Unit 6 Blog

Asthenosphere - Part of mantle under the lithosphere. Much hotter and less dense as well. 

Lithosphere- part of crust and upper mantle

Plate Tectonics- plates that move underneath the earth's crust

Tectonic Cycle- cycle of the movement of plates

Divergent Plate Boundaries- where plates are coming apart

Convergent Plate Boundaries- where plates come together

Transform Fault Boundary-where two plates slide past each other in a horizontal motion

Physical Weathering- weathering caused by physical actions such as a rock breaking in half by consequence of a physical action

Chemical Weathering- When chemicals are the ones that weather an object. Not a physical action

Erosion- weathering by nature

Deposition- when something accumulates into a landmass 

Cation Exchange Capacity- capacity of soil to hold exchangeable cations

Base Saturation- basically the number of basic cations that occupy the CES divided by the CEC

Soil Degradation- degradation of soil caused by misuse

Ores- mineral which has value

Big Picture Reflection-

Human Impact- Humans impact the earth systems and resources in many ways. We, as humans, mine, farm, and impact the environment by simply just being here. Walking the same path to school weathers down the grass there making it a marked path. By mining we harm the infrastructure of the earth, by farming we harm the soil if done incorrectly and even deforestation harms the earths systems. The earth also impacts us. Plate tectonics have been the cause for many ungrateful accidents that have led to the deaths and injuries of many people and even countries. Katrina devastated all of New Orleans and it was because of a hurricane caused by movements of plates undersea

Environmental Impact- This is the environment... A fault zone can cause an earthquake and impact the environment in which it happened. Same with all natural disasters cause by tectonic plates and their movements. Soil impacts the environment as well. If the soil has a different texture to the one an animal or tree lives in then that animal or plant can't live there thus making that area uninhabitable

Economic Impact- Natural disasters caused by shifts of the tectonic plates is a very expensive disaster to have happen to someone. Sometimes buildings are built in order to be able to take in the impact of an earthquake and it is more expensive material as well. Ores are profitable sources and have many valuable minerals Agriculture depends on the soil and if the soil isn't good that year because of misuse then it impacts the economy as well. If the the government has to subsidize the farmers then it loses more money. 

Government Legislation- The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977) was made to ensure proper protection and measures are taken when mining. 

"Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1986): Requires companies to disclose information about toxic chemicals they release into the air and water and dispose of on land."- this act also prevents or informs people of the conditions of soil in an area and even the water there. 

There is also a government agency for Emergency management as well. 

Unit 5 Blog- The Human Population

Vocabulary-

CBR- cbr is the amount of people born for every 1,000 people already alive in a population

CDR- Crude death rate is the amount of deaths per 1,000 in a population

TFR- total fertility rate is the average number of people a woman gives birth to over the course of her lifetime

Replacement level fertility- Replacement fertility is the total fertility rate at which women would have only enough children to replace themselves and their partner.

Population Momentum- the growth that occurs even if the replacement level of fertility dropped to anything below 2.1 because the momentum is such that it would continue to grow even if there were less children being born to replace the dead. 

Net Migration rate- the number of people that leave and enter the country per 1,000 people 

Family Planning- the methods used to help plan for a family such as contraception meds and vasectomies 

Affluence- the wealth of the people in a country

IPAT equation- the impact of a countries people on the environment depends on the countries population, affluence, and the technology available

GDP- gross domestic product is the value of everything produced domestically at the end of the year

Population pyramid high growth rate-

Stable growth-

Declining growth- 

MAKING CONNECTIONS-

The environmental impact is based on a countries affluence, population, and the technology available in that country. 

Stage 1- There is only one country in stage one, Lesotho, and it has almost no impact on the environment because it has a small population, very little affluence, and very little technology available to it. It has a very high death and birth rate that prevents it from growing in population terms and the lack of technology keeps them from growing thus keeping them as a farming country in which mainly children are born to help their parents.

Stage 2- As a country transitions to stage two the death rate decreases because of an increase in technology but the country continues to struggle in terms of affluence although the population does grow. Although India, a phase two country, has a relatively high impact on the environment, it is an exception because most phase two countries do not have a high impact. 

