http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-16035384
In New Jersey, there was found to be an overwhelming number of endangered birds within the area, 33 to be specific. In order to make sure that these birds don't get harmed by pollution, and other human-induced dangers, the state of New Jersey is attempting to buy land on the Sorel headland, in order to provide a sanctuary for the birds. Each endangered bird breed was assessed on their threats for over 20 years in order to properly save the animals. The National Trust for Jersey is putting much effort into this program for the "Birds on the Edge Project," which saves birds that are threatened or endangered. The birds face different levels of danger based on the threats, and the type of bird, and were divided. New Jersey is performing a very bold action by valuing the environment and its species, and facing criticism. Hopefully many other states and countries will follow in Jersey's footsteps.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Ecotourism and its Benefits
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112123.htm
The debate on ecotourism is one that has been closely followed. The ideas on it have been split, some saying it's beneficial due to money raised, but others say how destructive it can be since you exploit the areas. Recently, however, scientists have noticed a beneficial response to ecotourism, and seeing that it actually has helped organisms to continue to live. Some wish to use ecotourism for areas along a river [the Amazon in this case], since they are seen as "appealing." If these areas were under ecotourism they could be better protected and raise awareness. However it has not yet been compared to protected regions, to show if it is more beneficial or not, but for now we know that it can improve the life of an organism. Unfortunately it was seen that some giant otters were killed during river transport on boats, which some would use against ecotourism. Although protected areas have nothing to worry about that would endanger certain animals, ecotourism does have a few flaws, but when protecting an area becomes too expensive and cannot occur, ecotourism is a close second and a good back-up. Hopefully people that do happen to see the greatness of certain organisms will help to keep that organism around for a while and allowing future generations to witness it first hand.
The debate on ecotourism is one that has been closely followed. The ideas on it have been split, some saying it's beneficial due to money raised, but others say how destructive it can be since you exploit the areas. Recently, however, scientists have noticed a beneficial response to ecotourism, and seeing that it actually has helped organisms to continue to live. Some wish to use ecotourism for areas along a river [the Amazon in this case], since they are seen as "appealing." If these areas were under ecotourism they could be better protected and raise awareness. However it has not yet been compared to protected regions, to show if it is more beneficial or not, but for now we know that it can improve the life of an organism. Unfortunately it was seen that some giant otters were killed during river transport on boats, which some would use against ecotourism. Although protected areas have nothing to worry about that would endanger certain animals, ecotourism does have a few flaws, but when protecting an area becomes too expensive and cannot occur, ecotourism is a close second and a good back-up. Hopefully people that do happen to see the greatness of certain organisms will help to keep that organism around for a while and allowing future generations to witness it first hand.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Pesticide Remnants in Chesapeake Area
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110707111031.htm
Even though certain pesticides, such as DDT, DDD, DDE, are no longer being utilized in the Chesapeake Bay area [largest estuary in the U.S.], scientists have seen its remnants lingering around the Bay's airshed. Many of the pesticides lingered within the soil, and since much of the coast is sandy it is likely to give off the pesticides more. This means that the pesticides will continue to be released within the area due to their persistent nature. Other pesticides found were lindane, chlordane products, heptachlor, and dieldrin [this is the most persistent and along with DDE, had the highest concentration found]. Some of these pesticides were even found from being as far away as 60 miles. About 30-60% of the pesticides were caused to arise from air temperature and wind. These findings will hopefully provide a sense of awareness to users of pesticides so that they know that the damage of pesticides aren't just during the time it is sprayed, or even as long as making its way to the dinner table. They can remain for decades and harm current organisms in the area, including us humans.
Even though certain pesticides, such as DDT, DDD, DDE, are no longer being utilized in the Chesapeake Bay area [largest estuary in the U.S.], scientists have seen its remnants lingering around the Bay's airshed. Many of the pesticides lingered within the soil, and since much of the coast is sandy it is likely to give off the pesticides more. This means that the pesticides will continue to be released within the area due to their persistent nature. Other pesticides found were lindane, chlordane products, heptachlor, and dieldrin [this is the most persistent and along with DDE, had the highest concentration found]. Some of these pesticides were even found from being as far away as 60 miles. About 30-60% of the pesticides were caused to arise from air temperature and wind. These findings will hopefully provide a sense of awareness to users of pesticides so that they know that the damage of pesticides aren't just during the time it is sprayed, or even as long as making its way to the dinner table. They can remain for decades and harm current organisms in the area, including us humans.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Human Population Growth and Poverty
http://www.globalissues.org/article/200/population-and-feeding-the-world
Nowadays, hunger is seen as one of the world's most prevalent issues. There have been millions of lives lost due to being malnourished, but its main problem isn't just not living in agricultural areas. Currently it is estimated that 925 million people in the world are hungry, nearly 1/7 of our world's population. Also nearly 80% of the world's population lives on under $10 a day and nearly a half of the population lives on less that $2.50. People don't just go hungry because they simply don't live in an area where food is produced, but because the food cannot be purchased. For many people, the daily cost of food is far too much, even though there really is enough food for all to eat, it's mainly that there is too much poverty. Due to this poverty many cases of death arise and even some people, such as Somalian warlords, take advantages of this terrible status and use it for their own power and gain. If we are to save people that are living under terrible conditions such as these, we must send out a reaching hand, but also get rid of corrupt individuals.
