Global Climate Change Activity Overview

Over the past week in my Honors Environmental Science class, we have been learning about all things related to climate and climate change. We started out the week discussing the difference between weather and climate as well as discovering the formation of El Niño and La Niña. We then met with Andra Reed (M.S.) and Dr. Greg Garner (PhD) of the Pennsylvania State University where they explained the research they do in regards to climate change and the health of the environment. To conclude our week, we completed a four part lab activity about climate change. An overview of what we learned is below.

We first learned about the difference between climate and weather. Weather is the measure of day-to-day environmental conditions. Elements such as daily temperatures, precipitation amounts, barometric pressure, humidity, etcetera are all examples of weather. Climate, on the other hand, in the measure of weather-related trends over extended periods of time. The change in weather in a particular region over a hundred or a thousand years is an example of climate.

We then learned about the creation of El Niño and La Niña. El Niño occurs in the Pacific Ocean and directly affects the western portion of the United States. The interaction of heat between the atmosphere and the ocean bring cooler, wetter conditions to the South while producing the warmer, drier conditions everywhere else. La Niña produces the opposite effect. It also occurs in the Pacific Ocean, but it causes warmer, drier conditions in the South while creating cooler, wetter conditions everywhere else instead. We discussed El Niño specifically since it is currently occurring, but to a much more extreme extent. Due to the warming of the Earth’s climate (climate change), these weather patterns are happening much more frequently with significantly greater power.

The following day, we met with Andra Reed (M.S.) and Dr. Greg Garner (PhD) from the Pennsylvania State University. The presentation began with Andra Reed telling us all about her study of affect climate change and rising ocean levels will have on New York City. She cited the effects and damage Hurricane Sandy had on the city to convey just how serious this issues is. Her studies about Hurricane Sandy were even featured in reputable news organizations such as The New York Times. She explained to us how even just a one degree celsius increase in global temperatures can have catastrophic effects. The presentation continued with Dr. Greg Garner. He explained to us the work he does with studying air and air pollution. In particular, he explained how carbon dioxide emissions can create heavily polluted air Dr. Garner showed us a recent study on the Baltimore region to show us the seriousness of air pollution and how it damages not only the environment, but also ourselves.

We then began a two-day global climate change lab activity. Everyone in my class was evenly divided into four separate groups - one group per activity in the lab. On the first day, each group worked through their specific lab activity in the packet. One the second day, the groups were reorganized so that each person in the group completed a different activity than their group members. The second-day groups helped each other to complete all the lab activities in the packet. Below is an overview of each activity.

The first activity provided readers with a graph displaying the average temperature of El Niño years. It then asked the reader to explain how weather differed from climate and how climate change affected the extremity of El Niño. It also asked the reader to examine a statement from an imaginary classmate stating that the graph only represented weather and, therefore, it could not prove any change in climate. My group came up with the response that weather affects climate over time. On the first section of the graph, El Niño events are significantly smaller than events on the second portion of the graph. Within the second portion of the graph, the average temperature is significantly higher and El Niño events occur more frequently. We also concluded that the classmate was wrong.

The second activity provided the reader with three graphs displaying the changes in greenhouse gas levels (carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide) from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1850 to today. It then asked readers to chart the amount of carbon dioxide in parts per million from the year 1850 to 2100. My group concluded that levels of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide have been steadily increasing since the start of the Industrial Revolution. We also determined the humans are primarily responsible for this increase through our use of fossil fuels and that even small increases of carbon dioxide levels can greatly affect the Earth’s climate.

The third activity provided reader with a list of facts in regards to cars, their fuel consumption, and how many pounds of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere per gallon of gasoline burned. It then provided readers with a scenario. The packet included a map of 25 students’ houses in an imaginary school district. It then provided the distances each student needed to drive every day in order to get to school. The activity posed the question of whether it would be more environmentally friendly for every student to drive to school or take the bus. My group did the math and made all the necessary calculations. We determined that it is significantly more environmentally friendly for students to take the bus each day. The then calculated how many tons of carbon dioxide could be prevented from being emitted into the atmosphere each week if all 250 students in the district took the bus each day. We were amazed by the fact that students could prevent 743.4 tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted each week just by taking the bus. This activity was particularly eye-opening because it showed us just how easy it is to make a meaningful difference.

