WATER FOUND ON THE MOON

On a recent expedition to the moon, a trio of spacecraft discovered the presence of OH and H2O molecules on the lunar surface. This shattered the long-held belief that the moon has always been a dry, barren wasteland and supports the theory that it was once a part of the Earth itself. 

This article caught my eye because of the exciting and new news that it offered. Finding water anywhere in space is something that should always be considered monumentous, because it is water that gives all life on Earth the ability to survive. Thus, finding water on a different planet indicates that at one point there may have been life on that planet that survived. Other than the possibility of life, finding water on the moon indicates that the moon could have been a part of the Earth at one point, which helps scientists to better understand the history of the planet as a whole, and the impact of certain events on the planet surface. Overall, this discovery is a very eciting development in our global history.

water on the moon

Parking Spots become Parks for the day

Turning parking spots into park spots was the day for many activists all over the country. Activists would take regular parking spots and transform them into mini parks complete with sod, potted plants, lawn chairs and barbeque grills to show America and the world that auto has grown so much that it has taken place of public land in big cities. A neighborhood association in Las Angeles made their “mini park” by taking up seven parking spots filled with a grill, a children's wading pool and a gardening workshop to teach people how to grow plants. Many other cities participated like Chicago where one group changed parking spots into a bicyclist pit stocked with food and drinks and New York City where college students put on a Shakespeare show all on parking spots. All these pocket parks were all done for The 'PARK(ing) Day' movement. ” This famous movement which started as a single installation four years ago has now become a worldwide event in 100 cities on four continents. The PARK(ing) Day movement is not only to show people that public land has been decreased but that parking on the side of the street and not in private lots where cost is a little extra can affect the environment we live it. By searching for a free parking spot than paying for one in a garage or private lot can be harmful. “… A study by Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles that found drivers spent an average of 3.3 minutes, or half a mile, circling the block in search of a parking space. Over a year, vehicles traveled 950,000 miles — the equivalent of 38 trips around the Earth — just looking for a parking spot. Shoup said many drivers would rather cruise for open spots on the street than park in higher-priced lots and garages.” Like the average person and myself no one wants to pay for parking so driving around an extra five minutes to squeeze into a free space is satisfactory, but that results in more traffic, wasted fuel and more population. Hopefully the “PARK(ing) day” movement will show people that driving around the lot 5 times looking for that extra spot can cause long term damage to future generations and the world.
I enjoyed the article a lot because “PARK(ing) Day” is something very creative, original, and it helps the planet which is something the world needs right now. I would have never thought that cruising around an extra five minute searching for a “free” parking spot could result in so much when added up. It is unbelievable how the automobile industry is taking over land and public spaces. I would like to know if “PARK(ing) Day” is being participated in my hometown of Philadelphia which is a much polluted city filled with major traffic and big industries. I thank the creators of PARK(ing) day to bringing this problem to the attention to society and myself. Hopefully this will spread and in the future population and traffic will decrease.


Prem Patel.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32916362/ns/us_news-environment/

New Computing Tool For Crops

Imperial College and Syngenta University have been working on the development of a new tool that will estimate the reaction that crops will have to different pesticides. Previous agricultural technology/research would have taken months/years to come to the conclusions that the tool calculates in a matter of minutes. The tool shows how the plant will react to different substances and environmental conditioins. Scientists are hoping that the tools will potentially help to create a drought resistant grain, and improve the shelf time/taste/quality of crops. The tool uses "machine learning", which basically means that the machine can learn and retain information from that of which it analyzes. Scientists will be using a tomato as the first test of the tool. They will be analyzing what genes affect the tomatoes flesh consistancy and color. The main goal is to create a better tasting strain of tomato. Another project that scientists are taking on is testing which pesticides are harmful to what plants. The tool will be very useful for these purposes.
I think that this tool will greatly improve the knowledge that scientists have about chemicals effects on plants, which ultimately leads to knowing their effects on humans. The thought of the tool having the "machine learning" application is a bit frightening, though. That entire concept does not stand on solid ground with me. Humans are becoming too reliant on machines to retain information for them. The idea of knowledge has shifted over the years from the idea of figuring out what you need to know and retaining it to figuring out how to develop a machine to tell you what you need to know-and relying on that machine to retain the information for you to reference. Some view this change as a positive thing, but I do not believe that it is a positive. If something disastrous happened and every computer blacked out and all information was lost, a large percentage of human "knowledge" would be gone--the "old fashioned way" of learning and research is always the way to go in my opinion.

-Lauren Null

Source--http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922095808.htm

In order to protect the ancient city Venice from rising flood waters a massive engineering project has been undertaken to build massive mobile flood gates in hopes of stemming the rising water. Venice has long been subject to floods as rise sea levels, caused by global warming, threaten to sink this beautiful city. These rising flood waters are most dangerous during high tide, where water seeps into the ground floors of buildings. The massive flood gates being built will hopefully solve this problem. By placing 78 of these massive flood gates in the 3 inlets that lead to the lagoon where Venice is built they can be raised during high tide thus lowering the water level. This project, called MOSE, is already 54 percent complete. However there has been controversy over the long term effects such technology will have on the environment. Marine scientist Laura Carbognin fears that rising sea levels will cause the flood gates to be closed for long periods of time. This will cut off the lagoon from vital exchanges with the ocean, destroying its ecosystem. Laura Carbognin proposes a more expensive but more environmentally sound solution. It involves injecting salt water and carbon into the deep formation of Venice itself could raise the island up to 30 centimeters in 10 years.
This just shows how dangerous global warming is to us. These rising waters could possibly destroy one of the oldest and most culturally significant cities of our time. However the current solution that is being enacted will probably cause even more problems. If the lagoon which surrounds Venice is cut off from the ocean, much of the life that lives in it now will probably die. The loss of so much sea life would be catastrophic. I personally agree with Laura Carbognin’s solution of raising the Venice itself rather then trying to lower the water. Her plan seems to be more environmentally friendly with less long lasting consequences.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112995748&ft=1&f=1025
Ryan Cowen

