APES Current Events

Covid 19 is already a dangerous disease. Millions of people are dying from it. Not to state the obvious but it is much worse for people that are amino compromised. People can be completely healthy with no health problems and still die, that's why this is a pandemic. This article is explaining how dangerous and deadly this disease is for people who have diabetes. They are much more likely to get and and suffer. To people that aren't compromised, we still get it but our symptoms usually aren't too bad. For diabetes and any other disease, you are at much higher risk. After reading through this article, I emphasize how important it is to listen about social distancing. Even though you might not have any medical conditions, you are still putting people at risk. Contact tracing starts with someone that got it and can go back to someone they walked past in a store a week ago. If we are not careful thousands of more people are going to die.  link: https://go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do...

 We have seen yet other month of rising temperatures throughout the world. Studies have shown that globally we have seen an increase of 0.2 degrees Fahrenheit increase. Particularly, 2020 was 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer, higher than the average temperature between 1981 to 2010. Northern Europe and the Arctic Ocean experienced the higher average temperatures for the month. It is likely that with the lowering temperatures in December of this year, that 2020 will remand tied with 2016 for the warmest year. El ninos and La niñas also affect the land temperatures during certain seasons. Humans are the main leading cause of the rising temperatures do to the lifestyle we live. We need to find ways that we can help lower the temperature in order to keep Earth safe. If we keep damaging the Earth, we will have an unhealthy place to leave, and eventually no home.    https://www.baltimoresun.com/weather/weather-news/sns-nyt-record-hot-november-20201207-k7rgyqadovblzkfbd4i7dyyhza-st...

 Gaming has obviously become something we do all the time right now, especially because there is not much else we can do.  It's also hard for many gamers to stop playing because many games contain real-world problems.  Gaming has always been rough for the environment with the plastic, e-waste, and mined-metal to name a few.  However, gaming materials are becoming invisible.  This will solve the problem right?  Wrong.  Gaming is leaving a major carbon footprint with the U.S. using 34 terawatt-hours per year in energy use.  In West Virginia alone, the carbon dioxide emissions are equal to what would be emitted by over 5 million cars.  All the gaming companies know the impact on the environment that is happening, and they say they are planning on coming up with a solution for the problem soon.  Microsoft says they are going to be carbon-negative by 2030, and Sony says they will achieve no environmental footprint at all by 2050.  Even w...

      Pollution is a major threat to the environment and ecosystems. Out of all the waste that reaches the ocean and major bodies of water, over 80% of it is transported by rivers. Because of this, Emily Duncan of the university of Exeter (U.K.) collected 25 500mL bottles, implanted with special tracking technology, to monitor the travel of waste as it travels through rivers. Using this method, they found that waste often travelled into large bodies of water far from where they were release, one time even 2845 kilometers away. With these results, additional studies have shown just how useful for research, informing, etc., this method of tracking is.  From what I have read, this method seems to be very effective in tracking the movement of waste. Personally, I think that this technology is interesting for many other reasons than to just track waste, as it could be used simply to find river routes and other related paths through waterways, which I think would be pretty...

 The  chemical, Phosphine is a chemical that can only be made by living things. It has been said that there is a possibility of this being on Venus. Yes, that would have to mean there are living things producing it. Whether it is humans or microbes, something is out there. It could mean a variety of things, but scientists are not quite sure exactly what it is yet.  Clara Sousa-Silva, a scientist who has been studying this, says that phosphine should not be in Venus's atmosphere, because it would be too hard to successfully make. There is a possibility the phosphine fingerprint could be false, which is why there have been no definite conclusions made yet.  This discovery would be a lifechanging find. It would tell us many things as well. That other planets could possibly be suitable for life. Although Venus has an extremely high surface temperature, and would be impossible to live on, it is still fascinating that the chemical has possibly been...

Plastic is being found in areas that plastic should be nowhere near, such as the deep sea and the highest peak, Mount Everest. The amount of plastic being used has increased an extreme amount from the 1950s to now. In the 50's, only around 5 million metric tons were being produced, but in 2020, that number is up to 330 million metric tons. These tiny bits of plastic can throw off ecosystems when harmful to animals within them. Snow and stream samples contained from Mount Everest showed large amounts of plastic in both. Microplastics have also been found imbedded in the arctic ice, in our guts, and just blowing through the wind - this may explain how it gets to such remote locations. In the arctic, over 17 different kinds of plastic have been found in melted ice. Researchers also discovered that humans consume between 39,000 and 50,000 pieces of microplastic each year.  Most of this plastic waste that is found in places where it shouldn't be is due to littering which is under ou...

 Colin Schaller  This article is about how the U.K. is the first country to allow its inhabitants to get the Covid-19 vaccination. It goes on to describe the long process of testing the vaccine on animals especially monkeys. It talks about how the monkey population is now at an all time low. Due to Covid-19 monkey farms have become a new job. They raise the monkeys and then sell them to the testing labs. The U.K. is going to receving 40 million doses of the vaccination in  2020-21. This article relates to our previous class unit when we were talking about population density. Due to Covid-19 the world population has gone down in a vast number. Since the start of the disease we have lost 1.5 million people. Also it has to due with the wealth of countries. Due to the fact that the most wealthy countries are going to receive the vaccination first.  Link: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-vaccine-pfizer-uk-first-approval

 I was just reading (and commenting on) an article in the blog about fresh water.  I am putting a link to the movie Wind River which we have access to.  A description from the site   " WIND RIVER is a modern-day story of cowboys and Indians. White ranchers on the Wind River Indian Reservation in central Wyoming are fighting to protect their long-held water rights for irrigated agriculture. The Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes are fighting to save the de-watered Wind River and a part of their own heritage. This is a classic example of the changing face of the West, as environmentalists and Indian activists use the courts in an attempt to curtail some of the traditional, but harmful, practices of white ranchers and farmers." https://docuseek2.com/v/a/MNH4/1/0/0

