Dead Coral Found Near Site of BP Oil Spill

On Tuesday, November 2, scientists aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel found dead and dying coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, most likely caused by the BP oil spill in April. The colony was found about seven miles from the oil spill site, about 4,500 feet deep. A type of starfish that finds it's home in the coral reef was also severely damaged. Researchers have taken samples back to the labs to analyze, but they say the results may be inconclusive because the toxins may never have accumulated in the coral tissue or on the seafloor near the corals.

Although there is no concrete evidence to prove that the reefs dying was an effect of the oil spill, most researchers conclude that the oil spill did have some effect on the phenomenon. Dr. Charles Fisher, a marine biologist from Pennsylvania State University and the chief scientist on the expedition, noted, “we have never seen anything like this at any of the deep coral sites that we’ve been to, and we’ve been to a lot of them.” The evidence points to the oil spill as the main cause of the death of the coral community. The reef is close to the spill site and could have easily been hit by an oil plume, allowing it to be damaged very easily.

This topic relates to our class because it shows how humans can severely impact the Earth and its resources. The spill was caused by human error, which could potential impact the entire ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico. This simple error can lead to the destruction of not only the coral in the region, but it will also affect the rest of the life forms that rely on the coral and that can be affected by the toxins present in the water. It also shows how one problem can affect an area for an extended period of time, and that the effects of the disaster can be seen long after the disaster occurred.

I find the oil spill to be a very important event because it was the largest spill to occur. Although the spill occurred in April 2010, the effects of the spill will continue to be seen because the toxins were unable to be completely removed from the water. Many organisms rely on the coral that was damaged from the toxins, and they will need to adapt in order to survive. We will continue to see more effects from the spill appearing in the future, because it had such a severe impact on that ecosystem.

Sources:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/nov/06/nation/la-na-dead-coral-20101106

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/06/science/earth/06coral.html?ref=earth

Three Major Events, One Devastated Area

In Indonesia, Mount Merapi, which is considered an active volcano, has been erupting since last week. It is a volcano on the outskirts of Yogyakarta in Central Java. On Friday, November 5, it erupted again killing 65 more people. The total number of people that have been killed has now increased to over 100 and the number injured has surpassed 200 people. The eruption has also led to the evacuation of over 150,000 people within a 20 km radius of the volcano in Indonesia. A photographer that was by the volcano said that the ash is so thick now that people actually have to put on their headlights during the day just so they can see in front of them. Although this is a horrific disaster, this is not the only event that has been occurring in Indonesia.

A few hours before Mount Merapi first erupted on Monday, October 27, a tsunami was triggered by an earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.7, near the western island of Sumatra. The tsunami killed more than 300 people. People are now asking if the earthquake and the eruption are linked in any way. People think that the shaking, as the result of the earthquake, set off the volcano. But scientifically, I think there might be a deeper reasoning.

We have learned in class that volcanoes are usually formed on the boundaries of plate tectonics. For example, the Ring of Fire surrounds the Atlantic Ocean. The Ring of Fire is where a bunch of volcanoes and earthquakes have been and it is the evidence of actual plate tectonics. There are three types of boundaries, convergent, divergent, and transform boundaries. Volcanoes are formed by convergent boundaries. This is when the plate tectonics move together and collide. Therefore, the volcanoes are actually formed on the plate tectonics. An earthquake is the shaking and vibration of the plate tectonics. So the shaking of the plate tectonics actually probably caused the volcano to erupt just because it is on the same plate as the earthquake.

I think that this is the correct reasoning for the eruption of Mount Merapi because of the theory of plate tectonics. Because the earthquake, tsunami, and volcano were all in the same general location, the assumption that they were the cause of one another I believe was accurate, but the reasoning behind it was more scientific than people might have been saying. These have been horrible disasters that have killed and injured hundreds of people. However, as you can see, there is a more scientific reasoning behind the occurring events.

WORK CITED

Beawiharta. "Indonesia Volcano Death Toll Doubles to over 100 Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News Reuters.com. 05 Nov. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .

Lovett, Richard A. "Tsunami, Volcano Eruption in Indonesia Linked?" Daily Nature and Science News and Headlines National Geographic News. 27 Oct. 2010. Web. 07 Nov. 2010. .