THE OZONE LAYERR

Recently, there have been a number of studies done to examine the ozone layer in the atmosphere across the globe. Scientists from the European Space Agency have used the data collected from these studies to create a prediction of the future condition of the ozone layer in the future. According to the article, "the findings look promising". 

According to the scientists, the ozone above northern and southern mid-latitudes was declining by 7% for the past few decades. After the enactment of the Montreal Protocol, however, they noticed a dramatic decrease in the trend, which fell to a mere .8% per decade. Now that ozone depletion is down to a meager .8% per decade, they predict that it will drastically improve in condition in years to come. 

This is  huge victory for the environment, whose very existence is dependent on the stability of the ozone layer, which protects us from the harmful UV radiation emitted by sunlight, which in effect shields us from the full intensity of the sun. Now that the ozone layer is relatively safe, other, more pressing environmental concerns can be looked at more seriously. Not only is this a victory for the environment, but it is also a victory for the environmentalist movement. They currently have the attention of the entire world, and showing that they can in fact make a significant change on Earth will show the world that the environmentalist movement is a movement worth supporting. This could open up new paths to efficient energy usage and sustainable life.

http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/40507

"How to Spark an Energy Quest"

The article talk about the need for new energy in all areas of the world and more options. Of course the main problem would be, none other than a money issue. The author empahsizes the need for money to start the effort would be the first challenge, but new jobs and services would be provided from the new energy. Critics are saying that the need for more government run energy "quests" is the way to go becuase many others are over heard and often looked over. They stress them to be aggresive in their pusuit to finance a new energy quest and that the government would be the best way to do it. Also, reducing the production of oil products for fuel isn't the option because it only makes the price of coal and other resources cheaper, thus leaving out environment in the whole process. Many critics believe the answer lies in cutting energy costs in buildings, transportation and appliances...

I find this article to be pretty informing. The reason is because mostly every article and commercial talks about cutting the use of fossil fuels, and consumption, which for the most part is true, but also is a small part of it. I feel like the true answer for the energy problem of today is right in front of us, but is just waiting to be found... But for now we should all keep doing our part in recycling, using less energy and other environmentally based practices

-CH

http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/how-to-spark-an-energy-quest/

Following Trash and Recyclables on Their Journey

Have you ever wondered where the trash you through away everyday is going? Well, Karin Landsberg decided to ask researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to come into her house and electronically tag some of her garbage with tracking devices. The researchers are now able to follow her trash and track it to its final resting place or the place in which it is recycled. M.I.T's Senseable City Laboratory is currently tracking 3000 similar pieces of trash through the disposal system for the next three months. The director of the lab, Carlo Ratti, said, "Our purpose of the project is to give people a concrete sense of their impact on the environment in a way that might lead them to change their habits." Trash collection and transport is very expensive for cities and this project may help understand the process and money involved in waste removal. The project should also show faults and ways to improve the system in order to make it more efficient and environmentally friendly. This project identifies the problems with the waste removal system and many solutions can be derived after the results come in. The results may evoke different thoughts in people about how they can make a difference and individual efforts are very important.

I found this article very interesting and I liked the idea behind it. This can pose many solutions in how we eliminate, recycle, or store everyday waste products. I like the idea of tracking the garbage because it shows people where their trash really goes and the route it has taken. I was very surprised that researchers could track and follow something so minuscule as a light bulb. I would like to read the results of the experiment and see what can be done to improve our removal system.

Brennan Weaver
Citation- http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/index.html

Uncertain Future Predicted For Forests

Uncertain Future Predicted For Forests In a study a the University of Illinoise, they have predicted forests will be lot different in about 200 to 400 years from today. There are two very important variables in predicting what forest landscapes may look like in the future. The studies show that these two variables are temperature and photosynthetic active radiation. Forested area west of Lake Superior was used for study. Using computer models, the researchers were able to simulate possible scenarios, which included tree species and possible climate profiles to predict how the landscape will look over time. The study found that the most important source of uncertainty is the temperature predictions. The second most important source is photosynthetic active radiation, the third is carbon dioxide, and the fourth is precipitation. Well how do we change or solve these problems? Simple answer, sustainable systems that are diverse and can adapt to the environment.

I thought the article was very interesting and got me more into depth of the serious problems we have in our forests today. I did not really think of forests being gone or destroyed, but that is the direction we are going in if we continue what we are doing. I enjoyed learning about the studies and the information they came out with. The numbers and years that the researchers predicted are found out were shocking, for examples like they said that they now don't know what will happen past the year 2200 and life spans for forests are becoming 100 to 200 years. The future is unknown for forests and ther are still many uncertanties that can not be fixed. My questions that I have based off of this article is, how will they manage the forest to climate change? How can they stop tempature changes from the number one problem? This is information I would like to know more of and would not mind studying.

