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Final Post

As my eighth grade year comes to an end, I would like to close my blog with all the things I found interesting through out this year.

Astronomy

In astronomy, I found the solar systems very interesting. The fact that there could be so many out in the universe and that there could be possibility for life in one of them is amazing. Also that there are many different types surprised me. Knowing that there's so many different solar systems and that they're moving apart makes me very curious to know if there is any other life and if we will ever know what they are.

Weather and Atmosphere

While studying weather and the atmosphere, the most interesting thing I learned about was the depleting ozone. I had heard of global warming and though no one knows exactly what will happen it was interesting to know what was causing the problems that the globe is experiencing.

Geology

In geology, the most interesting thing was the rock cycle. It was cool to know that all rock is each type of rock at one point in time. From being metamorphic deep under ground, to being sedimentary, compacted on the surface. It was all very interesting.

Weathering and Erosion

Weathering and erosion was interesting when we were talking about chemical weathering. I didn't know that weathering was anything other then water moving rock and soil. The fact that still water could wear away rock surprised me.

Earth's Waters

When we discussed Earth's waters, the thing that interested me most was the fact that only 3% of Earth's water is fresh and that most of that is in icebergs and glaciers.

That's the end for this blog. Good bye Earth Science and good bye eighth grade!

Manitou Springs Water versus Colorado Springs Water

Colorado Springs drinking water mainly comes from snow melt in the mountains near the Continental Divide. The water that Colorado Springs receives travels more than 200 miles. The water in Manitou Springs however, mainly comes from the snow melt from Pikes Peak and the Manitou Reservoir. Once raw water has been through the treatment plant, it ends up in the water storage tanks in Mesa and Crystal Hills. After the storage tanks the water arrives in Manitou Springs as drinking water. The water only travels about 8 miles in it's whole course. The other 25% of Manitou's drinking water comes from the continental divide, where the Colorado Springs water comes from.

Water Cycle Activity

1. The water cycle is a process where water is continuously moved through the environment. The stages of the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

2. The water cycle has no beginning or end. It is continuous.

3. If you had a puddle on a sunny day the heat from the sun would cause the water to evaporate. When it reached a high enough point it would cool and begin to condensate on particles in the air. When the weight of the water got to heavy the water would begin to fall as rain.

4.

Ocean Pollution-Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Ocean Pollution-The Great American Garbage Patch

Annotated Bibliography


http://science.howstuffworks.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm
"Why is the world's biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean?"
This site talked about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It also talked about the size and location of it. Also it has information on the fact that this is the world's largest garbage dump. Facts on the amounts of plastics in these waters is also included.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html
"The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii and Japan"
This website discusses the location of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Also the amounts of trash and what kinds of things are found in these waters. There is research from multiple scientist.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/02/great_pacific_garbage_patch.php
"Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
This site talks about the location and size of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It also talks about the trash found in this area. The problems it causes are also discussed.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-great-pacific-garbage-patch.htm
"What is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?"
This website discusses the whole problem of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It discusses the effects on life and the enviroment. It also talks about the fact that it may be to late to help.

Essential Questions:Ocean Pollution

What, specifically about your topic, are you going to research?I am going to research the human causes and effects of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
What conclusions did you come to? What do you recommend average citizens do to make a difference? Be specific. This is the main part of your assignment. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is the world's largest garbage dump. Every year 10% of the produced plastic ends up in the ocean and it has accumulated to the point that 90% of the trash in the ocean is plastic. It gets there from spilled and lost material from plastic companies. The plastic that the animals ingest are ingested by the humans that eat them. Average citizens could recycle plastics to keep them out of the ocean. Also they could make sure all trash was correctly disposed of.
What would happen if, worst-case scenario, nobody listened to your recommendations? If no one listened to my recommendations the ocean will get more polluted and start having harsher affects on people across the globe. Not preventing more pollution in this body of water could create harasher side affects on humans. Also it could end up destroying habitats in the Pacific.
What would happen if, best-case scenario, everybody listened to your recommendations? If people did listen to my recommendations it could help save all life that relys on the water. It could save the habitats and lives of all life in and around the Pacific Ocean.

Penny Write-Up

Observing Water's Properties

Procedure Overview: Place a penny on a piece of paper. Predict how many drops of water before it spills over the edge. Add one drop of water at a time until the water overflows.

Prediction:15 drops

Outcome:0 drops

Explanation: Cohesion caused the water from turning into a thin film and spilling over right away and adhesion kept the water on the penny.

