Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
Category "7. Humans, Knowledge, and Technology"
December 08, 2005
Coral Reefs' Fight for Survival
Coral reefs are a part of one of the most beauitful and spectacular ecosystems on the earth. They are home to at least 1/4 of all marine plant and animal species, while also protecting many of the world's coastlines from erosion. In order to understand human impact on coral reefs, I'll give you a little summary of what they are. A reef is built of tiny coral animals who contrust calcium carbonate shells around their bodies. In turn, the reef grows when the larva from a young coral polyp attaches itself to an ideal spot, typically on top of an existing coral, and then begins to build itself a new shell. From this building, the reef structure rises about one to two inches per year. Of course coral dies, and when it does, new larvae build their shells on top of them, allowing reefs to grow to keep up with a moderate rise in sea level. A single reef can grow for millions of years and become hundreds of meters thick--the world's largest, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, is 1,250 miles long.
Since coral reefs consist of many diverse organisms, its animals have a "symbiotic" relationship with minute algae known as zooxanthellae (quite a word). In short, this algae provides the coral with oxygen and food made from photosynthesis. The zooxanthellae then get a home and nutrients from the coral. This algae is what gives the coral its fascinating and bright colors. The environmental conditions the coral live in determine different kinds of algae that live there, wuch as light availability, depth and water temperature. Coral need a certain set of conditions to thrive, as do the zooxanthellae in order to provide photosynthesis to the coral. The water has to be warm, clear and moderately saline with constant salinity. Without this, coral reefs are in danger. Now, human activity is estimated to have killed ten percent of known coral reefs, while thirty percent of them are currently in critical condition. Sadly, only thirty percent of the total are thought to be stable.
Humans are not the only cause to coral depletion. Many environmental factors take their toll, including the tsunami in the Phillipines, which damaged thousands of miles of coral reefs. Scientists are currently trying to establish ways to replenish this damaged coral. Also, sediment runoff can and has killed reffs because zooxanthellae cannot photosynthesize in cloudy or murky water; logging and plowing has increased this runoff, especially in the Philippines and the Costa Rican coast. In these areas, 75% of the reefs have died as a result. Just a list of a few more environmental problems include ultraviolet radiation from ozone depletion, pesticide and industrial runoff, oil spills, coral mining and damage from tourists and divers that have resulted in killed reefs in othre various locations.
When these environmental changes occur, it puts stress on the coral animals. Under stress, they expel their zooxanthellae and cause the coral to turn white, rather than die. Since this algae turns the coral color, the reef results in white, known as "coral bleaching". Corals can recover from one bleaching event, but multiple times can kill them. A theoretical cause of bleaching is the contamination of the reefs by extra nutrients from sewage, or the increase of seawater temperatures due to global warming.
Natural selection may also be playing a part in this. A recent research study has concluded that when a coral expels its zooxanthellae, it may actually be aiding in its own survival. When the environment rapidly changes, the algae that the coral gets rid of is no longer optimal, which in turn allows the coral to host a different type of algae that is better suited to the coral's survival in the new environment. This was discovered by Wildlife Conservation Society's (who conducted it) and Dr. Andrew C. Baker, a scientist at the New York Aquarium. He switched corals found off the coast of Panama, putting deep water species of coral in shallow water and shallow water species in deep water. The coral that went from deep water to shallow bleached but then took on new algae and ended up surviving. The shallow to deep water coral didn't bleach, which says it did not change its algae, and most of the coral died. It was concluded that while bleaching is a risky strategy for survival, it does indeed help the coral respond to rapid environmental change, which we all know is fast upon us.
Posted by Keely Gerhold at 04:21 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science | 7. Humans, Knowledge, and Technology
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
December 07, 2005
Pig Manure Converted to Crude Oil
yes yes.. new source of fuel... ....pig manure....
Crude oil and gasoline prices are near an all-time high. But don't despair. One scientist has found an alternative source of energy: pig manure.
Yuanhui Zhang, an agricultural engineering professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, has succeeded in turning small batches of hog waste into oil. The process, called thermochemical conversion, uses heat and pressure to break down carbohydrate materials and turn waste into liquid. The project is still in its infancy. Each half-gallon batch of manure converts to only about 9 ounces of oil. But Zhang believes the conversion process could eventually solve the problem of pollution and odor at modern hog farms, where farmers pay big money to get rid of the waste. And, he says, pig oil could also offer an alternative to petroleum oil.
