Final: Natural Selection & Earth's Systems.

Earth's Systems

Most people have heard of the water cycle and can name a few factors of it. In that way it is simple.  It does have more complexity to it as well. It includes evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, surface runoff, groundwater, and absorption.  The water that is one earth today, has been on the earth since its beginning.  It goes through a continuous system, traveling around the world, but staying within the atmosphere in all of its forms.

"The first step of the water cycle is evaporation. About 85% of the water vapor in the air comes from water that evaporated from the oceans.  The other 15% comes from evapotranspiration, which is a catch-all term for water that evaporates from over land. This includes water vapor produced by plants during transpiration, water from lakes, streams, puddles and soil moisture, direct evaporation of snow and even water vapor from the breath of animals."  After that comes condensation. The water vapor in the air condenses into water droplets that form clouds, which either dissipate back into vapor, or go onto precipitation.  Precipitation is where the water falls to the earth in frozen or liquid form. This water is then used by plants, animals, and humans.  It can also be absorbed into the ground for plants and trees (absorption/infiltration), become surface runoff, become a part of a watershed.

"Rain is necessary for the survival of plants and humans.  Condensation is necessary for cloud formation.  Evaporation is necessary to cooling and keeping a good balance of water vapor in the air." 

 A watershed is all the elements that flow into a common water body.  The term watershed can usually be divided into two groups, groundwatershed and surface watershed. Surface watersheds include lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands. And surprise, surprise, groundwater goes with groundwatershed.  "In every watershed, small streams flow into larger streams, which flow into rivers, lakes, and bays. The smallest streams at the outer limits of a watershed are called headwaters. In New England, headwaters are often located in the mountains. These headwater streams have no tributaries and are called first order streams. All other streams have tributaries. Second order streams form when first order streams meet. Third order streams form when second order streams meet, and so on."  The watersheds are often separated by land forms such as mountains.

Streams are also grouped into complex categories. Perennial (year-round) streams are flowing year round with a good supply of precipitation. seasonal and rain-dependent streams flow when it rains or during times of the year that surface water melts or is more prolific. 

As rivers flow, the cut in across the earth, eroding the earth around them, picking up dirt along the way, and bringing it downstream: "all of the rocks, pebbles and soil that rivers churn up get carried downstream. As the river flows, it deposits all of the stuff it carries. Large items like rocks get deposited first. Soil is deposited last. Over time the soil that a river deposits can build up and create new land areas!"  Flooding and forming in new areas sometimes due to an increase in precipitation or outside influence from humans, such as dams. Flooding can harm an ecosystem by changing a forest into a wetland or demolishing the homes of citizens that live near flooding rivers and natural flood zones.

 



Natural Selection

When I was 14, my family and I went on a camping trip to the Everglades National Park.  While we were there, we went to a seminar about adaptation that was put on by a ranger at an outside amphitheater.  One of the first things we talked about was how we define adaptation.  The audience was challenged to define the word without using it in the definition.  Many people used it anyways, not able to define adaptation without using "adapt." A good definition I found online is: "any alteration in the structure or function of an organism or any of its parts that results from natural selection and by which the organism becomes better fitted to survive and multiply in its environment." Environmental factors, along with isolation and adaptation can lead to many outcomes of a population or species.

As Charles Darwin has said, "environmental conditions determine the reproductive success of certain individuals because they possess a trait that allows them an advantage in that environment."  Birds beaks can be tracked from one form of a species to another, with certain forms excelling in survival because of their different beak, increasing the  number of that species over the opposing species. If a chameleon has a mutated gene that allow it to blend with the green leaves of the tree that grows the most in its environment, it is most likely to thrive in that particular area as opposed to the chameleons that stand out from the tree.  In this way, over time, adaptation and natural selection will cause a new species of chameleon to emerge. 
H. B. D. Kettlewell conducted a similar experiment to my chameleon theory. Kettlewell put moths into a light forest and some into a soot-covered forest. After a certain amount of time he found how many light or dark moths were alive in the contrasting forest environments. "In the soot-covered dark forest, he recaptured mostly dark moths; in the lighter forest, mostly light moths." This was due to the birds finding and eating the moths that stuck out in the environment, leaving the ones that were best suited to it.  In this way some species become extinct because of natural selection.  