Stage 3- As a country begins to transition into a phase three country, it starts to impact the environment even more because more technology becomes available to such a large population. The CBR starts to drop because with better family planning and more health care that helps keep the first few children alive hinders the need for more children. Countries such as a the USA and Canada, both phase three, have a large impact on the environment because of the use of factories and technology and cars harms the environment. 

Stage 4- A country transitioning to stage four has a lower impact on the environment since its population is less than that of a stage three country, but it still impacts the environment more than a stage 2 or a stage 1 country. More money usually circulates in a stage 4 country and people are more affluent than before. Technology is also very high in a stage 4 country as is health care and family planning. 

Current Event- India: 11 women die, 62 more hospitalized after being paid to be sterilized.

In this article the journalist reports that because of doctor's not following the guidelines, there have now been 11 women dead and 62 injured in the sterilization process. These deaths are caused by lack of basic hygiene by the doctors and for their use of infected tools on the women during the surgery. The women who decide to undergo sterilization are often paid a laughable amount of 23 dollars or are forced to do so or coerced into being sterilized. One of the doctors, Dr. R K Gupta, performed 83 surgeries in 6 hours! The director of the Reproductive Rights Initiative at the Human Rights Law Network in New Delhi, Kerry McBroom, said that the clinics in which the surgeries are performed are of terrible conditions. India has problems with its population and has to find ways to control it so that they don't reach carrying capacity and can maintain a healthy environment for most people, but as Kerry says, a lot of things can go wrong. 

Kerry said:

"You might find that there is no electricity, there is no running water, there is not enough staff in these facilities. They won't have things like blood, in case someone hemorrhages. ... they won't have enough gloves or aprons,". 

"Women will go to the facility wearing their clothing and remain in that facility until they go. So there is no attention paid to basic prevention."

 With such little health precautions being taken there will obviously be infections and maybe even deaths.

Pro of sterilization- Less children born to help curb the growth of one of the fastest nations in terms of population, the women who participate get payed by the government.

Cons- Poor lack of hygiene can lead to infection or deaths, don't get paid enough to do it, often forced, you can't have anymore children, infringement upon basic human rights.

Big Picture Reflection-

Human Impact- The human population obviously is impacted by humans, but humans impact it in many different ways. In my current event I discuss how human caused overpopulation can lead to making decisions such as government endorsed sterilization. Also humans impact and shape a country and thus decide its fate when it is categorized as a stage 2, 3, or 4 country in the demographic transition model. If the people in the country decide to have 40 children each, an exaggeration but you get the point, then that country will most likely be a stage 2 country because if each mother is having 40 children then that means that the children help the family economically by gaining money working and that out of those 40 children maybe 10 will survive to adulthood because of poor health care and lack of family planning. If countries have too many people then they could reach carrying capacity, this would be cause by humans overpopulating the country in the first place.

Environmental Impact- In the video it says that humans thrive on less than 17% of the earths surface so the impact that we do have on that 17% is massive. In the article the environment actually is the one that impacts us, or in this case the people of India. Because people litter and harm their environment then there is lack of of proper cleaning supplies that then cause the infections that harm the women that get sterilized. Also if there are too many people then that environment might reach carrying capacity and people would be forced to look for different ways to supply their families with food or water. Rivers become murky, shallow water and the land becomes impossible to farm on. The transition between the demographic transition model also shapes the environment in which we live. Brazil was once a country covered with forests and wildlife, now humans have urbanized so much that about 70% of the original Amazon rain forest now remain. The IPAT equation depends on the affluence of the country and their level of technology as well. This can apply to environmental impact or the economic impact.

Economic Impact- The human population depends on the economy. We are at the mercy of the economy. In the 1920s and '30s when the depressions happened a lot of humans lost jobs here in the USA and were forced to make drastic changes to their living situations. People lived on the streets and even migrated to other places in the USA were the depression did not affect them as much. In the country of India the government used and still uses money as an incentive to get a vasectomy or get sterilized. Albeit, the money is around 30 dollars, but still it does impact the government's economy that it has to spend on sterilization when it could be spent creating jobs for the children that could be born. Urbanization and infrastructure because of the growing human population have to resume growing and to be spent on by the people of that country, thus causing taxes to increase and making people mad. By Glade rd it already too overpopulated with cars at peak hours but because the people that live there don't want to pay to expand the road then we are left with 30 minute traffic jambs because of a stop sign or a round-about that people don't know how to go through. The IPAT equation depends on the affluence of the country and their level of technology as well. This can apply to environmental impact or the economic impact.