"If 50 percent of U.S. swine farms adopted this technology, we could see a 1.5-billion-dollar reduction in crude oil imports every year," Zhang said. "And swine producers could see a 10 percent increase in their income, about $10 to $15 per hog." Zhang's research team developed a small-scale thermochemical conversion reactor that applies heat and pressure to swine manure. The process breaks the manure's long hydrocarbon chains down into shorter ones. Methane, carbon dioxide, water, and oil are produced as by-products.
Each conversion takes about 15 minutes, and the process has a strong energy return. "For every one portion of energy in, you get three portions of energy out," Zhang said.
The process could also work with manure from chickens or cows, though it would have to modified. Human waste, which is similar to that of pigs, would, in theory, work well in Zhang's system with little or no modification. Researchers took the crude oil and further processed it, obtaining refined oil that Zhang says has a heating value similar to that of diesel fuel.
In an environmental perspective, minerals are preserved in the treatment system, odor is reduced, and the biological oxygen demand of manure is reduced by 70 percent. "For me, it's primarily an environmental thing," Zhang said. "We have to look to renewable or alternative energy. We know that eventually we can't keep digging up petroleum oil."
I haven't heard anything about this at all on TV, but this alternative source of fuel other than petroleum is great. I couldn't find anything on how much pig manure is needed to run a car or light a home for a full day, other than that piece of information, it sounds like a great way to be more independent on gasoline or petroluem. Its said to be environmentally friendly, economically benefitcial , and also it said to be just as efficient as crude oil. It sounds too good to be true. Hopefully this research on pig manure or any other research on alternative fuel sources would be implemented soon, so that it we would benefit environmentally, economically, and efficiently.
reference: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0701_040702_pigoil.html
want to learn more on other alternative fuel sources??..
Turkey Fuel? Factory to Turn Guts Into Crude Oil: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1125_031125_turkeyoil.html
Vegetable Oil—The New Fuel?: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0422_030422_veggiefuels.html
Posted by Steve Wang at 09:56 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
December 06, 2005
Avain Flu. . . From Cats to Humans?
The avian flu has been a concern for a few years now, and each year we find that the probability for another world pandemic is increasing. One of the latest discoveries is that the avian flu is capable of infecting cats; a species which we thought was safe. In order for the avian flu to infect the cats it has to mutate so it can affect the feline systems, and the more the virus mutates the more dangerous it can become to humans. Now the cats are only becoming infected by ingesting infected birds, but if the virus mutates it could allow cats to transmit the virus to other cats, and then if one more mutation were to occur it could infect humans as well.
This discovery allowed me to realize that the human form of the virus could be approaching much faster than the authorities are planning. Meaning, we need to invest more money in preparing antivirals that will effectively treat the mutated virus, and it needs to be done quickly because the death rate for the current mutated strand is 50%. And, adding a new form of the mutated virus could possible increase the death rate. It is important for us to continue researching and developing different drugs because the virus can mutate very quickly into antiviral resistant forms which could be devastating for the US population considering that the US is only stock piling three main drugs, two of those drugs are very similar in composition.
The number of drugs stockpiled isn’t enough to treat half of the US citizens, and given the fact that two (amantadine and rimantadine) of the three drugs are sister drugs if a resistant strain did come out to either of the drugs it would also be resistant to the other drug as well. Leaving the US only one stockpiled drug, oseltamivir, to treat the deadly virus, which is unsafe for children under thirteen meaning that part of our population, would be untreatable, and with a current death rate of 50% it is a risk that we should not be willing to take because it puts too many lives in danger.
The avian flu is a fast coming problem, and I think that the US needs to begin stockpiling drugs that are not so close in composition so that the risk of a resistant strain is reduced, and more people can be effectively treated. We have the initial idea, but more money and time need to be committed so that we can properly address the problems we are about to face.
