Posts

Showing posts from August, 2018

Blog Entry #4

Image
Title: Arctic Sea Ice At a Record Low Author: Catherine Jex Date: May 31, 2016 Source: ScienceNordic URL: http://sciencenordic.com/arctic-sea-ice-record-low The Arctic sea ice in 2016 was a record low and scientists were concerned about whether it would survive the melt season. The region had been warming up in the past decades and the recent spring, causing there was an unusual breakage of sea ice that may have only needed one wind event to set it off. The Arctic ice was breaking off and this event is not the first or last time the ice is going to break. As time progressed, more and more thick ice was melting, leave thin, or first year, ice that is less than two meters thick, which melts fairly quickly and absorbs more radiation into the water column, creating ice-albedo feedback. Scientists predict the Arctic could be ice free for a several months, causing disruption to several coastlines.

Blog Entry #3

Image
Title: Grizzly-Polar Bear Hybrids Spotted in Canadian Arctic Author: Catherine Jex Date: June 6, 2016 Source: ScienceNordic URL: http://sciencenordic.com/grizzly-polar-bear-hybrids-spotted-canadian-arctic Because of climate change, polar bears are forced onto land during spring and summer because of the shrinking Arctic. Grizzly bears are coming out of hibernation earlier and going into polar bear territories, causing them to mate. While this mating occurrence is not unique, since there is a large chance of the Arctic ice disappearing further at its rapid pace, this mating is going to become more common. The outcome of their mating is a hybrid of both species, polar and grizzly bear. As seen when studying the next generation of these hybrids, it is clear that they are more three fourths grizzly and only one fourth polar, meaning that the unique characteristics of the polar bear is in the process of being lost. 

Blog Entry #2

Image
Title: What Happens to the Plastic We Throw Out Author: Laura Parker,  Brian T. Jacobs, Kennedy Elliott, Jason Treat Date: May 24, 2018 Source: National Geographic URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/the-journey-of-plastic-around-the-globe/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20180517ngm-plasticjourney&utm_campaign=Content&sf189789826=1 It is not rare to find plastic from all around the world just in the Pacific Ocean alone. This is due to mismanaged waste being washed by rainwater from the land it was originally on to a place possibly hundreds of miles away. The Pasig River in the Philippines and the Yangtze River in China are two of the most polluted rivers on Earth, which largely contribute to the waste in the Manila Bay and the Pacific Ocean, killing countless marine animals filling up Henderson Island. Asia, specifically its rivers, contribute to the most waste accumulated. North America and Europe h...

Blog Entry #1

Image
Title: WE MADE PLASTIC. WE DEPEND ON IT. NOW WE’RE DROWNING IN IT. Author: Laura parker Date published: june 2018 source: national geographic url:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-waste-pollution-trash-crisis/ We as humans have created and use so much plastic on a daily basis that our oceans and really any body of water is so polluted with plastic that the marine animals are dying and consuming plastic unknowingly. animals are being harmed by plastic either consuming harmful plastics without realizing it or being strangled by six pack rings or plastic bags. The five countries that are producing and wasting the most amount of plastic are sri lanka, china, philippines, vietnam, and indonesia. because the most recycled item is plastic bottles, major companies like nestle and cocola have taken steps to make their products more environmentally friendly because, while it is the consumers job to recycle and reduce waste, it is also the produ...