 Bristol Bay, a water body filled with some of the world's finest salmon located in southwest Alaska, was recently put at risk by the possible development of a large-scale copper, molybdenum, and gold mine. Bristol Bay's natural environment depends on the salmon to function. Commercial fishermen rely on the fish supply and outdoorspeople revel in its natural wonder. Many people have pushed to protect this unique American landmark, and it was finally saved. Pebble Limited Partnership was denied the rights to their prosepcted place from their mine from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project was supposed to be put at the headwaters of the fishery. Runoff from the mine would lower the quality of the water and would likely kill off large populations of fish. Politics were turned aside and people from both political parties worked to save Bristol Bay. While the journey is not over yet, these salmon will be saved from the global trend of shrinking populations around the world....

      The Antarctic Sheet of ice is one of the, if not the strongest sheets of ice in the world. Due to global warming though, the melting of the polar ice sheet is happening faster than expected. An international team of scientists studied the East Arntarctic sheet using deep-sea sediments, and came to a conclusion that the ice sheets are weakening and shrinking, and are become less stable than ever before. I believe that this in happening to the Antarctic Sheet simply because of global warming. This sheet of ice used to be one of the strongest things on the planet and now its is becoming very weak, and who knows maybe in our lifetime it will almost be gone.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201130113559.htm 

       A group of people called the Wayuu lived in the Guajira Desert. Their main source of water was drained because of a dam built for coal exploitation. Before this drought many relied on the  guajiro beans. Many stopped farming and resorted to food stamps which were not enough. Between 5,000 and 14,000 died because of malnutrition. A women named Uriana has been working with her clan to bring back the guajiro bean. Beans are an important crop because of their nutrition. They provide almost all of the necessary nutrients with just one crop. Guajiro beans in particular are good for the soil and have a long on season. This bean is sacred to the community and has a ritual surrounding the planting of it. With five years of recreating an agricultural system with these beans and riving the agriculture, the community has recovered.     This is important because it sheds a positive light on climate change. Reading this is inspiring, and it makes you proud of...

     The article speaks about the immense damage that humans have caused the planet. It relates many of these damages to big companies and the wealthiest of Americans consuming too many products for the environment to survive. It talks about the UN National of Biodiversity. A convention that set environmental conservation goals for the world. All countries ratified these ideals except for the United States. With the current damage done to the environment the window to save it is closing and it will be very difficult to turn humanity's destruction around.     This article projects the urgency of the situation very well as many Americans see the environment as a secondary concern to the economy. Many see a booming economy as a higher necessity than having an environment to provide everything that we need to survive. Many do their little part to help the environment like turning the lights off in vacant rooms but these trivial attempts aren't...

     Normally we think that during different wars the populations of different species decreases, that's not 100% correct. In the mountainous rainforests of Jammu and Kashmir, on the borders of India, Pakistan, and China the population of indigenous animals is increasing. The police have collected most of the weapons people  carry around, and people are no longer scared to go outside and walk around. Also because of this, there is almost no poaching, making the populations rise more. The fact that war has created an increase in rare animal's population is extremely astonishing. CREATING WAR IS HIGHLY NOT RECOMENDED TO BRING UP POPULATIONS THOUGH.       I found this article very entertaining and informative. It definitely changed my perspective on what is going on around the world and how it effects the populations, not just in a bad way. The only thing that confuses me is, what happens when we stop? Like will those animal's pop...

      An avian species called the Zebra finch has been found to have the ability to identify any member of its large flock, by recognizing their song. After a set of experiments was done, it was discovered that the Zebra finches were able to differentiate both between different songs of its flock members, along with different long-distance contact calls between the other birds. Both males & females of the species were very successful in the experiment, leading scientists to the conclusion that the brains of songbirds are specifically wired to communicate orally amongst themselves.      This is impressive because Zebra finches are typically part of a flock of up to 100 birds, meaning they have been able to memorize and recognize up to 100 different songs. It is likely that if these finches were able to recognize one another's calls, then other songbird species could do the same. This information is interesting because it could lead to more experiments wh...

Link   Logan Scholl Heagrety December 1,2020 Protecting half the planet could help solve climate change and dieing species Earth is battling with the dangerous problem of climate change, and their are not very many ways to really slow it down signifigantly. Perseving 50 percent of land for naturl species would allow climate change and different species. Protecting land would also perserve greens like trees, and shrubs. Climate change will be the death of us if we don't act now. The world needs to do everything they can to stop pollution and any other contributors to climate change.

The majority of the water found in the world is salt water. Freshwater is found in glaciers, in the ground and smaller bodies of water on the surface of the Earth. Access to fresh water is what makes a strong economy for a nation. Limited fresh water has caused western states in the United States to work and preserve fresh water sources. As the population increases weather patterns will change along with accessibility of fresh water.  Read More Here!! Fresh water is the most valuable resources on Earth for human survival. Every cycle and organism needs water to survive and function. The resource can not be taken for granted and ways to share the resource needs to be found. Access to water creates a strong economy, population, and nation.

      The Arctic is getting greener and prettier, however this is not a good thing. researchers are gathering satellite data, quadcopter measurements, and data taken from manual ground findings. The data gathered about the Arctic over the past few years shows that the grasses and shrubs in the Arctic that would grow every year are getting taller and more abundant year after year. As temperatures rise in the Arctic, the layers of snow and frost that would normally keep the landscape frozen are being taken over by the increasing abundance of tall shrubs in the Arctic. Those packed down layers of snow hold tons of the Earths greenhouse gasses, and if they melt they will release those potent gasses and severely harm our carbon cycle. The sudden release of these greenhouse gasses will be too much for the plants to take in and the gasses will be released into the atmosphere and further increase the rate of global warming.     It may be qu...