Chris S. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915140932.htm

Threat to Biodiversity

Completeley shifting gears form my last post, I will focus on a microcosmic event.

Florida, land of alligators, water snakes, and other intimidating reptiles has faced a threat to the everglades’ natural sanctity for many, many years- invasive species. Fifteen years ago, Burmese pythons began proliferating in the humidity of Florida, spreading to the Everglades and Florida Keys, in the process beginning a war to usurp the alligator as the apex predator. Now, an even greater predatory snake threatens to populate the region.

The African Rock Python honestly makes the Burmese python look like garden snake. The creature is so savage that it’s children could not remotely be described as cute. Unfortunately, said babies have been reported in unidentified locations in Florida. The spread to the Everglades would portend disaster for local species, as their digestive capabilities, as shown by their size and diet of antelope and wildabeest, could be the tipping point in the war between snake and aligator, as well as a devistating loss of biodiversity in the Everglades National park.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090911-pythons-florida-giant-snakes.html

Students Launch Camera to the Edge of Space and Take Pictures

Oliver Yeh, throughout his years in school, has always been the one to come up with crazy science experiments that no one else thought would work. Even though his peers doubted him, he never gave up. Earlier this year, he got one of his friends to help him with his latest idea. He wanted to send a camera to the edge of space and attempt to take pictures. They used a weather balloon, a cell phone, hand warmers, and a drink cooler. They preformed the whole experiment for under $148.00. They launched the balloon in the morning and it stayed up for about five hours. After the launch, they did not receive any response from the balloon, so they thought the experiment had failed. They decided to check the computer on last time. To their luck, they found that the balloon landed nearby and they went to go get it. When they got the balloon they found that the camera was unharmed, the hand warmers were still hot, and they had gotten some amazing pictures.

I think we can learn a lot from this experiment. First, that it is possible for normal people to cheaply take pictures of space and the earth. Because this is possible, we could start using different methods to save the country money with space missions and discovery. Second, Oliver Yeh's continuation in not giving up on his experiments paid off in the end. He was able to prove to everyone that did not believe in him that he was able and capable of achieving an amazing goal despite of what others believed.

-Taylor Neuburg

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/21/space.camera.icarus.ireport/index.html

River Deltas

New studies led by the University of Colorado show that most of the world's river deltas are sinking. A river delta is a landform created when the mouth of the river flow into a larger area such as the ocean or estuary. This is caused by human activity such as building dams, man-made channels, and man-made levees. This poses a large environmental threat because if the river deltas sink, then the land that separates the river from the larger body of water then the whole ecosystem will be disrupted. This will cause a huge loss of land aproximately 100,000 square miles of land. About 500 million people live on river deltas. This will not only put millions of people out of home, but the debris from the houses will cause mass pollution and could also harm the environment.

This article was very surprising to me. I knew about how global warming was increasing the world's water level, but according to the University of Colorado, 24 out of 33 of the world's major river deltas are sinking. The sinking of these river deltas could not only produce major pollution, but also take away large areas of land. River deltas are very fertile and are mostly used for agricultural purposes. This sinking could lead to a shortage of food in certain areas and a shortage of housing in others.

Josh L.
http://www.enn.com/wildlife/article/40505

Saving Energy: It Starts at Home

Several different families in a suburban neighborhood of Northern Virginia decide to help raise awareness by going on a “carbon dioxide diet.” They begin to see things about their daily lifestyle that are the most harmful, including one gallon of gas emitting 19.6 pounds of carbon dioxide a day. One couple estimated their footprint to be at approximately 54,273 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere a year, which is 30% above the national average, and so they decided to set a goal well below the average family at 30 pounds emitted a day.

 

The couples worked diligently, implementing large ceiling fans, using public transportation, and walking or biking short distances. However, they realized that their results which showed they had cut down to 70 pounds emitted a day, were destroyed by a recent plane flight, which over doubled their emissions to 150 a day as an average. A plane emitted “almost half a much carbon dioxide per person as we would have produced if we’d driven to Oregon in our car” says author and participant Peter Miller. The Bauer’s, another group of participants averaged at about 97.4 a day. Because they did up to 14 loads of laundry a week, the couple decided to hang their clothes to dry instead of use the drier, but found this as an inefficient alternative in humid Virginia.

 

The article provides many startling statistics including if everybody drove their car 20 fewer miles a week, carbon dioxide emissions would fall 9% and if each car had their gas mileage improved by only 5 miles per gallon, there would be a 20% decrease. The average new construction house today is 45% bigger than it was 30 years ago. For every kilowatt of electricity used, 2.2 are wasted. 