Mekong River

Picture by Michael S. Yamashita


Becca and myself visited the Mekong River in Southeastern Asia to examine the human environmental interactions in the lower basin area. There are over 1,300 species of fish in the twelfth longest river in the world. But, we found out much more then what we came for. We also found out how much the river impacts the lives and cultures of the native people living around the river. The upper Mekong river is fed from melting snow from surrounding mountains. The lower Mekong River is fed by tributaries and monsoons. This river flows through the countries China, Tibet, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Myanmar. This lower basin is the main support for about 6 million people. But, there are many more who are affected because of trading of fish from the River. The water that nourishes the farm land in Thailand is seasonal but the amount of crop produced is enough to support them and the surrounding trading countries for a whole year. There are many skilled fishermen along the Mekong river that know many different techniques for catching fish that are traded all around the world. This river helps many survive and if anything were to happen to it, the millions that depend on it as a resource would suffer greatly. The human environment interaction is healthy because they are taking care of the river, they don't deplete the river's supply of fish, and they don't have trash dumps in the Mekong River. This is a beautiful place with rich soil, healthy animals, and many plants. The healthy features are key to the survival of humans in this area and many surrounding areas.

Earthquake Webquest

1a. Earthquakes generally occur along the faults where the plates meet.

1b. Earthquakes occur more specifically along the western coast of the Americas and along the eastern coast of Asia.

2. I think that these are the areas that earthquakes occur because faults occur where plates meet and as the plates move along the faults pressure is created and when it is released it creates waves causing earthquakes.

3. This area is called the Ring of Fire.

4a. The earthquake that is closest to Manitou Springs was at Hahns Peak.





4b. The earthquake had a magnitude of 3.2 and it happened on January 15, 2009 at 7:10 pm.





4c. People would not have been able to feel this earthquake because of its low magnitude.





4d. The ground shaking from this earthquake would cause minor damage while the ground shaking from a magnitude 1 earthquake would not be felt.





4e. The energy released from this earthquake is 1000 times greater than the energy released from a earthquake with a magnitude of 1.

5. One earthquake that happened in the last seven days is one in Chiapas, Mexico. This Southern Mexico and Central America area has high earthquake activity. It had had a magnitude of 5.8. It was felt in many surrounding areas in Southern Mexico as well as in Antigua, Guatemala.

6. People can protect themselves from earthquakes by having non-perishable food, emergency supplies, clothing, blankets, water, first aid supplies, sanitation supplies, and cooking supplies.

Weather Fronts

Cold Front: In a cold front the cold air pushes the against the warm air and causes it to rise. The reaction causes a storm.

Warm Front: In a warm front the warm air goes over the cold air and causes a storm.

Stationary Front: In a stationary front warm air and cold air push against each other but neither has enough force to push the other away and a storm is caused.

Occluded Front: In an occluded front warm air is caught between two cold air masses and is forced over it causing a storm.

Which type of front occurred this week to bring the cold weather and then snow?
The front this week was a stationary front because it was warm then cold quickly and it caused a storm with snow.

Cloud Formation Diagram

San Fransisco, USA 45N to Sydney, Australia 35S

Travel Time:12 days
Direction Traveled: South West
Were you successful? Yes
How many attempts? 2
What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel? I used the trade winds and the doldrums were working against me.

Lima, Cuba 10S to Cape Town, South Africa 35S

Travel Time:15 days
Direction Traveled:South and North East
Were you successful? Yes
How many attempts? 1
What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel? I used the prevailing westerlies and the doldrums worked against me in slowing down the trip.

Havana, Cuba 25N to London, England 50N

Travel Time: 9 days
Direction Traveled: North East
Were you successful? Yes
How many attempts? 3
What winds did you take advantage of or compete with during your travel? I used the trade winds and the prevailing westerlies to complete my trip.

Atmospheric Factors Affecting Climate

For paper on Atmospheric Factors Affecting Climate click title

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse gases are gases that trap energy and they create a blanket that keep the surface warm which is the greenhouse effect. Everyone on Earth should be concerned with the affects of these gases on the planet. This is because normally the amount absorbed and the amount released are balanced keeping the tempurature pretty constant. Though that is how it normally works human emissions may be altering the process and causing an inbalance in the atmosphere.

London-Type Smog

London-type smog is when particles in coal smoke combine with water droplets in humid air and fills the air with soot. The causes are factories and homes burning coal. Consequences of this include the city becoming dirty and dark. Solutions for this would be burning less coal and using other energy sources that don't pollute. In the past 100 years, England has stopped burning as much coal which has cleaned up their city.

Earth's Atmosphere

Earth's atmosphere is special compared to the moon and the planets without atmosphere. The moon and planets without atmosphere get hit by meteoroid and the craters from the contacts go unchanged for millions of years. This is because there is no weather due to the lack of atmosphere. With Earth's atmosphere meteorites burn up in the atmosphere. The meteors that do contact the Earth's surface their craters disappear with the weather and erosion. The atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and then oxygen has the next highest amount. The greenhouse effect is the right in the amount to keep the surface warm. The major componets vary little today but have made dramatic changes over the course of the Earth's life. The ozone keeps out much of the UV radiation coming from the sun. As there is an increase in altitude there is a decrease in tempurature. This is what makes Earth's atmosphere special.

Inner Planet Podcast