Keep UpThe Deep Seas Are Alive With LightOver the decades, biologists learned that the creatures of the deep sea use light much as animals on land use sound to lure, intimidate, stun, mislead and find mates. During 240 research dives in the Pacific, they recorded every occurrence and kind of glowing sea creature more than 500 types living down as deep as two miles. As the deep sea is the planet’s largest habitat, the new findings confirm bioluminescence to be one of the earth’s dominant ecological traits. Over the decades, scientists have traced the evolutionary roots of the living oceanic lights to primal seas hundreds of millions of years ago, long before the age of dinosaurs. In the conclusion to their study, the scientists at the institute acknowledged that all their expeditions and efforts at summarization have produced no more than a rough estimate of the phenomenon’s true dimensions.
These new and interesting discoveries will impact both the lives of humans and the bioluminescence creatures. Humans will now be able to get a closer look at deep sea creatures because of the advancement in our technology. Also, the bioluminescence creatures living will become more exposed and more information will be learned that has never been known before new studies scientists and discoverers are doing. Texas Chemical-plant Failure
At least 2 tons of highly unstable chemicals used in such products as plastics and paint exploded and burned at a flood-crippled plant near Houston early Thursday, sending up a plume of acrid black smoke that stung the eyes and lungs. The blaze at the Arkema Inc. chemical plant burned out around midday, but emergency crews continued to hold back because of the danger that eight other trailers containing the same compound could blow, too. Arkema had warned earlier in the week that an explosion of organic peroxides stored at the plant was imminent because Harvey's floodwaters engulfed the backup generators and knocked out the refrigeration necessary to keep the compounds from degrading and catching fire.
No serious injuries were reported. But the blast added a new hazard to Hurricane Harvey's aftermath and raised questions about the adequacy of the company's master plan to protect the public in the event of an emergency in the flood-prone Houston metropolitan area of 5.6 million people. Inside Massive WildfiresThis year, raging wildfires throughout California burning hundreds of thousands of acres. Up-close photographic access to these fires can be hard to come by; only specially credentialed media are allowed in the fire zones. Despite his personal relationship with California wildfires, Palley the photographer prefers viewing these natural disasters from a distance, as emblems of humans' fraught relationship with the environment. Palley has had no shortage of opportunities to continue his ongoing project. “I thought since we had a wet winter the fire activity would be mitigated,” Palley says, “but grasses and dead trees impacted by the bark beetle have caught fire.” Not only is he a photographer interested in fire, he is also a qualified base-level wildland firefighter.
A heavy toll may be exacted on elk, moose and other wildlife whose habitat has been destroyed by wildfires that have charred hundreds of thousands of acres (hectares) of forests and grasslands.Flames that in recent weeks have destroyed dozens of homes and prompted hundreds of residents to evacuate in Washington and Idaho have probably killed squirrels and small mammals unable to swiftly flee fire zones while fleeter creatures like deer likely escaped unharmed, wildlife biologists said. Hurricane Irma's WindsHurricane Irma's extraordinary strength has caused a seemingly unusual meteorological phenomena: the eerie pushing of water away from shorelines in the Bahamas and the Gulf Coast of Florida. In places like Tampa and Port Charlotte, as the storm approaches from the south, strong winds blowing from the northeast have pushed water out of shallow parts of bays and harbors. It's not uncommon for tropical storm winds to displace shallow water, but Irma's effects were stark in Tampa Bay, which has a gradually sloping ocean floor on the West Florida Continental Shelf.As Tampa Bay's waters were blown offshore, pushed by the strong westward winds on the northern side of Hurricane Irma, the water piled up toward the Gulf of Mexico. But the impact of this extra water was "negligible" — just a drop in the bucket compared with the vast Gulf.
It can be tempting to walk out on the new exposed seafloor, but experts discouraged it. As the hurricane's eye passes, its winds will shift and will push the coastal water and additional surge back toward the coast in a matter of minutes. Depending on the geography of the seafloor and meteorological factors, water can refill within minutes to a few hours. People need to be aware of this situationIf so as no to be caught in the surf, or they'll have to fight off surface currents, rips and waves, and mabye get swept out to sea. Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife RefugeThe Trump administration and congressional Republicans in recent weeks have renewed the fight over opening part of an enormous wildlife refuge in northern Alaska to oil and gas exploration.The refuge, one of the largest in the United States, is the nesting place for several hundred species of migratory birds; home to wolves, polar bears, caribou and other mammals. There is no certainty that oil companies would rush to study or further explore the potential for oil and gas production in the refuge, especially with oil prices, currently about $50 a barrel, far lower than they were earlier this decade.The 1980 act allowed for studies to determine the potential for oil and gas development in the 1002 area. But environmental groups say that the 2,000-acre footprint is misleading. Even if the wellheads cover relatively little area, roads, pipelines, facilities for workers and other structures could have a much bigger environmental impact.