The fourth activity provided readers with a graph charting the change in the Earth’s temperatures over the past 2,000 years. We saw that the Earth is about to reach the highest temperature it has ever seen in the past 10,000 years just due to the greenhouse gas emissions humans have produced over the past 150 years. My group concluded that even the slightest change in temperature can cause devastating effects such as sea level rises and loss of glaciers.

Overall, this week in Honors Environmental Science was very interesting. Climate change is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. This activity really put things into perspective. Climate change is happening now and has a detrimental impact on our lives. Storms are occurring more frequently and with more severe effects. Sea levels are rising and damaging our cities and our coastal habitats. We need to make the necessary changes in our lifestyle to prevent any further damage and protect our planet from the destruction we are causing.

Image Source: NOAA

Endangered Species Brief

Over the past few days, I have been conducting research towards my endangered species project. I have collected a plethora of resources and information from a wide variety of reputable sources such as the World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic, and several government agencies. Through my research into this environmental issue, I have uncovered the who, what, where, when, and why. Here is what I found.

The first question I needed to answer was who is creating this problem. The answer was us, the human beings who live on this planet. Our actions result into the endangerment and, occasionally, the extinction of various species. Things such as man-made global warming cause temperature changes killing off large portions of a population like polar bears in the arctic circle. Other activities such as deforestation and other types habitat destruction also have a profound affect on the other species that inhabit the Earth. Things such as overpopulation could result in the need for more housing which results in the destruction of more wild habitats which result in more endangered species as well. Poaching is also a large contributing factor.

The second question was what is causing this issue. The answer blends in with my response to who. Our actions are what is primarily causing this problem. Things such as pouching, over-hunting, habitat destruction, pollution, global warming, etcetera all have major effects on some species, thus causing them to become endangered. The numbers of certain species living in the wild is down to the hundreds for some. That means that scientists know exactly how many are left. They have a definitive number as to how many animals of an endangered species live in the wild. Rhinos are being poached in the African savannah for their horns while Polar Bears are losing crucial habitats due to ice melt in the arctic.

The third question was where is this issue taking place? One cannot pinpoint a certain location on the globe as to where this problem is occurring. Endangered species exist everywhere across the world. There are most certainly areas of high concentration where a vast number of various endangered species exist, but the short answer is that the reduction of species is happening everywhere.

The fourth question is when did this start happening. The answer is fairly recent. Endangered species started to be noticed and addressed around the 1960’s. This is when the World Wildlife Fund began. They started to collect data and coordinate responses to the crisis. Also during this time, the first laws were passed in the United States Congress to address the issue of endangered species.

The final question that needed answering was why does this happen. This answer is also difficult to pinpoint. Perhaps the reason is lack of care or greed by humans. We consume a large amount of resources and thing very little of the consequences. Some people are over-run with greed and will stop at nothing to make a profit. Either way, something detrimental to our planet is happening and it needs to be addressed. We need to stop things such as man-made global warming, deforestation, habitat destruction, etc. in order to make a truly meaningful difference.

Image 1 Source: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/428200758945652736/ekwCxl6Z_400x400.png
Image 2 Source: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/sites/default/files/styles/media_full/public/00473-10104_0.jpg?itok=uv9Mr5rz

Carbon Cycle Simulation - Part 2

1.) An increase in fossil fuel consumption would result in an increase in carbon in terrestrial plants. The flora population would grow or expand since flora depends on carbon to survive and there would be an excess of carbon in the Earth's atmosphere. If this were to continue for another twenty years, then the number of plants on the planet would increase significantly.

2.) An increase in total carbon concentration from smokestacks would also increase the amount of carbon in the ocean’s surface. Some marine life may be harmed by this increase since some species are not used to handling such a drastic change in their environments. Other species may thrive, such as plants, since they depend on carbon to survive.

3.) Carbon may also be found at the bottom of the ocean or high up in the Earth’s atmosphere. In fifty years, we could find excess carbon in both of those spaces, especially the bottom of the ocean.

