Cracking the Genetic Code of Brown Tides

Author: John Collins Rudolf
Publication Date: 2/22/11
Link: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/22/genetic-code-of-brown-tides-cracked/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Summary: In this article, scientists analyzed a certain type of algal bloom and the genome, or biological source code, to find the parts that make up this organism. Algal blooms can have deadly effects on marine ecosystems by reducing the amount of light and oxygen available. The specific bloom that scientists did a study on was the Aureococcus anophagefferens, a nontoxic bloom that thrives in polluted areas. Although the certain type of algal bloom is not toxic to humans, it poisons marine life and blocks sunlight from underwater vegetation and organisms. These blooms create something known as brown tides which are caused because of human activity and the pollutants that we put in the water. All in all, we must all be aware of what we put in our water or else it could result in algal blooms growing all along the east coast, wiping out marine ecosystems and fish populations for good.

Opinion/Reflection: I think that it is a bad thing that we have algal blooms at all. Algal blooms do not grow naturally , but are a result of nutrient pollution. We are the reason that these algal blooms are forming and wiping out fish populations and vegetation. Although we do not realize it, we are actually hurting ourselves. If we put in all these nutrients into the waterways and there is no fish, our economy will fall even lower and there will be no more marine animals to eat, trade, or sell. The way that these blooms connect with my own life is that my family and I usually go to the beach twice a year. If one day I walk onto the beach and I see a sign that says sorry beach closed-algal blooms, I would not be able to swim. These algal blooms do not have one positive effect on animals or humans and we need to quickly raise awareness and and eradicate algal blooms.

Questions:
1. What are some ways we can prevent nutrient pollution?
2. How do algal blooms create dead zones?
3. What would happen if all our seas were covered with mats of algal blooms?
4. How can we raise awareness of the dangers o0f algal blooms and their devastating effects?

Graphic: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/02/110221163128.htm This is the link to a picture of a bay in New York where there is a brown tide and you can clearly see the discoloring of the water and can only imagine the effects of what is underneath that brown water.

Louisiana's Wetlands: A Lesson In Nature Appreciation

Title: Louisiana's Wetlands: A Lesson In Nature Appreciation
Author: John Tibbetts
Publication Date: Janurary 2006



Summary: Many of you have heard about Hurricane Katrina taking a huge hit in New Orleans in 2005. But did you know that this disaster could accually have been some what prevented if the wetlands along the coast of Louisiana had be maintianed and preserved. Now they would not have stopped the hurricane all together, however, the amount of damage that was brought could have been less if the wetlands where there to slow down the storm. There are many causes as to why the wetlands were eliminated along the coast of louisiana. One is the developement of levees, an embankment designed to prevent the flood of a river, these were build along the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River has many of its tributaries run all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico bringing its sedements with it. This allowed huge quantities of silt to settle and nurish the wetlands down south. When the levees were built it stopped this process. The amount of damage that was brought on New Orleans could have been prevented if people had payed attention to the decrease in wetlands along the coast of Louisiana.



Graphic:
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cement.org/water/images/slurry_levee.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cement.org/water/dams_sc_faqs_slurry.asp&usg=__lnbYzOpNG19UO1aP8xzSVsSYoF8=&h=382&w=500&sz=46&hl=en&start=0&sig2=hZsk3x4HdkYPNk4jL0j36g&zoom=1&tbnid=PzMthmCAvwXMMM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=157&ei=UxOATe3BMOmV0QHJpaXzCA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlevee%2Bdiagram%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1362%26bih%3D528%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=288&vpy=84&dur=546&hovh=196&hovw=257&tx=134&ty=127&oei=UxOATe3BMOmV0QHJpaXzCA&page=1&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0




Opinion: I did not know that the Mississippi had such a big impact on the wetlands that were on the coast of Louisiana. People think that levees help prevent floods in the places they are built but they can cause flooding and other problems in places that depend on those rivers allow the water to travel to those places. If these levees had not been put up then the wetlands along the Louisiana coast could still be there. Wetlands are important because they help prevent flooding, they need to be preserved. In my backyard there are wetland that run throught my neighborhood. During heavy rains, rain water runs to the wetlands which taken in and carry water to a creek nearby. I never realized that this could prevent flooding in my neighborhood.

Questions:

1) Do you think that levees are a good thing or bad?

2) Do you think we can restore the wetlands in Louisiana?

3) Do you think the decrease in wetlands in Louisiana could have been avoided?

