Polar bears and sea ice

Courtesy of Reanne Oberhelman:

Macroevolution.net is a scientific website made up of articles about human evolution, biology, marine biology, animals, and other topics in earth science. The word macroevolution is described as ‘the process producing new forms of life treated as distinct species’, which is what this site is dedicated to. A recent article on macroevolution.net titled, “Polar Bears Eating Goose Eggs” discusses Arctic polar bears and how they must adjust to the warming climate in order to survive.

Each spring, the Arctic thaws earlier and earlier than the year before providing polar bears with a different type of food in the Hudson Bay, goose eggs. Eating the goose eggs whole, or breaking the shells and then eating them, provides the polar bears with an alternative source of highly nutritious food as they come into contact with these goose nests.

Polar bears, or Ursus maritimus, are on the United States’ Endangered Species List as “a threatened species” because their population is declining, an issue that will increase as the climate gets warmer. Polar bears in the Arctic are known for hunting seals on the sea ice, but as this sea ice melts sooner each year, the polar bears are forced back onto land to live off their internal stored fat reserves. As they retreat to the tundra they come into contact with the nesting grounds of the snow geese. Fortunately, the population of snow geese in the Arctic is too high in the summer to be supported by the area, so the fact that polar bears are using them as an alternative source of food is a good thing, for the present time.

The rate of change of ice breakup has been calculated as .72 days earlier each year and present trends indicate that the arrival of polar bears will overlap the mean hatching period in 3.6 years. At this point, a polar bear must eat the eggs of 43 nests to make up for the average seal hunting day. A projection of ten years indicates that a bear would only need to consume the eggs of 34 nests because of timing changes. At this time, the embryos of the goose eggs are younger, and therefore more nutritious.

Because polar bears depend on the sea AND the ice to get their sources of food, will they become extinct as these climate changes continue; or will the polar bears be able to adapt like they have so far?

Phoenix Islands

Courtesy of John Heidenstrom:
The Phoenix Islands are over one thousand miles south west of Hawaii and still largely unpopulated by humans. Other than a small settlement of around fifty people, no other human inhabitants exist on the Phoenix Islands. That’s group of people that are there are only their to monitor the islands as instructed by the Kiribati government. The Phoenix Islands are important because they are one of the last oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems, or coral reefs that exist naturally and unharmed. Although the Phoenix Islands are extremely remote even by comparison to Hawaii they were first visited by humans over two hundred years ago. Any visit by humans is shore to result in some type of destruction to the habitat or nature in general. The Phoenix Islands are no different; the large sperm whale population of the area promoted heavy whaling activities for a number of years. The whale population as almost completely knocked out as a result. Fallowing the whaling the United States and Brittan also took advantage of the large amount of guano in the island chain and harvested it to a great extent. The guano or animal droppings were useful due to the large amount of phosphate found in it. The islands were also used as a fueling stop for sea planes flying to New Zealand. All of this activity did leave its mark on the area. Some divers have found traces of metal ship parts attached to the coral reefs and in other areas around the islands. The government of Kiribati is now in control of the Phoenix Islands since 1979 when they declared their independence. Today the Phoenix Islands are the world’s largest protected marine area. That accomplishment is largely due to the help of the New England Aquarium and their conservation efforts. The fact that even such a remote area as the Phoenix Islands can be impacted by the great extent of the human race obviously alarmed the New England Aquarium research team and the Kiribati government, and it should. The fact that an area that remote can even fall victim to the destructions of the human race does not say much for the future of the habitats right near our home. People need to be carful when they develop areas that they don’t completely destroy all the nature around it. With all of the organization and governments protecting it, hopefully the Phoenix Islands will remain a shining example of what the world used to look like.

Melting Snow Caps

Global warming is an often debated topic especially by environmentalists and politicians. Arguments occur over whether global warming is actually occurring, as well arguments surround the ideas of what the reasons are, and what the outcomes will be. The only way to support such an argument for either global warming occurring or not occurring is through scientific evidence. The concept of global warming is strongly evident by the melting of glaciers. Specifically, it has been found that the mountaintop glaciers atop the peak of mount Kilimanjaro have been melting. The white peaks of the African mountain are both receding as well as thinning. Researchers found that, of these mountaintop glaciers, the northern ice field thinned roughly 1.9 meters, and that the southern ice field had melted roughly 5.1 meters during the seven years from 2000 to 2007. The quickly shrinking ice fields atop Kilimanjaro are very concerning signs to many scientists that the temperatures near Earth surface are increasing. This increase in temperature in the mid to upper tropical troposphere is clear evidence that global warming is in fact occurring. Even more frightening is the evidence of global warming that Kilimanjaro is not the only mountain that is rapidly losing it’s snow covered peaks. Three other examples of mountains that have vanishing snow caps are Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori mountains, in Africa, as well as the Himalayas, in South America. These mountains in the tropics and sub-tropics serve as clear evidence of melting mountaintop glaciers. Data collected by scientists has reveled that roughly 85 percent of the ice, that existed atop Mount Kilimanjaro in 1912, had melted by 2007. In addition, research found that in just seven years a quarter of the ice that had been been there in 2000 was gone by 2007. The research discovered about Mount Kilimanjaro suggests that global warming is having its effects, especially on snow covered mountains, and proposes the question of how much longer these mountains will retain their infamous white peaks. The information previously discussed comes from an article called “snow cap disappearing from Mount Kilimanjaro”, written by Randolph E Schmid.

