Blog 11

Connections Discussion:

Increased temperatures from carbon dioxide harms coral reefs. It causes algae to be reduced, thus harming the corals, and them dying. The death of corals, causes the entire ecosystem to start failing and falling apart. Along with the fall of the ecosystem, this harms the human population because of the fishing industry. Fish populations lower, and thus humans have less fish to sell at a commercial market.

Walleyes are in danger of temperature increases and CO2 emissions. The higher temperatures are killing off the food that walleyes eat and increasing the threat of invasive species. This can create dead-zones in the lake areas where Walleyes are, as well as lower the level of water leaving less room for the fish species to strive.

Conservation effects include reducing co2 emissions as well as monitoring the coral reefs.

Ozone Discussion

Ozone later absorbs UV-B and UV-C rays. Without this layer, all humans would be exposed to the rays, thus harming them through radiation. This radiation can cause skin cancer. Here how the ozone layer works is that oxygen gas reacts with the UV-C rays and creates oxygen. The oxygen then reacts with oxygen molecules to form ozone. Then the ozone created reacts with UV-B/C rays splitting and yielding oxygen molecules, thus becoming a closed-loop system.

CFCs though harm the loop. They screw up the loop and go through the reaction that takes away an ozone molecule. When the ozone molecule is taken away, the Chlorine is then formed with an oxygen atom thus ruining the formation of an Ozone molecule and messing with the loop.

Difference between tropospheric and stratospheric ozone is that tropospheric ozone is bad for humans. It can cause respiratory diseases and can cause other negative effects. This kind of ozone can form smog in the air when it reacts with NO, but it shouldn't because humans should not be producing VOCs.

Positive and Negative Feedbacks

Global warming is a positive feed back because of the effect it has on the poles. Albedo % is the amount that the ice in the poles reflects the water, but as global warming increases, the amount it can take is lowering. Thus when it lowers, it leads to the ice to melt and increases sea level. Which is then repeated and it continues through. 

A negative feedback is the carbon emissions. Plants cycle carbon in the air, thus as more carbon is entering into the air, the plants take in more of the carbon, so the more carbon that is produced the more the plants will take in. The more they take in the lower the amounts of carbon in the air will remain.

BIG Picture Discussion

Human impact-
Greenhouse gases have a large effect on humans. This can cause respiratory problems in many people because of the air pollution. Also this can affect the ozone layer, in which more UV rays are being transmitted into the earths atmosphere which can hurt humans and cause cancer. This can also effect the agricultural industry, and thus affect humans food sources, which can cause a loss of food.


Environmental impact-
Air Pollution is huge in its environmental impact. Here the poles of the earth can lose their ice, and melt, thus creating a loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. Also increasing sea levels. Along with the melting of the poles, it can harm systems in the water. An increase in heat, can allow threats to invade other systems and thus ruin the peaceful ecosystem. This can harm the chain and disrupt all actions going on in the system. 

Economic impact-
Economically humans can lose food sources, thus losing revenue from selling the food. Also with corals being harmed, humans can lose tourism benefits and fishing benefits. Along with the melting of ice at the poles, starting up conservation efforts can take up a lot of money. This harms humans in a lot of ways because of the amount of money can be taken away or used up.

Government legislation-
The clean air act is legislation that reduces the amount of air pollutants that can be emitted into the air. The Montreal protocol bans CFCs. And the Kyoto Protocol limits the emissions of CO2, but the US did not sign it, so it doesn't happen in the US.

Unit 10- Energy

#1:

Most environmentally friendly to least:

Wind-no pollution

Geothermal-no pollution

Solar-possibility of toxic metals 

Hydroelectric-habitat destruction

Natural Gas-destruction of environment in extraction

Biomass-carbon emissions

Nuclear-radioactive stuff stays for a long time

Oil-carbon dioxide emissions

Coal- lots of carbon dioxide emissions

#2:

Oil

Natural Gas

Coal

Nuclear

Biomass

Hydroelectric

Wind

Geothermal

Solar

#3:

Oil

Coal

Natural Gas

Biomass

Nuclear

Hydroelectric

Solar

Wind

Geothermal

#4:

Hydroelectric

Coal

Oil

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Wind

Biomass

Solar

Geothermal

Biofuels VS Fossil Fuels

Biofuels are more simpler to use than fossil fuels because they require more effort for extraction. Both of these have CO2 emissions, but fossil fuels add carbon dioxide that is stored for along time into the atmosphere thus harming it more than helping and the biofuels only add back to the atmosphere what was already there, thus not harming it at all. Fossil fuels add more carbon into the cycle, while biofuels puts back what was already there. Coal is a type of fossil fuel and Butonal is a type of Biofuel.

