israel may be hard to control now, but they could have been controlled several years ago by the conservation of resources and the awareness of the world. We need to do something about the climate change, or as time goes on, the disasters will just get worse and worse. If we do not do anything about the increase in climate change, the people will be the reason why we will not be able to live in this world any longer.

By: Kayla Haskin

Work Cited

Fire Disaster in Israel Is a Typical Example of Expected Climate Change Effects in the

Mediterranean." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment &

Technology. Science Daily, 13 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2010.

Stanley, Deb. "Beloved Denver Rabbi, Teacher Killed In Israel Wildfire - Denver News Story –

KMGH Denver." Denver News, Denver, Colorado News, Weather, and Sports - KMGH

Denver's Channel 7. CNN, 3 Dec. 2010. Web. 13 Dec. 2010.

Climate Talks End With Modest Deal on Emissions

by: Christian Leahy

The United Nations climate change conference met and they were unable to achieve what they and hoped to gain. However there are agreements that seem to have been made in order for global emissions to drop.

There was this package that is called the Cancun Agreement was decided on at the conference. Basically what this does is it gives the nearly 200 countries another year to decide whether or not they want to extend the Kyoto Protocol which would require most wealthy nations to cut their own emissions as well as help developing countries. The more wealthy nations would help the developing countries become more adaptable to climate changes. The article also stated that the average temperature is supposed to raise about 4 degrees Celsius over the next half century.

This article overall is very relevant to the ENVA-050 class at Siena College in Loudonville, NY because we just finished learning about different methods that greenhouse gases can be emitted into the atmosphere as well as all of the possible dangers that can occur with it.

I believe that this is a good idea that they try and not only figure out ways to help developing countries adapt to different climate changes but to also regulate the emissions of greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. We need to make sure that we take the precautionary measures to help enable the world to live and stay as healthy as possible. This issue also came up within my term paper for the same class and its important to note that many places around the world need to become more aware of the global emissions and how serious of a problem it truly is. There will be some nay sayers that don't believe that our world is actually being harmed but currently I believe that we are. Brazil alone is producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to deforestation alone. We need trees to help regulate CO2 emissions. We need to stop what is going wrong and fix it otherwise there will be no future for the Earth and there will be no history to be remembered due to the lack of life on a non-existent planet.

Article from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/science/earth/12climate.html?_r=1&ref=earth

Tigers and Polar Bears Are Highly Vulnerable to Environmental Change

According to a recent study, larger predators, like tigers and polar bears, are more greatly affected by environmental changes versus smaller animals. This is because these predators have to work so much harder just to find their next meal. Scientists have determined that these predators have experienced a much greater decline in their population because of the dwindling food supplies, unlike the smaller species like weasels and badgers. In the journal Biology Letters, researchers found that because animals like lions and tigers, are so big, they need more food to fuel to their large bodies and this is why these animals are so vulnerable. These species are designed to hunt large prey, but when food becomes scarce, these large species struggle for survival. This is because a predator is working much harder to find its prey, but it is not getting the proper caloric intake for survival. Dr. Stephens from Durham University stated that, "the largest species exhibited a five to six fold greater decrease in relative abundance in response to a decrease in their prey. It's hard work being a large predator roaming and hunting across extensive areas to find food. The apparent vulnerability of tigers and polar bears to reductions in the availability of prey may be linked to the energetic costs of being a large carnivore." This research has led to important discoveries to help conserve the larger species that are the most vulnerable to environmental changes. Dr. Carbone from the Zoological Society of London concluded that this research is helping to stress the importance of protecting and conserving habitat and prey of carnivores. Dr. Stephans also added that this study stresses that scientists need to do more research when it comes to aiding conservation and how much more humans need to learn about the delicate relationship between predators and their prey.
This is important because it shows how the lack of sufficient food for carnivores is negatively affecting the wildlife as a whole. If the larger species become extinct, the entire food chain will be thrown through a loop. Without larger species controlling the populations of the smaller species, the smaller species could potentially make other things become extinct, such as other species and certain plants. This chain reaction is vicious and could be deadly to many plant and animal species. Scientists need to figure out how to ensure the survival of lions, tigers, and polar bears in order to allow the food chain to stay intact. Technically speaking, becoming overrun with smaller species could negatively affect the human species and create a much larger problem. All species are needed to ensure that the planet runs smoothly.

