https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os Project en-us 2017-11-06 16:55:22 UTC 2018-04-12 16:55:37 UTC hello@padlet.com 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203991882 2017-11-06 16:59:54 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203991882 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999811 2017-11-06 17:14:38 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999811 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999856 2017-11-06 17:14:43 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999856 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999904 2017-11-06 17:14:48 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/203999904 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204653718 Policies across the world have been made to reduce the affect of deforestation on greenhouse gases. A majority of deforestation comes from tropical countries. REDD+ and the HCS plan to find and conserve forests that can retain lots of carbon. Researchers have said that by protecting forests that have a lot of carbon release they would be protecting the biodiversity, but that has been said to be inconclusive. It has been proven that there is no correlation between the two, but carbon is was proven to support a majority of the mammal species.]]> 2017-11-08 02:28:16 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204653718 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204654838 Ozone is Earth's sunscreen from the UV Rays. At low altitudes ozone contributes to asthma and bronchitis. Researchers have conducted tests to see whether ozone produces more in the presence of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds or a mix of both. To better understand the study they investigated whether the substances were ingredients that most limited ozone formation. They found that cities in N. America, Europe and East Asia are more often volatile organic compound limited. These compounds occur in high volume given off by plans and some trees naturally.]]> 2017-11-08 02:36:00 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204654838 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204654954 Greenhouse gases are at an all time high. Activities that cause housing and transportation emissions are the same ones responsible for the upstream of emissions everywhere else. There are many ways this can be fixed. Raising insulation standards and turning down AC in the summer could help. Expanding public places could minimize the emissions from cars.]]> 2017-11-08 02:36:53 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204654954 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204655334 Totten Glacier is East Antarctica's largest glacier. If the glacier falls apart and falls into the ocean it could raise sea levels to about 3.5 meters. Scientists have said that the glacier is melting from below by warm water. The reason this is happening is because of wind. There is a relationship between wind patterns and the movement of water. Wind patterns greatly influence the movement of water, horizontally and vertically. This means that when water is pushed in one direction more water from below wells up to fill the void created by the wind.]]> 2017-11-08 02:40:00 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204655334 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204655462 The tropics of Asia, Africa and S. America gave out more CO2 during the 2015-2016 El Nino than the 2011 La Nina. This is because El Nino is warmer and drier in tropical regions. All together the 3 countries released about 2.5 gigatons more carbon in 2015 than in 2011. The reason this occurred in Asia was due to an increase in biomass burning. It occurred in Africa because of higher temperatures and in S. America because of low precipitation. These conditions mimic climate change that are expected to happen at the end of the century]]> 2017-11-08 02:41:01 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204655462 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204656117 In East Pacific waters there is a new species that live in rocks containing metals such as manganese, cobalt and copper. This new species can help scientists monitor the impact of future deep-sea mining. To track how mining will affect deep-sea ecosystems scientist want to create a baseline of existing biodiversity in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone region. This new species could be the key to figuring this out.]]> 2017-11-08 02:46:14 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/204656117 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224290171 Mercury is a widespread environmental toxicant and pollutant. People usually ingest it through food. Around the world mercury regulations vary. For the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community they have questioned when they will be able to eat the fish again. There isn't a clear answer, but Michigan Technological University has given some idea as to will help to make the fish safe to eat. Mercury is an atmosphere-surface exchangeable pollutant along with PCB compounds, polycyclic aromatic hyrdocarbon compounds and other persistent organic pollutants. In the Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts paper, Perlinger and her team focus on mercury and the 3 different policies scenarios that go along with it. In the first scenario, they analyzed the targets where all mercury emissions from human sources were eliminated. In the second, they examined a moderate reduction based on policy in-action. In the third they assessed a minimal-regulation with no policy action. What they found was that little to nothing would change within the lifetimes of the KBIC community. Some say the process would likely take generations to reach levels that the community considers safe. When it came to tracking mercury Noel Urban took fish mercury concentration data from lakes and estimated he mercury in the fish from similar bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. They found that mercury persisted differently depending on the size of the lake.]]