Information from: www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic , http://www.who.int/foodsafety/micro/avian_antiviral/en/index.html, http://www.ashp.org/news/ShowArticle.cfm?id=11575, http://www.wpro.who.int/health_topics/avian_influenza , http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/306/5694/241
Posted by Laura Steinlicht at 09:04 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
November 10, 2005
Author's Biases
Earlier in the semester, we were briefly asked on one of our worksheets to explain why a certain chapter in the text was considered to be biased. At the time, I did not notice the skewed opinions of this book, but as I read more chapters, I am starting to see a somewhat closed-minded, one-sided view on certain subjects from the authors of our Environmental Science book. While it is perfectly acceptable for an author to have personal opinions about environmental topics, I feel that our book should lay out the information as neutrally as possible.
The chapter where I first noticed a great amount of this bias is Chapter 15: Air, Weather, and Climate. On page 324, the authors discuss International Climate Negotiations and Controlling Greenhouse Emissions. In this section, the Kyoto Protocol is discussed, and it is very apparent that the author completely disagrees with President Bush's actions on this policy.
Some examples of the authors' comments include the following: "The U.S. energy plan, meanwhile, is to burn more coal, drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, and continue driving gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs." Also, "Rather than impose uniform limits on industry, President Bush offered a voluntary program to reduce "greenhouse intensity"...many businesses love this plan, while environmental groups describe it as 'a total charade,' and 'fiddling while Rome burns.'
While I personally agree with these statements on some level, I feel that these comments are incredibly sarcastic and could very easily be reworded to a more neutral tone. This is just one example throughout our text where I feel that the authors are out of line in their delivery of information to a fresh-faced environmental science audience.
Overall, I feel it is only natural for these authors to have opinions, but these opinions should be left out of an introductory text book so that new, young, eager environmentalists can make their own opinions about environmental issues.
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/esblog/ES1051/
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/esblog/ES1051/
Posted by Jacquelyn Wallerius at 07:30 AM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
November 09, 2005
Environmentalism and the Media
I have been thinking a lot lately about the media's role in environmentalism. Especially with the pro-drilling vote in ANWR, made by the Senate recently. I often feel that I am uninformed of the current issues and what action is being taken either for or against the issue. As do others that I have talked to. In my opinion this stems directly from the current administration's effect and control of the media, and Bush's horrible environmental record. If the American media does cover an environmental issue, it's usually a public interest story concerning endangered species, or escaped animals from the zoo.
The problem lies within the press--they aren't willing to speak the truth against such a strong force. Which creates a major problem because public interest movements rely on the political intensity they can generate by public participation. But if you can't reach the public, where does that leave you?
This is not to say that environmental groups don't put themselves out there, and reach many Americans. There are many groups that are tied to other political movements, and they support each other by spreading the word. Now a day, mainly through email. The National Resources Defense Council(NRDC) sends out about 500,000 email mewsletters to their online members(Kennedy Jr.).
In December of 2004, Bill Moyers said that," we have an ideological press that's interested in the election of Republicans, and a mainstream press that's interested in the bottom line. THerefore we don't have a vigilant, independent press whose interest is the American People."
I guess the best thing to do right now, is band together and organize. Find other supporters and start a movement. And don't be afraid to question what the media is reporting. If you want to get to the truth of the matter, you have to do some investigating yourself.
I found the bulk of this information from an essay written by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in the winter issue of Patagonia's catalog.