By: Rebecca Robinson

Ice-Age Reptile Extinctions Provide a Glimpse of Likely Responses to Human-Caused Climate Change by Dana Tricarico

This article talks about reptile extinction on the Greek islands over the past 15,000 that may offer a preview into the future, of how plants and animals will respond to the changing climates of global warming. These extinctions also show the major importance of preserving the habitats that will enable plants and animals to migrate in response to climate change, in order to survive. Many reptile populations perished as the climate warmed at the end of the last ice age, due to sea levels rising, and cool and moist forested areas spread as aridity took over the regions they lived in. Johannes Foufopoulos and his colleagues found a pattern to the Greek island extinctions. This pattern was that most reptile populations (of the 34 researched) disappeared on the smallest islands first. This correlates to the fact that the habitat choices were most limited in those areas. “Habitat specialist” reptiles were hard hit because they required a narrow range of environmental conditions to survive, while northern-dwelling species that required cool, moist conditions showed some of the highest extinction rates as well. The researchers conclude that a similar pattern of extinctions will happen at certain spots as the climate becomes hotter in the coming decades and centuries. This suggests that if species survive the global climate shift that is currently happening, not only do humans have to conserve more land, but they will also have to be connected through a network of habitats so that they can migrate.

This idea, that changes in climate will elicit a similar response from plants and animals now, that it did 15,000 years ago, makes sense. This is because, if it was hard for plants and animals to migrate, due to small areas of land, like on the Greek Islands, that pattern will not change now without our help. Therefore, I think that the idea to have a connected network of habitats to help them migrate if they survive the current climate change, is a great idea, because since humans have the capacity to help save their species, we should do everything we can. For instance, conserving more land is something that can be easily done, and can allow a great deal of species to migrate depending on the climate.

This relates to this course, because one of the main points of Earth Science is what affects the earth. It also touches on environmental issues. Greenhouse gases affect the earth, which creates global warming-a huge environmental issue in our world today. Not only will plants and animals have to adapt to a changing climate, but they will have to be forced to traverse an increasingly changed natural landscape.

Source:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101209141243.htm

Earthquake risk spurs race for faster supercomputer

BY: Joseph Stinton

Thomas Jordan is director of the Southern California Earthquake Center. Jordan is very concern by the state of the faults in Southern California. A way to give himself and the Southern California Earthquake Center some more reassurance about safety from earthquakes, they are now using supercomputers. These supercomputers run simulations on how an earthquake would affect southern California, so that the state can be more prepared when an earthquake does happen. This is in the forefront of their minds as the San Andres fault is “locked and load” according to Jordan.

They currently are using the Jaguar computer system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Jordan’s team has been running simulations of how an earthquake might affect southern California. The computer is running at 1.75 petaflops; currently Jaguar is the world’s second-fastest supercomputer. Currently Jordan is preparing his application to work on Blue Waters, a 10-petaflop system that’s being built by IBM for use late next year at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

An application with a runtime of 4,000 hours (167 Days) per processor on Jaguar could be completed in just 770 hours (32 Days) on Blue Waters. There is an urgency to Jordan’s need for this computing power because many scholars believe that there’s a 99% chance of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake during the next 30 years in California.

In class we learned that California is in a high hazard area for earthquakes because it lies on plates that are elastically rebounding. Which causes the earth’s tectonic plates to deform, causing elastic energy that builds up. Eventually this energy reaches a breaking point where it needs to be release, and released rapidly; this causes the earthquake to occur.