> 2018-01-24 16:11:40 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224290171 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224383241 Recently there was a strong earthquake that scared Alaskans and sent them to high ground. This reminds us that the scariest part of the earthquake isn't the actual earthquake it's the aftermath that has to do with the sea that's the most dangerous and scary. Because of the speed that is associated with them, waves can strike within minutes. The earthquake that occurred this Tuesday had waves that  could have struck a nearby island within half an hour. It turned out to be largely harmless with a magnitude of 7.9. This made 100 times less powerful than the world's strongest earthquakes. Some of the most catastrophic earthquakes have happened under the sea having the most deaths and damage being caused by water instead of infrastructure. In 2011 Tohoku earthquake in Japan was a 9.1. What made the situation tragic was the tsunami that struck the country soon after. Sometimes there are parts of a plate that get stuck until they break in an earthquake. It can happen underwater and if it does then the movement of blocks of rocks will displace huge amounts of water creating a tsunami. Megathrust earthquakes are a lot more likely to cause tsunamis.]]> 2018-01-24 18:51:02 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224383241 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224508633 Global warming is a misnomer. Average temperatures do climb in correlation to the amount of atmospheric carbon, but people look towards the weather to try to validate the science behind climate change. Some may even say that they have experienced global warming because of the unusually warm winter. Others decide to record the low temperatures in other countries to say the opposite. Tides shift depending on the temperature of the water and the seasonal currents. This is considered one of the most significant controlling factors because tides are predictable. Strange weather indicates global climate change. Because the West Coast has been experiencing lots of droughts, scientists have said that global climate change is causing them to happen. Having a higher ocean temperature will intensify storms and hurricanes. Warm air rises, creating a large motion of hurricanes. Global warming contributes to severe snowstorms in different parts of the world.]]> 2018-01-25 04:10:36 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224508633 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224510487 The warming global climate is expected to affect coastal regions because glaciers are melting and raising sea levels. An international team has found proof that sea-level rising is currently affecting the Chesapeake and Delaware bays.Tides are a result of many factors, like the gravitational factors of the sun and moon. Tides can affect ocean life, fishing, flooding, the weather and hydroelectric power. In 2015 Andrew Ross noticed a pattern. He found that adding one meter of sea-level rise to the model would create a distinct pattern of changes to the high and ow tides throughout the Chesapeake Bay. The shape of the Chesapeake Bay resulted in a different pattern of effects, there was a slight decrease in the tidal range. Compared to the Delaware, the Chesapeake is longer and less funnel shaped. After waves enter the Chesapeake they eventually hit the end of the bay and go back to the ocean. Waves travel faster in deeper water, causing higher sea levels to have faster wave speeds.]]> 2018-01-25 04:29:24 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224510487 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224512923 Currently Antarctica is having strange weather conditions and some scientists have become concerned. On the west side of the country scientists found a 300,000 square mile of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet melting. It was caused by an unusually strong El Nino in 2016. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is being melted from both sides. From underneath (El Nino) and on top (colder westerly winds). If more extreme El Ninos happen then ice shelves will be melted and weakened. The ice melted from 2016 turned to slush. If the slush and water refreeze they can leak into the cracks and damage the inner structure of the ice. If the shelves are weakened then they can crack and break causing the floodgates to open.]]> 2018-01-25 04:51:53 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224512923 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224514334 "Day Zero"is when Cape Town, South Africa will run out of water. "Day Zero" is set to happen on April 12, 2018. Cape Town is the 2nd largest city and top largest tourist spot. They recycle bath water to help flush toilets and are told to shower for no more than 90 seconds. This all happened because they had the worst drought in over a century, they have a large and rapidly growing population/ climate. Residents have not decreased the amount of water they use. Water pressure in the city has been reduced but they are still 86 million liters of water usage over their goal. February 1 will be the day that residents are only allowed to use 50 liters of water per person per day.Because of this residents have to become creative. Some recycle water to water plant. Although they use tap water for household chores they will not drink it. The reason is because their kids have complained of stomach issues. Instead they travel far and wait in long lines to receive their water.]]> 2018-01-25 05:00:37 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/224514334 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/238786046 A powerful storm known as the Nor'easter, brought heavy rain, extreme winds and huge waves to the Northeast for the 2nd time this March. It is said that at least 5 people have died from the 2 storms that have occurred. There have been more than 3300 flight cancellations and loss of power to more than 1 million people. The brunt of the storm is aimed more towards Massachusetts. Because of the unusually high tides Boston and other nearby towns have been flooded. The waves are record-setting high. Since there is a full moon the tides are at their highest point for this month. This storm could send 4 feet of water into coastal neighborhoods. 1978 was the first time a "bomb cyclone" or the Nor'easter hit with waves as high as 15 feet. The waves that crashed onto shore this past month reached a height of 14.67 feet. This a strong storm that has brought winds as fast as 65 mph and snow as much as 17 inches to 2 feet.]]> 2018-03-06 18:06:31 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/238786046 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/238788191 1 in every 6 premature deaths is caused by dirty air, soil and/or water. Since countries that are less developed don't have the technology to create cleaner air, soil and water, most of the premature deaths occur there. In countries that are extremely populated about 25 % off all premature deaths occur there due to pollution in the air. More than half of global deaths in 2015 happened in China and India. In 2015 about 9 million people have died from pollution exposure. According to the Lancet Commission, that's 3 times as many deaths as AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined and 15 times as many deaths from war and all kinds of violence. Air pollution affects more than just the lungs. It also contributes to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Pollution also puts a $4.6 trillion drain on the global economy.]]