Warming Climate, Decreasing Snowcaps

There is no question about it, the snowcaps of the Cascade Mountain Range are in danger. Far above sea level a danger lurks, if you are snow. A warming climate is responsible for the decrease in t he volume of snow all through out Washington and Oregon. At first there were skeptics, but after careful measurements were taken there was no question that there was shrinkage. As Mr. Cosela said, one degree Celsius warmer could mean 20% of the snow gone. It is hard to measure the amount of snow exactly because it is always changing. For example, the amount of snow in 1944 versus 1950 is so drastic it curves charts today. It is also shown that while El Nino occurs there is lower snowfall while La Nina occurs there is higher snowfall. While there will not be a lack of precipitation, there will be a lack of snow, much more of the precipitation will far more in the form of rain. now.

This has the chance to be one of the biggest impacting stories in the Pacific Northwest. This has the potential to be one of the biggest blows to tourism since Mt. St. Helens blew her top. With less snow, there is less space to ski; with less skiing no one will want to visit the Cascades’. When no one wants to visit the Cascades the revenue for Oregon and Washington will go down, forcing them to merge into a single state known as Washoregon.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512153335.htm

"Warming Climate Is Affecting Cascades Snowpack In Pacific Northwest." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 15 May 2009. 18 May 2009 .

Green on Green

The Agricultural Research Service owns and operates a 446 acre arboretum, which is used to make better trees. Just recently this arboretum installed a solar panel that controls the irrigation. This single solar panel system is part of a larger plan to make the whole ARS run on solar energy. Later projects include larger solar panels that will provide energy for the gift shops and restrooms. As of now there are a total of six solar panels that collect the suns energy, move it to a battery where it is then converted into electricity to control the irrigation. The solar panels were actually installed because they are cheaper than traditional wiring. If the arboretum were to have cables for power, the source would be over half a mile away. Using solar panels is actually much cheaper and will help with the arboretum’s budget. All of this comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for more green technology on agricultural facilities. The current system took only a year to complete and has created a pathway for others to follow. Farmers can install green energy for little things or big things, from water fountains to irrigation systems.

This definitely has a great impact on the rest of America. If every farm that used electric irrigation started to use solar energy, the solar panel business would skyrocket. Soon, with all the income the business is getting, they will be experimenting with new methods to use solar energy. Eventually the common car will be replaced with solar cars and houses will be powered by solar energy. This is how one arboretum going green can change the world.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502083917.htm

"Solar-Powered Irrigation System Unveiled At U.S. National Arboretum." Science Daily. 2 May 2009. 03 May 2009 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090502083917.htm.

Greenhouse Gases More Dangerous Than Ever

Back in 2007 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency was to create a report on Greenhouse gases in the environment. The results were staggering, six greenhouse gases were found that are deemed dangerous to the environment. The Evidence that was found in the Environmental Protection Agency's report is now under public discussion. Some people say that this isn't too bad because it calls for the president’s plan of a green America. The six gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons,and sulfur hexafluoride. These gases have the potential to be very dangerous. The biggest impact the gases will have is the raised temperature. Some of the other impacts are possible droughts, flooding, a rise in sea level, more intense storms, and harm to water resources, people, and animals. People with weak immune systems (the very young, the old, and the sick) are at a raised risk. Multiple retired U.S. Generals have signed a pact saying these climate changes also pose a threat to national security. With hardship from droughts and other unfavorable conditions in some regions of the world, there will be mass migrations of people towards all ready high-populated places.

This will affect many people in many ways. As mentioned before, people caught in places of drought and famine will move to places of greater wealth. If I am in a place with greater resources when this happens then my life will be filled with people wherever I go. When this happens there are going to a lot of illegal immigrants and with more illegal immigrants there are going to be amendments added to the constitution regarding search warrants so the government can send the illegal immigrants back to their own country in a more efficient way. If I am stuck in a region with drought and a raised sea level I might have to move to another city, only to find there are no more homes left, I will then become homeless. Those are the consequences of greenhouse gases.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090417183528.htm

"Greenhouse Gases Pose Threat To Public Health, EPA Finds." Science Daily. 18 Apr 2009. 19 Apr 2009 .

Redoubt Leaves No Doubt It Is Active

Mount Redoubt, a volcano located in Alaska has finally blown after 20 years of silence. Ash spewed from the volcano for over nine miles. Anchorage, Alaska's largest city didn't catch much of the ash but towns north of it did. Just 50 miles north of Anchorage, Willow was hit with inches of ash. People are careful to stay inside and keep all of their cars and other vehicles covered up so they don't get damaged by the rough ash. In light of this event 19 flights, so far, have been cancelled and Elmendorf Air Force Base has sheltered all of it's aircraft. At 10:38 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, the first eruption occurred, with the last eruption happening at 4:30 a.m. the following day. According to the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the ash cloud is headed toward Mount McKinley, dropping bits of fine ash as it goes. Luckily this event did not come with surprise. The observatory had warned that "An eruption could occur at anytime" when they recorded increased seismic activity in late January. Scientists raised the alert level after abnormally high seismic activity in the forty-eight hours leading up to the eruption. The day of the eruption, there was somewhere between forty and fifty earthquakes recorded around the area. With the history of this volcano it would be wise to prepare for another eruption in the next couple days or weeks.