Earthquakes can be devastating as we saw recently in Haiti this year. Elastic energy built up and released rapidly on an area of populated land that was not made ready for earthquakes. This lead to mass death and Haitian infrastructure destroyed.

Jordan hopes that by using these computers he can determine how much destruction will occur, where it will occur, and best ways to prevent it from happening. The faster technology advances the faster and more simulations we will be able to perform that will prevent the most damage possible.

I found this article interesting because it combines modern technological advances with trying to prevent a natural phenomenon on earth that has been occurring since the formation of the planet. The fact that computers have the potential to advance so much that simulation after simulation, can be calculated, interpreted and even able to predict where an earthquake will occur, blows the mind.

Source:

Earthquake risk spurs race for faster supercomputer

By Patrick Thibodeau

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/352973/Scientists_Race_to_Simulate_Earthquakes

Northern Wildfires Threaten Runaway Climate Change, Study Reveals

Dominic Stracqualursi

The article “Northern Wildfires Threaten Runaway Climate Change, Study Reveals”, which was published on December 10, 2011, discusses another dangerous effect of climate change. Climate change is causing wildfires that are already dangerous enough to grow even bigger. As serious of a problem as the wild fires are in a direct effect, it is the indirect effect that is proving to be more dangerous in the long run. As the fires increase so does the amount of green house gases, which are being released into the atmosphere. It has become such a grave issue because of the cyclical nature of the problem. The fires are growing in size because of the increase in climate temperature. The green house gases being released are greater because of the bigger fires, and the greater the amount of green house gases that enter the atmosphere the higher the climate temperature raises. The article goes on to say, “This cycle can be broken for a number of reasons, but likely not without dramatic changes to the boreal forest as we currently know it”. This article relates to our earth science class because we have covered the whole that is being created in our atmosphere. We learned that the hole in the ozone is because of CDC’s that are released in greenhouse gases like the ones in the fires. It is the hole in the ozone that causes the temperature of the earth to increase. Without the protection of our ozone we are exposed to greater heat from the sun and this greater can have effects like the melting of sea ice or an increase of wildfires. I think that the issue of global warming is not taken seriously enough by most people in today’s world and is clearly a source of a lot of the rising problems in the world. There have been a large number of effects that can be correlated to the rise of climate temperatures, with wildfires just being the most recent instance. I think that drastic steps need to be taken to reduce the amount of green house gases that are being pumped into the atmosphere before we have even more serious effects that have to be dealt with. As of right now there aren’t too many blatant life-altering effects of climate change. However, if we continue to not care about the pollution to the atmosphere there will be life-altering effects that future generations are going to have to deal.

"Northern Wildfires Threaten Runaway Climate Change, Study Reveals." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 05 Dec. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. .

Dark Matter Could Transfer Energy in the Sun by Steven Priestley (Extra Credit)

In this article Researchers from the Institute for Corpuscular Physics (IFIC) and other European groups have studied the effects of the presence of dark matter in the Sun. According to Mark Taoso (researcher at the IFIC) they assume that the dark matter particles interact weakly with the Sun’s atoms, and what they have done was calculated at what levels the interactions can occur. The purpose of this would give a better description of the structure and evolution of the Sun. According to calculations low mass dark matter particles could be transferring energy from the core to the external parts of the Sun, which would inevitably affect the quantity of neutrinos that reach Earth. (Science Daily) According to Models the WIMP’S (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles) interact weakly with other normal ones , such as atoms and could be building up on the inside of stars. Scientist believe that the majority dark matter particles gather together in the center of the Sun interacting and exchanging with the solar atoms, the WIMP’S transport the energy from the burning central core to the cooler parts. Taso refers  to "This effect produces a cooling down of the core, the region from where the neutrinos originate due to the nuclear reactions of the Sun,". The neutrinos that reach Earth can be measured by means of different techniques. The transport of energy by these particles depends on the likelihood of them interacting with the atoms, and the "size" of these interactions is related to the reduction in the neutrino fluctuation. "As a result, current data about solar neutrinos can be used to put limits on the extent of the interactions between dark matter and atoms, and using numerical codes we have proved that certain values correspond to a reduction in the flux of solar neutrinos and clash with the measurements," Taoso reveals. The team has applied their calculations to better understand the effects of low mass dark matter particles  and Taoso concludes that their calculations show that the modifications of the star’s structure are too small to support that the WIMP’S cannot explain the problem of the composition of the Sun. Therefore the dark matter is not giving a better description of the structure and description of the Sun. (Science Daily)