Nowadays, hunger is seen as one of the world's most prevalent issues. There have been millions of lives lost due to being malnourished, but its main problem isn't just not living in agricultural areas. Currently it is estimated that 925 million people in the world are hungry, nearly 1/7 of our world's population. Also nearly 80% of the world's population lives on under $10 a day and nearly a half of the population lives on less that $2.50. People don't just go hungry because they simply don't live in an area where food is produced, but because the food cannot be purchased. For many people, the daily cost of food is far too much, even though there really is enough food for all to eat, it's mainly that there is too much poverty. Due to this poverty many cases of death arise and even some people, such as Somalian warlords, take advantages of this terrible status and use it for their own power and gain. If we are to save people that are living under terrible conditions such as these, we must send out a reaching hand, but also get rid of corrupt individuals.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
7 Billion Inhabitants and Resource Struggles
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45106316#.TrIMj_QUq30
As many are aware, this past Monday introduced to the world the 7 billionth inhabitant. The human population has constantly been growing at an exponential rate, and a high one at that. Some scientists would debate that we've already passed our carrying capacity, or are closely nearing it, but when looking at statistics it appears that people are already losing resources in extremely large areas of the world. As our population increases more and more, we lose even more resources, and more people will be without them. The struggles that we as people face are so enormous, since we just take what suits us and helps us out at the moment, not knowing its impacts on the future. We have been destroying the world, and more of us continue to enter the world, and at an incredibly fast rate. Will we begin to have a die off of individuals within our lifetime our any near generations, or will we fix our problems before such a thing occurs, but only time will tell.
As many are aware, this past Monday introduced to the world the 7 billionth inhabitant. The human population has constantly been growing at an exponential rate, and a high one at that. Some scientists would debate that we've already passed our carrying capacity, or are closely nearing it, but when looking at statistics it appears that people are already losing resources in extremely large areas of the world. As our population increases more and more, we lose even more resources, and more people will be without them. The struggles that we as people face are so enormous, since we just take what suits us and helps us out at the moment, not knowing its impacts on the future. We have been destroying the world, and more of us continue to enter the world, and at an incredibly fast rate. Will we begin to have a die off of individuals within our lifetime our any near generations, or will we fix our problems before such a thing occurs, but only time will tell.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Greenland Glacier Melting May Be Triggered By Other Factors
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025163128.htm
Even though climate change is a very well supported theory that most scientists believe in, it may not be the only reason for glacier melting. It was found that in Greenland ice caps are melting due to ice with a low albedo [does not reflect as much light or heat]. These low albedo ice areas cause heat to be held within the ice as opposed to ice with a high albedo that reflects a large amount of light and heat. The holding in of such heat causes faster ice melting and has been seen over the years. With more ice with a low albedo being there and not being covered with high albedo ice large amounts of heat have been kept within the glacier and melts from the inside. It is unknown if this has been an ongoing process or just a very new one. The answer to that will provide for scientists a gauge of how strong this melting process is, or will be.
Even though climate change is a very well supported theory that most scientists believe in, it may not be the only reason for glacier melting. It was found that in Greenland ice caps are melting due to ice with a low albedo [does not reflect as much light or heat]. These low albedo ice areas cause heat to be held within the ice as opposed to ice with a high albedo that reflects a large amount of light and heat. The holding in of such heat causes faster ice melting and has been seen over the years. With more ice with a low albedo being there and not being covered with high albedo ice large amounts of heat have been kept within the glacier and melts from the inside. It is unknown if this has been an ongoing process or just a very new one. The answer to that will provide for scientists a gauge of how strong this melting process is, or will be.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Massive Meteorite Strike Mysteries Revealed Through Model
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019173406.htm
Scientists have developed many models to interpret massive meteorite impacts on the Earth, such as one that may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. They have examined in particular the Chicxulub crater which is believed to be the center of impact which left a large antipodal point at the Deccan Traps. The antipodal point is where the waves from an impact meet at a place on the opposite end of the Earth causing another large area effected. This point however is not on the complete opposite end of the Chicxulub crater, but instead is seen farther away. This brings scientists to realize that due to the shape and contents of the Earth effect the wave traveling speed and direction, and can change an antipodal point. And now that models that take this into account we can better understand the world around us and other planets and moons. We may even be able to reveal more of what is underneath the ground beneath our feet throughout these upcoming years.