Among other things, they say, the infrastructure and activity could disturb caribou and lead them to abandon their usual calving sites for less suitable locations outside the 1002 area. The battle over the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which pits Republicans in Washington and much of the political and business establishment in Alaska against congressional Democrats and environmental and conservation groups, has been going on for decades. With the prospects for opening the refuge, at least to studies of its oil and gas potential, are better than they have been in years. How a Seed Bank Could Help Feed a Warming PlanetMr. Shehadeh is a plant conservationist from Syria. He hunts for the genes contained in the seeds we plant today and what he calls their “wild relatives” from long ago. But searching for seeds that can endure the perils of a hotter planet has not been easy. It has thrown Mr. Shehadeh and his organization, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, or Icarda, squarely at a messy intersection of food, weather and war. He hunts for the genetic traits that he says will be most useful in the future: resistance to pests or blistering winds, or the ability to endure in intensely hot summers. He tries to select for those traits and breeds them into the next generation of seeds — in the very soil and air where they have always been grown.The seeds will soon be taken indoors, dried, bagged, and labeled. Some are for the collection here, contained in a series of walk-in cold storage rooms.
In Sudan, Icarda has introduced a wheat variety it hopes will be more resistant to drought and heat. It is breeding a fava bean variety that can withstand a parasitic weed and lentils that can mature in a short growing season.Icarda’s entire collection houses seeds that have sustained the people of the Middle East for centuries, including some 14,700 varieties of bread wheat, 32,000 varieties of barley, and nearly 16,000 varieties of chickpea, the key component of falafel. The Lebanon seed bank houses about 39,000 accessions, and Morocco, another 32,000. Most of it is backed up in Svalbard. From Heat Waves to HurricanesOver the past decade, scientists have become more confident in linking heat waves to climate change. As with other extreme events, scientists can’t say that climate change caused a specific heat wave, but they can say it made the heat wave more likely to occur. Over the past decade, scientists have become more confident in linking heat waves to climate change. As with other extreme events, scientists can’t say that climate change caused a specific heat wave, but they can say it made the heat wave more likely to occur. While it may seem counter-intuitive, global warming is expected to lead to both more intense precipitation and more intense drought — just not in the same place at the same time. Changes in drought and precipitation patterns also influence forest fires, which have become more frequent in the Western United States and Alaska since the 1980s. Climate change is expected to lead to stronger, wetter hurricanes and is likely to increase the frequency of “very intense” storms, according to the federal report.So far, a strong climate change signal has not emerged from the natural variability in observational data. But that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t affecting storms today.
It’s been a hectic end to summer, meteorologically speaking. Back-to-back hurricanes raked Texas, Florida and the Caribbean. A Labor Day heat wave broke temperature records in San Francisco and strained California’s electricity grid. Wildfires continue to rage in the Pacific Northwest. This string of extreme events has brought new focus to a familiar question: Is climate change to blame? This negatively affects humans in their daily life with these natural disasters affecting our overall health,which can lead to deaths. Alaska's Permafrost is ThawingThe Arctic is warming about twice as fast as other parts of the planet, and even here in sub-Arctic Alaska the rate of warming is high. Sea ice and wildlife habitat are disappearing; higher sea levels threaten coastal native villages. The most urgent is the fate of permafrost, the always-frozen ground that underlies much of the state. Starting just a few feet below the surface and extending tens or even hundreds of feet down, it contains vast amounts of carbon in organic matter- plants that took carbon dioxide from the atmosphere centuries ago, died and froze before they could decompose. Worldwide, permafrost is thought to contain about twice as much carbon as is currently in the atmosphere. Scientists have estimated that the process of permafrost thawing could contribute as much as 1.7 degrees Fahrenheit to global warming over the next several centuries, independent of what society does to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels and other activities
Once this ancient organic material thaws, microbes convert some of it to carbon dioxide and methane, which can flow into the atmosphere and cause even more warming. This thawing of the permafrost in in Alaska could lead to a drastic increase in temperature and could change the world entirely. Air pollution can alter the effectiveness of antibiotics and increases the potential of disease, new study revealsThursday, November 2,2017
Research at the University of Leicester has explored the impact of black carbon on bacteria in the respiratory tract. The study has important implications for the treatment of infectious diseases, which are known to be increased in areas with high levels of air pollution. A major component of air pollution is black carbon, which is produced through the burning of fossil fuels such as diesel, biofuels, and biomass. The research shows that this pollutant changes the way in which bacteria grow and form communities, which could affect how they survive on the lining of our respiratory tracts and how well they are able to hide from, and fight our immune systems. The research team found that "black carbon alters the antibiotic tolerance of Staphylococcus aureus communities and importantly increases the resistance of communities of Streptococcus pneumoniae to penicillin, the front line treatment of bacterial pneumonia."
