skip to main |
skip to sidebar
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
In Plate Tectonics there are three different types of plate boundaries that have been found. First there are the Divergent boundaries. "Divergent boundaries occur where two plates slide apart from each other."(1) Next are the Convergent boundaries. "Convergent boundaries occur where two plates slide towards each other commonly forming either a subduction zone (if one plate moves underneath the other) or a continental collision (if the two plates contain continental crust)."(1) Finally there are the Transform boundaries. "Transform boundaries occur where plates slide or, perhaps more accurately, grind past each other along transform faults."(1) Now as previously mentioned before with Convergent boundaries each of these types of plate boundaries can cause certain geographic events or features. Convergent boundaries create subduction zones and continental collisions. Divergent boundaries can cause mid-ocean ridges and active zones of rifting. Transform boundaries can cause faults and earthquakes. All of these boundaries of course have the possibility of producing volcanic activity. There are three different types of volcanic features. First there are Shield volcanoes. "Shield volcanoes are huge in size. They are built by many layers of runny lava flows. Lava spills out of a central vent or group of vents. A broad shaped, gently sloping cone is formed. This is caused by the very fluid, basaltic lava which can't be piled up into steep mounds."(2)
Then there are Strato volcanoes. "Strato volcanoes, are formed by alternating layers of lava and rock fragments. This is the reason they are sometimes called composite."(2)" Finally there are volcanoes called Cinder Cones." A cinder cone is a steep conical hill formed above a vent.""Cinder cones are built from lava fragments called cinders. The lava fragments are ejected from a single vent and accumulate around the vent when they fall back to earth."(2)The Ring of Fire is unique in that it incorporates all of these types." The Pacific Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions encircling the basin of the Pacific Ocean. In a 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over 75% of the world's active and dormant volcanoes."(3)
This information may be useful should a major disaster occur or should I simply be looking for a new home or vacation spot. This really only effects a person's own Pursuit of Happiness and the Liberty to go and live where they wish. Whether it's a plain, a mountain, or an active volcano. Some people might say that, that shouldn't be a allowed or that no one would willing do that. The truth is though that people have the right to go where they wish and people really are that stupid.
Bibliography
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_tectonics
2. http://library.thinkquest.org/17457/volcanoes/types.php
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire
4. http://photobucket.com/ All photos from photobucket
Earth has many options for renewable resources. One such resource is Solar Power. "Solar power is a synonym of solar energy or refers specifically to the conversion of sunlight into electricity by photovoltaics, concentrating solar thermal devices or various experimental technologies."(1) Using Solar Power is a much more clean, environmentally friendly way to power our world. Another renewable resource is Wind Power. "Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into useful form, such as electricity, using wind turbines."(2) The use of Wind Energy is also a increasingly popular form of renewable energy that has minimal effects on our environment. Then there are the nonrenewable resources we use. One example are fossil fuels. "Formed from plants and animals that lived up to 300 million years ago, fossil fuels are found in deposits beneath the earth. The fuels are burned to release the chemical energy that is stored within this resource."(3) Fossil fuels are one of the most widely used and yet they are a resource that is not only harmful to our environment but running out. Yet another resource is Nuclear Power. "Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei via controlled nuclear reactions. The most common method today is through nuclear fission, though other methods include nuclear fusion and radioactive decay."(4) The normal flow of energy through our earth is energy from the sun gives energy to our plants which are consumed by animals which are consumed by other animals which are all consumed by us. This is why our renewable resources are so benificial. For solar energy everything is natural we are just using the energy from the sun like we've always been. For wind energy we use the wind which is also powered by the sun due to the fact that the sun gives our earth heat and wind is created by the collision of hot and cold air. The reason of course that people don't just switch over is money and simplicity. It's easier for some to just stay as we are. For some the current sources of fuel being used is what makes them a lot of money so they see no reason for change. "Installing a solar power system is equivalent to prepaying for 40 years of power at a fraction of the cost you currently pay."(6) "Modern wind turbine generators cost between $1500 and $2000 per kilowatt for wind farms that use multiple-unit arrays of large machines. Smaller individual units cost up to $3000 per kilowatt. In good wind areas, the costs of generating electricity range between five and ten cents per kilowatt hour. That cost is somewhat higher than the costs associated with an electrical facility, but wind energy costs are decreasing every year, whereas most conventional g
eneration costs continue to increase. "(7) According to these quotes it seems clear that not only are our renewable resources environmentally friendly but they are also friendly to your wallet's environment.