       India  accounts for seven out of ten cities in the world with the worst air pollution.  According to Greenpeace and AirVisual, Gurugram is the world's worst polluted city. It's air quality index is three times  the level which the US Environmental Protection Agency regards as  healthy . Gurugram's air quality level averages at 135.8. Scientists say  air pollution will cause around 7 million premature deaths globally and will have a major economic impact.   "Air pollution steals our livelihoods and our futures," said Yeb Sano, executive director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.  Eighteen of the world's top 20 most polluted cities are in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, including the major population centers of Lahore, Delhi and Dhaka.  Climate change is making the effects of air pollution worse by changing atmospheric conditions and is increasing the chances of forest fires. The World Health Organization says poor air quality ...

      There are more than 150 coronavirus vaccines up for development around the world. The U.S. government's Operation Warp Speed initiative wants to produce an effective coronavirus vaccines by January 2021. The World Health Organization is coordinating global efforts to develop a vaccine. Vaccines usually take 10 to 15 years to go into the market. Vaccines go through a three-stage clinical trial process before they are sent for approval. Then there is the issue of who will get the vaccine first.       To be honest, this is all very surreal knowing that there will be a vaccine no matter what. Even if it will take a few more years to get this vaccine safe for the market, it still will happen. There are a lot of questions with this new vaccines. For example, will it be 100% safe? Especially with having this vaccine rushed to be done, will it be sage for the average person.  Link to article

    Food production is second only to transportation in terms of human greenhouse emissions, and is responsible for roughly 30% of global warming. Among the worst offenders are agricultural land use and production/use of fertilizers. According to the journal "Science," greenhouse gas emission originating from food production and consumption will likely make the world exceed its 1.5 C limit by the 2050s, as outlined in the Paris Agreement. This data even took into consideration cutting out all use of fossil fuels. Unfortunately, emissions from food production aren't completely avoidable, but there is one known solution that could make a considerable difference in reducing emissions. That being, eating less meat. Going full vegetarian is not necessarily the answer, but limiting the amount of red meat we consume on a weekly basis. Replacing it with vegetables or meats like chicken and fish will help reduce greenhouse gas effects caused from the deforestation used to make cow...

 Wildfire season in California and much of the West Coast lasts for 6 months of the year. September was a hard hit month, especially in Northern California. Skies turned orange as over two dozen wildfires burned through 2.5 million acres of land. Warming temperatures are leading to an increased risk and result of these fires every year. The Earth is warming, extending the threat for fires to continue to grow. Winds increased the spread of the fires and spreading ash and particles throughout the air. Evacuations were are needed throughout the season to keep people safe and because living conditions can become an extreme hazard. When the gases and particles mix from burning vegetation and buildings, it makes breathing conditions extremely bad for your lungs. Wildfires are extremely dangerous and scary for people to face every year at the same time. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/09/foreboding-orange-skies-cast-more-than-pall-over-northern-california/#close

 This artical was talking about the affects of soot, bonfires, and black carbon. Researchers have found that black carbon from bonfire have risen up into the atmosphere. This then causes ice droplets to form in cloud and could potentially freeze the clouds. The results of this can cause climate change. Finding this out about the black carbon has lead the reachers to find out more information about ice nucleating particals. Ice nucleating particals are a key research are for climate change. Clouds are one of the most important thing to research when it comes to climate change. Another thing that can casue ice nucleating particals in the atmosphere is areosol products. When the combustion process happens in the products these then can form ice nucleating particals. While reading this artical I realized the importance of figuring out these things about our planet. I would never have thought that aresol products or bonfire could provide this much climate change. I would like to researc...

 In our solar systems younger days, the Sun was surrounded by a rotating ring of gas and dust which could form into planets. The circular rotational motion of all the gas and dust formed the planets that we know today. There are thousands of formed planets in the Milky Way, but the formation of the planets in our oen solar system was unusual. Planets like Jupiter and Saturn are interesting in its self because the amount of times they orbit around the sun has changed throughout the years. Also planets like Uranus and Neptune were shaped by the mass of the Kuiper Belt, an icy region of our solar systems edge. This belt made a bunch of dawf planets, like pluto. For Earth tho, it is still a mystery with how it formed where it did with the massive planets of Saturn and Jupiter behind it causing big gravitational fields from the Sun, becuase those planets were in our solar system before Earth was. I believe that knowing how our planets were made, and when they were made is very important...

 Climate change is a very real and dangerous thing, that is coming upon us faster than we think. It is our fault as humans that our environment is going to go through this. The article says by 2040 there could be some major devastating changes happening to the environment that will be out of our control. There could be disasters  including food shortages, extreme weather, wildfires, and a major decreation of coral reefs. This will all be because of the greenhouse gas emissions. They need to be majorly cut to give us more time.  I think this situation is very devastating  and disappointing. Knowing that humans have gotten our planet to the point there is not returning back to normal, only getting worse, is heartbreaking. And we aren't only bringing these changes among ourselves, it will effect animals and there habitats , and plants as well. https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/tag/climate-change/

 Often times, the amount of plastic trash found on our coast and in our beaches gets blamed on Asian countries due to them having a large part in extreme plastic waste, however, with reexamination, that is not always the case. China generates plastic, but the United States is the highest contributor of wasting that very plastic. At the highest spot in 2016, with 46 million U.S. tons the U.S. tops all other countries. Not only are we in the top of plastic waste, but we are also in the top three of litter contribution in general. For years we sent most of our plastic waste to China, and only recycled about 10% of it. Adding to the obvious problem, a lot of finger pointing is going on. Asian countries blame the United States and vice versa, both with very different data to back themselves up. Just last week,  The National Academies of Sciences held a meeting for an 18 month research into the amount of waste being dumped into our oceans. At 4% of the global population, the U.S. ge...