EPA Encourages Americans to Save Water During Fix a Leak Week

Title: EPA Encourages Americans to Save Water During Fix a Leak Week
Author: Richard Yost
Publication: United States Environmental Protection Agency
Date: 3-11-11
Link: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/AD97428925DDE4AA85257850006379B8

Summary: The EPA is promoting their third annual Fix a Leak Week, March 14 through 20. Across the country, household leaks waste over 1 trillion gallons of water per year. That is enough to support Chicago, Miami and Los Angles combined. Water leaks are easy and efficient to fix and you can save a lot of money and water in the end. If a family of four's water usage exceeded 12,000 gallons per month this winter, it is suggested they might have a water leak. Some ways to fix a leak and participate in the event, is to check for leaks by dropping some food coloring droplets in your toilet tank and flushing it to see if it appears in the bowl. Also, you can go to every pipe and make sure it’s on tight enough. Since this program started it saved more than 46 billion gallons of water and $343 million in water and sewer bills.

Opinion: I think this is great. It is really spreading awareness to homeowners that leaks can happen and are wasting water. I also think this will help a lot of people with water shortages. If the water is not wasted, then we will be able to use it later. I hope that this year will be very successful in helping our country save money and water.

Graphic: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.friendlyplumber.com/images/repairing_leaky_pipes/pipe_leak.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.friendlyplumber.com/plumbing101/how_tos/how_to_repair_leaky_pipes.html&usg=__UHYuGME8hCvV3ls0mUGjILkMzaM=&h=201&w=191&sz=9&hl=en&start=0&sig2=5LsgpVBQ4trHcKtNsIbK7w&zoom=1&tbnid=g6EwVyqjO-ujvM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=105&ei=NJN6TfGUA8yw0QGv1dHrAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dleaky%2Bpipes%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1010%26bih%3D535%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=696&vpy=250&dur=5211&hovh=160&hovw=152&tx=54&ty=89&oei=NJN6TfGUA8yw0QGv1dHrAw&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0

This picture shows a way on how to fix a leaky pipe. Just glue a rubber strip to the puncture and tighten a clamp around the side of the pipe. Of course I'm no plumber, but it seems to me what is happening.

Questions:
1) Will you help out your self with bills and help out the earth with water by checking your pipes this Monday?
2) What’s another thing we can do to contribute to the event?
3) Is this an effective way of dealing with water leaks?
4) What is your opinion on the idea of having a week to do this? Or should you always be checking your pipes?
5) Name other ways water could be wasted every day other than leaks.

Water Regionally Abundant in Great Lakes Basin, but not Always When and Where it’s Needed

Title: Water Regionally Abundant in Great Lakes Basin, but not Always When and Where it’s Needed

Author: None listed

Publication:U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

Date: 2/7/2011

Link:http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2694

Summary:

According to the U.S. Department of Interior the basin of the Great Lakes has the potential of running low on water. The reason that the basin might run low on water is because if we keep pumping ground water from this area into Chicago, the water levels in this location would decrease by hundreds of feet. Scientists are saying that there will be plenty of usable water, but it may not be distributed evenly to the Chicago area. Scientists found this out because they were doing a five year study on how water use can effect the climate. By conducting this study many scientists were able to predict the future levels of water flowing through this area. They have predicted that as the years come there will be less water. Studies like this are going to be done in the Chicago river and Delaware river in years to come.

Opinion:

I think that the possible shortage of water in the basin of the Great Lakes is a HUGE problem. I am worried for the people who live in this area because if this happened where I live, I would hate to have to not always have easy access to water. I use water in my every day life so I cannot imagine how these people would struggle with this. I think that if we let water recharge in the recharge zone and go into the aquifers more quickly we would not even have this problem in the first place. I think that studies like the one done by these scientists should be done in areas across the world so we can help solve the problem of water shortages. I picked this article because it is very interesting that we could run low on water in our country! I hope that we can find a way to help the basin accumulate more water.

Graphic:

http://www.freakyweather.com/files/images/California%20Drought.jpg

Even though this would take a long time to happen here this picture shows what water shortages could look like.

Questions:

1)How do you think that we could prevent water shortages such as this one?

2)Would you be worried if you lived in the Chicago area?

3)Do you think that tests like this one should be done more often?

4)How could a water shortage like this possible one affect wildlife?

68 Percent of New England and Mid-Atlantic Beaches Eroding

Title: 68 Percent of New England and Mid-Atlantic Beaches Eroding

Author: None Listed

Publication: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey

Date: 2.23.2011

Link:  http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2707&from=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsgsNewsroom+%28USGS+Newsroom%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Summary

 In the past 150 years, it has been found that 68% of beaches on New England and Mid-Atlantic region are eroding. This is a result of beach restoration activities such as adding sand to beaches. Beaches change because of things like amount of available sand, storms, sea-level rise and human activities. Erosion is determined on these very factors. There is erosion in both regions, (Mid-Atlantic and New England), and they are a big hazard throughout both. "It is very difficult to predict what may happen in the future without a solid understanding of what has happened in the past," says Dr. Cheryl Hapke. Researchers are now using aerial maps to study future erosion along the coasts at more than 21,000 locations.

