Enviro Articles - MP 1 by Amber Coleman https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu en-us 2016-11-01 15:06:30 UTC 2017-04-27 13:56:57 UTC hello@padlet.com http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/science/flooding-of-coast-caused-by-global-warming-has-already-begun.html?_r=0 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/134506391 In this article, the author discusses the impact the rising sea levels has on our society and environment. For example, the only road to Tybee Island, Ga. is slowly disappearing under the sea every year. The determined cause is the melted land ice due to global warming created by human emissions that contributes to the ocean water expansion. These sea level rises have caused water to pour into streets and homes. This inundation of the ocean causes swamped basements, damaged cars, dead lawns and forests and salt-poisoned wells. State and local governments have seeked federal government aid, yet congress has “largely ignored these pleas.” 
It is difficult to provide aid to these states because, according to the article, protecting a single neighborhood from rising water can easily cost tens of millions of dollars. For example. Miami Beach plans to spend at least $400 million on its water-maintenance plan by 2018, raising the money through fees on homes and businesses. Actions that must be taken include the rising of sea walls and streets and the installation of movable gates along waterways.


]]> 2016-11-01 15:07:38 UTC https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/134506391 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/science/penobscot-river-maine-dam-removal-fish.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136607303 This article is about the disruption of fish migration due to the construction of dams that have taken place over the past years. Some of these fish include shad, alewives, blue-back herring and other migratory fish. After three major dams were installed in Penobscot, it prevented migratory fish from traveling to their breeding grounds, which severely affected their population growth. However, two of these dams have since been removed, and environmentalists are seeing a dramatic increase of population growth as this migratory fish return to their previous habitat, Penobscot, Maine’s largest river. Among these previous fish, Atlantic salmon, baby eels, mature sea lamprey, white perch, brook trout and striped bass enter these new waters that had been closed for nearly a century. This population growth has began to enrich the food web with oceanic nutrients, providing birds that forage in rivers with these nutrients as well.

]]> 2016-11-10 01:18:25 UTC https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136607303 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/18/science/hillary-cinton-donald-trump-global-warming.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136615177 In this article, the author discusses the presidential candidates’ views on the environment, including climate change and global warming. During the presidential debates, there was little said about the environment, which leads people to believe that these prospective presidents do not care about the environment. According to the article, many Americans are interested in climate change and the environment, but do not hear much about it in the candidates’ policies during the debates. Aside from the debates, however, Clinton has posted a detailed procedure and list of policies to follow in order to deal with issues such as climate and energy, should she become president. Her plan included her acceptance of natural gas, as a way to “bridge” between coal-burning power plants and renewable energy. Trump’s policy included his claim that “climate change is a hoax,” and wants to undo beneficial acts that would require power plants to clean up their emissions in order to “save money”.]]> 2016-11-10 02:46:05 UTC https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136615177 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/04/science/atmospheric-carbon-dioxide-400-ppm.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136616181 In this article, carbon dioxide is generally identified as a heat trapping gas that has been rising in amount and has been directly linked to climate change. Scientists believe that it has been millions of years since atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have been as high as they are today. They also believe that 400 ppm, or parts per million, is a good “yardstick” to determine a milestone for carbon dioxide levels, but it would not be as extreme to say that it is a “tipping point.” Using words such as “tipping point” causes alarm and gives the public a sense of hopelessness, in which case, nothing further will be accomplished.


]]> 2016-11-10 02:56:11 UTC https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136616181 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/science/private-forests-global-warming.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136616788 This article on the impact that small forests have on our planet covers some of the ways that these small forests can aid in the progression of a “greener” Earth. One commonly-known and important, major way that small forests and trees are beneficial to the environment is that, as the article states, trees are the number one way in which carbon can be removed from the atmosphere and stored in vegetation over a long term. In order to receive credits for preserving forests, companies such as logging companies reduce their logging to levels below legal limits in order to receive millions of dollars in credits. The article also claims, however, that some small properties do not store enough carbon to make the effort to enter the “carbon market” worthwhile at all.]]> 2016-11-10 03:02:01 UTC https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136616788 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/12/science/earth/ocean-warming-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth 17colemana https://padlet.com/17colemana/e7i82w49izwu/wish/136620456 In this article, the rising temperatures of the oceans and their impacts on the environment are discussed by the author, and he provides some causes of the pressing issue. Studies show that since primary the 1930s, the oceans have gradually been getting warmer and have recently reached a high, although, according to the article, “ocean temperatures have been consistently rising for at least three decades.” These temperatures are expected to rise as long as the amount of greenhouse gases build up in the atmosphere. Scientists understand that while natural patterns (such as the ones that we have learned in class!) El Nino and La Nina can have annual effects on temperatures, it is clear to them that overall temperature trends by a decade have been proven to be primarily caused by human’s impact on the environment and global warming.
This increase in ocean temperature causes them to expand, which causes sea levels to rise, which I previously discussed the dangers of in an article on the coasts and their flooding shorelines. Scientists have proven that one-third of these rises have been due to thermal expansion. To conclude, the article lists the numerous consequences of warmer oceans including, but not limited to, an increase in natural disasters such as cyclones and hurricanes, the jeopardization of marine species and lastly, the changing of natural habitats that can affect organisms in a detrimental way.
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