     If habitat destruction continues without prevention, pandemics will happen more often and will be worse each time. There are 1.7 million unknown diseases living in wildlife now. Most pandemics are caused by a disease that spreads from animals to humans. When humans invade and come in closer contact with wildlife that should remain wild, we are increasing our chances of being exposed to one of these diseases. Wild animals losing their habitats means they have t move to more urban and populated areas. There are some preventative measures being taken.For example, financially incentivizing companies to protect biodiversity.     I believe that deforestation and habitat destruction obviously has many negative effects on humans and the earth. There are countless examples of this. This article shows one example that we can all relate to currently. This is important news that should be shared because ignorance is not an excuse. If people see that it i...

 Summary: This is an article about Musk Ox and how they are able to eat enough food to survive the harsh winter life in the Tundra. The article goes on to talk about how the Ox may have  circadian clocks that allow them to regulate sleep time to a  minimum. In order for them to spend almost all day and all night grazing on the Tundras grass lands before they completely freeze over for the winter. I can relate this to class since in our previous lesson we were talking about different habitats in biomes. Also how animals in these specific biomes adapt in order to survive. This is a prime example of an adaptation adopted thousands of generations ago. -Colin Schaller   Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/28/science/musk-ox-circadian-rhythm.html

The rules of recycling in America have already gotten more complicated ever since China put restrictions on what it'll import from the U.S, in its own attempt to further its own recycling programs and avoid environmental damage within its own borders. That, and the economic difficulties resulting from COVID-19 only end up making recycling more expensive. Some cities cut spending on recycling, and some curbside pickup programs were cancelled as well. Even without China's restrictions, The U.S' overall recycling rate was less than 50%, and the amount of materials that did get recycled was far from what one would hope for. Some less-populated areas also don't offer curbside pickup for recyclables, and the rules and methods of recycling can vary and become difficult to remember and keep track of. One response to the issue was to create more recycling facilities, which can help in taking in more trash to recycle. However, another issue in recycling is the types of materials ...

Summary: The tobacco ringspot virus is spread through the pollen of plants, but most notable being from the blight, or fungi, found on soy plants. Through different studies by the US Department of Agriculture Laboratories, the virus appeared to be spreading through mites that move from bee to bee. The decrease in the honeybee population caused an almond industry in California to rent a bee hive. The cost for hives was about $239 million to rent.  Click Here!! Honeybees are an underrecognized factor to a successful economy. They pollinate the crops that turn into money and food. If the population continues to decrease, a new method for pollinating plants will need to be found. I hope that something is found that will help prevent or stop the spread of the virus and aid in keeping the honeybees healthy. 

 Most organisms follow circadian clock cycles, which are 24 hour internal clocks to help organisms know when to do necessary things for survival.  An example would be knowing when to search for food during the day because you wouldn't want to search when there will be little to no food.  It is very different for the musk oxen because they live in the Arctic.  Scientists studied how different the circadian clocks would be for those organisms living in the Arctic because of the Arctic's long night winter and endless day summers.  The scientists conducted this study by using GPS collars to track 19 musk oxen for 3 years to look for patterns in behavior.  The scientists didn't find strong circadian rhythms because it seemed that the oxen would repeat foraging bouts lasting less than 12 hours.  These rhythms were different from the summer to the winter, since most would have little to no pattern in the summer due to eating at random times.  The study s...

Link   Logan Scholl Heagrety November 3, 2020 Weird affects pollution has on living organisms Obviously Pollution effects the air, and the atmosphere, but did you know it affects your mental and physical health. Pollution cause your breathing to shorten up not as bad as cigarettes do, but the same way they do. It also increases the rate of suicide, because of the fine particular matter or nitrogen dioxide. It shrinks your brain, it is a small difference, but when it comes to your brain you need it all, also that small percent is equal to 1 year of aging in your brain. Pollution help birds migrate quicker, this is because of their scent to their "home base" is greater when it is polluted more.

The affects of plastic bags are not as detrimental as paper and cotton. The scientists from Nanyang Technological University Singapore (NTU Singapore) have proven this. The contents of the plastic bags they studied from included polypropylene non-woven plastic. These types of plastics are the most eco-friendly. The runner up is single use plastic bags. The types of bags that can have a negative impact are cotton and kraft paper bags. The effects they can have a contribution on golbal warming and eco-toxicity. The team at NTU stressed though that these types of bags may only be better in cities like Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Dubai. This shouldn't mean though that we could not try this method anywhere else. The scientists who lead the research made it clear that these types of bags are important for multiple uses.  I think that this method could drastically change the way we live. I know in my family we use grocey store, plastic bags over and over again. If everyone in their family start...

 Sponges within the a Ocean can be known as the vacuums of the sea. The article says that these sponges can collect Micro Pollution particles. These sponge pick up the particles through the water and help clean the ocean. A good way to tell how much micro pollution there is, is to study the amount collected by the sponges. This allows humans to estimate how much micro pollution is in an area and be able to try and reduce it.  This article ties in perfectly with what we have been talking about in class as we just went over indicator species. Being able to estimate the amount of micro pollution in the oceans is huge because of the amount of micro plastics being used today is overwhelming. Everything from clothes and makeup containers to plastic shopping bags can aid in the creating of micro pollution. The first step in solving a problem is knowing what the problem is and how bad it is. Thanks to the sponges indicative properties we can figure this out. Article: https://www.scien...