Posted by Anna Racer at 09:57 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
The Florida Panther Debate
My blog is about the florida panther debate and the reason why it is important...For me this a very touchy subjects because i love animals. I love panthers and large cats. Florida has become a tourist site for the past several years. It is an area where people come to discover the beauty of the outdoors, that includes animals, plants and organisms. Florida has the biggest numbers of alligators, armidillos birds such as pink flamingos and mamals such as dolphins and the wonderful black panthers. Because of humans and the idea of urban sprawl and how humans tend to expand ''their wings" over a piece a land in a short amount of time. Humans damage the evromnient by bringing new ideas and new tech development. These creatures(panthers) are Florida's state symbol and they tend to grab people attentions, but because of people's reckless behavior are being destroyed in large numbers. Since 1970's allmost 40 panthers have been killed by car collisions and the numbers keep growing. The panther's range consists of nearly 1 million hectares in southwest Florida. Within the panther's range are a number of distinctive natural communities as well as areas disturbed to varying degrees by human activities. Scientists usually define the natural communities on the basis of vegetation. Panthers, especially young males, may travel through disturbed areas but their needs for adequate food and cover can only be met by the natural communities within their range.The greatest threat to the panther's survival is loss, fragmentation, and degradation of habitat. The degredation is A complex of canals, dikes, and water control structures manages the flow of water in south Florida. Forty percent of the historic Everglades has been lost to urban and suburban development. Other treaths are diseases:such as hookworms. These can cause anemia and weight loss, and may contribute to death in domestic kittens. Or envioromental contaminats such as mercury especially in the southern part of Florida. It infects the liver and can cause if not properly treated. Air pollution from metals mining, coal-fired utilities and industry, and solid waste are thought to be the major source of mercury contamination. The pathner has been placed as a Keystone because of his beauty and eligance and also because of the interest of humans for this animal and also has been put under what is called an Umbrella Species due to the saving of habitat that they are saving for other...why shouldnt the people start saving money of helping them? We should do everthing we can for them. They are an icon for Florida and for the Everglades. We should try to help out little at first and not the whole entire ecosystem. Florida is losing little by little its value and its hold on animals because of the urbanization and human sprawl but there are other ways we can make things right and I strongly believe if people out there are starting or planing on doing something right for them, it should be done no matter what. Year by year they are slowing losing their excistance due the above factors but we can start somwhere. These animals are an icon for the state and a represintation for it. If we give attention to all the other animals small and big, why shouldnt we do for the large cats that represent a state that is so diverse such as Florida?
Posted by Andreea Grigore Grigore at 01:21 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
November 08, 2005
The Florida Panther debate
Efforts to save the Florida Panther; Is it really Worth it?
The Florida Panther once roamed throughout all of the southern United States, until over hunting and habitat destruction plummeted it's population, today being under 100 individual animals (Comisky 21). A big debate going on today is the amount of money put into saving this sub-species of puma. The U.S. spends almost $3 Million a year on efforts to help protect and recover the panther population. Some people say this money is not well spent…..there are other animals who will have a better chance at recovery being the population of the Florida Panther is already so low. In populations of mammals once numbers go under 100 the animals become inbreed and this leads to various health effects and immune deficiencies (Comisky 34). But the way laws are set up today we focus on saving individual animals instead of entire ecosystems, and because so many animals need protection and only a few will actually receive it it's actually better that an animal such as the Florida Panther receives so much funding. The panther is both a Keystone species (meaning that it has a lot of public attention because it is a symbolic animal) and an Umbrella Species (Meaning that by saving it's habitat you are in tern saving the habitat of many other animals). Florida's land is quickly being devoured by urban sprawl and many different endangered species occupy this area. Even though by an animal being put on the endangered species list a recovery plan becomes necessary we do not have the funding to put all the time, effort, and money into these plans. If we want to keep healthy ecosystems and in tern a healthy planet we need to focus on animals such as the Florida Panther that will get as much done as possible. The Florida panther grabs the publics attention, people like seeing this animal as Florida's state symbol and will have an uproar thinking these animals may vanish. Although this species is just as important as others that are endangered funding is not given unless people are very passionate about saving it, and not everyone will get excite about a fuit fly or beetle. So in all, I believe it is a good think the Florida Panther is receiving so much attention and money.
Posted by Andrea Bolks at 08:39 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
November 02, 2005
Changing Temperatures in MN
After our class period on October 27, 2005, I caould not stop thinking about the issues Mark Seally talked about. Climate change is a huge issue and we need to try to do something about it. The main issue that seemed to stick out in my head was the change in temperatures in Minnesota and how this is going to affect us. At first, I loved the idea of warmer winters and warmer temperatures in the morning when I leave for class or work, but now that I am seeing the negative affects of this, I am not so excited. I decided to go look and see what the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency had to say about this issue. It turns out, that during the last centruty the average temperature of Minneapolis, MN has raised from 43.9 degrees F to 44.9 degrees F, and by the year 2100 the earth's temperature is expected to rise anywhere between two and 10 degrees F, with MN being on the higher end. So, warmer temperatures just mean longer summers and more beach days, right? No, sadly it is not that simple and in fact it is harmful for our earth. "Global climate change poses risks to human health and ecosystems," says the MN Pollution Control Agency. They also mention that agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and water resources may be affected by this change in climate. Climate changes like this have occured in the past, the only difference is that they occured over centuries or millenia, not decades like this climate change is doing. However, you may be wondering, is there any way we can try to help? Thankfully, yes there are things each of us can do to help try to slow down the climate change. Here are some tips from the MN Pollution Control Agencey, first for on the road, switch to driving fuel efficent vehicles or alternative fuel vehicles, do all errands in one trip as opposed to several, keep your car tuned and tires inflatted, consider alternative ways of transportation, such as public transit or bike, and carpool to work and other places. When you are at home turn off lights, TVs and other electronic devices that are not in use, use energy efficent appliances (they should display the energy star label), and replace incandescent lights with energy efficient fluorescent light bulbs. One can also make improvements in her yard by planting deciduous trees to shade the house (trees can also remove 50 pounds of carbon from the air annually), use a push mower, and compost your lawn clippings and leaf waste. These may all seem like simple things to do, and that is because they are, yet if we all do our part it will make a difference and hopefully slow down this rapid change in our climate. Many levels of government and cities are working to reduce greenhouse gases that contribute to this rise in temperature and change in climate, so now we as the individuals need to start making changes to help slow down the climate change.
