Climate Change-Final Exam

Many people do not believe in global warming, or if they do, they don’t believe that it is our fault or that it will effect us. “The Earth differs from other planets because our atmosphere acts as a solar blanket of sorts that traps sufficient solar energy. This solar energy is needed in order to keep the global average temperature in a fairly decent range.” (1) The “blanket” that surrounds the Earth is a collection of gases known as the greenhouse gases because they trap and store heat like a greenhouse does. These gases include water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and the ozone. “The greenhouse effect was at first used to describe naturally occurring functions of trace gases, but recently it has had a different meaning.” (1) It has been related to concerns over climate changes. Some scientists believe that the greenhouse effect could play a role in global warming. However, most do not, claiming that the greenhouse effect is responsible for maintaining Earth’s consistent temperature. The greenhouse gases themselves are very different from each other. “All of the gases are effective when absorbing heat and energy, but Methane is much more effective at absorbing infrared radiation (heat) and is thus a more powerful greenhouse gas.” (2) “Carbon dioxide molecules can absorb infrared radiation when its atoms are bonded tightly together. Eventually, the molecule will emit the radiation again and it will likely be absorbed by yet another greenhouse gas.” (1) There are a few natural mechanisms that could result in significant changes in climate, however. Everybody knows that CO2 is emitted from almost everything. We exhale it, our cars give it off, and even some of our more natural things give off CO2, such as the volcano. So what does that mean? Nobody really knows for sure, but some scientists believe that the increase in carbon dioxide emissions is the cause for the increase in temperature. “Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas that absorbs heat. Oxygen and nitrogen, though they too are major greenhouse gases, do not absorb heat. This could cause an increase in the Earth’s overall temperature in the future.” (1)

Bibliography
1.http://www.eoearth.org/article/greenhouse_gas , Greenhouse gas, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, July 1, 2008.
2.http://www.ucar.edu/learn/1_3_1.htm, The Greenhouse Effect, Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere, November 22, 2009.

picture urls
1.www.koshland-science-museum.org/exhibitgcc/ca...
2.www.odec.ca/projects/2005/stro5c0/public_html/
3.vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/.../OFR95-85/OFR95-85.html

Biogeochemical Cycles-Final Exam

The Earth is the only known planet in the universe containing a fixed amount of each stable element .Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Carbon can exist in several forms. “It can be found in diamonds and limestone (rock), carbon dioxide (gas), carbonic acid (water), and is present in all life forms.” (1) Nitrogen is another abundant element on Earth. “The nitrogen cycle is a part of the Earth’s system because the majority of the Earth’s atmosphere (78-80%) is nitrogen.” "Nitrogen is essential for many biological processes; it is crucial for any life on Earth.” (2) Nitrogen might be essential for all life on Earth, but not all of it can be used at once. It has to go through a process called nitrogen fixation just so it can be used by plants. Just like nitrogen, carbon is also needed to support life on Earth. “Carbon is used as a fossil fuel methane gas and crude oil (petroleum). Carbon can also be found in pencils, clothing, and even food.” (1) Both carbon and nitrogen can do many great thing for the people of Earth, but too much of a good thing can be dangerous. Small amounts of carbon won’t harm or even kill anything, but in larger quantities carbon can become harmful, even lethal. Carbon is mostly harmless, unless it is in carbon monoxide form, in which case it is extremely toxic and lethal to all humans and animals that breathe it in. “Carbon black (coal dust or soot) can also be harmful if inhaled. It can cause the congestive lung disease known as “coal worker’s pneumoconiosis”. (1) Nitrogen, like carbon is also mostly harmless, but only in smaller quantities. In large quantities, nitrogen begins to become toxic. “Nitrogen is used in most, if not all fertilizers, which means a lot of nitrogen is being spread across the fields and lawns of millions of peoples houses throughout the world. Because of this, there have been dramatic environmental changes, including surface and groundwater pollution, ocean dead zones, and a boost in global warming.” (2)


Bibliography

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon, Carbon, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, November 14, 2009.
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, November 22, 2009.

picture urls
1.www.scienceclarified.com/Ca-Ch/Carbon-Family.html
2.earth.rice.edu/.../energy/50_nitrogencycle.html
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Worker_at_carbon_black_plant2.jpg

Night sky observations

While watching and observing the night sky, I have learned a number of things.
The first thing I saw was the moon changing phases. Next I noticed all of the different stars. I saw the constellation Orion. I also noticed the little and the big dipper. I saw the meteor shower last night too. It looked like a bunch of white lines lighting up the night sky. I also noticed that the moon is getting bigger, which means it is getting closer to the Earth.

Changes at the nature trail blog

Changes:
1.Weeds have been pulled
2.Trash has been cleaned up
3.You can actually see the trail
4.A new trail to the pond has been added
5.The signs have been cleaned and painted

School uses:
1.Schools could use them for excercise
2.Teachers can use them for educational purposes
3.Feildtrips
4.Science experiments
5.Teachers could teach botany or science classes out in the nature trail

Community uses:
1.Take walks
2.Walk your dog
3.Learn about nature by observing the nature trail
4.Bird watching
5.quiet time for reading in the ampetheatre or just relaxation

MyNasa

I just visited the NASA website and created my own webpage, called MyNASA. the link to this webpage is http://mynasa.nasa.gov/portal/site/mynasa/index.jsp#. I searched the website for different images of the solar system and NASA images that I could put on my profile. I also looked for videos that were popular on the NASA website. Einsteins theory on the speed of light is a very popular video, so I put that on my profile. I included a picture of my favorite planet saturn, the galaxy andromeda, and some other photos in my gallery. feel free to take a look at my webpage. This helped me learn about Einstein's theory of the speed of light and how he created it. It also gave me an idea of what space looks like and what the astronauts and NASA are actually doing for the people on Earth.

NASA

I read four different pages of information on different topics. The topics were the stars, Light, Spectums, and dark matter.
For the Light I learned that the light is all around us and manipulates everything we do. I got a 100% on the quiz. For the project you can make a rainbow out of a CD. For the Stars I learned that the corona is the hottest part of the star and that every star is a different temperature. I got a 75% on the quiz. For the Spectrum I learned that Isaac Newton created a new meaning for the word and that it involves the reflection of light. i got a 75% on the quiz. For dark matter I learned that over half of our universe is made up of dark matter.

Project progress update

Our project is going pretty good. We went to Northwestern a couple of weeks ago to talk to a few people about what needs to be done to the nature trail and why. We are also trying to set up a few plans to try and raise a bit of money for the project and we also want to try and get some places to donate some supplies to our cause. All in all I would say that our project is doing very well and is headed in the right direction.