           The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has been far more severe that past years by far. During normal hurricane seasons it takes till around October to develop 9 storms severe enough to be named, however this year it only took till August 6 for this amount. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations predict that 2020 could be the year with the highest amount of hurricanes they ever recorded. Scientists and meteorologists believe the increase in hurricanes could be due to climate change. The hurricanes themselves are also affecting other products of climate change like rising sea levels. With rising sea levels and the water slowly moving inland, this will only make flooding worse. The storm surges that come with hurricanes will also be much larger and more dangerous. Hurricanes are also becoming much more abundant do to increasing atmospheric temperature.  Ocean water needs to be around 80°F to evaporate and condense...

       A huge problem within the realm of oceanic pollution is micropollutants, such as tiny plastic particles and fibers of textiles. Not only do they impact ocean life, but these tiny pieces of inorganic material can be ingested by sea life such as crabs, lobsters, and clams. These can then be ingested by people, and can be damaging to human health. A study by Ludwig-Maximillian University in Munich, Germany shows that sponges can indicate the levels of micropollution. Sponges ingest their food by filtering out microorganisms from ocean water, so they can easily ingest micropollution as well. The university studied 15 sponge samples from off the shores of Banka in Northwestern Indonesia, where plastic pollution is heavy. The study reported more than 34 different types of pollutants within the sponges. They counted that per gram of sponge tissue, there were between 90 and 600 different pieces of micropollutants. Few other species can monitor the oceans this closely....

Emily Savitz Heagerty 26 October 2020 Mauritius Oil Spill On August 6, 2020, there was a very large oil spill in Mauritius Island, located in the Indian Ocean. A large ship carrying 4,000 tons of oil cracked and is now leaking into the sea. More than 1,000 tons have already leaked, leaving 3,000 more ton of oil to be dumped in the water. This oil will destroy our oceans and many things living in it. Mauritius is home to some of the best coral reefs and marine life. When the oil touches the reefs, they will get bleached, which causes them to die. These reefs provide protection to the coastlines, provide jobs for people in the community, a food source, new medicines, and habitats for the marine life. If those reefs get destroyed, this will all be taken away. Not only will the reefs and everything living in the ocean be effect, but things living on land will also be negatively effected. Organizations from all over the world need to hear about this and take action. This is too much work fo...

 Francine Parks 10-26-20          A recently done study showed that mule deer in light-polluted areas become more active during both day and night, than mule deer who are not in these areas. It also showed that their predator, cougars, are still able to hunt the mule deer in light polluted areas, which they do by observing the darkest spots and recognizing it as their prey. Since artificial light is typically found near homes or in settled areas, both cougars and mule deer are now found closer to those types of settings, while still maintaining their predator-prey relationship.          I think that while it is good that the natural relationship between the cougars and mule deer still exists, artificial light is overall not a great addition to the environment. Mule deer, cougars, and all other animals are safer and more suited to living in areas with natural light and similarly natural conditions. When wild animals start to come clo...

      Trees provide many ecosystem services and benefits to their area, especially in urban spaces. Trees help to provide shelter, habitat, protection from erosion, air filtering, and many more benefits. They also can be harmful, however, in that they can cause allergies, they need maintenance. and they can cause accidents. These pros and cons are especially important to consider with the issue of non-native tree species. The UNIGE, a group that has been studying this issue, determined that in rural and urban areas of C anton of Geneva there were 911 species of tree, 90% of which were non-native. This could be a problem, as non-native species were beginning to take over, but the group also determined that the species were adapting quickly and with fair ease into their new environments, and that they would have little negative effect. In fact, the group determined that only about 5% of non-native species would cause problems to an environment. Finally, the UNIGE says that ...

 California's has lost 2.5 million acres of land due to wildfires. The warming weather, due to climate change, has made these fires last longer and happen more frequently. Northern California's strong gusts of wind made fires even worse. Forcing many evacuations. The winds carried the smoke and ash 150 miles away to San Francisco Bay Area. There are many toxic particles included in what the wind was carrying. If someone were to breathe it in it would make their lungs weakened which makes them more susceptible to COVID-19. Those particles are what made the sky orange. This is definitely a major sign that something is wrong with our planet. If people think an orange sky is normal and healthy, there is something wrong. The sharp increase in wildfires over the years just make it more alarming because wildfire cause a lot of issues, and many other issues could cause those wildfires. We need to care of our planets so less people are in danger.  link

Drylands make up about 40% of Earth's land mass and are home to about 40% of the human population, Most dryland ecosystems are adaptive to low levels of water and precipitation, but overgrazing and warmer climates have put many drylands at risk to desertification- the makings of a desert from a collapsed ecosystem . However,  Ricard Solé, a biophysicist at Pompeu Fabra University in Spain  and a team of  analyst  have created a computer model to simulate the effects bio-engineering microbes in the soil might have on these dryland environment. The hope is that splicing genes into the soil  microbes and bacteria will help make the drylands more resilient to climate change and push off the "tipping point" for another couple decades- allowing scientists more time to figure out even better solutions. For example, genes could be spliced in that allow photosynthetic bacteria to store more water and phosphorus , enriching the soil and allowing more plants to grow , crea...