Article provided by National Georgaphic magazine

Doctors warn on climate failure

If we fail to agree to the new UN climate deal, which will be a supplant to the Kyoto Protocol, will result in the death of billions of people in developing countries. Doctors are encouraged to research the issue to this and take a stand. People in tropical regions of the world will suffer the most because healthy air and clean water will become even harder to find.
However, even though this treaty could dramatically help the earth's climate, at meetings preparing for it to be put into action there has been much discussion on how the countries will fund the climate protection. Politicians are having a hard time deciding whether or not to agree with such a treaty. Even though they are aware it could save billions of people, they are not sure whether they should ask people from other countries to pay for the protection of another. If they do not agree to it the death rates will be disasterous.
The rising temperatures will cause the spread of infectious diseases to increase more rapidly and the producton of crops to decrease. Also the number of heat-related deaths in the tropical regions would increase as well. Researchers say that if the population continues to increase at this rate it will put the lives and wellbeing of many people at even greater risk than they already are. Since population is something we can control, if we reduce our populations then we would use less resources. The fewer resources we use the healthier our planet is and the better it will be able to sustain human beings. There are many options that are easily accessable, we just need to take the time to put them into action and begin to improve the climate situation.

I think it is ridiculous that the large developed countries can produce such an enormous amount of pollution and not have to deal with it for years while the developing countries who can barely feed themselves have to live with the effects of someone else's mistakes. It's sad that developed nations are making the world warmer and thus making countries already plagued by heat and infectious disease even worse places to live than they already are. The poloticians who are being difficult and not agreeing to the treaty should not be allowed in office. If they do not want to make their people pay, literally, for the problems they have caused another country that has done nothing then they need to be replaced. I believe that even though the problems we have created are not directly effecting us now, they will in the future because they are effecting other countries, fellow human beings. If we pay for the protection of the climate in these countries, their food supplies will begin to increase and the spread of diseases will decrease and they will be able to fend for themselves and not rely on big developed countries to feel sorry for them and send left over food over on a ship.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8257766.stm

Mallory Cox

Allie T.

Killer Whales Die Without King Salmon

Jennifer Viegas

The study, published in the latest Royal Society Biology Letters, suggests that although killer whales may consume a variety of fish species and mammals, many of them are highly dependent on a single species of salmon. Some killer whale populations favor king salmon so much that the whales will actually die when numbers of this largest member of the salmon family drop. "Nutritional stress" probably leads to killer whale deaths because it can make the whales "susceptible to other factors leading to mortality, such as disease and parasitism," and possibly also more vulnerable to the "immuno-suppressive effects of PCBs" and other ocean pollutants, said lead author, John Ford, to the Discovery News. Scientists have determined that from 1974 to the mid 1990's, killer whale populations steadily grew in number at an increase of nearly 2.6 percent per year. That pattern ended in the mid 1990's, when both analyzed populations of killer whales entered a period of an obvious decline, dropping by up to 17 percent in 2001. Ford and his team instead believe some killer whale populations are dependent on Chinook Salmon as their primary year-round food resource, even though these predators have the ablility to eat all different species of fish without having issues. Even though some killer whales only prey on king salmon, Fisheries and Oceans Canada calls for strengthening killer whale populations by ensuring enough food for this animal to survive.

This article was intersesting to me because of many reasons. One reason being how the Killer whale completey relies on King Salmon, even though it can eat all different types of fish species. Also I think we need to save these beautiful creatures because they are slowly drifting away from having an abundant population. I think by providing systems that help King Salmon produce in greater amounts will help the whales in a way that most systems would not. By allowing these killer whales to grow in a greater amount will cause only good things to happen within this organization. We must do all we can to save this type of species and focus on whats really important in our world today. We must do all we can to save any type of any animal species no matter what the circumstances are.

Allie Thorndike

Global Warming Could Cool North America in a Few Decades

Article by Kate Ravilious for National Geographic news
"Global warming could actually chill down North America in just a few decades" reports Tim Daley of Swansea University in the U.K. Research has found that the usually warm current called the Gulf Stream has been injected by a huge pulse of freshwater from glacial lake causing the stream to slow down. The climate history of Antarctica was found to be in continuous change with many episodes of warming and cooling. Although most of these changes occurred slowly some of the changes were rapid and of significant magnitude – that might be equivalent to the climate of Alabama being changed to the climate of Maine in just one or two decades. Society has the best opportunity to adapt if climate changes gradually, however, a rapid change in climate would wreak havoc on people and their structures. Could we be on the edge of a rapid climate change? Daley and his colleagues have found from a moss study dated back more than 8,700 years ago that about 8,350 years ago the mosses oxygen levels dropped due to the occurence of lower air temperature. Their models are now showing to "significantly underestimate the impact and duration of the climate perturation". This means that these same models might not be accurately predicting what might happen in the furture if Greenland's ice sheet continues to melt. Fortunately, other reasearches, not involved in the study, believe that this reoccurence is possible but most likely will not be as dramatic a last time.

I honestly was very fascinated by this article. Normally when people talk about Global warming they think strictly about the warming of our earth and mainly our regional effects. We do not focus on the warming that is occuring else where and in this case Greenland poses to be a main factor. If those frozen ice caps were to melt then my home of warm and humid VA would experience a major climate drop due to the coast line. I think that this is when sustainability comes into play and people start to make a change for the environment in order to prevent a phenomenon such as this one. I am very interested in this topic and will be keeping posted.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090914-north-america-cooling-warming.html