NASA Survey Suggests Earth-Sized Planets Are Common

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/exoplanet20101028.html

In a recent NASA study, astronomers counted the number of stars in our galaxy that had planets orbiting them, looking for a potential site of life outside of our solar system. These plants are called exoplanets. They looked at 166 stars in the Milky Way Galaxy within 80 light-years of Earth. They used the wobble technique to look for these exoplanets. This technique makes use of the fact that an orbiting planet's gravity causes its sun to wobble on its axis throughout the orbit.
These exoplanets that were studied were located .25 astronomical unites from their suns, which is much closer than Earth is to its Sun. The results of the study were as follows:
23% of the stars had planets Earth sized or small
11.8% were 3-10 times Earth
6.5% 10-30 times Earth
1.6% were 100 times Earth
1.6% were 500 times Earth
1.6% were 1000 times Earth
This means that most of the exoplanets in this study were Earth sized or smaller.
This data is not what scientists expected, based on the accepted theory of planet accretion. This theory would lead us to believe that most planets would accrete and grow in a zone that is cool and more distant from the star. That fact that most of these exoplanets accreted in a hot zone near the star was not expected and not understood.
I have read other articles about exoplanets, and this study seems to have found many more of these planets that other studies have. Some other studies have found most exoplanets to be much larger than Earth, while this study seems to indicate that most exoplanets are Earth sized or smaller. This could either be due to the fact that this study used better and more recent technology that allowed scientists to find smaller planets, or there could be some problem with the data or interpretation of the data. Obviously, more studies need to be done.
I am very interested in astronomy. By gaining a deeper understanding of how our solar system and planets were initially formed, we also gain knowledge of how our Earth is today and the processes that made our planet what it is today. After all, the molten interior that gives rise to crustal movement and volcanism is "leftover" from when our planet accreted from its original spinning ball of hot gas.

~Mike Amico

Astronomers Say They've Found Oldest Galaxy So Far

European astronomers believe that they have found the oldest galaxy so far. An image from the Hubble Telescope reveals an image of a galaxy that may be 13.1 billion years old. "We're looking at the universe when it was a 20th of its current age," said California Institute of Technology astronomy professor Richard Ellis, who wasn't part of the discovery team. "In human terms, we're looking at a 4-year-old boy in the life span of an adult." If this galaxy is as old as astronomers think it is, then it would fit right into the timeline with the formation of the Earth, and life as we know it. Some astronomers are skeptical about the age of the galaxy, but they cannot deny that it is a great find.
How do astronomers determine how old a galaxy is? They study light signatures of different gasses. By looking at light signatures of cooling hydrogen gas for about sixteen hours, astronomers were able to estimate the age of this galaxy. But they are not actually seeing the galaxy in it's present form. "Because it takes so long for the light to travel such a vast time and distance, astronomers are seeing what the galaxy looked like 13.1 billion years ago at a time when it was quite young — maybe even as young as 100 million years old — Lehnert said. It has very little of the carbon or metal that we see in more mature stars and is full of young, blue massive stars, he said. This galaxy may not even exist anymore. We may actually be looking into the past and seeing what came before our own galaxy. There is no way to tell if the galaxy is still there, or if it has merged into other, larger, galaxies. But by using what we know about our universe and this new finding, we may be able to better understand how and why galaxies form. It may also lead us to find more galaxies far, far away.
Jennifer Cullen

Unexpected Findings In Alaska

There was recently an unexpected discovery in the overlying ice of southern Alaska’s Bench Glacier. According to an article on October 23, 2010 on ScienceNews.com, deep cracks were found extending from the ground up through the glacier. A team of researchers led by Joel Harper of the University of Montana in Missoula discovered the cracks. The team drilled holes through the Bench Glacier’s 200 meters to observe how water would drain. The goal of the research trip was to use a drill bit made of hot water—jet of snow melted to 160 degrees Celsius. The hole stayed filled with water during the drilling process until according to Harper, “But all of a sudden, boom, it drains right down. It sucked all the water out of our hole.” The team sent down a video camera and saw the huge crevasse they inadvertently struck. The beds of the glacier, as stated before are 200 meters deep, and the team hit this fissure at only 120 meters down, still 80 more meters to go until the bottom of the bed. Because hitting that fissure was such a chance occurrence, the team drilled nearly 30 holes at other spots on the glacier—“the majority of which drained prematurely, suggesting numerous cracks spike up into the ice.” According the article, “Scientists aren’t certain how widespread such cracks are, how long the fissures persist, or how glacier movement might be influenced. The cracks hold a considerable amount of water and could help scientists better predict how and when glaciers move and melt, which in turn could affect how much sea levels rise in the future.” Scientists think the cracks are produced by water pressure below the glacier and stress from the massive weight above, act as a buffer that allows “the glacier to absorb, sponge-style, a sudden inrush of water from melting or rain. This drainage may prevent the sliding and lurching that can happen with the water rushes into the bed of soil and rock under the glacier. But under certain conditions, the cracks might suddenly drain, and that could spill water into the bed and send a glacier sliding.” Scientist worry that the type of drainage cased by these fissures in the glaciers is too unstable because ice melts so easily, which could cause a lot of glacier sliding in the Alaska regions. In our class, we talked about the Missoula Flood and the effects of glacier movement to the earth’s surface and the creation and changing of landforms. The impending effect of the fissures found in the glaciers has not been determined yet because it is such a recent discovery, but scientists like Kholer say, “A little water suddenly has more of an effect than a lot of water slowly. Generally, the more water that goes through a system, the more it can handle pressure and perturbations.” The reports from this initial finding, the team simply believes that more cracks like this exist elsewhere. Though much more work needs to be done Harper’s team just wants the world to be aware of the risk.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/63847/title/Glacier_found_to_be_deeply_cracked

