The Nitrogen cycle is a VITAL key to life on Earth, and maintaining the balance of it is one of the major challenges humans face with climate change. New research from the University of Texas suggests that the Arctic Ocean plays a much bigger role than previously thought in the Nitrogen cycle. The research suggests that Microbes at the seabed of the Arctic Ocean play a job in removing Nitrogen from the environment through denitrification which creates Nitrogen gas.
The region is responsible for about 5% of the World's Ocean nitrogen removal while only making up about 1% of the continental shelf. This is important because it can gives mankind clues as to how to better remove excess Nitrogen from the environment. All living things need Nitrogen to survive but too much Nitrogen can cause harm to both maritime and land based eco-systems. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161026104556.htm
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The problem with climate change is that it leads to thousands of new scenarios and problems as the environment tries to cope with changing conditions. Forest fires, especially in the Western United States, are on the rise due to climate change. Because of Climate Change vegetation in the forest receives less water which can cause trees to dry out and overall make a much drier landscape. These are the perfect conditions for forest fires to arise especially during the Summer months. The dry dead vegetation catches is very flammable and spreads the fire like, well, wildfire.
Forest fires can be caused my many different things, that's why it is so important for us humans to be careful in the forest. Cigarette buds, lighters, matches, glass, and many other daily things are big culprits when it comes to forest fires. We must be extra cautious around forests and natural environments so that we do not start more forest fires which are only going to hurt our home more. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161012141702.htm The effects of global warming on our world and society are yet to be seen in full effect, but as seen in California over the past years, it is evident that global warming is having an affect on our enviornment. With the rise in Earth's temperatures, droughts have been getting more and more common all over the world and scientists have made a new daunting prediction. Scientists are saying that the chances of the Southwestern Region of the US having a drought in the next century lasting more than ten years is over fifty percent. The same scientists continued to say that the chances of a "mega drought" or a drought lasting more than thirty years, is between twenty and fifty percent.
These predictions are scary because living in California I have seen what the drought can do to everyday life, and the fact that a much more severe and much longer drought will likely hit a big portion of this country in the coming century is daunting. We must stop ruining our earth and we must work to reverse the effects of climate change. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140827122505.htm Researchers at the University of Princeton who have been studying ice cores have found an interesting pattern in the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere over the past 800,000 years. The researchers have found that over the past 800,000 years oxygen levels have dropped in the atmosphere. The levels have dropped .8%, but over just the past 100 years they have dropped .1%. The levels dropped so much in the past century because of the burning of fossil fuels that came with industrialization.
These findings are interesting because they reinforce the argument that humans are affecting the earth and it's atmosphere. We are literally changing proportions in a very delicate system, something we should not be messing with at all. We must wake up SOON and realize what we are doing before it is too late to fix our damage. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161003141140.htm Recent findings of the geochemist Morgan Schaller of Presselaer Poly tech Institute suggest that the current trend of temperature increase which we know as global warming may have started with a bang. Evidence such as impact debris and evidence of wildfires in North America suggests that an impact happened in the North East region of North America around 56 million years ago. This was during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM, which was a period of rapid warming and huge increases in carbon dioxide levels found in the atmosphere. The event is what spurred modern global warming and may have increased Co2 levels in the atmosphere by disrupting and releasing huge amounts of carbon. This event is important because global warming is one of the biggest issues that we face today and it is extremely important to know what the origins may be because they may help us combat the issue. I think everybody should be much more informed on global warming as it is going to be one huge issue that will be faced by society in the coming decades. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/glass-bits-charcoal-hint-56-million-year-old-space-rock-impact?mode=topic&context=60 There have always been doubters of science, so it's no surprise that people out right reject science pertaining to climate change. These people use myths to back up their claims but the science is against them. One common myth is "There is no general consensus pertaining to climate change." It should come as little surprise that this is indeed very false. Authors of several climate change studies such as Naomi Oreskes, Peter Doran, William Anderegg, and John Cook, published a paper that settles the dispute. In the paper the findings conclude that up to 97% of climate change experts agree that climate change is a human casued enviornmental threat. There is no disputing that climate change is real and that humans are the problem. The second argument against climate change is that species will be able to adapt to any new conditions. Sadly this is false as the rate at which greenhouse gas emissions have been pumped into our atmosphere has increased so drastically due to human industrialization, species will not have had enough time to adapt to new conditions. These new empty slots in the world will disrupt food chains and ecosystems for a long time. Climate change really does have the potential to reshape our world. Source: http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php Researchers from the University of Washington have recently discovered a new finding in Central Asian weather. The researchers found that winds native to Central Asia have been blowing in the same way for over 42 million years. These winds help share the topography and climate in Central Asia, helping form deserts in the region.