Protecting HyacinthThursday, November 9 ,2017
Heavy flows on the Tuolumne River in Modesto, California, have cleared out water hyacinth, a nonnative plat that degrades fish habitat and boating. The huge amounts of rain fall last week made it possible to not only get us mass amounts of new rain fall and snow, but it also helped with the hyacinth problem. Hyacinth is a plant native to the Mediterranean, and are very fragrant. This plant also blocks out sunlight in ponds and does not allow fish to prosper in their habitat. Overall the event of having massive amounts of rain fall in the Modesto area not only increased our chances of getting out of the drought but also helped with the massive hyacinth problem.
I chose this article because not only did it cover the hyacinth issue but it meant that with the abundance of rain fall we are closer to reaching our goal to no longer be in a drought. http://www.modbee.com/news/local/article126512889.html Are All Oceans Going Toxic?Thursday, November 16 ,2017
Toxic algae is known to be harmful to marine animals, so when sea lions suffered seizures and birds started dying last year on the California coast scientists weren't completely surprised. Scientists decided to sample fresh-caught fish when researchers found enormous amounts of toxins in a pelican that had been slurping anchovies. They found toxins so dangerous the state urged people to stop eating anchovy meat. The algae bloom that covered the West Coast in 2015 was one of the most toxic blooms in the region. Harmful blooms might just be the cause of the ocean water heating up and causing more shifts linked to climate change which has horrible effects on marine life . Scientist's believe this is true due to the fjords in South America to waters in the Arabian Sea. Many scientists predict it will only get worse as time goes on. As farm and dairy waste get washed out to the Mississippi river and later carried to the ocean dangerous toxic blooms have been occurring more often. In the Gulf of Mexico there is a low-oxygen dead zone due to these harmful blooms.
"There is no question that we are seeing more harmful blooms in more places, that they are lasting longer and we're seeing new species in different areas," says Pat Gilbert a phytoplankton expert at the University of Maryland. "These trends are real." I find this issue very important because of the fact of the damage it has on our ecosystem. Our oceans hold many mysteries and many changes to come. But only we can start those changes. We stared the blooms in a way so we must be the ones to fix them. These blooms will have a great deal of damage set ahead for us and if we don't do anything soon, our oceans will soon be damaged to point of no return. The fact that we have just started to explore these majestic bodies of water in a larger depth means we have to clean them up and stop these blooms to create a better future for the marine life and worlds population. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/08/toxic-algae/ TIME IS ALMOST UP FOR THE AFRICAN PENGUINThursday, November 23,2017
The African penguin is suffering from the severe effects of climate change. In order to ensure their survival, this species is migrating across seas to seek out a more favoring environment. As sea temperatures rise, these penguins are struggling to find a sufficient, consistent source of fish to prey on. The salinity and temperatures of their previous environment is reaching levels that cannot sustain their preys' lives, hence their lives. Studies have proven that this specie's breeding rate has decreased by 50%. When these birds migrate to other areas, there is no guarantee that they will discover a region that will meet their ecological needs.