 

 

 

"Streams." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014.
<http://water.epa.gov/type/rsl/streams.cfm>

 

"The Water Cycle | Climate Education Modules for K-12." The Water Cycle | Climate Education Modules for K-12. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <https://www.nc-climate.ncsu.edu/edu/k12/.watercycle>.



 "Natural Selection." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. <http://www.infoplease.com/cig/biology/natural-selection.html>.

 

Read more: Genetic Variation and Natural Selection: Natural Selection | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/cig/biology/natural-selection.html#ixzz34oiALNSb

 

"Adaptation." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/adaptation>.

PhET:  Plate Tectonics                                                        

Go to the PhET website

Select the Plate Tectonics Simulation

Spend a few minutes exploring the simulation.  Don’t worry, you can’t break it.

Select the “Crust” tab at the top of the simulation.  Under view select “Both”.

1)   What are the 3 variables that can be changed in this simulation?  (Scale or zoom is a nice feature, but not a variable.)

          1.composition

2.  thickness

3.     temperature

2)   Try to duplicate the continental crust as accurately as possible. How did you set 

temperature: 2.7 markings

composition: 7.7 markings

thickness: 45 km

3)  Try to duplicate the oceanic crust as accurately as possible.  How did you set 

temperature: 4 markings

composition: 9.6 markings

thickness: 6 km

4)  In terms of the three variables you have investigated, describe how continental crust differs from oceanic crust.  Continental crust is much thicker than oceanic crust, this means it is much warmer and has a thicker composition (more iron).

Select the “Plate Motion” tab at the top of the screen.  Under view select “Both”.

8)   Investigate convergent boundaries (green arrows).  Report your findings in the following table:

Left Side Crust	Right Side Crust	Which Crust is Denser?	Which Crust Subducts?	Do non-volcanic Mountains Form?	Does a Trench Form?	On Which Crust Do Volcanoes Form?
Continental	Continental	same	neither	yes	no	no
Continental	Old Ocean	continental	old	no	yes	yes
Old Ocean	Continental	continental	old	no	yes	yes
Continental	Young Ocean	continental	young	no	yes	yes
Young Ocean	Continental	continental	young	no	yes	yes
Old Ocean	Young Ocean	old	old	no	yes	young
Young Ocean	Old Ocean	old	old	no	yes	young

9)  Describe the relative motion of the plates at ALL convergent plate boundaries.  

Mountains are formed between two continental crusts, subducts and volcanoes are formed between oceanic crusts and continental crusts.

10)  Three times you used the same two types of crust, but switched left and right sides.  What do you observe about the results?  Is the side the crust is placed on important?
 No, it most certainly is not, whatever "side" of the circular earth the different types of crust are on, the outcomes will be the same when they come together.

11)          Look for patterns in density, subduction, and volcanoes in the table.  When volcanoes form, on which plate do they always form?  
 The volcanoes always form on the side that is less dense, even if it is thicker.

12)          Explore how a continental-young oceanic crust collision differs from a continental-old oceanic crust collision.

  Describe the difference in the angle of subduction between old and new plates.

The old oceanic crust subducted at a much steeper angle than the younger oceanic crust.

  How does the distance between the volcanoes and the plate boundary differ between old and new plates?  
The distance between the plate boundaries and the volcanoes is greater in the young oceanic crust than the older oceanic crust.

13)          Investigate divergent boundaries (red arrows).  Click show labels.  Describe the relative motion of ALL plates at divergent boundaries.  

When two crusts diverge they form a young oceanic plate between them.  Oceanic crusts do as well.

14)          What is generated at ALL divergent plate boundaries?  

Young oceanic crusts are always formed at divergent plate boundaries.

15)          Investigate transform fault boundaries (blue arrows).  Describe the relative motion of ALL plates at transform fault boundaries.  They move side to side from each other, but do not create any new things.

Poison in Our Water, Killing us Slowly

Do YOU know how much garbage is being dumped in the Ocean each year??

 If you want to learn about your impact on the earth's water, and what you can do about it, read on.  If not, for goodness sakes read on so you may be more enlightened.

1. There are many many types of water pollution.

Groundwater Pollution:  Groundwater pollution is often caused by pesticide contamination from the soil, the water in aquifers that we humans get our water to drink from becomes contaminated, poisoning the people that drink it.

Microbiological Pollution: This is a natural form of water pollution caused by microorganisms, viruses and bacteria can be spread if the water is not treated.  Cholera often comes from this in poorer countries.

