Deforestation

(2)Deforestation is the cutting down of trees and plants in an area so it may be clear for human use and so they might use the resources yielded by the forests.(3) 11 million acres are cut down each year to clear land for use in commercial industries as well as property industries. The main cause of deforestation is logging. (3)At one point it was estimated that 500,000 hectares were being cleared each week. By over drawing our resources and refusing to properly reforest we precipitate our losses more and more. Logging is not the only problem though. Over grazing by cattle owned by ranchers is also a fairly large problem. (3)In 1989 it was estimated that about 15,000 square kilometers were being used just for cattle grazing. Other lesser causes, though no less potent, are acid rain and the construction of dams. The loss of our forests greatly affects the world we live in. Each day more and more of our tropical rainforests are being cut down. Around half of all the earth's species come from the rainforest.(3) An estimated 50 to 100 species of both plant and animal life are being lost each day due to deforestation. (3)An estimated 750 million to 800 million hectares of rainforest have been lost from the original 1.5 to 1.6 billion hectares. (3)These forests that are being lost are important sources of not only wood and other commercial products but about 25% of the worlds medicine comes from them. An even greater loss might be that one of the 50 to 100 species of the plant variety that are being lost might have or had the cure for cancer and other such diseases. These of course are not the only things being affected. The amount of trees in an area determines the amount of water absorbed back into the water table as well as the amount of moisture in the atmosphere. If we continue at this rate the loss of forested areas may cause a severe change in climate. The soil around our rainforests is very important as well. For the most part all the nutrients in the soil are washed away by the heavy rains that occur regularly each day in the rainforest. These nutrients are replenished mainly by the dead matter that collects on the forest floor and decompose to put more nutrients back into the soil. Without this the soil in that area would become virtually useless for growing because it would become so lacking in nutrients the possibility for regrowth would become difficult. Deforestation is really going to affect people in the coming years. If we don't carefully regulate our resources it is going to become a problem of massive proportions. If this continues our resources will run out which means there won't be a rainforest anymore. With no rainforest valuable plants for medicine will be lost as well as many wonderful and essential species of wildlife. Soon we will also have to look for other sources of material for building things like houses. Our forests are a big part of our world and are important for our survival. With fewer trees the amount of oxygen in the air will decrease and the amount of carbon dioxide will increase. With fewer trees our climates will change and our resources will be lost. If we do not do something to stop the deforestation our planet we will be in even more dire straights than we alread are. Our forests are immeasurably important.

Bibliography
(1) http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Library/Deforestation/
(2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation
(3) http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm

Pictures
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g233/mogrhod/deforestation_asia_tacio704wS6.jpg
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj179/PhoenixWellsErikZurich/amazon_deforestation.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n20/rdintern/Brazil_Deforestation_YaleGlobal.jpg
http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii117/kelly_rainforest/deforestation.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k254/flyheaded/deforestation.jpg

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Why Is Mother Nature Playing April Fools?

In this activity we learned that currently there are only moderate La Nina conditions which means there is less precipitation than usual. This of course is why lately we've been getting so little snow in Michigan. Normally in December through maybe February we would be experiencing moderate to heavy snow fall. Only for the most part we have only had short heavy snowfalls that don't last long or only light snows. Which is unusual for this area. So basically Mother Nature is sending us this lovely warm weather and rain but a cold front will soon be coming in an then it will be cold again. All this is also added to by the polar circulation which is giving us more cold air into the mix so that just when our hopes are up it brings us back down like a bucket of cold water...or rather a good bought of snow. Also the North American Jet Stream adds to this because it is divided and therefore is bringing ,guess what, more cold air! All this is of course related to Deforestation. Depending on how many trees are in an area affects how much water is on the ground. This is of course able to be affected by the cold coming our way. Also depending on the amount of trees in an area decides how much moisture is in the atmosphere in an area and helps to decide how much precipitation will fall. So even though it seems nice out today there's no better time to dig in, grab a blanket, and get ready for a white kick off to spring break!
Related Links
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080114085128.htm
http://squall.sfsu.edu/crws/jetstream.html
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