Posted by Brittany Hayes at 08:44 AM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
October 20, 2005
Pesticides
Introduction
There have been great debates over the usage of pesticides on crops. Its earliest use according to the text book entitled Environmental Science: A Global Concern, states that even before the advanced technology we have today, various cultures have been using methods such as salt and smoke to alleviate pest issues. Similar to today, various cultures also used animals or biological control of pests. Should we be concerned about the pesticides and their side effects?
Benefits
Pesticides are used to control pests. Many insects carry diseases that can be transferred to humans from biting insects. Through the usage of pesticides the amount of pests can be significantly decrease and prevent these diseases. Pesticides are also important and beneficial to farmers and crop growers. Using pesticides, farmers and crop growers can eliminate pests and prevent loss of crops.
Pesticide Issues
Although there are some benefits to the usage of pesticides, there are also disadvantages. Pesticides affect non-targeted species. The species that are eliminated in many cases are beneficial to the ecological system. In some cases, the targeted species are not eliminated in the process. Although this elimination of beneficial organism may not be intentional, there is still an effect on the ecological system. Another concern is that pests will become resistant to pesticides and resulting in a need for a higher amount of pesticides to be used in the future. Evidence also shows that pesticides could create new pests, and cause human health (i.e. poisoning, cancer, birth defects) and environmental issues (i.e. run-off in the soil and killing species).
My Concern
After reading the chapter 10 in our book, I noticed that based on the chemical make-up of many of these pesticides, they can be very harmful to different species. The pesticide with the chemical Organophosphates stood out to me the most. The reason is because it is so toxic to the skin and can be very lethal to the individual handling it. Although, we have learned that nearly all pesticides have a negative effect to the environment and health of humans, we continue to use pesticides. Why do we continue to use pesticides and is there an alternate way effectively and safely eliminate pests? I don’t know if there is a safer way to eliminate pests but we have to think of something fast.
Another issue that I thought of was what if terrorist began thinking of ways to use pesticides that would destroy several states. I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want pesticides to fall into the wrong hands if they are indeed this toxic.
Posted by Jennifer Morris at 09:45 AM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
October 19, 2005
Landfills
After doing some research on recycling, I went on a tangent towards landfills and decided to explore and explain the some of the interesting facts about how they operate. We all have a general concept of what a landfills does, but I don’t believe many understand all that goes into it. It’s not the best amenity that a city has to offer, but it serves a vital purpose. To begin with, let’s get an idea of how much garbage we accumulate here in America. We generate trash at a rate of four pounds per day per person, which translates to 600,000 tons per day or 210 million tons per year. (http://www.epa.gov/). That’s almost twice as much trash per person as most other major countries. Of the 210 million tons of trash generated in the United States annually about 56 million tons (27%) is either recycled or composted, 16% gets burned and 57% is buried in landfills(http://www.epa.gov/). Now the steps involve in the development of a landfill is quite complicated, and much is dedicated to protecting the environment, of course. In a nutshell, an environmental impact study must be done which helps to determine: the area of land necessary for the landfill, the composition of the underlying soil and bedrock, the flow of surface water over the site, the impact it will have on local environment and wildlife and the historical or archaeological value of the proposed site. (http://www.aigenvironmental.com/). On top of all that, once the environmental impact study has been completed, permits must be obtained and money collected. Upon construction, a landfill consists of these basic parts:
a bottom liner system - separates trash and subsequent leachate from groundwater
cells - where old and new the trash is stored within the landfill
storm water drainage system - collects rain water that falls on the landfill
leachate collection system - collects water that has percolated through the landfill itself and contains contaminating substances (leachate)
methane collection system - collects methane gas that is formed during the breakdown of trash
covering or cap - seals off the top of the landfill (http://jced.jocogov.org/solid_waste).