Plataforma SINC. "Dark matter could transfer energy in the Sun." ScienceDaily 3 December 2010. 5 December 2010 .

Coastal Wetlands Likely to Disappear This Century

Brian Cary

"Many Coastal Wetlands Likely to Disappear This Century, Scientists Say" is an article posted in Science Daily on December 3, 2010. This article discusses how wetlands across the globe will be impacted by climate change and sea-level rise. According to U.S. Geological Survey scientists, rapid sea-level rise scenarios show that most wetlands located along coasts will be destroyed by the end of the 21st century. Slow sea-level rise projections show that there would be a chance of survival for some wetlands, but survival would be determined by sediment availability in these wetlands. The higher the sediment in the wetland, the greater the chance of survival. This is because water floods the wetland, causing sediment to be carried upstream and raise the wetlands elevation. The rate at which sea level rises is mostly dependent on future climate changes. Wetlands are primarily important to the environment because they play a critical part in absorbing the energy of coastal storms, which is a direct effect on the safety of humans. They also act as a habitat for migratory birds, preserve shorelines, and absorb water pollutants. I believe this article relates to this course because it involves things that we have discussed such as climate change, air pollution, and the relationship between sediment deposit and water flow. I believe the most important aspect that this article touches on though is how much damage mankind seems to be doing on its own environment. Wetlands serve a very important purpose in our ecosystem, especially along coastlines, and the thought of complete wetland extinction within the next 90 years is scary. It shows just how fast change can happen in the ecosystem, even on a global scale. The biggest effect on us humans would likely be the loss of a energy absorbing buffer zone between us and coastal storms as they begin to hit land. Without wetlands, these storms will hit with more force and potentially do much more damage to our coastal cities. Almost every part of our ecosystem would be negatively effected by the loss of wetlands. Humans do have the ability to make a change for the better, though. As we learned earlier this semester, 28% of greenhouse gas emissions which lead to climate change are created by human transportation and another 5% is from residential use. These numbers that any ordinary person can help cut down on and help preserve not only our wetlands, but all of our bodies of water.

United States Geological Survey (2010, December 3). Many coastal wetlands likely to disappear this century, scientists say.ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2010/12/101201134256.htm

Snow from Space: Satellite Imagery of Snow-Bound UK by Steven Priestley

In an article from sciencedaily.com European Space Agency satellite instruments have been monitoring the icy blast in the UK from their vantage points in space. Meaning Scientists used two instruments MERIS, and AATSR which illustrate images of a snow-bound UK from observations took on the 29^th of November and the 1^st of December. The MERIS image shows from white snow and clouds to green vegetation opposed to the AASTR images which depict non-snow areas in red to show the differences in the snow. The amount of snow covered in the images within two days is visibly apparent. Professor John Remedios Head of Earth Observation Science at the University of Leiceste says “"These images demonstrate how much our local climate depends on a combination of the climate mean temperature in a given month and the meteorological variability which can produce very cold and very warm months. For the UK, it is another cold winter. At one time a few years ago our children complained that there was never any snow. Now there is plenty!" The AATSR measures climate variables such as sea and land surface temperature, aerosols and clouds opposed to the MERIS instrument which observes vegetation green pigment and ocean color, and their variations over the seasons. These two instruments MERIS and AASTR are hand and hand in determining weather prediction and forecasting. According to Professor Remedios the “AASTR instrument is very good for both measurements for climates and for weather forecasting”. In reference to this article MERIS and AATSR are two vital components in forecasting weather and predicting weather in European Space Agency for the UK. Apparently these recorded images of the UK’s winter by MERIS and AASTR are very beneficial, they show and prove that the two instruments are working well and provide the European Space Agency with vital information so they can predict and forecast accurately and accordingly. The Envisat just recently made an alteration to manage the orbit change to extend the life of MERIS and AATSR to 2013 because it is working so well.   All in all the team of scientist and professionals of the European Space Agency are very impressed and pleased with how the recorded images depict the landscape of the UK. 