Surface Water Pollution:  When water found on the exterior of the earth's crust, rivers, lakes, oceans is contaminated is is called Surface Water Pollution.

Oxygen Depleting Pollution:  Microorganisms living in water feed on biodegradable substances.  But when too much biodegradable material is in the water, the overall number of microorganisms increases and uses up the oxygen, causing a depletion. Anaerobic microorganisms begin to take over, some being harmful to people and the environment, producing  toxins such as sulfides and ammonia.

Nutrients Pollution:  Nutrient rich fertilizers and waste water can cause an unwanted surplus of weed and algae growth.
This can be damaging as the algae uses up the oxygen in the water, leaving none for the surrounding marine life.

Suspended Matter Pollution:  These are pollutants that have molecules that are to big to mix with the water molecules.  They can settle to the bottom of a lake bed forming a thick harmful layer of silt. 

Chemical Pollution:  Many agricultural practices involve the use of herbicides and pesticides.  These dangerous chemicals run off into water sources and poison the aquatic life.  Infected fish can POISON those that have eaten them, such as birds, animals, and HUMANS.  Oil spills also fall into this category, that are terrible detrimental to the local environment.  Fish's gills get clogged and they suffocate, birds are unable to fly, humans loose sources of revenue and are unable to support their families, the ecosystem is devastated.
2.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines point source pollution as “any single identifiable source of pollution from which pollutants are discharged, such as a pipe, ditch, ship or factory smokestack”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines nonpoint source pollution as "Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, unlike pollution from industrial and sewage treatment plants, comes from many diffuse sources. NPS pollution is caused by rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground."

3. Water pollution can come from the runoff of waste water, such as water containing miracle grow, a substance we are using in our action project, making it unclean for the life living in it.  Pollution can be come from plastic, such as the two liters we are using for our bio-bottle, getting thrown into surface water, becoming suspended matter pollution.  Also, the fertilizers that could be strewn into the water, could fall under the chemical, nutrient, and oxygen depleting pollution categories, further harming the environment. 

4.  As cited from the Water Pollution Guide at http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/health.html, three major effects and consequences of water pollution are.

• "Heavy metals from industrial processes can accumulate in nearby lakes and rivers. These are toxic to marine life such as fish and shellfish, and subsequently to the humans who eat them. Heavy metals can slow development; result in birth defects and some are carcinogenic.
• Industrial waste often contains many toxic compounds that damage the health of aquatic animals and those who eat them. Some of the toxins in industrial waste may only have a mild effect whereas other can be fatal. They can cause immune suppression, reproductive failure or acute poisoning.
• Microbial pollutants from sewage often result in infectious diseases that infect aquatic life and terrestrial life through drinking water. Microbial water pollution is a major problem in the developing world, with diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever being the primary cause of infant mortality."

 5.  One can help prevent water pollution by minimizing their use of tap water, turn it off when it doesn't need to be on! They can watch what they flush down the toilet, don't flush pills!  One can use environment detergents and bathroom items.  Don't use fertilizers and pesticides in your garden, they aren't necessary. 
But pollution STILL HAPPENS, so we need to know how to counter it after the fact.  Septic tanks are used and ozone can be used as well.

 

Solar Panels at ERHS

Solar Panels at ERHS

In the month of may, 332 kilowatt hours of energy was produced, 6 trees saved, and 110,666.67 batteries saved by the solar panels on the roof of the school.

In April, 402 kilowatt hours of energy were produced, 7 trees saved, and 134,000 batteries saved.

Today 5.62 kilowatt hours were produced.

I think that it is great for ERHS to have solar panels and awesome that people thought of us and donated time and money to make them a realty.  I think it is good for students to learn about solar panels and how they are able to generate energy from the sun.  I believe it is good for them to learn of all the different reusable energy sources and to be able to see one of the means of using the energy first hand is even better!  I think it would be good for students to take data on the amount of energy produced by day or week, learning why the amount fluctuates and how many appliances it can power.  It is really something to be able to say that the use of the schools solar panels has been put to good use and saved trees, power, and other things that would have been harmful to the environment.