Scientists have developed many models to interpret massive meteorite impacts on the Earth, such as one that may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. They have examined in particular the Chicxulub crater which is believed to be the center of impact which left a large antipodal point at the Deccan Traps. The antipodal point is where the waves from an impact meet at a place on the opposite end of the Earth causing another large area effected. This point however is not on the complete opposite end of the Chicxulub crater, but instead is seen farther away. This brings scientists to realize that due to the shape and contents of the Earth effect the wave traveling speed and direction, and can change an antipodal point. And now that models that take this into account we can better understand the world around us and other planets and moons. We may even be able to reveal more of what is underneath the ground beneath our feet throughout these upcoming years.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Global Glaciation Hypothesis May Be Proven False
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012083450.htm
It's used to be almost proven that there used to be a period of global glaciation. Since it was not completely proven it was a hypothesis that went by the name of the "snowball hypothesis," and was created almost 20 years ago. It was estimated that about 635 million years ago during the Cryogenian period, the Earth was almost entirely covered with ice. Since less heat would remain on the Earth due to the reflection by ice, scientists hypothesized that carbon dioxide remained in the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions. But when looking at the data from this time period, a small amount of carbon dioxide was found in the atmosphere. This shows that it may not have been able to heat up the Earth enough to melt the ice, so this period may not have occurred. In the meantime scientists try to figure out if there may have been another gas that could have caused melting of glaciers, such as methane. With a possibility of such a well proven hypothesis being proven false truly shows how our scientists experience paradigm shifts with these theories. As much as we may believe that we know everything there is to know about our world, there are so many more mysteries and what we believe to be true, may not actually be true.
It's used to be almost proven that there used to be a period of global glaciation. Since it was not completely proven it was a hypothesis that went by the name of the "snowball hypothesis," and was created almost 20 years ago. It was estimated that about 635 million years ago during the Cryogenian period, the Earth was almost entirely covered with ice. Since less heat would remain on the Earth due to the reflection by ice, scientists hypothesized that carbon dioxide remained in the atmosphere from volcanic eruptions. But when looking at the data from this time period, a small amount of carbon dioxide was found in the atmosphere. This shows that it may not have been able to heat up the Earth enough to melt the ice, so this period may not have occurred. In the meantime scientists try to figure out if there may have been another gas that could have caused melting of glaciers, such as methane. With a possibility of such a well proven hypothesis being proven false truly shows how our scientists experience paradigm shifts with these theories. As much as we may believe that we know everything there is to know about our world, there are so many more mysteries and what we believe to be true, may not actually be true.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Possibility to Digest Cellulose Increases
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720091527.htm
We as humans are currently unable to digest much cellulose from plants. This is due to the fact that the cell is so dense and tightly packed that our enzymes cannot attack the beneficial cellulose. Cellulose is a great product that can be converted to ethanol. If we could create this ethanol in our bodies, it could be used for biofuel and become very useful. The biomass can be used for the fermentable sugars which can process the ethanol. Now the only process we have involves toxic chemicals and requires a large amount of energy. Scientists attempted to see what happens to the cells when pre-treated with ammonia. This experiment had worked since it weakened the cell more than usual, by loosening hydrogen bonds within the cells. With this we have found a step that can lead us in a great way towards changing some of our diets if we could perfect this system.