Nuclear Disasters

Environmentally nuclear disasters harm many different species and kill out the ecosystems leaving it to grow on its own after the incident. Economically it causes a great deal of money loss in trying to rehabilitate the area affected by the disaster. Human impact is that it causes cancers in people affected by the radiation and also messes with DNA. Chernobyl was a nuclear disaster in Ukraine that occurred because of a flawed soviet reactor. This caused complete destruction in that area and harmful effects to humans. The Lucens reactor in Switzerland was a similar nuclear disaster. Nuclear waster is contained in an area that is far from humans and tightly held so nothing is released out.

ANWR

It is a tundra in which there is permafrost. It is fragile because if the permafrost was the melt the ecosystem there would fail and start to break apart. Economically if the US was to drill in Alaska, then the US would be less dependent on foreign companies. Environmentally the drill would hurt the ecosystem, causing space to be taken up and affect the species living in that ecosystem.

For Drilling-

We should drill in Alaska because this will cause less dependence on foreign oil, thus increasing US income level and increasing the amount of jobs. Thus creating an economic benefit.

Against Drilling-

No we shouldn't drill in Alaska because the environment is peacefully doing its thing. It is left alone without human disruption. Drilling would cause negative effects on the environment and that would affect the ecosystem that should be protected and away from human harm.

Reducing Consumption

To reduce consumption of oil, less cars need to be on the road. Thus creating engines that are more efficient in converting energy using less amounts of oil is necessary. Also making the complete switch to electric cars is better because no oil will be used then. Another way of reducing consumption of oil is to use resources that are renewable to access electricity, such as; wind and solar. These two ways can help reduce consumption and create a non-polluted way of acquiring electricity.

BIG Picture Discussion

Human impact-
In order to prosper and grow, humans need a source of energy, being: coal, solar, wind, etc. Use of energy has a lot of effects on humans. It could be a health risk to humans or beneficial to humans. Use of fossil fuels, has a large emission of carbon which can pollute the air that humans breathe. This could affect their respiratory system. Also impacts occur with nuclear disasters affecting humans through radiation.

Environmental impact-
There are tons of environmental impacts when it comes to energy. Extracting sources of energy from the ground can harm the area nearby as well as the site the source was extracted from. Also when fuels are utilized there are tons of CO2 emissions this having large effects on the air. It creates an exposure to greater carbon. More carbon in the air can result in the increase of global temperatures, and further global warming.

Economic impact-
Because energy is necessary everywhere, there is an industry behind each source. Fossil fuels for example are the most profitable because they are the most used in the developed world. Thus an industry created around fossil fuels is very beneficial economically because it brings lots of revenue in. Along with fossil fuels, there are other energy sources that also bring in a lot of revenue.

Government legislation:
The greatest act to help with energy sources is the Clean Air Act. This act, passed by the EPA, is meant to regulate carbon emissions. This act helps in the reduction of carbon put out in the air  by businesses and other industries. It helps in keeping the air cleaner from pollution, thus limiting certain ways to attain energy; fossil fuels.

waste management

Landfill Discussion

Many things cannot be thrown into a landfill because of their toxicity. Batteries should not be sent to a landfill because they can cause a health risk through the lead that may be leached into groundwater. Along with batteries, motor oil should not be sent to a landfill. Motor oil is a hazardous material and can burn and corrode metal. Electronic waste is another public health risk. This causes the same effect as batteries, because lead can be harmful to public health and can be leached into groundwater.

To limit this people can recycle electronic waste and batteries thus causing less amounts of it to go to landfills, along with having the beneficial uses of recycling. Also changing the publics mind of letting their hazardous materials into a landfill can help a lot because people think that they are only putting a small amount in landfills, but when everyone puts in a small amount it becomes a large amount.

Recycling Discussion

Paper, Aluminum, and plastics all have economic and environmental costs and benefits when it comes to recycling. Environmentally recycling paper allows less tress to be cut down, but requires a lot of energy in order to do so. Economically it provides jobs to people, but not many people buy from the paper industry. Environmentally recycling aluminum allows no extra mining to occur, but like paper requires a lot of energy to recycle. Economically aluminum is used in many different objects thus recycling increases production, but this causes faults in the metal. Environmentally recycling plastics prevents them from breaking down, but it is possible to release bad chemicals. Economically much is not spent to convert into other items, but it takes time to recycle.