Mount Redoubts eruption is possibly the biggest environmental impact Alaska has had in the past year. When the ash and larger tephra fall from the sky they tend to kill things they land on. More deadly than this tephra falling on someone, is the ash getting inside someone. If people start to inhale the ash before they know what is happening they are going to be choking up blood before they can walk out of the street. I don't know about you, but i like my blood in my body. With the struggling economy the way it is, this has the potential to be an economical disaster. Ash will get into things, collapse buildings, and the government will have to pay a bunch of damage expenses while the insurance companies go broke from every one's claims.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29833845/

"Alaska volcano sends ash plume 9 miles high." MSNBC. 23 Mar 2009. 24 Mar 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29833845/ .

Artificial Rain!

Researchers from London specializing in nanotechnology have recently discovered one-dimensional ice chains that may be able to produce artificial rain. What is really interesting about these structures is that they are pentagonal, not the conventional hexagonal shape. Scientists used to believe that hexagons were the only shape that ice could form in; this is seen in structures such as snowflakes. Now, with this evidence of ice with a pentagonal pattern, scientists specializing in artificial rain research now can focus on other geometric patterns in their research besides the hexagonal pattern. Dr. Javier Carrasco said "We need to understand the structure of ice crystals in the upper atmosphere because they play an important role in the formation of clouds and precipitation." Basically we need to continue this research of nanoparticles in ice to form clouds that can produce rain. Characterizing ice at a nanoscale level is a far more challenging process than it sounds to be. You have to have a completely flat piece of metal (they are using copper), and you have to have the right conditions for the specific ice.

This discovery has the potential to have one of the biggest impacts on Earth in recent history. Once you take a look at some of the drought trouble we have had recently it is obvious that the whole world would benefit from this scientific breakthrough. Poor families in Africa will finally stop dying from dehydration and starvation. I know I would have preferred some rain a couple years ago when I had a restricted amount of time I was allowed to be in the shower. Even if you look at this from an energy stand point, this discovery has benefits. When these scientists link up with some meteorologists, we could possibly put rain in areas where hydroelectric power is produced. These are the ways that this discovery of pentagonal ice crystals can change mine, and everyone else's life.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090308142251.htm

"It's Raining Pentagons? Novel Ice Structure May Help Seed Clouds And Cause Rain." Science Daily. 8 Mar. 2009. 8 Mar. 2009 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090308142251.htm .

Mammoth Discovery in Famous Tar Pits

In 2006 scientists found a number of fossils underneath an old parking lot next to the famous La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Just last summer a team of scientists started to excavate this parking lot and with their effort game great reward. Although they found a great deal of other bones and fossils, the most significant finds were an almost perfect mammoth skeleton, the bones of saber-toothed tigers, dire wolves, bison, horses, and sloths. On the mammoth the team found a pair of ten foot long tusks, which is around the height, if not taller, of the earth science classroom. The Page Museum, which serves as the official museum of the La Brea Tar Pits, is said to possibly double its Ice Age Collection with these recent excavations. This type of discovery typically takes many years to finish, but with a looming deadline of a soon to be art museum parking lot, the team had to work fast. A giant crane was brought to the site where it pulled out all of the fossils. After all of the work was done and the dust had settled, the crane had pulled 23 boxes of old bones and other deposits. After this magnificent feat, it was now time to examine the excavated items. As the paleontologists cleaned off the mammoth, they noticed that he had several broken and re-healed ribs. Zed, which the named this mammoth, also had arthritic joints, which hints us to believe that said didn't live the most happy of mammoth lives. The La Brea Tar Pits are home to much more than just these recent discoveries, however. This large tar pit used to ooze sticky tar up onto the ground which trapped all of the creatures whose remains were later found. Over 100 years of excavation in these famous tar pits and around one million bones and other deposits found in this paleontological playground. Who knows, maybe during the construction of the soon-to-be parking lot, they will find one of Zed's relatives.

This scientific discovery can change many people's lives. If you're someone that is into paleontology or a kid that is in the dinosaur phase of his/her childhood, you will want to see these Ice Age wonders. I know I've always wanted to visit Los Angeles and this would make me want to go even more. I don't think that I have ever seen a mammoth skeleton in real life before, let alone one that has ten foot tusks! This excavation could definitely help bring some scholars specializing in paleontology to the area, and who knows, maybe the University of Southern California or the University of California - Los Angeles will become schools where paleontologists dream to study because of these significant paleontological discoveries. Further analysis of these fossils could tell us where these ancient creatures have been or how old they are. The more we know about these creatures the better we can classify and understand the animals that exist today that evolved from the prehistoric creatures. For example, say we find some species of elephants that have joint problems, and some species that don't. We could go down the evolving chain to see where these species were separated and why some have arthritis and some don't. This is the impact this article has on me, others, and the whole world.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29247199/

Chang, Alicia. "Cache of Ice Age fossils found in Los Angeles - Science- msnbc.com." MSNBC. 17 Feb. 2009. 22 Feb. 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29247199/.