(Science Daily)

University of Leicester (2010, December 3). Snow from space: Satellite imagery of snow-bound UK. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 5, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/12/101203123517.htm

The Warming of Earth's Lakes by Olivia Raymond (extra credit)

In an article from Science Daily.com “Earth’s Lakes Are Warming, NASA Study Finds” a study conducted by scientists from NASA found that Earth’s bodies of water, especially lakes, have increased “an average warming rate of 0.45 degrees Celsius (0.81 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade, with some lakes warming as much as 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) per decade”. This increase in temperature has been happening over the past 25 years as a direct result of climate change. Scientists measure the temperature trends of lakes, oceans, rivers, and other bodies of water through the use of data collected from thermal infrared satellites. The researchers from NASA used this method for their study to collect data and found a trend of change of warming water temperatures. The data focused on lake temperatures from night time during the months of “July to September in the Northern Hemisphere and January to March in the Southern Hemisphere”. The negative impacts of warming water in lakes affect the ecosystems that live within these bodies of water. These impacts include “algal blooms that can make a lake toxic to fish or result in the introduction of non-native species that change the lake's natural ecosystem”. NASA’s researchers chose the bodies of water for their study based on large surface area, distance from shore lines, and other unique scientific characteristics. The study found that the largest concentrated area of warming water is in northern Europe. In the United States the southwest was warming more so than the Great Lakes region. This article relates to our class because the hydrosphere is one of the main focuses of our studies in Earth Science. Though the article doesn’t exactly state how we can help stop the warming of our waters I think we can do so by eliminating the emissions of greenhouse gasses. Climate change is a direct result of global warming and is what is causing our waters to warm up. We can help stop or at least decrease this trend by eliminating our carbon foot print and the emissions of Carbon Dioxide and other toxins into our atmosphere.


NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (2010, November 29). Earth's lakes are warming, NASA study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 3, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2010/11/101128220357.htm

Global Warming Can Cool Down Temperatures

by Dana Tricarico

An article written posted on Science Daily on November 17, 2010, discusses how the overall warming of Earth’s northern half could potentially make colder winters. This is due to the fact that, as sea-ice shrinks in the eastern Arctic, it could cause some regional heating in lower levels of air. According to a study recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, this could create huge abnormalities as far as atmospheric airstreams are concerned, which could, in turn, lead to an overall cooling of northern continents. According to Vladimir Petoukhov, the lead author of the study and climate scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, these changes could triple the probability of colder winters in Europe and Northern Asia (Science Daily).

This concept seems to make sense, however, I think it will take a significant amount of time to really determine this. Currently, researchers are using a computer model called ECHAM5, which focuses on the Barents-Kara Sea, where a reduction of ice was observed in the winter of 2005-2006. Using this, they were able to figure out that the air temperatures in that area ranged from warming to cooling, then back to warming, as the sea ice decreased (Science Daily). This helps support the viewpoint, however, it shows that temperatures are still fluctuating to the point where there is no concrete evidence yet. Temperatures in Siberia were 10 degrees below the normal level in the winter of 2005-2006, yet in the Eastern Arctic; temperatures were up to 14 degrees above normal temperature at the same time. Until temperatures become consistent in either rising or falling, claims cannot be made as to how sea ice melting will affect the planet (Science Daily).