 Biden announced that he would project a $2 trillion, 4-year plan toward green energy. He would also create more jobs for Americans to work within the industry. Biden also wants to upgrade the nation's power grid to a green grid. He also wants to transfer more to electric cars, and adding charging stations throughout the nation in the upcoming years. He wants to make several improves during his potential term during presidency. This is a potential global impact and problem. If we continue to pollute our air, global warming will continue to happen and ruin our planet. By finding solutions that are energy efficient, it can help better our Earth as a whole.  /  https://www.wired.com/story/could-biden-rebuild-the-economy-by-funding-green-energy/

  This article explains how Greenland is losing large amounts of ice, which is increasing more and more everyday. Climate change has affected Greenland, causing temperatures to rise. The new temperatures have caused large amounts of  ice sheets to melt. According to researchers, the ice sheets are melting rapidly, more than it has ever for the past 12,000 years. Researcher Jason Briner suggests that the world needs to go on an energy diet, our century will only be a bit higher than the past 12,000 years of how much ice Greenland has lost.  To prevent more ice sheets to melt quickly, the world (especially America) needs to go on an energy diet, and emissions need to be cut off.  Briner and other researchers from different industries created this "state-of-the-art" ice sheet model, in order to record the changes of the southwestern part of Greenland. To find out new information, they started form the beginning, observing what has happened to ice sheets from 12,000 year...

 https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/west-coast-wildfires-09-14-2020/index.html   https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/11/weather/western-wildfires-climate-change-future/index.html      According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 87 active large fires have  burned more than 4.6 million acres in 10 states. In California, there have been 25+ fires. Many scientists believe that these fires are because of global warming.  So far, the planet has  warmed by an average of roughly 1.2 degrees Celsius since the 1880s , with human activity responsible for the majority of the increase.  For the past 6 years, California would rise  1.8 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average. Even though that's not much, it is "sucking" out the moisture in plants, atmosphere, and soil. This is making everything more flammable. I think the reason why everything has lost its moisture is that in the past, we weren't paying enough attention to the alarming global ...

      Astronomers have spotted a potiential lifeform in Venus. In Venus's acidic clouds, they found a chemical called, phosphine, which may be a sign of life. Even though astronomers have no real clue on if there is actually life on Venus, they are still doing their job by searching for new and odd things in space. In our life time we will never see an astronaut make it to Venus, and come back to tell us what they saw. It is only within your imagination to believe what is out in space. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/learning/lesson-of-the-day-life-on-venus-astronomers-see-a-signal-in-its-clouds.html 

 Ever since they were built as only a last resort, fossil fueled peaker plants have been looming over the poor neighborhoods of NYC. The pollution they produce was already an issue, but it's only gotten more serious since COVID-19 arrived, since it's a respiratory illness. Because peaker plants usually run when there's extra demand for energy, during the summer when people are using their air conditioners, these peaker plants only continue to pollute the air and cause serious problems for poor neighborhoods, as well as Black and brown communities. The plants were originally built with the sole purpose of being a quick fix for problems such as blackouts, but now there's demand for a better solution due to the pandemic and the fact that peaker plants cause other health problems such as cancer and heart disease. The main solution being looked at is the use of solar power combined with batteries for storage. In NYC there's been several discussions with profit-seeking co...

 Due to the wildfires occurring in Orinda, California, residents woke up to a orange tinted, ashy sky the morning of September 9, 2020. Strong winds have caused the flames to grow larger, spreading smoke and ash as far as 150 miles south. This has caused poor air quality, which could be dangerous to breathe in. California battles harsh wildfire seasons, and due to climate change and warmer weather, it has led to longer and more devastating seasons. The gases and particles in the smoke are very hazardous and can cause many health problems if inhaled. I think this could be both a financial and social impact. By the fires destroying towns and buildings, they are going to have to  rebuild and put a lot of money back into towns and cities that were damaged. It is also a social issue, because it affected the people that live in Orinda and there personal lives. Hopefully we can start to act on the climate change issue, which will lessen the fire season, making it not so hard for the ...

Summary: This article is about what causes, and what a harvest moon actually is. It states why they occur and when they occur. They only happen in for 3 days in the mid-September days. It happens when the sun is setting and goes behind the moon which gives it it's fire red color. It happens on the autumn equinox every year. It is a sign that fall is approaching and summer is coming to an end. In earlier times it was a sign for farmers to begin the harvesting of their crops. thats how it originally got it's name in the first place. Due to the fires in California that are producing think smoke coverage. Scientist have stated that this is the first time in 100 years that the people in California are not able to see the harvest moon due to the thick cloud coverage.  -Colin Schaller 

   As the fires on the west coast burn more in more, the wildlife found in the surrounding oceans could be in danger. Due to the marine animals being adapted to the ocean, they aren't used to the chemicals and air pollutants on land, making them more susceptible to health issues that we may not react to as much. The oil rig spill in the Gulf of Mexico now 10 years ago, the bottlenose dolphins who experienced the burning of the oil had extreme lung issues and their offspring died very quick. Although there is no evidence yet of the wildfires affecting the marine mammals, it is a possibility and something that should be thought about. Scientists along the West Coast are being told to start collecting data in order to better understand the consequences of the smoke on dolphins, porpoises, whales, etc. Their lungs and general anatomy differs from those animals on land who are able to get the smoke out of their system much easier. Back during the oil spill, it could ...

 Due to COVID 19 the amount of has massively dropped in many areas of the world. According to the article the amount of nitrogen dioxide levels in china have dropped by up to 30%. In Italy the nitrogen dioxide level have fallen by 40%. These are huge drops in pollution due to factories closing and less cars traveling everyday. Professor of air pollution, Paul Monks, even called it "the largest-scaled experiment ever seen" as the results will let scientists learn a lot from the air pollution pattern due to many countries quarantining. This is a huge step for the worlds environment as this will show so many people that we can make a difference to stop climate change and help the plant like we have done so now. At least the pandemic has brought something good for the world. Article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/23/coronavirus-pandemic-leading-to-huge-drop-in-air-pollution

 On September 15, 2020, Arctic sea ice reached its yearly lowest size. However this year the ice is much smaller than it should be, 2nd smallest on record. NASA has been keeping track of the Arctic's ice size since the 1970s, when the satellite data was studied it showed that the ice was increasingly small this year, only around 1.44 million square miles. The ice in the Arctic goes through seasonal patterned changes each year. The ice thickens and expands in the fall and winter to the point where almost the entire Arctic ocean is covered, and the ice shrinks and thins in the spring and summer months. The reason for the decent decrease in the size of the Arctic's ice is due to a Siberian heat wave that swept through the area in the spring. The heat wave caused the ice's melting season to start earlier than usual, this is only the second time the Arctic's ice has reached a size below 1.5 million square miles. The melting seasons of the ice keep starting earlier and earlie...

