Global Warming Turns Tundra to Forest: Study

Posted- June 3, 2012

http://news.yahoo.com/global-warming-turns-tundra-forest-study-173252619--finance.html;_ylc=X3oDMTNsM3M2MTI0BF9TAzk3NDkwNzkyBGFjdANtYWlsX2NiBGN0A2EEaW50bAN1cwRsYW5nA2VuLVVTBHBrZwM1NTYyMDRlZC0xMDc0LTNlNWQtYjYxNS1hNDYwMDI1NzA4ZTUEc2VjA21pdF9zaGFyZQRzbGsDbWFpbAR0ZXN0Aw--;_ylv=3

This week I read an article on global warming.  It was about how a forest is forming in the Arctic tundra. Scientists predicted this would happen but not this fast.  These forest trees started out as little shrubs.    Scientists anticipated that these shrubs would eventually form into trees in over a couple centuries.  They were very wrong.  It only took thirty to forty years for them to grow from small shrubs into two meter tall trees.  Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Why is this a bad thing? Trees are good for the environment.”  Well, the growth of these trees is warming the Arctic tundra which is not good because the Arctic tundra is covered in ice.  The trees warm the area and will make the ice melt faster in these areas which is not good for the Earth.  All this is happening in a one hundred thousand square kilometer area between Finland and Siberia.  Scientists knew that the sample area was a warmer part of the Arctic tundra than others.  Since it is a warmer part, it is easier for plants to grow.   When the shrubs start to grow the plants spread and start to grow in other places.   I hope scientists can overcome this problem and find a solution to help our environment and prevent global warming from spreading faster.

Emma Harrison

 May 31, 2012

 7A Science

 Ms. M

Tsunamis

Tsunamis are very rare but can be deadly when they do occur.  Tsunamis are a natural disaster.  They happen when two different tectonic plates collide.  Many times this happens when an earthquake occurs underneath the ocean floor.  There is so much pressure between the two tectonic plates that the top plate flips up creating a massive wave.  The wave goes in all directions and is called a tsunami.  In this essay, I will explore three main things about this so called rare natural disaster.  The first topic I will explore what a tsunami is and how tsunamis happen.  Second, I will tell you what the effects of a tsunami are.  Lastly, I will talk about what is being done to save lives when a tsunami occurs.

Not many tsunamis happened during the twentieth century.  So many people may not have a very clear understanding of them.   That is why I am going to tell you what a tsunami is.   A tsunami is a series of big waves that are formed when a large amount of ocean water is suddenly displaced.  This happens when an earthquake, volcano, or landslide occurs on the ocean floor or even from a meteorite falling into the ocean.  Eighty percent of all tsunamis mainly occur in the Pacific Rim area due to the large number of different tectonic plates in this region.  When the water is displaced, it creates a wave that move in all directions at a very fast rate.  These wave trains can move as fast as a jet plane and can cross an ocean in a day or less.  The closer the waves get to shore the higher the waves become and the more damage it does.  In fact, you might not even notice a tsunami wave if you were in the middle of the ocean because it slows down after leaving the epicenter.

As I said previously, tsunamis are very dangerous.  Often there is no warning a tsunamis is headed your way.  The first sign of tsunamis to the naked eye happens about five minutes before the first wave hits shore.  You might notice the tide going out unexpectedly and farther than normal exposing the ocean floor.  If you see this happening at the beach, run for high ground.  The first wave that hits will be larger than normal but not necessarily the biggest.  In a tsunami there will be a series of waves that hit but they can be as far about as one hour.  Tsunamis push ocean water far inland with great force destroying everything in its path.  For example, cars, buildings, trees, bridges, and people are tossed about and pulled back to sea.  Many people drown when the tsunamis hits land, others die from injuries caused by being hit by debris, or disease from polluted water on land after a tsunami.   For example, in December 2004 over 200,000 people died in Indonesia, Thailand, Madagascar, Shi Lanka, India, and Africa due to the worst tsunamis every recorded.  It was caused by a 9.2 earthquake that occurred off the cost of Sumatra, Indonesia.

At that time, there was no warning system which is one of the reasons the 2004 tsunamis caused so many deaths.   Even with a warning system today, there is often no way to save the lives of people living in coastal areas near the epicenter of tsunamis.  However, tsunamis warning systems can help people who live farther away by alerting them in advance tsunamis is coming.   There are warning systems for this type of natural disaster in the Pacific Rim today.   Using sensors on the ocean floor, scientists can detect disturbances such as earthquakes or underwater volcanic eruptions that can cause tsunamis to occur.  The sensors send messages to buoys on the ocean surface.  The buoys transmits messages to satellite that are sent to Hawaii where they monitored.  Based on this data, scientists can predict a tsunami and when it might hit land.  There are many issues that interfere with a warning system.  For example, in the Pacific Rim over twenty countries must cooperate to make it successful.  They speak many different languages and some countries are more wealthy than others so they all need to work together to make the system effective.

In conclusion, although tsunamis are rare they are also very deadly.

 

bib-

http://beachsafe.org.au/tsunami/ema/pages/03_workings.html

http://www.pep.bc.ca/tsunamis/causes_2.htm

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/tsunami-profile/

http://www.universetoday.com/39319/effects-of-tsunamis/

 

Buoys

May 15, 2012

Hypothesis- waves will be highest in the middle of Pacific Ocean.