This relates to our course, because the main topics we discussed, that earth science touches on, has to do with climate and weather. Earth science is also the study of earth, its functions and what affects it. This article’s topic, and this phenomena in general, is the function of earth- how temperature can entirely change the severity of certain seasons. This does not focus on the day-to-day weather; however, it does focus on the longtime probability of climate change and how this will later affect it.

Works Cited:

"Global Warming Could Cool down Northern Temperatures in Winter." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 17 Nov. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. .

Biodiversity At Risk by Olivia Raymond

In an article from the website Science Daily "Extinctions Expected to Increase Strongly Over the Century" biodiversity is at an all time risk. Life scientists are predicting that within the 21^st-century the global decline in biodiversity is growing strong. There is a huge threat of extinctions, decline in abundance of species, and overall species distribution. Predicting future trends of biodiversity was considered to be too complex but life science specialists are now able to using the same methods as Climatologists. These predictions are not completely certain but if human and economic conditions do not change the possibility is greater. What is the major cause for this threat to our biodiversity? Simply answered it’s us, humans. Activities such as urbanization, air and water pollution and the abuse of our natural resources have negatively impacted the habitats of many species. The homes of animals and plants are being destroyed because humans are cutting down forests to make way for housing and industrial buildings, over fishing, and causing climate change through the pollution of air with green house gasses. Scientists say if we continue with these bad habits and processes the overall abundance of terrestrial species could diminish from 10 to 20% during the first half of the century. There are ways we can help save our plants and animals from a grim future. We can do so by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, stopping large-scale deforestation, create more animal reserves, enforce fishing regulations, and being more efficient in agriculture. Having biodiversity is important because it allows for variation between species and habitats as well as more resources. Without it there would be a disturbance in the synergy of our ecosystem. This topic relates to our class because Earth Science deals with understanding earth systems and processes and how humans impact those systems. Our plants and animals are at risk of extinction because of human’s ignorant behavior. Everyone has a responsibility to take care of our Earth and the future of all its inhabitants. We have to change our bad habits and begin to work for the better of our environment. The predictions made by the scientist’s show that the future abundance of our animals and their overall distribution are at great risk and the direct cause is poor human behavior. We can no longer continue our destructive habits. We have to begin to work to protect our resources and all Earth’s inhabitants.

"Extinctions Expected to Increase Strongly over the Century." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. .

Central Valley Aquifer Sarah Burns

Central Valley Aquifer in California

In Central Valley, California, there is a very important aquifer. “More than 250 different crops are grown in the Central Valley with an estimated value of $17 billion per year.” The aquifer is not only important to California but to the rest of the United States as well because it creates so many crops. The problem with the aquifer is that is depends on groundwater plumage and surface-water diversions and the population is quickly rising. If the population keeps growing the competition for water will increase as well. California is trying to monitor the situation by recording “(1) the present status of groundwater resources; (2) how these resources have changed over time; and (3) tools to assess system responses to stresses from future human uses and climate variability and change.” In Earth Science we studied both the amount of available fresh water on the Earth as well as the lack of water in warmer areas of the Earth such as California. The aquifer shows how Californians use their water. They use it in a productive way to gain crops for the people of California and other states. In class we also talked about runoff water and how it would normally go back into the ocean eventually. This plays into the problem with the depleting amount of available fresh water on the Earth. In other parts of the United States and other countries as well, runoff water is being diverted by the building of roads and houses causing it not to reach the oceans. If the water cannot reach the oceans then it cannot go through the cycle again, creating a depleting level of fresh water. The problem with the growing population is that they will bring more roads and houses to Central Valley, creating even less runoff water then there currently is, making it hard to grow the amount of crops the Aquifer normally does or causing the population to have less water than they normally would. I believe that California is making a wise move by monitoring the things that they are so that they can determine what to do if the water levels get to low or if the resources and climate are being drastically affected. The question I have however, is what will Californians do if the results are not positive? There will no agreeable way to solve it by all people. I just wonder what will be moved the Aquifer or the people.

DeLima Associates. Household Products Database - Health and Safety Information on Household Products. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. .