We as humans are currently unable to digest much cellulose from plants. This is due to the fact that the cell is so dense and tightly packed that our enzymes cannot attack the beneficial cellulose. Cellulose is a great product that can be converted to ethanol. If we could create this ethanol in our bodies, it could be used for biofuel and become very useful. The biomass can be used for the fermentable sugars which can process the ethanol. Now the only process we have involves toxic chemicals and requires a large amount of energy. Scientists attempted to see what happens to the cells when pre-treated with ammonia. This experiment had worked since it weakened the cell more than usual, by loosening hydrogen bonds within the cells. With this we have found a step that can lead us in a great way towards changing some of our diets if we could perfect this system.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
BP Oil in the Gulf Burned and it's Effect on the Atmosphere
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110920163314.htm
When the tragedy of the BP oil spill occurred, some of the oil was attempted to be contained by burning it away. While at first it may seem like a great idea to help the animals around the area, it actually has terrible impacts on a worldwide level. It was estimated that a whole barrel's worth of oil was burned over the water and is now seen to have released black carbon into the atmosphere. The oil was deliberately burned to save ecosystems, but the black carbon can now destroy the atmosphere itself and hurt organisms around the world. Black carbon is known to destroy the atmosphere since its particles are light absorbing and will hold in the heat from the sun and contribute to global warming, and even just ingesting the particles through breathing it in can cause much health problems. It is estimated that somewhere from 1.4 to 4.6 million pounds of black carbon was released into the air. Even though this was a terrible idea that will have many long-term effects, it has changed our understanding of doing such things as burning oil, and from it we've learned the dangers that it can and will most likely cause. Hopefully this data will be seen as a way to help our environment instead of continuing to treat it wrongfully.
When the tragedy of the BP oil spill occurred, some of the oil was attempted to be contained by burning it away. While at first it may seem like a great idea to help the animals around the area, it actually has terrible impacts on a worldwide level. It was estimated that a whole barrel's worth of oil was burned over the water and is now seen to have released black carbon into the atmosphere. The oil was deliberately burned to save ecosystems, but the black carbon can now destroy the atmosphere itself and hurt organisms around the world. Black carbon is known to destroy the atmosphere since its particles are light absorbing and will hold in the heat from the sun and contribute to global warming, and even just ingesting the particles through breathing it in can cause much health problems. It is estimated that somewhere from 1.4 to 4.6 million pounds of black carbon was released into the air. Even though this was a terrible idea that will have many long-term effects, it has changed our understanding of doing such things as burning oil, and from it we've learned the dangers that it can and will most likely cause. Hopefully this data will be seen as a way to help our environment instead of continuing to treat it wrongfully.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Global Warming and Bacteria Growth in Oceans
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44502602/ns/health-infectious_diseases/
It's been found that warming oceans are beginning to harvest bacteria, and a deadly one at that. It helps support a Vibrio genus of bacteria, this may cause "food poisoning, serious gastroenteritis, septicemia, and cholera." The study was performed by Project CLAMER, and funded by the European Union. Not only does this endanger people in the water, but it may contaminate seafood which has the potential to eventually be eaten by much of the population. A researcher explained that "things are changing in the ocean much more rapidly than we thought was possible," and at this pace we may be slowly killing ourselves and the wildlife around us. In fact it already has, since fish populations have decreased "with larger species moving towards the arctic and smaller ones taking their place." Now that temperature in the ocean is increasing the Vibrios is increasing, and one of its dangers is that it contains cholera. Also by killing algae, we'll have a larger amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, indirectly causing one another in a constant cycle.
I think that this story is a wake up call for all, since those who don't believe in global warming must realize that there is something going wrong, and it must be stopped before it harmfully effects people. And those who just believe it and don't do anything about it, must start to realize that it's not just harmful for our future generations, which some people, unfortunately, don't care about, and they just may realize that people nowadays may be affected by this. Hopefully these problems can be solved soon enough to help make all people safe and all organisms on the earth safe as well.
It's been found that warming oceans are beginning to harvest bacteria, and a deadly one at that. It helps support a Vibrio genus of bacteria, this may cause "food poisoning, serious gastroenteritis, septicemia, and cholera." The study was performed by Project CLAMER, and funded by the European Union. Not only does this endanger people in the water, but it may contaminate seafood which has the potential to eventually be eaten by much of the population. A researcher explained that "things are changing in the ocean much more rapidly than we thought was possible," and at this pace we may be slowly killing ourselves and the wildlife around us. In fact it already has, since fish populations have decreased "with larger species moving towards the arctic and smaller ones taking their place." Now that temperature in the ocean is increasing the Vibrios is increasing, and one of its dangers is that it contains cholera. Also by killing algae, we'll have a larger amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, indirectly causing one another in a constant cycle.
I think that this story is a wake up call for all, since those who don't believe in global warming must realize that there is something going wrong, and it must be stopped before it harmfully effects people. And those who just believe it and don't do anything about it, must start to realize that it's not just harmful for our future generations, which some people, unfortunately, don't care about, and they just may realize that people nowadays may be affected by this. Hopefully these problems can be solved soon enough to help make all people safe and all organisms on the earth safe as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)