Water Found on the Moon

Have you ever thought water on the moon was possible? That a place that has shown no form of earth like features could possibly, actually have some. It is an exciting new discovery that researchers from NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite say that there has been water found on the moon! Not only did they find water but they found at least 26 gallons of it. A satellite known as Lcross crashed into a crater on the moon which dug a huge hole into it. Researchers and scientists have been trying to find water on the moon for decades and so they staged a plan to find some. The plan was to crash a rocket into the moon and hit a crater that is 60 miles wide and 2 miles long (the actual hole that was dug was 60 to 100 feet wide) and then use a smaller machine to measure what was kicked up in the process. The satellite that found the 26 gallons of water was traveling at 5,600 miles per hour! However when scientists and science crazy folks watched to see the impact in October they sadly saw nothing. Even though debris wasn't seen or picked up by photographs they did see through analysis some slim shifts in color which shows signs of water on the moon. Water molecules were shown on the analysis which absorbed certain wavelengths of light. Besides water molecules showing up on the data there were also signs of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and methane molecules. Below the crater that was hit it is a minus 365 degrees which means anything that is in that crater at the bottom, will stay there. Scientist didn't always believe that the moon had water on it, before that they thought it was a dry area. However evidence showed that there was ice in the craters which led to the finding that, maybe there is water on the moon. Now after an extraordinary experiment we have finally discovered that water does exist on the moon. Who would have thought that we would be alive for this great discovery? Who knows what can happen now on the moon. [Science is] not belief, but the will to find out.-Anonymous

The Threat of Landslides

To many of us, Landslides are foreign concepts which we see on television as a result of a natural event or disaster. But researchers with the United States Geological Survey have begun attempts to understand the threat and cause of landslides which they feel is often overlooked. Dennis Staley, a USGS researcher has begun a program in Santa Barbara, California to evaluate the causes and effects of landslides, also known as mudslides or debris flows. What many people do not know, including me until now, is that landslides do not necessary have any correlation with major natural events like storms or earthquakes. Rather, they are their own individual natural disturbance with their own set of causes. Like USGS researchers, I believe that it is crucial to various areas of our nation that we understand what environments may be affected by the occurrence of these landslides which have killed many and wiped out home, and even entire towns. The phenomenon of landslides it not their power, but rather the fact that they occur due to unrecognized conditions of soil composition and precipitation, and that they occur rather unexpectedly. When soil becomes saturated, the water can only runoff the land. The pressure and weight of this water causes a mudslide. This issue has been especially important in California during the recent months because of the extensive wildfires that have occurred. Most people do not consider the effects of wildfires on the cause of something like a landslide but the effect is in fact very great. The accumulation of ash in and on top of the soil make the soil something like a blacktop parking lot, preventing absorption of water. This lack of absorption causes the mudslide unexpectedly. After a period of wildfires, the area is usually desperate for rain, but this can actually be detrimental because of the overlooked risk of landslide. The research that has been done by Dennis Staley and his colleagues has provided a great deal of unknown information and understanding to geologists. It is important for all people to understand that it is very difficult for these landslides to be prevented, even with this research and information. However, the information is very beneficial because geologists believe that they will be better able to predict when an area may be at high risk for a landslide based on the condition of the soil and the land, and therefore take preventative measures against extreme destruction. I think that this is a tremendous advancement. Many people will benefit from this information, especially when you consider that last year, there were 540 landslides world wide which occurred solely due to rain, and these landslides were responsible for 2100 deaths. Just imagine the lives and homes that might be saved as a result of this extensive research. Like always with science, the possibilities are endless.

Local Wineries using Green Technology

A few local wineries have been using techniques to become, as they say, "Carbon Neutral". They strive to prove to their customers that their wine is not contributing to the destruction of the planet.

"It's going to be increasingly important for consumers to know that the wines they choose are participating in the green revolution that our planet is going to have to go through to survive," said Robert Nicholson, principal of Healdsburg wine consulting firm International Wine Associates.

Paul Dolan's Parducci Winery in Ukiah, CA declared itself the nation's first carbon neutral winery in early 2007. But over the next two and half years, while many wineries rolled out various green initiatives, none of the more than 6,000 U.S. wineries followed suit. With the new interest in preserving the environment, many large businesses such as Walmart and Sams Club have been inquiring with their suppliers about the environmental impact of their products and what they are doing to become more sustainable. But corporations like these wineries, have nothing to worry about. They use various technologies at their winery. After accounting for the solar panels, which eliminate the need for an estimated 350 tons of greenhouse gases, and the vineyards, whose growth sucks an estimated 1,063 tons of carbon from the atmosphere, the winery sought to offset nearly 2,000 tons of emissions that remained by paying money to programs that have a beneficial impact on the atmosphere.

Coral reefs offer more than just fascination for snorkelers and scubadivers, they also play into the economy. With seafood, tourism, and protection from storms, the reefs have a value of $375 billion. The reefs are currently in danger because of human practices. One factor that affects the sustainability of the coral reefs is pollution. We do not always realize it but we may be contributing to the pollution of oceans. Even if we do not live close to the ocean, things like streams and lakes carry pollutants toward the sea. Another way in which we affect coral reefs is through warming. The overuse of energy in businesses and in our homes has helped to change natural temperatures of the earth, forcing all other life to adapt. The last major cause of deteriorating coral reefs is a result of fishing practices. Because of advances in technology, fishermen are able to capture more sea life efficiently. Although this is good for their businesses, it disrupts the ecosystem. With all of these forces combined, coral reefs are at great risk. If we do not act soon to preserve the reefs their beauty and economic advantages will be lost.