1) when nine eleven happened, I was four. So I don't think I would really remember. Which means I have no memories. I think the biggest time when I really learned about it, was in fifth grade. I suppose I gradually learned about it over the years, but not as much as I did in fifth grade. In fifth grade, we were studying war, peace, and other things related to that subject. For one part of the unit, we studied terrorism. And then I learned about nine eleven. Most of the images that come to mind, are images we saw during the part of the unit. And I am still learning, Eli just told me that there were multiple plane attacks, not just two planes crashing into the world trade center building.
2) All I know about the cause, was that two terrorists got on a plane that went by the world trade center building. They hijacked the plane and drove it into the building along with another plane. The consequences were, that the building was destroyed and loads of people were killed. But a slightly more positive consequence was that some organization against terrorism was created to prevent further attacks. And that is all I know.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Snails and Freshwater
Most snails are listed on the endangered list, especially freshwater snails. They started to decline in the twentieth century. Dams and other changes made to rivers courses's, as well as agricultural and industrial pollution has been quickly declining the number and diversity of freshwater snails. When the snails die, other species such as crawfish who feed on the snails, begin to decline as well. A major snail killer is river channeling and dredging. When a river is channeled or dredged, infrastructure is added to the river, which can crush snails. Also, chunks of rocks used by snails can be loosened, snail eggs are crushed and adult snails are buried. And when snails die, their rotting bodies create large amounts of nitrates. Many snail conservation efforts are being taken, including water pollution control, and prevention of bad channeling or dredging that might kill snails. Freshwater snails are herbivores, and pollution poses a problem to this. They mostly eat algae, but sometimes large water plants. Pollution kills these plants and algae, when the snails have no food they die. When the snails die, they release nitrates which cause overgrowing of the plants they once ate. The overgrown algae and water plants is harmful to the environment of the freshwater source. Also, the amount of food snails eat, relates to their reproduction. When there is less food to eat, the population of baby snails goes down, and the baby snails are already having enough problems with channeling and dredging.
Lake Erie is a large freshwater source, and it has been having problems lately. High phosphorous levels coming from pesticides and fertilizers that ran into rivers, along with multiple sewage outbreaks from other cities has all flowed into Lake Erie and caused an outbreak of Mycrocystis algae. This algae can cause cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and sometimes death. It also uses up oxygen and causes animals with gills to sort of suffocate. The range of its oxygen sucking can vary from hypoxia (little oxygen) or anoxia (no oxygen). When the algae is in high concentration it forms little blooms which turn the water green, and suck up oxygen when they decompose. The cells are colonial, meaning that they can group together to create a film of algae near the surface of the water. It cannot survive in very salty waters, which is why it flourished in Lake Erie, a freshwater lake. Only one third of all the types of Mycrocystis algae are toxic. When it blooms, it is usually because the water is warm and nutrient filled, phosphorous fuels the blooming better than most nutrients. The main cause of this outbreak was there were sewage treatment systems and not enough control on pesticides and fertilizers used in industrial farming.
There are two types of pollution, point source pollution, and non point source pollution. Point source, is where there is one pipe for example that is polluting, non point source is where there are multiple little pipes that all add up to pollution. Point source pollution is much easier to fix, but non point source is not so easy to stop. All though its strange, heat is pollution, so when power plants use water to cool down their facilities, they harm temperature sensitive organisms in rivers. Non point source pollution consists of pollution runoff from industries or small sources. Construction, sewage management, agriculture, and mining are large contributors to freshwater pollution.
There are two types of pollution, point source pollution, and non point source pollution. Point source, is where there is one pipe for example that is polluting, non point source is where there are multiple little pipes that all add up to pollution. Point source pollution is much easier to fix, but non point source is not so easy to stop. All though its strange, heat is pollution, so when power plants use water to cool down their facilities, they harm temperature sensitive organisms in rivers. Non point source pollution consists of pollution runoff from industries or small sources. Construction, sewage management, agriculture, and mining are large contributors to freshwater pollution.
| Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. "Microcystis in the Environment and Its Health Effects." Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://research.myfwc.com/features/view_article.asp?id=25259>. |
Grant, Julie. "Algae Overgrowth in Lake Erie Could Cause Sickness." af the allagheny front environmental radio for western pennsylvania. af, 4 Aug. 2010. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. <http://www.alleghenyfront.org/ story.html?storyid=201008041136040.804177>. |
"What do water snails eat?" What do Snails Eat? What Do They Eat?, n.d. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. <http://www.whatdosnailseat.info/>. |
Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "Microcystis." Harmful Algae Blooms in
Maryland. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.dnr.state.md.us/
bay/hab/microcystis2.html>.