-Alyssa G

Olive Ridley Turtles

As thousands of turtles arrive at a beach in Oaxaca, Mexico, to lay their eggs this season, federal and local authorities have been deployed to protect them against poachers.
As the turtles nest on the Pacific coast, Mexican Navy patrols keep watch and a group of at least five biologists tirelessly keeps records on the number of nests and the eggs they contain.
Each turtle deposits around 100 eggs each time she clambers ashore.
La Escobilla has been declared a natural protected area to prevent poaching of the Golfina, (gol FEEN ah) or Olive Ridley, turtles.
The turtles left about 1.3 million eggs in La Escobilla last year and biologists expect a similar number this year. One of the turtle guides says the site is the most important in the world.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sostenes Rodriguez, Turtle Guide: "This is the most important beach for marine turtle nesting in the world, it's above Costa Rica and India "
The turtles arrive in eight to ten waves between June and December. Each arrival can bring from 50-thousand to 70-thousand turtles.
Due to protective measures, populations of Golfina have increased, and theyre now classified as vulnerable, while the Leatherback, or Laud turtle is still critically endangeredaccording to the Turtle Center, there were only 100 nests built world-wide last year.
Both species were hunted for decades-- their eggs taken for sale or eaten. But in 1990, a law banned hunting and the sale of eggs and turtle meat in Mexico.
Officials have also run public information campaigns to discourage poaching.
Despite the law, environmental officials say the animals are still targeted.
At La Escobilla beach, locals formed a cooperative to serve as guides and help protect the Golfina.
Once they sold eggs and turtle meat. Now they understand that protecting their former prey can be far more profitable.
SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sostenes Rodriguez, Turtle Guide: "We are very aware that the more we take care of this, the longer it's going to last."
The Turtle Sanctuary is open to tourists, who take boat tours into the Pacific to see the turtles swim in their natural habitat.

I was extremely excited when I found this article because unlike many of the current events posted, this one was actually positive. Biologists have been keeping track of the Golfina turtles and how many eggs have been laid on a beach in Oaxaca, Mexico. Even the Mexican Navy are on patrol to protect the area since apparently the turtles meat and eggs were sought for profit. This careful management of this beach and turtle protection has led to the Golfina species of turtle to be considered only "vulnerable" instead of endangered, unlike many of it's other relatives. However, the article states that there is hope, that as long as people are aware that these turtles need watching over, they will be able to survive.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/090918-mexico-golfina-turtles-video-ap.html

Carbon gets stoned

Summary: Scientists have been search for a permanent way to store co2 that is collected from human emissions. many scientist have contemplated an under ground storage system, however there is always a possibility of it leaking out and causing an increased problem of global warming. recent studies however show that by injecting co2 into periodite which is the most common rock found in the subsurface mantle, creating limestone and other carbonite minerals which are reallativly stable. however while this would slow global warming it would cause a change in the natural development of the dumpsites.

http://www.conservationmagazine.org/articles/v10n3/carbon-get-stoned/



My view: If the resultes of this proccess are compared to the reduction in greenhouse emmisions, which just using a perodite diposites in Oman, would be an estamated 10% of annual human emmisoins. Also while being a relativly cheap process, it woul open up jobs required to maintain and regulate fields as well as collecting the emmisions at the source, which could potentially help the economy as well as the environment. There for I believe that this is a practical idea which could lead to the creation of moree effective emmision control and storage, as well as a base for new industries dealing with the carbon based by products.

'Safe' lead levels harm children

Lead has caused numerous health issues. It has been linked to the intellectual and behavioral development of children. Although lead has been removed from paint and petrol, it is still prevalent in the environment. The safe level of lead is 10 micrograms per deciliter of blood. Researchers analyzed blood of a population of 582 children up to 30 months. In these children, they found that 27% of them contracted lead levels above five micrograms. The researchers routinely checked the childrens' progress, and they assessed the academic and behavioral performance at the age of seven. The researchers concluded that the blood lead levels at 30 months showed notable associations with educational achievement, antisocial behavior and hyperactivity scores. Lead levels up to five micrograms per deciliter showed no obvious affect. However, lead levels between five and ten micrograms per deciliter were associated with profoundly lower scores for reading and writing. Lead levels above ten deciliters showed the children were almost three times as likely to display antisocial behavior patterns and be hyperactive compared to the children with the lower levels of lead.

I find it hard to believe that the childrens' behavior was impaired significantly by lead. I believe that there are too many variables to truely say that lead in the blood is the main cause. Children put everything in their mouths. So if the cause is in fact lead in the blood, parents need to be more aware of what their child puts into his or her mouth. I thought it was interesting that lead is still a big factor in development. I thought that it was not a large issue anymore. I would like to know what factors they took into account when they concluded that lead even affected the intellect and behavior of children. I think it was had a sufficient amount of information, but I would think that another article would come out and explain how to avoid high lead levels.


'Safe' lead levels harm children

Arctic Geese Skip Migration as Planet Warms

Scientists have recently found out that a group of geese called the Pacific Brant have skipped their annual migration to the south for the winter. Instead of spending the winter months in the waters of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, they instead chose the lagoons of western Alaska. Scientists believe this abnormal behavior has been prompted by the world's climate change. A change in storm systems, sea level rise, and erosion all have been clues to why the birds would make this change. It is possible that if this trend continues, not just a flock but wholes of migratory birds will be affected. I believe that in order to curb this growing problem, the Earth as a whole must change their environmentally degrading ways and try to stop this global warming.

