Posts

Case Studies

Image
Mongolia: In Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, combusting coal has produced so much coal that it is visible in the air and the smell is horrible. The pollution problem is caused by the coal, even though the coal is what gets them through the winter. The coal is used to produce energy and warmth and smoke floats out of every chimney, keeping them warm, but also affecting their health. People are getting pneumonia and the politicians are not serving the people or controlling the pollution by providing better services Ganges: In India's river of Ganges, there is another story of horrible pollution. The waters used to be very clean and a vital source of water for many, but now industrial waste and sewage pours into the river, discoloring and contaminating it. There is also a high level of fecal coliform, a clear indicator of how much sewage is in the water. This river has a religious significance that has also been impacted Mexico: - Mexico has sunk dozens of feet in the last 60 years beca

Blog #22

Image
Title: 8 Facts to Know About Food Waste and Hunger Source: World Food Program USA Many assume that the reason for our global hunger crisis is that we don't have enough food. This is incorrect because we do indeed produce enough food to feed every man, women, and child. However, nearly 33% of all food produced per year is spoiled before it can be consumed. Additionally, about $1 trillion of food is lost or wasted each year, which could feed about 2 billion people. Most of this waste comes from people in rich countries, who waste about as much as a developing country produces. Speaking of rich countries, the United States wastes about 30-40% of the food it produces. One solution that World Food Program is implementing is making local markets more accessible to reduce food waste

Blog #21

Image
Title: Eutrophication: Causes, Consequences, and Controls in Aquatic Ecosystems Author: Michael F. Chislock Source: The Nature Education Date: 2013 Eutrophication is caused by the addition of factors needed for photosynthesis, which creates more plant and algal growth. Human activities have accelerated eutrophication by loading nutrients or fertilizers into water bodies. Algal blooms are a severe consequence of eutrophication because they raise the pH levels, hurting other organisms. Additionally, when these algae die, the decomposition of them uses up a lot of oxygen, creating dead zones that organisms are not able to survive in. There is also a possibility of algal blooms producing toxins that can contaminate water, hurt fisheries, or even poison wildlife. Further climate change and human population growth is said to increase eutrophication. There is no stable way to stop eutrophication and it is definitely a costly problem. Some attempts at solving eutrophication include intern

Blog #20

Image
Title: The Arctic "doomsday" seed vault is supposed to ensure our future. Its architects are worried about climate change Author: Brian Resnick Source: Vox Date Published: May 22, 2017 URL: https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/5/19/15666206/arctic-seed-vault-flood In the arctic North, Norway created a "doomsday" vault that holds more than 500 million seeds representing thousands of different crops. This was done years ago because of threats of climate change. If the world was destroyed for some reason, there would be crops to grow and a possible food source. However, due to climate change, heavy rains and the melting of permafrost caused a flood to occur at the seed vault. While no damage was done and the seeds are safe, it is interesting to note that we might be nearing the point where we need to use these seeds to survive

Blog #19

Image
Title: Glaciers Are Retreating. Millions Rely on Their Water Author: Henry Fountain and Ben C. Solomon Date: January 16, 2019 Source: The New York Times URL: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/01/15/climate/melting-glaciers-globally.html?fbclid=IwAR3rDOeEHZwaQO14SCFY0KM01isLUH4J_YyeYnX7KGQXpLDcxO2aUbGSDgg&mtrref=undefined In Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, the Tuyusku glacier is rapidly melting, with water streaming down the glacier's edge. Researchers have planted stakes in holes in the ice that they're measuring to see the changes over time to the height of the ice. They found that it was already three feet thinner. This glacier is a reprsentation of the glaciers all around the world, which have lost the equivalent of a 70 foot layer of ice and are getting shorter, causing sea level to rise. Just like the Little Almaty, many streams or rivers are fed by melting glaciers. These will all be affected by glacial retreat, in their own ways and at different t

Blog #18

Image
Title: The Wild Experiment That Showed Evolution in Real Time Author: Ed Yong Date: January 31, 2019 Source: The Atlantic URL: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/01/unprecedentedly-thorough-evolution-experiment/581521/?utm_source=Nature+Briefing&utm_campaign=82cc3a3e8c-briefing-dy-20190201&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9dfd39373-82cc3a3e8c-42308611&fbclid=IwAR2PENczQSNDRD1jTuxLLDnH1qgMcwMHdqcxLGCJz3dW8CgtlfRiYXphk-I Rowan Barrett wanted to create an experiment in Nebraska to see natural selection for himself. He got a field from his friend and created sections with dark colored soil and light colored soil and put mice in each one. He took pictures of each mouse and took it's DNA and made sure the experiment was controlled and the mice couldn't leave their enclosures. After time, he found that indeed, the dark colored mice thrived in the dark colored soil and light colored mice thrived in the light colored sand. He then investigated further and

Blog #17

Image
Title: 'The river is dying': the vast ecological cost of Brazil's mining disasters Author: Jonathan Watts Date: January 29, 2019 Source: The Guardian URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/29/the-river-is-dying-the-vast-ecological-cost-of-brazils-mining-disasters?fbclid=IwAR1YphJ69URgJ1G3cSBrhonRXspB9dSXt-g3pcVrYC3rleepI_ilHJC9q5U In Brazil, there was a stream of mud and iron ore tailings that invaded the community of Brumadinho, affecting the humans and the animals. The tailings dam collapsed and innocent people were swept away. The damage is spreading from the community to other communities and Brazil's ecosystem. The mass amount of water stirred up heavy metals buried in the bottom of the Rio Paraopeba river, which is hurting the fish species. Also, the damage is expected to reach the hydropower plant nearby, which could inflict damage present for years. Many are campaigning for tighter regulations and punishing those involved for all the damage. Howev