4.) The areas most affected by the burning of fossil fuels are the Earth’s atmosphere, the planet’s supply of oil and gasoline, and terrestrial plants. An increase in carbon in the atmosphere is harmful to the planet because it accelerates the greenhouse effect, thus further warming the planet - causing extensive damage across the globe. A decrease of the oil and gasoline supply is also detrimental at the moment. Fossil fuels play a very large role in the way humans live their lives. If we run out and we do not replace our primary fuel source, serious consequences will occur. An increase in carbon in terrestrial plants is beneficial to the plants because plants require carbon to survive.

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.

Environemntal Awareness Activity

Hello everyone!

Last week my classmantes and I completed this super cool enviornmental awareness lab. Be sure to check it out my presentation on the project!

Geologic Time Scale

Over the past few days, a couple of my classmates and I created a digital geologic time scale of the Earth’s history. We used a Google image to illustrate just how large our planet’s time scale is. The amount of time you need to spend scrolling through the document represents the amount of time that passed between key events in the past. In order to get the most out of the experience, please click on this link: Geologic Time Scale.

Once you do that, find the magnifying glass icon at the top of you screen in the toolbar, click on the icon, and then scroll over the time scale. Click over the time scale approximately three to five times, select the mouse cursor icon in the toolbar, and then scroll through it at your leisure.

I definitely learned a lot by completing this project. It is very difficult to visualize exactly what 4.6 billion year looks like. This time scale served as a wonderful visual aid. It really helped put thing into perspective. I was surprised by the fact that humans have only been on this planet for a relatively short period of time. I was also intrigued by the fact that other complex life forms are a fairly recent addition in the grand scheme of the Earth’s time scale. This time scale really helped me develop a clearer understanding - I hope it is able to do the same for you.

The geologic time scale can be viewed through an analogy as well. Take a cross country road trip for example. The timeline of the Earth could be represented as a road trip where one drives from the east coast to the west coast. The origin of the Earth would be when I start my adventure in Bucks County, Pennsylvania (just outside Philadelphia), the oldest known Earth rocks would have formed as I reach Pittsburgh and the Ohio state border (approximately a six hour drive from my house), the appearance of algae and bacteria would occur once I arrive in Indiana, early shelled organisms would form as I approach Chicago, the beginning of the Jurassic period would begin as I cross over the Mississippi River, the Rocky Mountains form as I cross over the Rocky Mountains, and modern humans start to appear as I dip my toes in the Pacific Ocean. To better visualize this analogy, please refer to the map of the United States below.

Image Citation:

Map -http://www.worldmapsonline.com/images/academia/murals/academia_us_physical_mural_lg.jpg

Early Earth Reflection

The Habitable Planet Section One video was very informative about how the Earth transformed drastically from an uninhabitable planet to one that can easily sustain life. It explained how our planet was not always the place we know it to be now and how complex life forms are a relatively recent addition to the overall timeline of the Earth. The two main reasons why the Earth became habitable for complex life forms were due to the stabilization of the planet’s temperature with the greenhouse effect and the rise of oxygen levels.

While I was familiar with some of the topics mentioned in the video, I did not know that complex organisms were a relatively new addition to the planet - only starting to appear 550 million years ago. I also was not aware of the fact that the Earth was once completely covered in ice and had similar conditions to Mars. I’m still a little unclear as to when major events such as ice ages occurred in relativity to the timeline of the planet. While the video did a very nice job explaining why ice ages occur, it did not really tell us when they occurred.

I knew a little bit about the greenhouse effect prior to watching this video, but I did not know much about the entire carbon cycle behind it. The scientists in the video quite obviously knew what they were talking about, but brushed over the carbon cycle rather quickly. I would have liked the video to have gone a little more in-depth with a topic as complex and interesting as the carbon cycle. It is essentially the reason we exist today and I feel like the video could have spent more time explaining it.

I did learn a lot of new information from the video though. One of the things that really caught my attention was exactly how important geology is to better understanding our planet. Geologists can use rocks to explain almost the entire history of the Earth. They use rocks to determine things such as ice ages and oxygen level increases. They also use the rocks to find fossils and piece together various species’ evolutionary history. I was incredibly fascinated by all of this and cannot wait to learn more!

Image Citations:
Snowball Earth - http://images.spaceref.com/news/oosnowball.earth.2.jpg
Carbon Cycle - http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/outreach/carbon_toolkit/images/carbon_cycle.jpg