https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct Made with joy en-us 2018-03-11 23:14:29 UTC 2025-10-03 13:32:25 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Clouds.png 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240649733 This article explains how forests are protecting the climate, but more and more are being wiped out by storms. For example, Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico destroyed almost the entire island, including El Yunque National Forest. This forest is 28,000 acres of lush tropical rain forest. Before the hurricane, the mountainside would've been covered in shade, but since the storm many of the trees were knocked down or stripped , so now the area is open to sunlight. A group of researchers is  there to study the damage and better understand how an expected increase in extreme weather may undermine the ability of forests to help climate change. They will analyze how severe storms affect the amount of carbon that forests pull out of the atmosphere. The researchers believe that forests may be changed forever as global warming continues. As the dead plant material eventually decomposes, all of that carbon will be released back into the atmosphere. 
This could add up to a lot considering almost an entire forest was affected by the hurricane. Using remote-sensing data, they have come up with an estimate of about 23-31 million trees killed or severely damaged.]]> 2018-03-11 23:16:43 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240649733 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240885948 This article explains that what you may not know is that your backyard has hidden superpowers, in terms of the environment. Your backyard's soil can absorb and store a significant amount of carbon from the air, which could help with climate change. According to a pH candidate from UW-Madison, backyard soils absorb more planet-warming carbon emissions than soils in grasslands and urban forests. This scientist studied the power of yards by knocking on doors to sample their backyard soil. Many current initiatives include urban gardens, parks, and green spaces, but what people don't realize is that backyards are important too. Her study showed that soil in forests was the best at absorbing carbon, but open and developed land like golf courses and backyard lawns were better at absorbing carbon. It was not clear to the scientist by residential lawns by be better, but she thinks it could do something with lawn care, and mowing. This study suggests that backyards are beneficial, and should be considered in urban planning. ]]> 2018-03-12 14:25:58 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240885948 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240951924 A report has shown the extent of endangered animal trade between Africa and Asia. Asia, especially, has an appetite for exotic animal items like ivory and rhino horn. According to the new report from the wildlife monitoring organization Traffic, in little over a decade more than a million live endangered species have been illegally exported from Africa to Asia. A Traffic spokesperson says that it's crucial to ensure that trade in wild animals is legal, but that it's absolutely critical to be sure that the trade is kept within sustainable limits. The report found that almost 41 countries were involved in the export of these species in Africa to 17 countries in Asia. Of the hundreds of species exported, the Ball Python and Leopard Tortoise were two. Even though these species aren't listed as threatened for extinction, if the illegal trade continues they may be at risk. These two species were mostly exported to Hong Kong. In conclusionmore than 1.3-million live animals and plants, 1.5-million skins and two thousand tons of meat were exported from a wide range of African countries. ]]> 2018-03-12 15:58:04 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/240951924 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242367923 A new coral reef experiment by the Carnegie Institution of Sciences shows that acidification from carbon dioxide slows the growth of coral reefs. If carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked, ocean acidification will severely impact the growth before the end of the century. This work represents the first experiment in which seawater was made artificially acidic by the addition of carbon dioxide, which then flowed across a natural coral reef community. This essentially gave the reef "heartburn." This is what the ocean could be like a 100 years from now. In another experiment, the researchers made the seawater more alkaline, it essentially gave the water an antacid, and showed that the coral's ability construct under these conditions was improved. This is what the ocean was like 100 years ago. When coal, gas, or oil is burned the atmospheric carbon is absorbed into the ocean.  Coral reefs are especially vulnerable to this ocean acidification, because their skeletons are constructed by accreting calcium carbonate, a process called calcification. As the surrounding water becomes more acidic, calcification becomes more difficult. If carbon emissions are not controlled, coral reefs could be in danger. ]]> 2018-03-15 14:08:24 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242367923 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242382634 A polar bear's future has looked very bleak to many scientists who have studied the warming Arctic. The most recent estimate suggests that the Arctic Sea is disappearing by 14% a decade, which limit polar bears ability to hunt seals on the ice. Research on the bears show that they reproducing at a rate one-fifth of that seen just twenty years ago. Scientists predict that the population of polar bears will fall drastically over time, and they predict that the population of polar bears in 2100 will be fewer than 5,000. This can lead to genetic problems, such as inbreeding because of the low numbers. With these potential threats, scientists are developing strategies to save the bears. Their plan is quite daring: to provide extra food for the bears to turning female grizzly bears into surrogate moms for polar bears. For bears to remain living in these regions, they will need the help of humans. The one scientist envisions helicopters flying over the regions dropping chow for the polar bears. Although these solutions will not be cheap. ]]> 2018-03-15 14:29:24 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242382634 19darmoj https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242951829 In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria that almost completely destroyed Puerto Rico, crews are working hard to restore the land for the people, but what people may not realize is that crews are also working to restore the ocean. Environmental groups and volunteers are gathering native seeds to replant forests, and are grafting coral back together on shattered reefs to help repair all the damage done. The hurricane damaged 1.2 billion trees and completely snapped off hundreds of thousands of coral off reefs. Even though there was widespread destruction, there was a lack of funding and human needs to help restore the trees and coral. Since then, Puerto Rico has gotten back on its feet, and the funding has been secured to restore the island's flora. Helping to restore the beautiful nature has environmental and economical advantages. Puerto Rico's natural beauty is why people come to the island, which contributes to its tourism. With buckets of cement, divers pick up the broken pieces of coral and bring them to the healthy reefs. Then they brush away algae and push the broken pieces down into the cement.  The budget for this project is nearly $1.5 million funded by the US government, and a nonprofit organization, Ocean Conservancy. To restore the trees, a greenhouse run by a nonprofit group are tending to thousands of budding plants. The results of this project will not be immediate, and may even take close to 100 years. ]]> 2018-03-16 17:57:15 UTC https://padlet.com/19darmoj/5czywkq3f2ct/wish/242951829