My Footprint 04-22-14

1. This link will allow you to find your global & carbon footprint: http://footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
2.This site is targeted more towards a home owner, a child may fill it out with a parent's help.
3. My footprint:
                 a) # Earth's I would need: 4.3
                 b) Pounds of Carbon Dioxide: 21
                 c) Acres of land you need: 19.1
4.Ways to reduce my footprint:
    a)Myself-Eating less packaged foods, more local
                 - Take shorter showers
                 - Use less electrical appliances
    b)The school- Build more interest in recycling
                        - Educate/remind people to turn of lights when rooms are not in use
                        - Have less people running water when they are in a bathroom
    c)The community- Have the community plant gardens for food and/or shop more locally
                              - Promote people walking or riding bicycles when running ( ;) ) small errands.
                              - Get people to spend time in other ways than watching TV or using the computer.
5.  Within the National Geographic video we watched, were many facts and statistics on the average American's footprint on the planet.  The video was very informative, with pictures that represented the quantities of different materials people use.  Showing a gigantic mound of disposable diapers, the amount one baby would use in their lifetime, or a car, showing the weight of hamburgers that an average American would eat in their lifetime.  The visual representations were good for hitting home of how much we really waste while living on the planet.  The amount of garbage in landfills and the ocean, enough to circle the earth numerous times, is inconceivable to my mind.  I feel that my family really tries to be conscious of our impact, but we still have a ways to go if we want our home planet to be healthy. 

Misconceptions

A) The moon does spin
1. I believed the moon orbited the earth, keeping only one side facing earth. I did not consider that is must rotate itself in order to do this.
2 The moon orbits the earth and must rotate, otherwise we would see all sides of it.

B) Withholding Hubble Space Telescope Data
1. At first I did not think data should be with held, I believe that is could be withheld for a little while, for the scientists who initiated the collecting of the data to examine it, but not for too long.
2. It can take a long time to actually process the data.  The scientists who started the experiment should be able to process it for a bit (only up to a year) before revealing it to the public.

C) What causes seasons?
1. I thought the changing of seasons was due to the earth rotating around the sun and different sides being closer to it during different seasons.
2. I was not factoring the change in the axis of the earth,  which is the true cause of the seasons, not distance.

Bad Astronomy

A)  1.
I saw the ship fall apart and shut down as it entered Mars' atmosphere.  I did not catch the line that atributed this disterbance to a gamma  ray.
2.  I thought it was odd that radiation entered/ of was formed within the space shuttle so easily.
3. The astronomer on Bad Astronomy says that the ship would have bee guarded from radiation.

B)  1.  I saw the escape pod hitting Mars's surface and bouncing down a cliff.
2.  I do not believe the astronauts would have been able to survive the impact and continued bouncing.
3. The astronomer compares this to a car crash and says their survival would be unlikely, at least they shouldn't have been able to walk away.

C) 1.  Bowman flipped a switch and the gravity turned back on in the space ship, causing her to fall to its floor.
2.  I thought it was plausible that the gravity would turn on in such a manner.
3. The astronomer says it would have taken longer for the system to slowly boot up and turn the gravity on.

D)  1. Chantilas has a ruptured spleen and internal bleeding so he has the others leave him behind.
2. They should have taken his oxygen if he was going  to die anyway.  Why make him wait, and risk their own lives more without it.
3. The astronomer says the same, and thinks Chantilas would have offered it up.

E) 1. Gallagher is dying from not having enough oxygen.
2. First, I thought he should have opened his helmet.  I called that there would vbe oxygen, and I thought it would have been better than suffocating in the helmet.
3. The astronomer says the astronauts should have known about the return of oxygen.

2. Global Science, much to learn

During this trimester of Global science I would love to learn many things.  (As one hopes in most classes..)  I think it would be interesting to learn of climates around the world and how they affect the area and geography in the certain climate.  I would like to learn of peoples' impact on the planet and ways to make sure it is a good one.  I think this class will teach me about some cool things in space.  I would like to be able to relate some of the subject matter to my personal life. I am very into the natural world and would love to learn of various things to do with different aspects of it.

1. Technology, a field I could be more proficient it.

As a young adult in this day and age, I feel I could be quite a bit more proficient in my use of technology.  I would like to be better at the general functions of using a computer.  There are buttons on the key board that I don't even know the reason for.  I would like to learn shortcuts for ways to maneuver about the computer and web. I would also like to learn about ways to use a search engine for better results. I would definitely like to be able to avoid crashes and cookies and things that would weigh the computer down.  I would like to be able to tell if site I come up with are going to have valid information or not as well.