The Fight to End Climate Change      Climate change is a very controversial topic. I was hesitant  to write about this but I wanted to become more educated on this topic. Many people recognize the change that will be happening in the next few decades. This article talks about climate change. While reading this, I recognized that it was trying to persuade us readers that, in order to fight climate change, we cannot have Trump as our president. He has done absolutely nothing to help fight it. We learn that Biden already has a plan for if he wins. Trump will not help us fight it. If anything, he will make it worse. Not only will this effect us, but it will effect everything living on this earth. Think about all the animals that will lose their lives, food source, and habitat. Think about all the plants, oceans, and sea creatures that will die from this. We can help them. We have the ability to stop all of this from happening, but we aren't....

This article focuses on what energy, and how much, we can get from raindrops. Studies referenced in the article say that the amount of energy gained is based on the size or mass of the rain drop, how fast it is traveling, and how efficient the solar panels, or other device being used, is. The energy that we could gain from raindrops would not be enough to power things like our houses, but could potentially help more "self-powered miniature devices". Scientists believe that this would be able to help significantly in the near future.  How Much Power Can We Get from Raindrops? I think that it is good that scientists are still finding new ways to gain energy and power, even tough we have efficient ways that are helping us already. I also didn't think of the fact that raindrops could produce energy just from falling to the ground. Raindrops that seem so small to us can create about 0.18 Watts based on the calculations in the article. 

       As of, September 10, 2020 California has been fighting 12 dozen different wildfires, destroying 2.5 MILLION acres of their land. Because of have so many fires, the sky gets a hint of orange in it. People were then forced to leave their homes and find other place to live, that were safer. Day by day the air becomes more and more thick and deadly. Of course this all happens to them during a pandemic!       Honestly, I didn't know there was fires in California. This article really put a perspective on things. It really makes me question, because of there being so many fires, if it could happen to us. The fires also would kill all the organisms and resources, so when everyone does go back, what are they gonna have to survive off of.  Open Link Here!!

 Huge parts of the Pacific Ocean warmed up quickly around our West Coast and other parts of North America.  It would have felt like a heat wave in the ocean in the middle of the summer.  There have been a lot of short ones over the past few years but there have been ones that have lasted longer.  Scientists believe climate change is the cause of the heating oceans.  Some of these events would have been possible without human-caused warming, but there is human-caused warming which makes the odds of this kind of warming happening 10%.  As emissions of greenhouse gasses continue, global temperatures will be 5 degrees warmer leaving the oceans in extreme heat.  This could be permanent because the oceans absorb most of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gasses.  Adding this heat to the ocean can cause problems for marine life including causing toxic algae to bloom, which fish eat, causing them to die.  Animals that are food for other animals wi...

      A study conducted by North Carolina State University suggests that the spread of ghost forests across the North Carolina coast may have implications about global warming. A ghost forest is created when salt water levels rise and kill freshwater trees, leaving behind a forest of dead or dying trees. The study found that these trees had less carbon in them above ground than they used to. The researchers studied 2,85 acres of natural land and found that the number of ghosts forests increased by 15% between 2001 and 2014. They also calculated that about 130,000 metric tons of carbon were lost because of ghost forests. The researchers also had a small problem within their study- their measurements could have been affected by new trees being planted nearby for the timber industry. They also reported that wildfires and droughts may also contribute to the growing number of ghost forests. The study helped to create a map of current ghost forests and areas that are at ri...

 Deforestation is a huge problem in today's United states or anywhere in the world. Deforestation keeps going up as the years go by. When deforestation rises so does our carbon footprint. It can be fixed by the replanting of trees of labor to cut them down. We could also keep a check on the companies that use lumber, so they dont use too much. https://thecarboncycledio.weebly.com/deforesation.html#:~:text=Deforestation%20has%20an%20effect%20on,own%20food%20with%20carbon%20dioxide.&text=This%20excess%20heat%20warms%20the%20earth. Deforestation has an effect on the carbon cycle related to the greenhouse gases. the trees and forests balance the amount needed to maintain a goof amount of carbon and oxygen. The cutting down and not replanting of trees slowly warms the Earth.

     Led by the University of Cambridge, an international team of researchers studied the ring width and chemical composition of both living and dead trees in Norilsk, Siberia, to show the damage done from decades of nickel and copper mining. Norilsk, Siberia is one of the most polluted places in the world, due to the intense mining of the copper, nickel, and palladium found in the area from the 1930's all the way to today. This area is also home to large boreal forests, which, as a result of pollution, are being destroyed. Researchers studying these trees have found that the destruction began in the 1960's, and continued to increase dramatically after 1970. In addition to this, scientists had previously believed global warming would greatly increase the number and survival of boreal forests, but after seeing the effect of pollution found the outcome to be the complete opposite of their expectations. The researchers studying these changes say that if the number of these t...

 The wildfires in the West Coast are creating hazardous air conditions. It has caused the pollution levels to be higher than they ever have before. They are also higher than the worst polluted places in the world. Particles known as PM2.5 are released during fires. When inhaled, the body's immune system is unable to break them down. They are known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular health issues. The scale used to measure air quality indicates that when its number goes above 151, the air is unsafe for the entire population. During these fires, the levels reached over 300. There is research being done now to see if hundreds of people died from inhaling the smoke. This natural disaster creates a type of pollution that we can not control. It shows us what polluted air can cause and should be a warning sign that we need to reduce our emissions before unsafe air is the reality all of the time. Also, global warming is known to cause more natural disasters and could have been a cause...

       Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative      Climate change is becoming more and more of an issue, and Governor Wolf knows this. This is why he is taking step to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. This is to help lower emission from power plants. Nine other states have agreed to also set up this program. New Jersey and Virginia are also planning on joining within the next two years. If power plants go over a certain level they would have to start paying allowances.  “a low-cost solution to a very high-cost problem of climate change” Pennsylvania  is the fourth biggest carbon polluter . If we don't pull ourselves  together there will be really big issues coming soon. It is scary how bigger businesses aren't responding to trying to save the environment. Now states are being forced to create a limit on how much emissions can go into the air. It is just sorta sad to me. If things aren't getting fixed now soon the world is just go...

     Since the Industrial Revolution, food has been on high demand as the population continues to increase. To keep up with the population, farmers need to look for ways to increase  their harvest in a season. The solutions consist of purchasing more land or fertilizing regularly. The solutions for increasing yearly yield are also contributing to environmental issues like global warming. 70% of human consumption of fresh water is used in agriculture. As the climate becomes dryer, more water is used. Studies showed that the use of irrigation systems are both harmful to the plants, soil, and the atmospheric moisture.  In western United States millions of acres are used for pastures. Livestock release methane gas that cause a greenhouse effect to the globe. This causes a decrease in plant diversity from the root systems dying off. The increase of chemical fertilizers are not just being seen in the fields used in but also the soil and water. New methods of farming a...

 This article is about a moth species called the Tobacco Hawkmoth, which is able to adapt to the scent of flowers which have been changed by air pollution. The moth typically went to jasmine tobacco flowers, & was not expected to still be attracted to them when they was tainted by pollution. However, the Tobacco Hawkmoths chose to still visit the flowers, even when pollution changed their scent.  The moth's unexpected reaction to the polluted flowers could be significant because it shows that insects might be able to adapt to & overcome the effects pollution has on nature. Before this can be confirmed though, many more tests would need to take place. Either way, pollution is still a problem, regardless of whether or not certain insects are discouraged by it. Although if it is shown that they are able to still survive in polluted areas, that would be beneficial based on the worsening air pollution situation. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/moth-learn-pollution-smog-...

Global greenhouses gases emissions are set to plunge eight percent the largest drop to ever be recorded due to the worldwide lockdown trying to fight the coronavirus. The coronavirus has caused a decline in use of fossil fuels but the drop shouldn't be seen as a positive effect on climate change. When the pandemic declines and the nations start to take steps to restart their economies there will be a soar in emissions if governments do not take efforts to shift to a cleaner energy source. Scientists cautioned that the world is facing an enormous task to get global warming under control which means the global emissisons will have to fall about eight percent every single year until 2030 if they want to keep global warming under two degrees Celsius. During this lockdown cities have seen a dramatic reduction in air pollution and smog since fewer people are driving on the road. I think that if we take steps to shifting to cleaner energy sources it can have a huge impact on climate chang...

Since people have been quarantined because of the coronavirus, lots of wildlife is coming out. Along the Emirati coastline recently, there have been rays flocking to Dubai Marina, dolphins playing around the man-made Palm Jumeirah islands and large gatherings of sharks off Ras al Khaimah. The sightings of these animals in these spots shows that without humans in the way the animals are able to travel around more in different areas and live better. Scientists are sighting some of the largest groups of animals ever seen in areas. Now Conservationists are able to push to increase the coverage of marine protected areas. It is likely that once human activity picks up again that it will reverse some of these benefits. I think it is really good for these animals that humans have not been getting in their way lately, but it is sad to think they only get to enjoy this until human activity picks up again. All of these areas where wildlife activity is picking up are areas that were originally th...

Summary: In this article, the idea of borders being closed and animal traffickers' businesses being put on hold, is brought up. Seen specifically in a flight from South Korea, that was meant to go to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam but ended up being diverted to Can Tho, officials discovered illegally trafficked parts of wildlife animals (in this case 11 rhino horns) that traffickers had planned on sending somewhere, but ultimately ended up somewhere else. It is this circumstance that is causing animal traffickers to worry that they won't be able to trade their shipments as easily as they normally would be able to, and are thus reducing their prices and decreasing their amounts of shipments. However, it is with accounts that are recorded in this article by those involved with the businesses, that say they believe that once this pandemic ceases to cause such closings of borders and transportation, that their business will rise again. Coronavirus Disrupts Illegal Wildlife Trafficki...

Due to the risk of Covid-19 being exposed to grocery workers, California is providing plastic bags in stores for 60 days.  Plastic bags have been banned in the state since 2016, causing people to have their groceries bagged in reusable bags.  This is great however, not in a time like this.  Many people have the store workers bag their groceries which is unsafe for them to do right now.  Those bags have been in contact with the costumer who could contain the virus.  Having workers touch those bags, puts them in a risk of getting the virus.  Although, the 60 days of providing plastic bags in stores was only suppose to be used if needed.  The belief was that costumers would bag their own groceries in their own reusable bags, but people are taking this suspended band for granted.  It is concerning since people should not be more at risk of receiving the virus, but plastic waste should not increase.  The only solution I can really think of is tell...

For the first time in almost 30 years people in Northern India could clearly see the Himalayas due to India's corona virus lock down, clearing air pollution. Many people haven't been able to see the Himalayas in decades, and now they can see it 100 miles away. India held 21 of the 30 worst polluted areas in the world, and now hold 6 of the top ten, after India's lock down.  According to the report 85 cities across India saw less air pollution in the first week of the nationwide lock down. Just on the first day,  Delhi saw up to a 44% reduction in air pollution levels.  Link :)