After reading all that takes place in a landfill, there’s still a part of me that believes that burying garbage will have detrimental effects soon or later. Even though a landfill is carefully structured with each part designed to address specific problems, what happens to the materials that don’t degrade quickly, if at all. Trash in a landfill stays for a very long time. With little oxygen and moisture under these conditions, it doesn’t allow trash break down very rapidly ( www.energyjustice.net/lfg/). Many old landfills which have been excavated have found 40-year-old newspapers which still had easily readable print (http://www.enviroalternatives.com/landfill.html). Landfills are not designed to break down trash, instead, they merely bury it. And when a landfill closes, what happens to the groundwater? It either seaps into our drinking water or gets carried into a bigger body of water which will have an affect on the organisms living within it. And as for recycling, only 27% of all trash gets recycled while 16% gets burned and 57% gets buried. It’s great that we make the effort to recycle, but 27% out of 210 million tons of trash means we’re still relying on raw materials which only causes further depletion of our natural resources. I know the system is not perfect, and without it I’m sure our society world be quite a mess, but as our world continues to expand, trash will only accumulate more rapidly. In general, we must find better alternatives than to burying our waste.
Posted by William Xiong at 11:57 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
Pesticides
After listening to the speaker which we had in one of our previous classes I got to thinking. She spoke about polyethlene mulch and copper hydroxide, and the affects these two can have on the environment. She told us about how many tomoato farmers use polyethylene mulch along with the copper hydroxide. And that much of the copper hydroxide does not reach the tomoato plants and makes its way to water sources. She told us that the pesticide has a negitive affect on the ecological systems inwhich its touches. Then she went on to say that in tests she had help preform showed that the use of certain grasses planted in between the tomatos instead of the polyethylene mulch helped to reduce the amount of pesticide runoff. It also helped in reducing the amount of erosion in the tomato fields. So my question is why woulnt farmers see this and not use it knowing that it is less expensive, less harmful to the environment, and easier to maintain and use it? To me this makes no sense. I heard what she said and it made me want to use the grasses instead of the polyethylene mulch.
Posted by Sean Tisdell at 10:42 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
Earthquakes in the Midwest
Most people in the Midwest feel that the only real natural disaster that can occur is a tornado or sever thunderstorm. Missourians and other Midwesterners should beware however of the ground beneath their feet. The New Madrid fault located in Missouri has the capability to produce massive earthquakes. However few people know that it exists because it produces earthquakes far less frequently than the infamous San Andreas Fault in California. The strongest earthquake to ever rattle the lower 48 states came from the New Madrid fault line and devastated an enormous area. In the winter of 1811 to 1812 three huge earthquake weeks apart shook the Midwest the largest measuring an 8.1 on the Richter scale was 10 times as powerful as the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The size of the quakes, geography of the Midwest and the long periods between activity make a potentially catastrophic situation. The quakes in 1811-1812 were felt as far away as Charleston Sc and Washington DC where damage was reported in each. At the time of the sever earthquakes the Midwest was sparsely populated and thus the loss of human life was small. The long periods between quakes makes it easy to forget that the fault exists and that it can go off. Only recently have some new buildings been built earthquake resistant in the Midwest. Only a handful of structures are built this way. In the event of a major earthquake occurring damage would be extensive across the Midwest from Chicago to Memphis and St Louis. Parts of the eastern seaboard would see damage as well. The geography of the Midwest is such that an earthquake would be felt over an area much larger than an earthquake of equal magnitude in California. The threat of an earthquake is real and geologists predict that with in the next fifty years there is a 9/10 chance that a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake will affect the new Madrid fault line. If people are not informed of proper earthquake procedures and buildings not reinforced the quake could be catastrophic. This will however cost an enormous amount of money and take several years to implement. There is the possibility that we will not see a huge earthquake in the near future and the money would have been spent in vain. However this is a risk that could cause an enormous amount of destruction and cost billions of dollars to clean up and countless human lives could be lost.