Maryland. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.dnr.state.md.us/
bay/hab/microcystis2.html>.
Johnson, Paul D. "Sustaining America's Aquatic Biodiversity - Freshwater Snail Biodiversity and Conservation." Virginia Cooperative Extension. Tennessee Aquarium Research Inst., Cohutta, GA, 1 May 2009. Web. 8 Feb. 2011. <http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/420/420-530/420-530.html>. |
Hicks, Sarah. "Pollution." LAKE SCIENTIST. Kent State U, 2010. Web. 12 Feb.
2011. <http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/water-quality/
pollution.html>.
2011. <http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/water-quality/
pollution.html>.
Friday, February 4, 2011
water
1) one out of eight people does not have access to clean water. Every day, the global water and sanitation crisis claims the lives of as many children under five to equal that of jumbo jets crashing. Global warming dumps salt into freshwater, making it undrinkable instantly. Storm water is also a problem, with so much concrete, the water has nowhere to go, so it picks up a lot of garbage and floods into the sewer and later on out into the river. Also fertilizers used in farming, wash off the farms, down the roads, into the sewers, and out into the river. The fertilizers kill the animals in the river and make it undrinkable.
2) to deal with the shrinking amount of drinkable water, we are combating global warming to stop salt being dumped in freshwater. To deal with the storm water, more straining systems have been put into use in sewers to eliminate the garbage during flooding. To help with the fertilizer problem, more organic farms are being introduced, to lower the amount of fertilizers used. To solve the not having access to clean water, many organizations are creating easy ways to access a hidden source of clean water. Such as Ryan's wells, which builds wells that lead to clean water sources underground.
3) Water allocation is a very big problem. Its where people dam up a river so farmers/industries/power plants can get all the water for their needs, but the people/farmers/industries/power plants who gain the water from the natural course of the river don't get any water at all. One way to solve the problem is to split the water half and half to each group that needs it. Or split a little part off the river, but increase the efficiency the farmer/industries/power plants use it with. For example, the power plant could recycle the water it uses to turn the turbines which in turn (sorry for the pun) make electricity. The basic idea is to use, clean (if needed), and re-use the water. Or have a meeting with all of the people who need the water, and find if someone doesn't really need that much water. Or use new technology that makes water that was currently unusable, able to supply one or more of the water consumers.
4) We should shorten our showers so we save water, and avoid taking baths unless absolutely needed because they use up a lot of water. Don't water the lawn, only water your potted plants. Also cut the grass more to make the individual grass plants need less water, and when they need less water, they don't die because you didn't water them. That prevents erosion from happening when the grass dies and no longer holds the ground together, and no dirt washes down the street, into the sewer, and into the river where it might clog it up. Use more water efficient cooking. If you need to water plants, use rainwater collected from rain barrels to water them, this might work for cars as well. When we save all this water, we allow more of it not to be wasted, and are demand for water goes down in our neighbor hood, and it can be diverted to other places that need it more.
2) to deal with the shrinking amount of drinkable water, we are combating global warming to stop salt being dumped in freshwater. To deal with the storm water, more straining systems have been put into use in sewers to eliminate the garbage during flooding. To help with the fertilizer problem, more organic farms are being introduced, to lower the amount of fertilizers used. To solve the not having access to clean water, many organizations are creating easy ways to access a hidden source of clean water. Such as Ryan's wells, which builds wells that lead to clean water sources underground.
3) Water allocation is a very big problem. Its where people dam up a river so farmers/industries/power plants can get all the water for their needs, but the people/farmers/industries/power plants who gain the water from the natural course of the river don't get any water at all. One way to solve the problem is to split the water half and half to each group that needs it. Or split a little part off the river, but increase the efficiency the farmer/industries/power plants use it with. For example, the power plant could recycle the water it uses to turn the turbines which in turn (sorry for the pun) make electricity. The basic idea is to use, clean (if needed), and re-use the water. Or have a meeting with all of the people who need the water, and find if someone doesn't really need that much water. Or use new technology that makes water that was currently unusable, able to supply one or more of the water consumers.
4) We should shorten our showers so we save water, and avoid taking baths unless absolutely needed because they use up a lot of water. Don't water the lawn, only water your potted plants. Also cut the grass more to make the individual grass plants need less water, and when they need less water, they don't die because you didn't water them. That prevents erosion from happening when the grass dies and no longer holds the ground together, and no dirt washes down the street, into the sewer, and into the river where it might clog it up. Use more water efficient cooking. If you need to water plants, use rainwater collected from rain barrels to water them, this might work for cars as well. When we save all this water, we allow more of it not to be wasted, and are demand for water goes down in our neighbor hood, and it can be diverted to other places that need it more.
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