I looked at several buoys in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Arabian Sea near India, the Atlantic Ocean off the cost of African, and the North Sea.  The highest wave I saw was in the Pacific Ocean and the lowest was off the coast of Africa.  I think wind pushing the water towards land makes the waves high.   There were many different types of buoys.  I saw a disc buoy, Oil Platform.  The most interesting one was on an oil platform in the North Sea.  The wind speed at that location (59.500 N 1.500 E (59°30'0" N 1°30'0" E) was 17.1 knots.  I think wind and weather patterns cause waves to become high or low.  Buoys are helpful to meteorologists because they collect data to help predict the weather at sea.   Buoys collect different data for many purposes like to know wave highest.  Boaters use buoys to tell if it is a good time to go fishing or not.  Buoys on the coast can help alter cities of possible tsunamis. In conclusion I believe that my hypothesis was correct based on the data I found. 

Making Waves lab & Simulation

Hypothesis - I believe that if you use a pipette to drop a drip of water into a pen, the water will ripple.

Observation - For the last two or three science classes, we have been learning about water wave in general.  So last class we used a simulation about the interactions of waves. You can drop drops of water in the simulation and it makes waves.   You and increase or decrease that amount of water dropped at a time and look at the different types of wave patterns.  What I noticed during the time I experimented with the simulation was that when you and a lower frequency of drops, the waves would be bigger and there would not be many of them.  When you had a high frequency, there are a lot of waves but they are very small.  I also noticed that the bigger the drop the higher the wave.

Making Waves lab

Analysis - Over two science class periods, we did a lab about making waves. During this lab, we actually made waves by dropping water into a pan of water using a pipette.  We did several experiments like dropping the drops in different corners of the pan and observing the different wave patterns.  We also put clay in the middle of the pans and then dropped drops of water into the pan to see what would happen.  What actually happened is that the clay acted like wall and the drops of water bounced of the clay.  Another thing we did was to put a paper towel on the side of the pan laying on top of the water.  Then we dropped a drop of water into the center of the pan to see what would happen.  What did happen was that the wave created by the drop continued underneath the paper towel.  The last experiment we tried was redoing all of our previous wave experiments but adding a cork into the pan.  What my partner and I noticed was that the cork didn’t change anything and all the experiments had the same result as they had without the cork previously.  

In my data I saw that the waves bounced off the edges of the pan and then faded away.  I also observed that the higher you dropped a drip, the greater the wave reaction it would cause.  This demonstrated that there is a relationship between the height at which a drip is dropped and the size of the wave created.

Conclusion – The behavior of waves is dependent on many different things.  In the situations we experimented with there is always a wave reaction creating a ripple effect on the surface of the water.  After doing this lab, I can now answer two of the three guiding questions.  Waves created by dropping water from a pipette into a pan of water create ripples on the water in a circular shape moving outward.  Waves interact with each other and solid objects by reversing direction.   I am not certain what properties a mechanical wave has.     

“Astronomy” End of Unit Reflection

Part 1

1.        In the past unit we learned that the earth’s and moon’s motions affect the tides and climate of earth.  The moon creates tides by the gravitation pull between the moon and the earth.   Earth’s rotation around the sun affects climate and creates the seasons.

2.       We learned that scientists use their knowledge of earth’s surface and atmosphere in search of extraterrestrial life.  Scientists know how earth supports life.  For example, oxygen, water, and reasonable temperatures are key things that are needed for us to survive.   Scientists look for these types of things when they study other planets to determine if they could possibly support life if any kind.    

3.       The International Space Station, space probes, and satellites are all excellent resources for space study.  In the ISS astronauts grow plants, do different types of tests and experiments to learn how gravity affects.  Satellites like the Hubble telescope send back pictures of planets, stars, and other galaxies that are better quality than scientists previously had. 

Part 2

1.       What effects are caused by the motions of earth and the moon?

Seasons, tides, day and night, eclipses, weather, and climate

2.       owH How has the development of technology and space flight helped astronomers learn more about other parts of the solar system and the structure of the universe?

The development of new technologies has helped astronomers because now they have stronger more effective telescopes to look into outer space.  With these new telescopes, astronomers have more accurate data and images to study our solar system and the structure of the universe.

3.       How are the conditions in space different from those on Earth?  How has space technology benefited modern society?

First off, in space there is no weather, oxygen, water or gravity.  The temperatures in space are very extreme.  To deal with these harsh conditions, astronauts must wear special space suits.  Space technology has benefited many different areas of modern society.  Examples include freeze dried food, fire resistant clothing, Velcro, smoke detectors, wireless tools, barcodes, Tang, and lasers.

Reflection

I enjoyed this unit VERY much.  It was one of my favorite units.  I think it is important to learn space because it is just amazing.  I learned that because of the space program we have more technology in our homes today than when my parents were kids like microwave ovens.  I really liked the videos we saw about the Hubble telescope and the ISS.  I also loved the planet and brochure projects.  What I didn’t like was tides since I found it confusing and didn’t really understand them.   Please teach tides in more detail.  Maybe a lab or experiment on tides would have helped me.