I agree absolutely with the article in how our environmentally unhealthy ways are speeding up not only global warming but readily affecting these migratory birds. I really liked how the article works in providing a specific example of how global warming is hurting animals and our environment first-handedly. It provides concrete evidence that the environment is changing and not in a good way. I would like to know after reading if there have been any more changes in the migratory patterns of any other types of animals in the world, and if the change is so drastic.

Channing M.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/16/birds-migration-warming.html

The Great Barrier Reef!

In Canberra climate warming is impacting Australia's Great Barrier Reef, which is one of the largest living organisms. It spreads off of Australia's east coast 345,000 square miles. Government reef management says the great barrier reef is getting worse and there may not be a way to stop in from diminishing. Not only is it the climate warming, but pesticide and fertilizer run off has polluted the reef making it more likely to decrease in size. Maybe with affective bleaching the reef will be recovered. There are plans to stop half the run off of pesticides and the WWF is more aware of the issue since the article was written.

I think it is great that the article was addressed. I like the article because i think we should save what precious organisms are left and when it is the great barrier reef we should work extra hard on getting it recovered. The article interested me because when I was in Bermuda I was fortunate enough to scuba dive around a reef and they are really amazing with all the different wildlife and we should protect them. I have a question about the bleaching of the reef and more on how it is used. Also I would like to know if any organisms within the reef are becoming extinct because the reef is in danger.

http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre5810xz-us-australia-reef/

Pesticide Label Changes Prompted by Salmon Protection

Salmon and steelhead fish have become an endangered species in California, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon due to high levels of certain pesticides. The EPA set limits on the use of pesticides, specifically chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion. The limitations are set only for areas in the four states that have all 28 species of salmon and steelhead. The pesticides are still allowed on farmlands and other land not surrounding the waters where these fish live. The plan is for the companies producing these chemicals to abide with the new limits, but if they do not the EPA has made plans to enforce these rules. The new rules are very important because this is the first time in twenty years that the EPA has followed the consultation process set by the Endangered Species Act.

I think this is very important because the EPA is working together with the Obama administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service for one cause. It is also important to have strict limitations on the pesticides put into our water and food supply because if it harms the fish it can potentially harm us as well. It is necessary for the companies to abide by these new limitations because even if the pesticides individually do not harm the environment, all of them combined may.

-I couldn't figure out how to hyperlink my title..

Debating How Much Weed Killer is Safe in Your Water Glass

Debating How Much Weed Killer is Safe in Your Water Glass

The chemical atrazine has reached alarming levels in water system testing. Atrazine is a weed killer used mostly by farmers and lawn care workers. When the chemical is sprayed particles can seep down into water systems. The increase in the level of the pollutant has become a concern for expecting mothers. It is believed that when a certain amount of the chemical is exposed to the mothers it can cause birth defects, such as skull and facial malformations and misshapen limbs, and premature births. The atrazine levels also affect animals, if an animal’s mother is exposed to it during pregnancy than it’s offspring has a greater risk for cancer. Although scientists are not 100 percent positive of the effects, they cannot do a direct experiment with atrazine and women because it would be unethical. A study done by Purdue University stated that amounts of atrazine as small as .1 parts per billion can be harmful. But the Environmental Protection Agency said that one can be exposed up to 297 parts per billion and still be safe. When water systems are tested the people who use that water systems are to be told of test results. In one case in Piqua, Ohio the manufacture of atrazine, Syngenta, tested the water and found high levels of the chemical and didn’t inform local officials. In other areas people have sued Syngenta, to make them remove the contaminants from the water. Even the European Union has banned the use of atrazine, just to be preventive if it does have great health affects. Many believe the EPA is responding to slow to this growing problem. This issue is very similar to fertilizer runoff in being that it is non-point pollution. One solution could be to limit the amount of atrazine applied to the land. But once again regulating that would be difficult.

I liked this article because the atrazine levels can affect people in our area. What surprised me about the article was that the EPA was not very proactive in trying to improve the problem. One question brought to mind about the article is whether high levels of atrazine can affect men?

Victoria P.

Coal Clampdown

The EPA is cracking down on its position against toxic practices having to do with mountaintop removal mining. As of last week, the EPA also said that 79 valley fill permit applications be streamlined for approval. They also brought up the point that since that the mining removal process happens in large scales, it can possibly lead to unchangable changes in watersheds. It would effect it because it would add elevated levels of sulfae, magnesium, ions of calcium, iron, aluminum, zinc, and selenium to the streams. Back in May the EPA said yes to 42 out of 48 valley fill permits after reviews with individuals. The EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior are currently dealing with an excess of permit applications because they have been put on hold by litigation. The decision to say no to all permits is not yet official, but it does give environmental groups a little hope. It also gives them some satisfaction after fighting mountaintop removal mining so much.

Personally, I agree with the environmental groups. If it is proven that the issue is harming the environment, then it must be stopped. The fills and mining are causing major problems such as pollution. Effecting the water supply is something that is not acceptable and must be fixed. It effects the wildlife and people both. You would figure that people would want to protect themselves from harmful toxins, but business often becomes priority over our earth. We need to take care of nature, so it can take care of us. Other alternatives need to be found besides mountaintop removals and fills.

