Agriculture Chapter: Sections 1-3 Summary

For our last topic of study of the year, my Honors Environmental Science class is diving into agriculture. Here is a summary of the first three section of our final chapter:

Section 1:

Agriculture is the process in which humans convert natural ecosystems into spaces where they can grow edible biomass for food and energy. Without agriculture, we as humans would not be able to survive. With the growing population of humans, we need a system, such as agriculture, that produces enough food to sustain all of the life on this planet. According to English economist Thomas Robert Malthus in the late eighteenth century, the human population grows exponentially while agriculture does not. Humanity’s solution to this problem was industrial agriculture. While this industrious approach to growing food does produce more edible biomass, it is highly unsustainable and poses a major risk to the environment.

Section 2:

The amount of land that can be used for agriculture on earth’s surface depends on a multitude of factors including temperature, topography, climate, soil quality, and agricultural technologies. Currently, as of the year 2000, approximately 37% of the Earth’s land is used for agriculture. Of that 33%, approximately 11% is used for growing crops and the remaining is used as pasture land (raising animals). Certain areas are better suited for farming than others, however technological advancements have helped to level the playing field.

Section 3:

Photosynthesis is the process by which plants convert sunlight and water into plant tissue. In order to do this, plants require carbon dioxide and water. While carbon dioxide is an essential part of photosynthesis, plants require four-hundred times more water than they do carbon dioxide. Therefor, droughts pose major threats to the survival of plants. In addition, plants also require nitrogen to grow which they receive through the soil. Prior to World War I, the most common type of nitrogen-rich fertilizer was livestock manure, however, synthetic solutions have since replaced manure.

Source: Habitable Planet Textbook

Image Source: http://images.wisegeek.com/escarole-farm.jpg

Global Climate Change Unit

Over the past few weeks, my Honors Environmental Science class has been learning about climate change and its effect on our planet. We started the unit with a short, in-class activity on El Niño. It was in this activity that the class developed a thorough understanding of the severity of climate change along with the difference between climate and weather. Weather is the measure of daily temperature, precipitation, humidity, etc. while climate is the change in weather patterns over extended periods of time. Climate change and the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere also create stronger storms that occur more frequently. This was an incredible way to start out the unit as it was very eye-opening.

After completing the El Niño activity, two climate specialists came to speak with our class; Andra Reed (M.S.) and Dr. Greg Garner (PhD) of the Pennsylvania State University talked about their work studying climate change. The presentation began with Andra Reed where she explained her work studying the effects rising sea levels have on New York City. She went into detail about how climate scientists measure changes in the sea level as well as how they predict the future climate of the region. Her research was even featured in famous publications such as The New York Times. The presentation continued with Dr. Garner. He explained the work he does with studying air quality. Similarly to Andra Reed, Dr. Garner and his team use similar methods to arrive at their conclusions.



We then looked over a climate change presentation created by the Department of Biology and the Department of Geology at West Chester University. The presentation made it so that we were interns working for an imaginary senator. Our goal was to educate our senator on climate change for legislation he was about to pass and we had to start at square one. Here’s what we learned.

Climate was the first thing we learned about; it is the pattern of precipitation, temperature, and wind in a particular area. Climate quickly lead into the discussion on climate change. Climate change is when climate patterns change in time or space. For example, a change in time would be the winter months getting warmer. A change in space would be the occurrence of extreme weather events in areas where they typically do not occur. Climate change is a difficult thing to study, however, because there are so many factors. Climate can be studied in periods of tens, hundreds, or thousands of years and on the local, regional, national, or global levels.

We then learned just how serious climate change is. Climate determines things such as the frequency of extreme weather events, the severity of droughts, the state of human-managed ecosystems like agricultural fields, and the location of biomes (large terrestrial ecosystems). Following our lesson on the severity of the issue, we learned what is causing climate change.

We discovered that temperatures are rising on Earth. While it is normal for our planet to go through gradual stages of warming and cooling, the recent spike in temperature over the past few decades has been rather extreme and far out of proportion compared to other warming and cooling cycles. There is a direct correlation between the rising temperatures and the rise of carbon dioxide. As the temperatures on the planet rise, so do the levels of carbon dioxide. This is because carbon dioxide is a type of greenhouse gas. Greenhouse gases are incredibly important; a portion of these gases get trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere, thus making the planet habitable for life. This is a process known as the greenhouse effect. Greenhouse gasses enter the atmosphere, reflect off the Earth’s surface, and the some go back off into space and some get trapped in by our atmosphere. without the greenhouse effect, humans and many other species would certainly go extinct. The problem is, humans are producing carbon dioxide at incredibly high rates. All this these extra man-made greenhouse gas emissions also get trapped into our atmosphere, and therefore also help raise the temperature of the Earth.

Human activities such as driving cars, flying planes, moving trains, heating homes, lighting streets, growing food, etc all contribute to more greenhouse gas emissions. The results could be (and will be if we do not stop) catastrophic. Just a one degree rise in temperature could cause massive sea level rises, more extreme storms, and the shift of biomes. Rises in temperature can make Pennsylvania feel like Georgia and Georgia feel like a tropical rainforest. Overall, the effects of climate change are detrimental and serious action needs to be taken in order to make a meaningful change in the world. This is our planet and we need to protect it.

Image 1 Source: https://toryardvaark.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/flooded-new-york.jpg
Image 2 Source: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/sites/default/files/image/article/2014/biomes-world.jpg
Image 3 Source: http://72abfb7c1a8a714119014a3d306595cd09781b35fe13ebdb4f63.r27.cf2.rackcdn.com/4C8755B4-B5C2-412D-BB43-16FF536A7514.jpg

Carbon Cycle Simulation - Part 1

1.) If only half the flora in the world existed in 2110, then the amount of carbon in the Earth’s atmosphere would double. If there is less plant matter to absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into oxygen, then there will be more carbon in the atmosphere. I would change the online simulation to reflect this new information by decreasing the amount of flora within the simulator.

2.) Carbon in the ocean is carbon that fell directly into the ocean water. Carbon in the soil in carbon that fell directly onto the Earth’s surface. Carbon could also be transferred into the soil if an organism dies and then decomposes into the soil.

3.) There is most certainly a linear correlation between the amount of fossil fuels we burn and the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The more fuel we burn, then the more carbon there will be.