Aluminum would be the best to set up for recycling because it doesn’t need extra effort. Also aluminum can be used to make many other products. It is a very easy process. I would spread awareness about recycling and aluminum to show how easy it is to help move towards a better environment.

Superfund/Brownfields Discussion

Superfund areas are contaminated land that is harmful to the public, and Brownfileds are areas that are contaminated but by the government are not said to be unsafe. Cherokee county in Kansas is a site that has become a superfund area through smelting and mining. And a site that was a brownfield but is now rehabilitated is the LTV Steel Mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Removing soil from a contaminated area has the problem of relocating it, because the area it is placed in will also be contaminated. With the vegetation, rehabilitation takes time and time is a valuable resource. Societal argument is with the safety of the public. With the land being contaminated people decide not to live on the land and can cause lawsuits and such. Environmentally the contaminated land affects the wildlife and the plants around that area.

BIG Picture Discussion 

Human Impact

Waste management affects humans greatly. If waste is not properly disposed of it can have large harmful impacts on humans. Landfills provide for an area to dispose of the waste, but cause risks because of leaching of chemicals into land and water. To eliminate some threat, recycling is necessary. Recycling reduces the amount of waste that is put into landfills, thus causing less of an impact on the land and the water that humans drink. The water can give toxic chemicals to humans through the leaching process.

Environmental Impact

Waste also affects the environment in a great way. The landfill reduces the space that could be used for ecosystems and contaminates land that harms biodiversity. The leaking from landfills can enter groundwater, thus harming aquatic ecosystems. Also buildup in the landfill or other techniques such as incineration can cause pollutants to grow and harm the environment.

Economic Impact

Disposing of waste costs a large amount of money, but brings in jobs to the industry. Recycling causes a great deal of use of energy, and to get the energy to recycle the resources cost money. Landfills are pricey and other techniques like incineration are even more expensive.

Government legislation

CERCLA is an act that helps clean up land that is contaminated (i.e. superfund areas).

Along with CERCLA the RCRA is an act that sets guidelines for waste management. Inside of this act, there is the hazardous waste act that provides for a system to proper waste disposal. The EPA enforces these laws strictly.

Unit 8

Lead: anything that contains led; can damage brain and kidneysMercury: grows with human consumption, damages the nervous systemArsenic: Mining and natural occurrences ; all kinds of cancer.Acid deposition/Mine drainage: mines and industrial plants; damage to humansPesticides: agriculture usage; loss of biodiversityPharmaceuticals: medicine disposing gone wrong; not much of an effectHormones: bad disposing; alteration of genes of animals and affect reproductionPCBs: manufacturing goods; cancer.PBDEs: Flame retardants; brain damage.Oil: oil wells, drilling, and spills; contaminating water and enrapturing animals killing themSolid Waste: ends up in water; threat to water animals for getting caught in it or ingesting itThermal: plants; change in water temperature and in adaptation of animals

Freshwater Resource Discussion:Underground aquifers give water to plants and are sources of water- usage for irrigation and drinking water. human impact is that the humans are depleting water resources in aquifers at a rate that the aquifers cannot be replenished. lakes provide water for animals and humans for industry and irrigation. same as aquifers the rates are causing them to dry up. Rivers have a ton of biodiversity. rivers allow humans to have hydroelectric dams for crop growth. humans are diverting the water so the river does not reach the ocean. Wetlands provide irrigation and humans use this and cause them to dry out.

Water Diversion Discussion:Aral Sea: started out in central asia it was meant to provide water for agriculture. the water usage by humans dried the sea up and now is nothing but barren land. ecological costs were that it had a loss of biodiversity and an increase in salinity and benefitted the agriculture production. most economic costs are going toward rehabilitating.

Colorado River: sources of the colorado river are lake mead and lake powell. diversion of lake mead for agriculture and human use has cause drying of the lake and ending with increased salinity and loss of biodiversity. But the diversion has caused economic growth in revenue and agriculture industry.

Salton Sea: it has a similar situation as the Aral sea. it is caused by diversion of water for agriculture use. The new river and whitewater rive are its sources. Salinity has increased and there is a loss of biodiversity. demand for water takes a higher stand than keeping the sea replenished. Ecologically, sustainability of life in the sea has greatly reduced, but economically it has brought in large amounts of revenue.

