This past unit in Environmental Science, we have been studying invasive species! We have learned about many different invasive species and their impacts on their ecosystem.
In simple terms invasive species are species that have come to a non-native environment and have disrupted that ecosystem. They often create unnatural competition for native species or act as a predator to a native organism. They are important to understand because of the profound impact they can have on the ecological health of an area. Some species that we explored were the Burmese python, the tigerfish, kudzu vine and my personal favorite, the cane toad. Specifically looking at the cane toad, this animal has run rampant in Australia because its lack of natural predators, venom, and ability to adapt to many situations. We watched a very entertaining documentary about this problem that really discussed the complicated role the cane toad plays in not only the ecosystem, but Australia's culture. I highly recommend watching the documentary below!
We also learned about the different management techniques to control invasive species populations. There is mechanical management that involves using a machine or other contraption to eradicate the organism. Another technique is manual control in which a person will go and manually remove the organism by hand. Chemical control utilizes pesticides to kill the invasive species. Lastly, biological control refers to the use of another animal, disease or organism to control an invasive population. Each of these methods have major benefits and drawbacks that must be considered in the context of each invasive species' environment.
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In Environmental Science, we just finished up our unit on non-renewable energy sources. We focused on nuclear energy, coal energy, crude oil and lastly, hydraulic fracturing or fracking.
Firstly, with nuclear energy, we looked at the pros and cons. The obvious disadvantage of nuclear power is that a malfunction could cause massive damage to the environment and the people in the area. We looked at famous nuclear power plant disasters to explore this. Other drawbacks include the physical land footprint of the facilities, the cost of installation, the increased risk of a nuclear war, the cost of mining uranium and air pollutants that are released. Arguments for nuclear energy are also compelling. Nuclear energy produces fewer pollutants and is able to better contain its pollutants than other types of non-renewable energy sources. Those in favor of nuclear power also argue that the use of uranium aides in the disarmament of nuclear weapons, actually has a small land footprint and that new innovations will fix many safety concerns. Nuclear energy produces less atmospheric pollutants than the other sources of nonrenewable energy. Nuclear energy is produced by the decay of uranium-235. In a power plant, fuel cells of uranium are submerged in water to control the decay of the element. The breakdown of uranium causes the water to heat up and as the water boils, the vapor moves a turbine. This turbine moves to a generator which creates electricity. After nuclear energy, we focused on energy produced by coal. Coal is largely bad for the environment due to the air pollution, water pollution and land damage that is caused by both mining and burning coal. The steps to use coal for energy are locating the coal, obtaining the coal, concentrating, and cleaning up after. Each step to harnessing coal for power brings its own challenges to the environment. Coal is beneficial to consumers because of its low cost and abundance in America. We also learned about new coal technologies, aimed at reducing adverse impacts of mining on the environment. Here is mine on coal gasification:
The next energy source we learned about was crude oil. The use of crude oil is problematic to the environment due to the rapidly decreasing supply, release of CO2 into the atmosphere, damage mining can have on the surrounding environment, oil spills and leaks and the diplomatic problems that US dependency on foreign oil can cause. However, oil is readily available, affordable and produces a lot of energy in a small amount. Also, oil releases less CO2 than the burning of coal. To use oil for energy, an oil rig well is dug and pumped out of the ground. This disrupts the environment. Oil is then refined to separate the different types of gas in the crude form. These various forms of power can then be burned to create energy as the bonds in the oil break apart.
Our final form of nonrenewable energy that was focused on was fracking. Fracking, formally known as hydraulic fracturing, is the way that natural gas is extracted from the Earth's shale. Fracking fluid, comprised of water and various other chemicals, is forced underground. After drilling down, water is then forced horizontally and fractures are created that releases gas. This gas can then be used for energy. This practice is particularly damaging to the water supplies of communities. The fracking fluid used can seep into the water supply and greatly pollute the water. Fracking is also linked to seismic activity, air pollution and a waste of water. The benefits of fracking include the apparent abundance of natural gas, lower CO2 emissions and low cost. To further explore fracking we created group padlets, outlining various impacts of fracking on the environment. Here is my group's that focused on fracking in Otero Mesa:
Here is my 2017 Breakthrough Junior Challenge. This challenge, extended to high schoolers, tasked us to make a three minute video that outlined a complex scientific concept. There are some pretty incredible prizes such as a scholarship for the student, a lab for the school and money for the teacher!
My video is about bioremediation and bacterial recombination! Enjoy!
Here is my ThingLink about the history of Romania's population campaign. Romania experienced a very low population in the 60's and the communist leader Ceausescu made some startling policies to increase the population of the country.
​Click on the various icons to read, watch and enjoy! To kick off our Environmental Science class this year, we learned about the solar eclipse! It just so happened that our block landed right in the middle of the solar eclipse so we were able to watch it as a class and collect some data as citizen scientists. From where we are in California, the moon only covered the sun about 80%, but in other parts of the country, along the line of totality, the moon completely blocked out the sun! Check out the picture to the right to see the path! Solar eclipses occur when the orbit of the moon perfectly aligns with the sun. The moon blocks the sun so from Earth, only the corona of the sun is visible. This past eclipse was a total eclipse, which is pretty rare. The last total eclipse to hit the United States happened in 1918! That means it has been almost a hundred years since America has seen this fascinating celestial event! Eclipses are rare because the moon rarely covers the sun perfectly. The moon's orbit is often just above or just below the sun, so no eclipse occurs. Also, because our Earth is 70% water, it is most likely that the shadow would hit in the middle of an ocean rather than a country. To learn more about solar eclipses check out this video! On the day of the eclipse, we headed down to our school's softball field, split into groups and collected both quantitative and qualitative data. We measured the air temperature, ground temperature of both soil and concrete, cloud coverage and compared plants and animals, before, during and after totality. The graph on the right shows the dip in temperature that occurred as the moon gradually covered the sun. This is the most fascinating data for me because the results are so clear. It is very interesting that the sun being covered for only a short amount of time can cause such a difference in the temperature of the ground! These photos are of the same part of the sky at different times during the eclipse. As the eclipse came and went the sky got gradually less cloudy.
Overall, I really enjoyed seeing the eclipse! The concept of eclipses is so fascinating and all I want to do is learn more! It was really fun to get out of the classroom and experience something so rare with my classmates and school! While I probably won't see another total eclipse in my lifetime, I am very glad that I was able to have such a positive experience and even do a little citizen science! |
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