Posted by William Quinn at 10:40 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
October 18, 2005
What areas of the world are worth conserving?
The article Dollars and Sense in Nature magazine raises the question we touched on in class. What areas of the world are worth conserving? As we learned, there are certain biological “hot spots”, originally proposed by Norman Myers. These areas cover roughly 2.3 % of Earth’s land surface, are relatively isolated, and contain a large number of species that do not exist anywhere else. Many of these ecosystems are under protection for this reason. However, there are some people who think money could be spent conserving more valuable areas. Scientists such as Hugh Possingham and Peter Kareiva instead stress the importance of focusing on preserving areas that are ecologically significant to the greater environment and to humans. For example, conservation movements should be implemented on the boreal forests of Russia and Canada. These forests act as a major carbon sink and acts as a natural break on the greenhouse effect. Along with being environmentally significant, there is a general consensus that the area should be economically significant.
The problem comes in determining what is significant. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment identifies 24 ecosystem services. Areas such as mangroves, which protect coastlines during hurricanes and tsunamis along with wetlands that filter and store water are environmentally significant. For example, it is estimated that coffee yields in Costa Rica could have increased by 20% if the surrounding forest had been preserved. These ecosystems that are determined to be significant don’t necessarily have a diverse population of animals, like the identified “hot spots”. Here another question comes up; is it better to save an individual species or an entire ecosystem?
In my opinion, it is better to save an entire ecosystem rather than focusing on an individual species. The functions of an entire ecological system are far greater than the effect of one species. In some cases, another species can take over if one becomes extinct. It may throw off the balance for a while, but extinction is a natural process. If an entire ecosystem is destroyed, there is nothing to take its place and do its job.
Yes there are a large number of species that are endangered of becoming extinct. They may have a huge impact on the environment. There are reasons to protect certain animals. However, when it comes down to whether we should save biological “hot spots” or ecosystems that serve a beneficial purpose to the greater environment, I favor the entire ecosystem.
Posted by Sarah Graves at 02:23 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
October 17, 2005
More and More is leading us to Less and Less
I think a lot of what we think of today as "enviornmenaly friendly" is really looking at short term problems in the United States. Today in class we just had a debate on Ethanol as a fuel used to replace fossil fuels like gasoline. Both sides of the argument did a wonderful job of arguing their facts and reason why is should or should not be used, but again, I think the argument was mainly focusing on our short term problem of how efficient and cost effective the new fuel would be. (Not even going into the topic of ethanol production itself merly bringing in new environmental problems insead of what we have now) I believe that this brings us to the typical U.S. believe that more and more for cheeper means better....which is entily wrong. To look at environmenatal issues effectivly you have to look at something long term and globaly. One of our biggest problems today is mearly the fact that our lifestyles are structured in a way that we NEED a car to fufill our everyday needs like work, school, shopping. America should be looking into ways of living where a car isn't needed in the first place. More efficient and cheeping fuel means Americans travel further to work and spend more time on the road rather than going the same amount of distance, just with better fuel. 3 billion dollars a year are lost by American's siting in traffic (Environmental Science, A Global Concern), and what do we do? We build more and more roads which in turn leads to people driving further and futher to where they need to go...encouraging urban sprawl because people don't need to live close to the cities anymore to work there. What we need to do is start seeing that we need to start living and building more sustainibly.
One of my favorite places to go is Milwaukee Ave. in Minneapolis. It is a neighborhood of smaller houses all linked together by not a road, but a sidewalk. I first visited this community of sustainable developed houses on a field trip at my old high school (School of Environmental Science at the Minnesota Zoo). Since then I have visited the neighborhood a number of times, and everytime I go I find myself in complete and utter awe. The since of community these people have is amazing, the people are friendly and watch out for each other. I remember on my fieldtrip when talking with a resident of Milwaukee Ave the women expressed how nice it was to have a commons between the houses instead of a roadway which made a nice safe area for the children to play.
The houses are put together closely with open space available in the community. The houses are set close to the sidewalks to encourage communication between people and make that community feeling. The sidewalks encourage walking and the land is mixed use. There are commercial shopping areas right around the corner from these houses where residents can walk to get groceries and do their day to day activities without the need or use of a car. The people also have easy access to the buss systems in Minneapolis by the buss stop right at the corner. The roadways that connect to these houses are in the back of the houses (along with the garages) making the garage less of an center focus on the house. Sustainable design and development really is a wonderful thing.