Water Quality Discussion:

Phosphate- the water is put through a chemical test with a phosphate tablet and then tested color with a color chart. high levels or high ppm is bad in water because it can cause algal blooms.

Nitrate- same as phosphate. the water is put through a test with a tablet and matched on a color chart. High nitrate levels are bad. this also leads to algal blooms that take away the oxygen.

Dissolved Oxygen- it is a test with a vial and two dissolved oxygen tablets, then using barometric pressure the corrected DO is found. low levels of oxygen is bad for organisms.

pH- the water is tested with litmus paper. Water is near neutral, so a low or high pH is bad. more acidity is very toxic.

Temp- this is measured with a thermometer. the temperature should relate to the climate of the environment.

Turbidity- this is the test using secchi disk that measures the waters clarity. It can be done with eyesight as well. the more murky the water is the worse it is for the ecosystem.

Fecal Coliform- this was the test with the water mixed with the broth. High levels show the measure of fecal bacteria in the water that could be a cause of sewage waste.

Indicator Species-

Mollusca indicates water pollution level through their behavior and stoneflies indicate high levels of oxygen.

Water Conservation Discussion:

Agriculture- They could switch to drip or spray irrigation which is more efficient in water usage or they could use hydroponic methods which allows a reduction in water usage.

Industry- They have the capability to reuse the water or they can switch to alternate methods such as wind power.

Households- Changing their personal habits, such as showers, can lead to a reduction in the use of water. They can reuse their shower/sink water as well.

Big Picture:

Human Impact- Humans have a large impact on the use of water taking it for personal and economic reasons. This causes a loss of water and this resource of freshwater is decreasing in a irreversible process from areas that hold freshwater. This causes a loss in water that can actually be consumed by humans. Humans also take water for irrigation thus drying up lands and increasing salinity in those areas causing harm to biodiversity.

Environmental Impact- Humans are taking up water at a rate that is harmful to the environment. This is causing freshwater areas to dry up and have an increase in salinity. Harming the environment because the increase in salinity causes some species to die. And the less the water there is in those areas the less biodiversity because the aquatic species need water to sustain life. Also the use of fertilizer and run-off can cause algal blooms thus resulting in a loss of biodiversity.

Economic Impact- Water is used in industry as an economic resource. Many manufacturers use it and bottle it to sell as drinking water, and this brings in a lot of revenue. Though the water is being taken up at a rate that it cannot be replenished, therefore some are trying to rehabilitate it using money. 

Government Legislation- The government passed the clean water act of 1972 in order to attempt to restore water back to its natural state. It also protects the water from being more and more polluted by controlling industries on dumping in water and putting on regulations. Also passed is the safe water drinking act that provides for the ability to have safe drinking water for humans.

second semester

Forestry Discussion

Forest fires have pros and cons. One pro for a forest fire is the decrease in diseased insects. The fire stops the spreading of the disease causing a beneficial impact on plants and other animals. A con for a forest fire is that the fire is uncontrolled. It could affect parts of the forest that the fire was not supposed to before causing damage to ecosystems and could possible cause the fire to move over to homes having an economic impact. 

Global Nutrition Discussion

Meat production is high inefficient because it takes a lot of grain to produce a low amount of meat. It takes about 13 million of grain produce to even produce 1 pound of meat. It also takes 11 times more the energy from fossil fuels for meat production than grain production. This contributes a lot to the environment because of the extra air pollution from the usage of the fossil fuels. And takes away land resources.

Genetic Engineering Discussion

Economic-

A benefit economically is that it gives more nutritional value, so that it will be sold more in the stores. A con is that it takes the same amount of resources to produce GM crops and normal crops meaning there is no benefit there.

Environmentally-

A benefit is that the crops are more resistant to disease allowing them to grow faster and healthier. A con is that there can be environmental damage of the soil, surrounding crops, and animals in the ecosystem.

Sustainable Agriculture Discussion

Contour Farming allows the farmers economically to produce more on the soil by preventing soil erosion and environmentally using the land to their advantage and not changing the land.

Crop rotation is another way to economically change your crop yields and sell different crops and improve soil fertility by replacing the corps. 

Pest Management Discussion

IPM- Integrated Pest Management is the management of pests through common-sense uses. Some examples are using animals and conserving specific pests that kill off other pests. 