> 2018-03-06 18:09:46 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/238788191 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250293821 Oil spills happen frequently in oceans all over the world. They cause messy decontamination challenges for the people that need to clean up the spills. Even though these are huge spills the solution to quickly and  efficiently clean them up could be a small, microscopic bacteria. A bacteria known as Alcanivorax borkumensis. This bacteria feeds on hydrocarbons. Professor Satinder Kaur Brar and her team at INRS have created lab tests that show the effectiveness of enzymes produced by the bacterium in degrading petroleum products in soil and water. In recent years, researchers have sequenced the genomes of thousands of bacteria various sources. Dr. Tarek Rouissi was looking for the perfect bacterium. He foudn one called A. borkumensis. It is a non-pathogenic marine bacterium. The genome of this bacterium contains codes that have a number of interesting enzymes. It's classified as "hydrocarbonclastic". This means that it uses hydrocarbons as a source of energy. This kind of bacterium is present in all oceans and drift with the current. It also multiplies rapidly in areas where oil concentrations are high. Another scientist conducted a test to figure out how these bacteria metabolize hydrocarbons and explore their potential for decontaminating sites.]]> 2018-04-10 14:29:54 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250293821 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250802733 Recently the EPA has decided to loosen the current fuel economy rules. The EPA says that the reason for loosening the fuel economy rules is because they are concerned with motorist safety, technology lapses and the unpopularity of cleaner cars. They want to take back the standards of making cars go 54 miles on a gallon of gas by 2025. The arguments that were made were challenged for being wrong by agency specialists under the past administrations and environmentalists. There was a 38 page document released in early April that contrasts greatly to a years long tech analysis by EPA staff 2 years ago. What was found was that car companies had the technology to meet the rules for model years 2022 to 2025. Officials with the EPA and the National Highway Traffic will figure out a proposal for cars made between 2022-2025. This talk along with California negotiations will determine the best way to tackle greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources. Last year cars were the number one contributors of carbon dioxide. They surpassed power plants. ]]> 2018-04-11 16:23:44 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250802733 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250807735 In the spring of 2011 there was another flood in the Mississippi River that was similar to the Great Flood of 1927. Lately researchers have said that the human engineering of the river may have made/ is making flooding worse. The world's largest system of levees and floodways that are supposed to help Mississippi may be causing the floods there to become even worse. Researchers have used tree rings and lake sediments to trace the history of flooding in Mississippi all the way back to the 1500s. What they found was that engineering the river to decrease the amount/ severity of floods may have actually increased the severity of floods. Because of this floods have increased by at least 20%. The first levees to have been created in Mississippi were built in the 1800s. After the Great Flood of 1927, the government built the current system of levees and spillways. Because of this the rivers shape and sediment content changed. A geoscientist named Samuel Munoz and his colleagues studied tree rings and sediments from oxbow lakes to create their 500 year record of Mississippi River floods. Oxbow lakes form as river meanders and twist across the floodplains. In some cases the large loop gets cut off from the main channel, which then turns into a lake. When the rivers water gets too high it over spills into the lake causing sand and silt to go along with it. The researchers started to then identify "flood rings" in tree-ring samples from 35 oak trees. BY doing this it helped the researchers find the exact timing of the floods. After that they evaluated El Nino- Southern Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation because they cause wetter weather conditions. What they found was that both of these storms were associated with warmer surface temperatures in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. They also correlated exactly with the timing of the observed floods on the lower Mississippi. Researchers also found that in the early 20th century only 25% of flooding can be explained by climate patterns. The other 75% is most likely due to human engineering (river modifications). St. George says that although modifications are a just reason, it could also be because he area is a lot warmer than it was 150 years ago. This means that there will be an increase in rainfall and river flow. The 500 year record is important in figuring out why floods have increase in Mississippi. Munoz says that this record could help with other floods. It can also help researchers figure out whether or not flood risks increase with a change in increasing green house gases.]]> 2018-04-11 16:33:58 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/250807735 18montagued https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/251251817 Australia's Great Barrier Reef is facing big threats from climate change. Threats such as warmer, more acidic seawater and increased UV rays. Previous experts have said that large sections of the reef were dead and bleached into the oblivion. Other scientists have created a sunscreen to protect the reef during heat waves. The sunscreen is made up of an ultra-thin layer of calcium carbonate. The biodegradable sunscreen would be sprayed onto the water's surface, where it forms a layer one molecule thick or 50,000 times thinner than a human hair. The thin film is said to reflect up to 30% of UV light falling on the water's surface. This will help keep the water at the right temperature for the reef that lies below. Since the sunscreen is thin, it doesn't prevent birds or fish from passing through. It can reform after the water settles. Researchers hope the sunscreen can be applied to the reef's most vulnerable sections of coral.]]> 2018-04-12 16:47:42 UTC https://padlet.com/18montagued/z4t9hwrds1os/wish/251251817