Graphic: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://whyfiles.org/091beach/images/erosiondia1.gif&imgrefurl=http://whyfiles.org/091beach/3.html&usg=__A4E-eaQ_04jc5Awb_86uKiyOMMQ=&h=170&w=299&sz=17&hl=en&start=0&sig2=JF7Ps-L8X-Z2Nu2nHqF4UA&zoom=1&tbnid=m7TWM2uOzkHpSM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=189&ei=O251TcK_JuS10QGan6jFAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeach%2Berosion%2Bdiagram%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1280%26bih%3D593%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=143&vpy=125&dur=2666&hovh=136&hovw=239&tx=190&ty=46&oei=O251TcK_JuS10QGan6jFAQ&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0

I thought this was a really good diagram of how erosion happens.

Opinion

Well this is NOT good! As for me, I go down to the beach every summer, and I know some people who actually live there. If the beach keeps eroding at this pace, we may not have any left. I really think that researches and scientists should do something about this. It may not be for a long time, but beaches along the Mid-Atlantic (which is where the Jersey Shore is) could possibly erode to non-existence.  I hope this gets better. :-)

Questions:

1. Do you really think researches are actually doing something about this, or do you think they are just saying it?

2. Are you worried at all that the beaches might be gone?

3. Do you think the beaches will keep eroding at the same pace, or will it get better as the years go by?

By: Becca :-)

Destructive Impact of Invasive Species Measured in 57 Countries

Author: Jaymi Heimbuch
Publication Date: 1/27/10
Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/01/destructive-impact-of-invasive-species-measured-in-57-countries.php

Summary: There are various threats to biodiversity in our world and invasive species is just one, but is a major threat to biodiversity. In a study of 57 countries, studies show that each country had approximately 50 non-native species. These invasive species can be deadly for food chains and can lead to extinction for some animal populations. One example of an invasive species taking over is the rat which has grown in numbers and has made the Yellowhead, a bird native to New Zealand, suffer greatly. Here is a picture of the Yellowhead (http://www.elkeith.com/photography/image pages/yellowhead mohua 1.html). In the study made by the Global Invasive Species Programme, the number of introduced species per country ranged from as low as 9 (Equatorial Guinea) to as high as 222 (New Zealand). In all, there was a total of 542 invasive species documented and even worse, the report shows that the number of invasive species is severely underestimated. All in all, introduced species contribute to lowering biodiversity and bring destructive impact to both food chains and ecosystems.

Opinion/Reflection: I think it is bad that we have this high number of invasive species. We have only ourselves to blame as we brought these species with us in an effort to rid another species or for other reasons. If we have so many introduced species, certain animal populations will become extremely low and habitats will become changed completely. I usually eat chicken at least 4 times a week. If an invasive species of red foxes took over a habitat where chickens reside, I would not be eating chicken. The biodiversity of the countries in the study are very low because of the invasive species and we need to find a way to contain these species or move them elsewhere.

Questions:
1. What are some ways that we can contain invasive species or protect native species from invasive species?
2. Is it ever okay to bring an introduced species into your country, knowing the effect it may have?
3. What are some reasons why we bring in introduced species?
4. What would be the consequences of completely exterminating an introduced species?
5. How does introduced species affect both food chains and ecosystems?

Australia's Floods Endanger An Already Stressed Great Barrier Reef

Australia's Floods Endanger An Already Stressed Great Barrier Reef

Author: Jaymi Heimbuch

Published: 2-15-11

Summary: On February 5th, a flood hit Australia. This flood had an obvious effect, which is wiping out many of the land’s features. However, there was a secondary effect that wasn’t so noticeable which is destruction to the Great Barrier Reef. “Expected damage will include smashed coral beds, movements of coral boulders, sand and rubble and major disturbance to sea grass beds,” proclaimed the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. “Floodwater can hurt reefs in many ways,” stated Huffington Post. “Coral becomes stressed when the level of salt in the water drops. The high concentration of soil nutrients in floodwater provides food for coral competitors such as certain types of algae. Sediment saps coral of energy by blocking the light it needs to nourish itself, and pesticides in the water can kill the coral outright.” With the marine protected areas, the reefs have been showing signs of coming back from over-fishing, pollution, rising ocean temperatures and changing pH balances. However the current flood was too much for the protectors to…you know, protect the reefs.

Opinion: I think this is not good. Even though that damage is not too bad, and the reef can still recover, for this short amount of time, the fish and plants that make up the reef will be very stressed and confused. If the situation got really bad, the reef would lose all control and not be able to support life. There would be no producers, then no consumers, then no secondary consumers, with a chain reaction leading to a non-existent “Great Barrier Reef.” Last year, I did a research paper on Australia and the reef was amazing, and I wanted to go there when I get a chance. I hope the floods are stopping and Australia can bounce back from the state they’re in now.

Questions:
1) What effects might this have on the people in Australia?
2) Do you think the floods are almost over?
3) What could be done to prevent further harm to the reefs?