Government Legislation-  There is a lot of government and international legislation even when it comes to the human population. International law mandates that widespread or forced sterilization is a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute of 1998. This law makes it so that in India the government has to pay you to get sterilized and is not forced but it is highly recommended. In the USA there are no laws to control human population at all and we should be thankful for that. In countries such as Germany, Japan, Taiwan, Australia and Russia pay people to have children and most of these have declining populations and are stage four countries.

Vocabulary

Species Richness- the quantity of species in an area

Species Evenness- the evenness in quantity of different species in an area

Microevolution- small change within single species 

Macroevolution- big change in a species

Evolution by Natural Selection- You adapt to survive 

Evolution by Artificial Selection- made artificially to achieve desired traits

Allopatric Speciation- when one species splits and evolve differently and can no longer mate

Sympatric Speciation- when a new species form after having evolved from the same ancestral species while living in the same area

Genetically Modified Organisms- organism that is altered genetically. Like huge tomatoes because people don't want small tomatoes 

Fundamental Niche- where a species CAN live without regard for predators

Exponential Growth Model- estimates populations future size after some time based on the current growth rate and the number of organisms that can actually mate or have offspring 

Logistic Growth Model- population that grows until it cannot logically continue to grow because it has reached the carrying capacity of their environment

Carrying Capacity- number of organisms that can survive at the same time in an environment

Keystone Species- MVS or most valuable species in an environment. A lot species depend on that one species

Current Event-

What is a biodiversity hotspot and why are they important? A BH has many species that can only live there(endemic species) and are an area that is under threat from humans. It also has a lot of different species. They are important because they contain many unique species that can only live there and must conserved and must be kept safe from human threats.

Where is your hotspot located and what type of ecosystem is present there? The Tropical Andes is an area with many tropical rain forests

An endemic species is a species that live in specific locations around the world and nowhere else. Mainly isolated

Endemic plant- Andean bromeliad. Known as the queen of the andes. Only found in 3200-4800m of elevation. Can grow up to 10 meters!

Endemic animal- Vicuña. Live in the high area of the Andes and are a relative of the llama.

Human induced reasons and/or natural reasons for why biodiversity is decreasing- Agriculture, deforestation, dams, and road building are the most significant threats. At higher altitudes  seasonal burning, grazing, agriculture, mining, and fuelwood collection. Also cultivation of opium. Oil exploration and mining also fuel the decrease in biodiversity. 

Efforts being done to to protect the area- The people of the Andes are trying to reduce the effect the growing infrastructure has on the species of the andes. Laws that prohibit poaching, settlement and illegal logging have been put in place. Protecting certain areas of the Andes to keep the ecosystems in tact. 

Pick-A-Side

If there was a sea with fish, kelp, and sea urchins but no sea otters than the fish in that area would become extinct. The sea-otters, a keystone species, eat the sea urchins. By eating the sea urchins they help maintain a species evenness because if there are too many sea urchins then there aren't enough kelp beds for the fish to have their little fishies. Thus no sea otters means there could be a mass extinction of that fish species. Species richness would decrease as well because there would be no fish at all. No fish in that ecosystem could also affect the predators of the fish such as bears, eagles, or if in the sea then dolphins or whales would be without fish to eat. Without fish to eat the whale or dolphin population could also decrease. Also without sea otters there would be too many sea urchins and the sea urchin ecosystem could reach its level of carrying capacity.

Human Impact- Humans have negatively impacted the environment. The Tropical Andes became a hotspot because humans wanted to expand into that zone thus destroying certain habitats of some rare species. Humans can also be the reason for many changes in some species such as allopatric speciation. A man made barrier may split a species and prevent it from mating and when it finally gets reunited it has evolved and can no longer mate with its former species.Humans are also responsible for genetically modified foods and are the reason why we can enjoy seasonal fruits in all four seasons, such as strawberries and oranges. In our lab we impact our fish by feeding him every class period. 