These things are safer than pesticides because it prevents the pesticides from messing with the land and killing other insects. This helps preserve the animals in the environment and is very effective when compared to traditional pesticide use. 

BIG Picture Discussion  

Human Impact- Humans have a large impact on forests and land. On certain forests they are there to protect and preserve and any action by humans can cause disruptions in that environments. A mishandled forest fire can lead to ecosystems burning down or homes. Along with fires, humans deal with land. In land humans use pesticides and bad agriculture techniques. This leads to soil erosion and infertility causing the soil to regenerate slowly.

Environmental Impact- Environmentally ecosystems can be hurt due to many factors such as forest fires, pesticides, and bad agricultural techniques. The forest fires can cause the ecosystems to burn down and be replenished slowly, but fires also help, if used properly. They can get rid of the bad soil and replace it with a new layer that will assist the soil to grow more. Pesticides have a bad impact on insects, plants, and other animals. Agricultural techniques can cause soil erosion and infertility.

Economic Impact- Genetically modified crops can cause a increase in sales because of the better nutritional value. Pesticides can cause farms to produce faster, in order to sell more crops to the people and then turn around farm more and sell more. Soil conservation techniques used to better farm can also help in economics. Chickens that take 49 days instead of 3 months to raise are better because they are sold for the same price, but raised in less days taking less time and resources. 

Government Legislation- FIFRA gives the foundation for sale, distribution, and use of pesticides. PRIA establishes fees for pesticides and its registrations. FFDCA lets the EPA set a limit of use of pesticides in food and animal feed. FQPA allows FIFRA and FFDCA to set standards on foods to allow higher safety standards. The ESA stops any action from being taken that will harm and endangered species. THe structural pest control act allows people to have a set foundation for pest control and use of insecticides.

Dirt on Dirt

Asthenosphere- below the lithosphere

Lithosphere- outermost shell

Plate Tectonics- large scale-motion of the lithosphere

Tectonic Cycle- the rock cycle, mountains and other forms

Divergent Plate Boundaries- magma rises as the plates separate 

Convergent Plate Boundaries- lowered under another

Transform Fault Boundary- earthquakes occur here, where it glides across

Physical Weathering- erosion through wind, water, and air

Chemical Weathering- erosion through chemicals

Erosion- the weathering of things

Deposition- materials being added to a land mass

Cation Exchange Capacity- the amount of cations soil is capable of holding at dry weight

Base Saturation- basic cations held in soil

Soil Degradation- the worsening of soil over time

Ores-rock that contains minerals

Human Impact: Humans have a large effect on soil and land masses. They can create faults or plates that glide across one another through certain things like fracking. Fracking can cause earthquakes to occur. Also their effect on soil is huge. Soil is degraded through human usage of it. They can overuse the land and cause bad chemicals to be soaked down into it. Along with soil degradation the chemicals can runoff into streams and lakes and create bad environments for the sea-life. Some humans can cause the pH levels to drop into really bad conditions and cause the levels of certain concentrations to exceed the best point.

Environmental Impact: The effect of the bad soil can cause bad situations for plant growth. It can inhibit and stop the community from growing. Also the bad chemicals can runoff to the streams nearby and cause the aquatic life to suffer greatly. It can be harmful to the environment around it and cause a chain reaction. Earthquakes and Tsunamis are also an environmental issue because they can cause certain species to be wiped out. They also effect the plant ecosystems and cause harm to them. Volcanoes are another impact that can wipe out civilizations. Also the magma spurred out can cause inefficient soil for plants to grow.

Economic Impact: When soil is degraded or overused plants have a hard time growing in that area. This can be harmful to farmers if they do not use a specified technique that can be harmful to the soil. It can make them suffer greatly in their farming techniques. Also earthquakes cause buildings to break and fall and can cause a large impact on the pockets of many people in order to recuperate. Along with earthquakes, volcanoes cause civilizations to be wiped out and people have to rebuild from nothing. With the runoff of chemicals from soil into streams and lakes, can cause the fishing industry to suffer because environments will be killed off and that will hurt the industry.

Government Legislation: One act that was passed to promote fertility was the Soil Conservation Act. This act made people use the soil and conserve it in such a way that it allowed improved fertility. It also was made to promote economic use and stop the soil resources from being diminished. The EPA has protection measures for people living in the range of a volcano explosion. It helps people prevent loss and helps for their safety.