These African penguins are just another example of what humans have caused with the creation of industrialization. As technology continues and living standards continue to grow, statistics are showing society that the environment cannot sustain its life much longer if greenhouse gases continue to be emitted at this rate. www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4208534/Climate-change-kill-endangered-penguin-species.htm SEE HOW PACIFIC ISLANDERS ARE LIVING WITH CLIMATE CHANGEThursday, November 30,2017
Residents among the Pacific Islands are facing the effects of climate change, but are learning to adapt to these changes. As sea levels rise, threatening islanders' homes, water sources that are being contaminated with salt water, and destroying crops, these residents are enduring these consequences because they are not willing to leave their native land. Climate change is also causing coral reef bleaching and cyclones to form, one of which hit Fiji. In order to adapt to these changes, one community that contains 350 residents built a wall 5 meters in height to prevent the rising sea from destroying their land.
It astonishes me how resilient these islanders are, the commitment they are sustaining to their native land has driven them to adapt to the climate change caused by developing communities. The conditions these residents face are an endangerment to their entire community, which is why global action must be enacted to prevent the furthering damage of communities by greenhouse gases. www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/02/climate-change-pacific-islands/ HOW CALIFORNIA CAN AVOID THROWING AWAY SOLAR ENERGYThursday, December 7, 2017
California's growing community of solar energy is increasing at a rate that is satisfying the demands of energy consumers, but is also becoming excessive. A surplus of solar energy is not being utilized by Californians, which is why some groups are advocating for the integration of this excess renewable energy to generate the entire West of the USA. In order to do so, legislation must be passed to integrate this transfer of energy. So far, Governor Gerry Brown is advocating the idea. If this procedure is put into effect, the West will reap the economic benefits of cost efficient renewable energy and the use of clean energy that does not pollute the atmosphere with excess carbon and methane emissions.
The West must recognize the long term benefits that will result if they begin to integrate renewable energy within their region. Not only is is beneficial for the environment as a whole, but for the consumer's finances as well. www.nrdc.org/experts/ralph-cavanagh/how-california-can-avoid-throwing-away-solar-energy SIBERIA'S GROWING 'DOORWAY TO HELL' OFFERS CLUES ON CLIMATE CHANGEThursday, December 14, 2017
Climate change's effects are becoming a more prominent concern in Siberia. As the permafrost(frozen soil) continues to melt at a rapid, scientists are beginning to use this region's soil as a source to answer some questions that could improve climate change research. But this melting permafrost is going to deter the climate even more. As climate change is increasing temperatures, the permafrost layer is melting. The permafrost is being exposed to too much sun due to the loss of healthy trees from deforestation that occurred in the 1960s. As the trees were cut down, the newly planted trees grew at a tilt, exposing the ground to more sunlight. This permafrost melt is now creating a crater in Siberia that is expanding with climate change. Scientists also believe that inside this permafrost are vast amounts of methane, which will release into the atmosphere and increase the rate of climate change as the permafrost melts.
Scientific research must be funded to decrease the amount of methane being released into the atmosphere to deter this vicious cycle of climate change. As deforestation is now being seen to cause dramatic melting of permafrost, increasing the atmosphere's exposure to more greenhouse gases, laws must be enacted to prevent human activity from impacting the environment in a harmful way. news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/siberia-batagiaka-crater-climate-change/ Polar Bears’ Path to Decline Runs Through Alaskan VillageThursday, December 21, 2017
In Kaktovik, Alaska during the fall, polar bears are everywhere roaming the village to find food. At night, the bears steal into town, making it dangerous to walk outside without a firearm or bear spray. They leave only reluctantly, chased off by the polar bear patrol with firecracker shells and spotlights. The bears coming here are refugees because the sea ice they rely on for hunting seals is receding. The arctic is warming twice as fast as the whole planet, causing the ice cover to retreat. As the Arctic ice continues to melt, bears are arriving in poor condition and are staying longer in Kaktovik, even as the number of tourists increases. This means more human and bear interactions which can cause them stress and us danger.
The biggest threat to the polar bears is the unregulated release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Some other risks are oil spills, pollution, and over-hunting also have some risks but don't compare to the loss of sea ice. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/18/science/polar-bears-global-warming.htmlrref=collection%2Fspotlightcollection%2F climate-casualties&_r=0 Study explores risk of deforestation as agriculture expands in AfricaThursday, December 28, 2017
Africa produces around 70% of the World's cocoa, growing output that requires carving more than 325,000 acres of new farmland from forests every year. The cocoa is affecting sub-Saharan Africa's tropical forests, second in size only to the Amazon. The are many possible solutions like avoiding land tenure conflicts and encouraging shade cultivation of crops like cocoa to conserve the forests.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/04/170405144428.htm |