On October 23^rd, 2010 ScienceDaily.com announced the creation of a sound sensor system that is able to predict the likelihood of a landslide. This device is able to “measure and analyze the acoustic behavior of soil,” and by doing so authorities are capable to calculate when a landslide is going to occur. With this knowledge authorities are able to take action in order to ensure the safety of residents in the area of the risky slope.

You may be asking what type of noise signifies the probability of a landslide? Well the sound of soil stays at a constant level until the friction between the soil particles begin to crescendo as the slope becomes unstable. An analogy to this action is when a twig is slowly being bent until it breaks. You can hear it begin to weaken until it loudly snaps in half. Similarly with the sound sensor system as the noise level increases, the likelihood of a catastrophic soil collapse increases as well.

This newly designed system consists of numerous different sensors (which act as microphones) spread out beneath a slope or hill thought to be of high risk for a landslide. The sensors record the noise levels and transmit their data signals back to a central computer for analysis. The sensors are picking up the amount of friction occurring between the particles of the soil. Once a certain noise level is reached the central computer can alert authorities via text message, giving them enough time to evacuate residents, close transport routes by the area, or create a way to stabilize the moving soil.

According the Neil Dixon, professor of geotechnical engineering at Loughborough University and principal investigator on the project, this technology had been used since the 1960’s. But what makes this system more advanced is its ability to quickly report the increased noise level in order to take preventative action.

This article fits with our discussion of the different types of soil and landscapes. Multiple forces hold land surfaces together; the most important of these is friction. There are three different types of soil: sand, silt, and clay. The particles in sand are large and gritty, making it hard for them to bind together. Clay on the other hand has very fine particles that can stick tightly together. A landslide occurs when a force is introduced that weakens the bond between the soil particles. This could be weathering from increased rain, erosion, earthquake, etc. These forces allow for gravity to overcome the friction in the soil, causing a landslide to occur.

I think this system is a great creation that can greatly decrease the damages formed by landslides. However I think it would be difficult to alert everyone in danger with enough time to efficiently evacuate. This would be especially difficult in developing countries where there is little means of quick traveling media. This is why I am hopeful for the formation of these systems to be sold to the public at a low cost. Independent acoustic slope sensors without a central computer would be a great way for remote houses to receive instant notification and find a safer place to be.

Hillary Faulkner

Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101021104733.htm

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/landslide3.htm

The Arctic Shifts to a New Climate Pattern in Which 'Normal' Becomes Obsolete

This article discusses the issue of climate change with the polar ice caps in Greenland. With the climate shifting, snow and ice are melting, which makes it more unlikely that it will return to normal arctic conditions. The changes occurring in Greenland are affecting the atmosphere, ecosystems and human activity all over the globe. The polar ice caps are melting due to the warmer air waves in the north. The cold air is now being sent from the north to the south, while in the past it went from east to west. Last year's different weather patterns show the changes in our environment, such as the change in temperature in the Arctic Ocean and the higher land temperatures are affecting us. The glaciers in Greenland are also losing more surfaced area due to the changes in the weather and the amount of time it takes for them to melt, which is increasing rapidly. Also, due to this unusual weather, the sea level is rising, which also affects weather conditions. Our course is related to these issues because we will learn and get into great detail about weather patterns, world climates and global climate change. By learning about these topics, we can figure out how we can predict what is going to happen. The best was to understand what is going on is to be educated with the facts. Without knowing how the melting f ice caps is going to affect us, why would we consider it to be an issue? We need support in order to help our environment. Also, with our winters getting colder and our summers getting warmer, how are we as a species going to be able to adapt to these changes? Are other species going to be able to adapt also? Is it possible to have another ice age? By conducting experiments and researching what has occurred in the past, we are able to help further predict our future and understand how Earth is changing. For these reasons, it is important that Earth Science is kept in our curriculum. We need to understand these issues in order to solve them. I think this article discusses important issues that our youth does not understand fully. We mention global warming but do not comprehend it fully. Climate change is a major issue that has been creeping up on our Earth, but has never been viewed as a problem. I think more articles should be posted about how climates are changing and how they can impact us. We need to tell the world what is happening and not hide it.
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/10/22/22climatewire-the-arctic-shifts-to-a-new-climate-pattern-i-86771.html?ref=earth