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4850

Hawaii Tries Green Tools in Remaking Power Grids

Hawaii is going green! Its six main islands are trying different ways to make energy. The islands are getting energy from the waves in Maui, the wind in Lanai and Molokai, the solar panels in Oahu, maybe from the biomass energy from crops in Kauai, and the seawater near the big island, Hawaii. The volcanic activity is also helping the environment. Electricity is made from the heat energy from the volcanic rock. Hawaii is said to have the most diverse use of alternative energy. The creative use of making the energy is causing challenges in delivering energy to the people. The people are just too far to obtain the power from the sources. These renewable resources are only serving 9 percent of the islands' power. 77 percent of the islands' energy is still coming from imported oil. By 2030, 40 percent of the power in Hawaii should be generated from renewable resources. The islands will be connected by cables and energy conservation will help enforce the plan.

Hawaii is taking a great step in helping our environment. It is also helping the United States economy by trying to reduce the use of oil. Oil may be the easiest way to create energy for our everyday appliances but it creates a great amount of damages. The renewable energy resources give the nation a sense of relief because of our economic and environmental crisis. I think this is a great idea and I hope the plan reaches its goal by 2030. I hope other states will consider other renewable resources as an energy provider. I was surprised that there are so many other way to obtain energy. I was also surprised that coal only provided 14 percent of the nation's energy. I will be on the look out for more information on the steps Hawaii is taking to make the state more green. I am just curious to how they are going to enforce the idea and get the energy to the people all over the state. If Hawaii is putting their resources to use, I hope other states will follow in their foot steps.

by Lexie Redd

the title would not work as a hyperlink

Hawaii Tries Green Tools in Remaking Power Grids

NOAA Develops Great Lakes Algal Bloom Forecasts

Recently NOAA has developed a system that will help them to forecast the direction and intensity of these algal blooms. These blooms have continued to be a problem for years and the cost of cleaning up the damage they produce averages out to about 82 million or more dollars a year. This system was used for the first time at Lake Erie where the blooms have continued to be a threatening problem. The algae produces toxins that can cause skin rashes, and if ingested can cause nausea and diarrhea. Also it has been known to kill fish and foul the drinking water. But now with the system the NOAA can warn local health department and such agencies where they will form so that they can get them cleaned up before they cause too much damage.

I thought that this article was extremely interesting and informing. I really like how the NOAA prepared this system to help not only the Great Lakes but other coastal areas. I thought that all the information about the blooms and how they can now predict where they will emerge is very interesting, imagine the technology that must have taken to get that effect, its' mind-blowing. Personally, I would love to keep an eye on this system and see how well it actually works, because if it does, we could take this technology and use it predict other things as well.

article can be found at http://www.emagazine.com/view/?4851

Shanice Hines

Banning Pestides

The Persistent organic pollutant(POP), Endosulfan is still responsible for severe health and environmental impacts.(Environmental Justice Foundation) Endosulfran is one of the worlds most dangerous pesticides. It has been banned in 62 countries but has yet to be included under the Stockham Convention, which would lead to a global ban or production use. Endosulfran can be used as a wood preservative but it is very harmful to farmers and children who apply it to crops. The EFJ in a September 2009 release stated that Endosulfan is the dominant pesticide in the cotton sector in 19 countries! Endosulfan is harmful to humans because the substance is readily absorbed through the lungs, stomach and even through the skin. Another major factor is the chemical has remained in the environment and continues to spread.(UK- based nonprofits) Endosulfran has been linked to congenital physical disorders, poisoning and death.Endosulfan has also been found in remote regions such as Artic, Alps and the Himalayas. Traces of the chemical have been found in animals across the world from polar bear in animals across the world from polar bear to crocodiles to Minke Whales! Europe's formerly biggest producer of Endosulfan last month in the Bayer CropScience confirmed it will phase out the sale of the pesticide in 2010 due to pressure from Campaigners like Environmental Justice Foundation and Pestcidies Action Network.

In my opinion the article was very interesting. Although i am very bothered that Endosulfan is not banned in every country. I know it is very useful pesticide but if it harming so much life ,is it worth it? I found it very interesting that the chemical stays in the environment and was found in areas like the Himalayas, while reading this article PCB's kept on coming to mind. Endosulfan can be compared to PCB. I'm just wondering why hasn't Endosulfran been banned in every country yet? Also what can we do to get rid of the Endosulfan thats in the environment?

Shanice Hines.

Banning Pesticides

Tree power?

Scientists have known for a long time that plants have the ability to conduct electricity. This has been proven before with the potato or lemon experiment. Power through trees is different though. The scientists use the same metals for both electrodes, while the potato and lemon conductivity test use two different metals. The Big Leaf Maple tree is the best tree for obtaining energy. It generates a steady voltage of about 200 millivolts. This is obviously not enough volts to power anything, but scientists have created a way to store this small amount of energy. When energy is stored you can add to it, until the energy level is high enough to power something. This way of obtaining energy is not as practical as most, but it is just another green form of energy we have now. You can never have too many environmentally safe energy sources. Any cut back on harmful sources of energy is helpful, and that’s not all it can be helpful for. Scientist can use the electrical output to keep track of the trees health. The more healthy trees we have the more oxygen we have. And, if we stop or slow our pollutant emissions the healthy trees will delude the harmfully toxins in the air. This is a source of green energy and is beneficial to the trees.

Ryan May

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32862305/ns/technology_and_science-green_innovation/

Lithium-Air Batteries

Battery experts have been working on creating lithium–air batteries that will eventually be ideal for transportation. Unlike Zinc-air batteries, these will eventually be chargeable. The article states that several manufactures have been collaborating, in hopes that it will become available, for replacement of fossil fuels. They are facing the problems, like safety concerns, and increased cost to already expensive cars.