After growing up in the typical middle class suburb I can really see the benefits to this deign techniques as explained in the book "Suburban Nation." Suburban nation talks about having land that is mixed use instead of zoning large areas of land, enfisis on sidewalks instead of roadways, reducing suburban sprawl by putting houses closer together, leaving green space in communities, mixed income housing, and a variety of other topics related to sustainable design. While it takes much more in depth planning to create a community like that of Milwaukee ave it is well worth it. All communities are not planned this was due to uncontrollable growth and city limits way too big creating suburban sprawl along with developers trying to make the maximum amount of money they can. I believe that these design techniques are the first step to making our communities safer and more sustainable.
Posted by Andrea Bolks at 01:36 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
September 28, 2005
Who owns what?
Yesterday I mentioned that it is important to know "who owns what" in order to analyze why the media may be giving you a certain slant on a story. This link allows you to browse major media corporations and their holdings. You might be surprised...
Posted by ES1051 Blog at 11:05 AM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
September 27, 2005
What is credibility?
In last week's poster assignment, you were asked to critically analyze the purpose and rationale of environmental groups and reflect on their modes of operation. It is important to realize that every environmental group has an agenda and they often target a specific audience, that is, they have a strategy for recruitment and tactics that will benefit their organization.
Their overall success usually depends on the organization's credibility. I have found a few quotes regarding credibility for you to ponder. . .
Nora M. Paul, Director, University Of Minnesota (Institute For New Media). "People make judgements. How do I know I can trust an information source. Especially what a person's agenda is. Who is this person and why are they telling me this."
M.J. Bear, Consultant, mjbear.com. "Credibility is about track record and how you portray that record."
Max Cacas, Senior Online Producer, Freedom Forum. "Along with the truth, a lot of what I perceive with credibility has to do with trust. I trust washingtonpost.com, I do not trust Matt Drudge. People come to trust what they can rely on. News organizations in particular where they know the information is good."
George P. Rodrigue, Vice President, Belo Corporation (Washington Bureau). "Credibility is the personality the readers think you have. They want you to know you are looking out for them before you look out for yourself. It's the same personality you want in a good friend, someone who looks out for you as well as themselves. We have some major credibility issues from traditional media."
Danny Schecter, Executive Editor, MediaChannel.org. "Credibility has to do with having to encouraging people to become critical viewers and readers. Context and background are important."
Posted by ES1051 Blog at 09:27 AM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
September 15, 2005
Ten career skills all environmental professionals need
From the "Career Tips Archive" at eco.org. Note that communication skills rank #1.
In 1999, the US Environmental Protection Agency conducted a "Workforce Assessment Project" and determined that the agency was well stocked with good engineers and scientists, but that there was a real need for people who could bring people together, communicate well with the public, navigate bureaucratic shoals, and generally do things a little differently. Other environmental agencies and companies have recognized themselves in the report's list of ten essential skills for environmental professionals.
Take a moment to assess your own competency levels regarding:
1. Communication skills (oral and written)
2. Collaboration abilities and team orientation
3. "Customer" orientation, focus on serving your audience's needs
4. Creativity, innovative thinking
5. Broad environmental sciences understanding
6. Analytical ability, critical thinking, problem-solving
7. Work orientation, professionalism, positive attitude
8. Occupation-specific skills and knowledge
9. Mastery of information technology, including GIS
10. Leadership ability
Posted by ES1051 Blog at 01:28 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science
Category "1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science"
September 12, 2005
Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning
In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who identified six levels of learning, from simple recall/recognition of facts (lowest level), through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order of evaluation.
Bloom's Taxonomy
1. Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.
2. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate,
3. Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
4. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
5. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.
6. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.
Why is this important? Many times environmental issues can be clouded by emotions, political agendas, and/or economic issues. As environmental scientists, you will be called upon to apply higher level learning skills (e.g. identify flawed arguments, provide viable alternatives, or make sound judgment calls based on given facts).
Any examples of "clouded" environmental issues come to mind; issues that were mismanaged/misguided?
Posted by ES1051 Blog at 01:50 PM | 1. Critical Thinking in Environmental Science