The researchers found these discoveries by studying dust patterns in the rock of the area. They found similar dust patterns which are caused directly by the wind. If these patterns remain similar over a long period of time it shows that the wind was blowing in the same pattern over this whole time period. These findings will help to predict how the ecosystem will take shape in that region in the future. If researches know that this wind will be a common factor over time they can help predict what may happen in the future and use this for further studies or to combat any dilemmas which may arise. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160913115639.htm It has long been known that China, competitor with America for world's largest economy, has been one of the most harmful countries for the world in terms of global warming, pollution, and climate change. But in the past couple years China has tried to make up for it's global footprint and has spent billions on the world's largest reforestation program.
China's reforestation program, called Grain-for-Green, has attempted to restore 28 million hectares into wild forest in attempts to combat soil erosion and revitalize land. Forests are a very diverse and ever changing environment, but new studies by Princeton University reveal that much of the artificial forests planted by the Chinese contain only one type of tree. The research finds that having a single species of tree in the forests does nothing to enhance bio diversity and can in some cases even harm natural wildlife. The Chinese government should add more funds to the program to ensure that the job is done right - allowing for nature to take over and make these "artificial" forests wild again. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160907125303.htm Bikini Atoll, a small Atoll in the Marshall Islands, was the testing site for America's nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Native residents of the area were temporarily re-located during testing periods. They were led to believe that shortly after testing they would be able to return home. Sadly, radiation levels at Bikini Atoll remained dangerous after testing was completed and even still today are alarmingly high.
Currently radioactive materials on the island such as cesium-137 produce on average 184 millirems of radiation annually. The more dangerous parts of the island have been known to produce up to 639 millirems of radiation annually. These numbers greatly surpass the 100 millirems per year saftey standard set by the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Scientists predicted that by now the radiation levels in the area would have dropped to between 16 and 24 millirems per year, but it appears that some of their testing was done using outdated methods and from measurements made in the 1970's. While these levels remain high, it is not yet known exactly what impact they may have on residents of the region. Exposure to radioactive materials can have many long term health risks, and can contaminate produce, water, and even the air if levels are high enough. More tests and studies need to be done to know the full effect that these radioactive materials may have on Bikini Atollers, but it is evident that during the testing periods, they were not completely briefed on the future of their beloved home. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/bikini-atoll-radiation-levels-remain-alarmingly-high?mode=topic&context=60 Nowadays, most people agree that climate change is a thing. Scientists have come to a common consensus on the issue, THAT IT IS A THING. Some politicians try and tell us otherwise, but that is due to lobbying and a whole different issue that I will not get into right now. The question that has always surronded the issue is to what EXTENT have humans affected the Earth's climate. New research from a team of scientists from all around the globe finds some troubling evidence that climate change began about 180 years ago, during the 1830s. This is during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. For their study, the scientists examined natural records of climate variations including evidence preserved in coral reefs, caves, tree rings, and ice cores. Their findings show that due to increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the early 19th century, what we now know as climate change slowly began. It first affected the Artic regions, then Europe, Asia, and North America. The scientists also studied multiple large volcano eruptions during this time period but found that they had very little affect compared to the greenhouse gases.
I am troubled by this issue because of society's lack of concern and initiative in fighting this threat. I do not think people realize how much we really are affecting the world. They think "Oh yeah climate change, it'll go away in time once we transition away from modern day production and living. I shouldn't be worried though." But really these people should be worried. The easy way out is for politicians and powerful people to keep using oil, coal, etc, and harm our environment rather than find new clean renewable resources for us to gather to power our world. If we don't start looking for answers soon, it may be too late. Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160824135035.htm |
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