I believe that if battery experts can make the batteries accessible it will lower the usage of fossil fuels for transportation. This will help use less of our nonrenewable resources. It will also lower pollution, from car exhaust. I do not like that it will make the cost of cars rise. They also do not state how unreasonable the batteries will be in terms of charging time and market cost. Experts do not yet know how long the batteries will last, which could be problematic or the environmental effect of the batteries. I find it interesting that they do not expect to put the batteries directly on the market. I would like to know the environmental effect of the manufacturing of the batteries. Yes fossil fuels are limited, but are they more practical compared to the lithium- air batteries.

The Easiest Way to Fight Global Warming?

The Easiest Way to Fight Global Warming?

Scientist have recently discovered that carbon dioxide is not the only main agent in global warming. Climatologist, who are people who study the climate, have discovered that soot could be causing global warming issues. Soot comes from diesel engines, burning of fields, cook stoves, and other things. Once it gathers on Earth's surface it absorbs sunlight and radiates heat. Scientist have also discovered that sulfate has been found to reflect sunlight, cooling the ground beneath it. 

I thought that the article was very interesting, i never would have thought cleaning up soot could greatly lower global warming. I enjoyed the article because it gives us hope that we can reverse the global warming effects. I think that we need to have more facts about how much soot is present on the environment. If it is a large amount it could be beneficial, but if it is small it could be a waste of money. Overall i think that it was an interesting article. 

Dead walruses, Low Arctic Sea Ice Level Reported

The Arctic has had its lowest summer ice level since 1979. On the same day this figure was measured, reports of dead sea walruses on the shore of the Chukchi Sea, located on the northwest coast of Alaska. Most of the walruses reported were newborn calves or yearlings. A spokesman from the U.S Fish and Wildlife says that it is too early to find the cause of these deaths. Last week about 3500 dead walruses were reported at a feeding ground on the Icy Cape. Because of the decrease of ice, walruses have been forced to land, instead of riding ice. At the University of Colorado, the National Snow and Ice Data Center says that the ice will be reforming through winter. In 2007, Russian biologists discovered some 3,000 to 4,000 out of a population of 200,000 died on the Russian side of the Chukchi Sea. Many environmental groups call for measures of a decrease of emissions to the ozone layer. This event proves that global warming is causing the Arctic to melt. This also causes major changes in wildlife behavior.

I really liked this article. It provides the reader with a current example of global warming in the Arctic. The wildlife of the Arctic is a vital part of the world's ecosystems. I was interested to see what the cause of the walruses deaths were. This summer the camp I was working with took a trip to the Virginia Aquarium. All the kids were so excited when they saw the seals at the front. It made me think just how endangered these beautiful creatures are. I would like learn more about the wildlife in the Arctic and how to improve their conditions and behavioral habits.
"Dead Walruses, Low Arctic Sea Ice Level Reported". 17 September 2009. MSNBC Online. 19 September 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32902977/ns/us_news-environment/.
Dead walruses, low Arctic sea ice level reported

Current Events Guidelines

Each month, APES students are required to post one environmental science related article and to comment on someone else’s article on class blog

ARTICLE REQUIREMENTS

1. Your article should be related to environmental science and be from a reputable source.
2. The article be sufficient in length to provide you with enough information for a discussion section (see more specific requirements below.)
3. Your article may not be more than 2 months old and may not have been written up by any other students. The first person to submit an article will be given credit. It pays to submit early!
4. Choose from one of these sources. No more than two people may sign up to get their article from the same source.
1. Newspapers: Virginian Pilot, Washington Post, New York Times, etc.
2. News Magazines: Newsweek, Time, US News and World Report periodically have science or technology features.
3. Science Magazines: Discover, Popular Science, Science News, E: The Environmental Magazine, Natural History, Virginia Wildlife and others can all be found in our school library.
4. Internet: You can find science articles at the inks posted on the sidebar of the blog
   

Be sure to include a link to the article with your summary and cite the source for your article. The title of the article should be hyperlinked to the source article.


SUMMARY REQUIREMENTS AND RESPONSES TO OTHER ARTICLES 

Summary and Reflection

• short summary, a discussion of the issue and a proposed solution to the problem.   Do NOT plagiarize the article! If you choose to use quotes, do so sparingly and appropriately.
• Reflection: This is the biggest part of your report. I am interested in your response to the article. Please address the following questions in your reflection:
  a) What did you think about the article? Did you like it or not? Why?
  b) What interested you or surprised you about the article?
  c) What questions do you have about what you read? What would you like to know more about what you’ve read?   

• Response to a Classmate’s Article
• Due one week after articles are first submitted
• Comment on the article. Don’t regurgitate what others have said – make it original! Personal reflection addresses all of these questions well: What do you think about the information? Do you think this information is important? What might this mean for society?
• This is your chance to have a "conversation" with a classmate about the article. 

SCORING CRITERIA: 20 POINTS

1. Provided copy or link of news story (which is also the heading for the posting) 2 points 
2. Completeness and quality of discussion of event 10 points 
3. Grammar and writing of discussion 3 points 
4. Response: Thorough, thoughtful, presents new insights into the issue 5 points
   

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