This information could be very useful later since it is becoming more and more beneficial to "go green" and use better renewable resources of power. For this topic using renewable resources would really be for the Common Good but it depends on each person's own pursuit of happiness. Some might think it costs more or it really isn't that big a difference. The truth is that in the long run you'll be saving money and the difference on our environment would be tremendous.
Bibliography:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energy
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power
3. http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/fossilfuels.htm
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
5. http://ge.ecomagination.com/site/index.html?c_id=googwifeb5#wind
6. http://www.borregosolar.com/home/solar-energy-benefits.php
7. http://www.canren.gc.ca/tech_appl/index.asp?CaId=6&PgId=232
In our world there are four different spheres. Theses four spheres are called the Biosphere, the Hydrosphere, the Geo-sphere, and the Atmosphere. All of these spheres interact together to create our Earth. The Biosphere is "the collection of all Earth’s life forms, distributed in major life zones known as bio-mes: tundra, arboreal forest, temperate deciduous forest, temperate grassland, desert, savannah, tropical rainforest, chaparral, freshwater, and marine."(1) Then there is the Hydrosphere which "contains all of the solid, liquid and gaseous water on Earth, extending from the depths of the sea to the upper reaches of the troposphere where water is found."(1) The Geo-sphere "consists of the core, mantle and crust of the Earth."(1) Finally the Atmosphere "contains all of the Earth’s air and is divided into troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere."(1) The Biosphere and Hydrosphere rest on the Geo-sphere and are able to interact and exist because of our healthy Atmosphere.
An example of interaction would be a volcanic event. Volcanoes are an event originated in the Geo-sphere. First a volcano erupts releasing particles into the atmosphere. These particles help to form water droplets in the Hydrosphere and Atmosphere. Then it rains stimulating plant growth in the Biosphere. Those plants feed animals which after death decompose enriching the soil of the Geo-sphere, the plants also release O2 contributing to the Atmosphere. The plant's production of O2 is important because"The atmosphere is composed of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen."(2)"The interactions of Earth's other spheres - lithosphere/geo-sphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and/or cryo-sphere and pedo-sphere - create the conditions that can support life."(2) All these spheres work together in harmony to create our world. They work together in a never ending cycle of life death and rebirth.
Humans have had a large impact on our earth. Day in and day out we are giving and taking away from our world. We rely on it to continue our existence. "We use the living world as a resource for food supply, an energy source, a source for recreation, a major source of medicines, natural resources, and for industrial products."(3) Every day we are impacting our earth. Our power plants and cars are putting harmful gases into our air. These gases which go into our air cause a greenhouse effect in our atmosphere which raises the temperature of our earth. This rise in temperature results in a climate change which affects the plants in our biosphere. When the plants are affected so are the animals that feed on those plants. This in turn affects the death rate of our animals which affects our geo-sphere. Here on earth everything is connected and it is man's duty to be conscious of this and act accordingly. Too often man shows no concern for their environment until it has reached disastrous proportions. Wallace Stegner once said ""We are the most dangerous species of life on the planet, and every other species, even the earth itself, has cause to fear our power to exterminate. But we are also the only species which, when it chooses to do so, will go to great effort to save what it might destroy.""(4)
It is important that this knowledge exists. That we take such things into careful consideration. Most people don't realize how connected our earth is. Each part of our world affects in some massive or minuscule way. One tries to express to people the depth of their effect on our world but they just don't seem to really grasp it. We try to think about what is right or just or what is for our own Common Good. Are we really truly trying though? Some may say that pollution is a trivial matter. Why should we concern ourselves with an effect we will not live to see? It is because we are the higher power here that we cannot ignore it. That we look beyond the selfish desires of the present, to our future. A brighter, cleaner, and greener future for everyone.
Bibliography:
1.http://www.csun.edu/science/books/sourcebook/chapters/8-organizing/files/earth-systems-interactions.html
Earth Systems Interactions, copyright 2007, Norman Herr, Ph.D.
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science, Earth Science, June 2008
3.http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/jkousen/Biology/impact.html,
HUMAN IMPACT ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, October 2000, Mr. Kousen
4.http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/of02-349/impact.txt, U.S. Geological Survey Open - File Report 02 - 349, 2002
5. http://photobucket.com/images/pollution/? All pictures from photobucket.