Environmental Impact- There are many environmental impacts that shape the evolution of biodiversity. Keystone species are developed that make a community dependent on them, even if nobody notices until that species starts becoming extinct and things start changing because that keystone species isn't there anymore. The climate and altitude of the Tropical Andes region is what allows many species of plants and animals to survive there and only there. The environment is also a reason for evolution. Animals have to evolve if the environment because if they don't then they don''t survive. Survival of the fittest and the animals that can adapt the fastest survive the most. The environment is also responsible for the amount of species that can live in an environment aka the carrying capacity. If there are 100 potatoes and 500 lions and each lion needs one potato to survive then sadly 400 lions will die because only a max of 100 lions could survive in such a potatoless environment. Our lab is not affected by the environment outside because both the fish and the hermit crab are in its own ecosystem. 

Economic Impact- The disappearance of a keystone species could impact the economy negatively. If sea otters disappeared then so would fish and the fishermen would have no fish and would go into a fishless recession. GMO benefit the economy though, because these organisms that are genetically modified can be grown without relying on any outside variables and would not be affected if anything changed, except if there was a shortage of the organism in the first place. If there is a shortage then the prices of the organism(food) would go up and it would cause problems in our economy. Farmers would also be impacted negatively if there was a shortage of food in their farms. In the Tropical Andes the protection of certain zones of it could stunt the growth of the infrastructure of that country as well. 

Government Legislation- In our lab there is no government legislation. In the Tropical Andes there is. There are many efforts being made by the government to protect this biodiversity hotspot. Government has passed laws to prohibit settling, poaching, and illegal logging. Endemic species also have to be protected. Government legislation has also harmed the biodiversity hotspot by allowing mining and oil exploration and road building and other threats to occur in the tropical andes before making any steps towards stopping them. The government has also passed laws concerning GMOs.Laws are made to protect the people from unsafe foods that are GMOs. The FDA is in charge of this. 

Vocabulary-

Ecosystem- A community of abiotic and biotic organisms that interact and form complex systems of energy flow and cycles. 

Gross primary Productivity- rate at which energy is captured during photosynthesis

Net Primary Productivity- amount of energy captured for photosynthesis minus the amount of energy used by the plants for respiration

Biomass- all mass in an area of biotic organisms added together

Standing Crop- biomass in an ecosystem at a specific moment

Ecological Efficiency- energy transferred from one level to another(10%)

Trophic Pyramid- picture of the energy at trophic level and the transfer of it

Biogeochemical Cycles- matter moves around ecosystems. This movement involves BIO(geochemical)LOGICAL, (bio)GEO(chemical)LOGICAL, and (biogeo)CHEMICAL processes. 

Macronutrients- substance required in large amounts by living organisms

Limiting Nutrient- a nutrient that is needed to grow. If you don't have it your growth is limited. 

Leaching- water carries minerals and/or nutrients through the soil 

Disturbance- an outside event that affects an ecosystem

Resistance- amount of disturbance an ecosystem can take 

Resilience- time it takes an ecosystem to return to normality after a disturabnce

Instrumental Value- value of something because of its benefits

Intrinsic Value- independent value of an species. Doesn't matter how it benefits us or not.

Current Events-

How saving West African forests might have prevented the Ebola epidemic

Summary- With the sudden ebola outbreak many people have been wondering what could have caused it. In this article, Ginsburg, theorizes that the deforestation of Liberia is the main cause. Since the fruit bats are losing their habitats they have to find new places to eat and live. Patient Zero in the ebola outbreak is said to be a two year old kid who ate a fruit that was contaminated by a fruit bat. Ginsburg says that "The bottom line is that there is no public health without environmental health." He is right. In order to protect the people we have to protect the environment. Maybe if there was more preservation of the forests in West Africa this outbreak might not have happened. 

Environmental Quote- 

I think that this statement is true to an extent. Bees are in-fact essential to the human race. They pollinate the crops, the crops grow, the crops get harvested and then the crops get distributed.  If bees did not exist then there would be no pollination to help the crops grow. Yes, not having bees would greatly harm not only the USA, but the whole of the human race as well. Albeit, our decline may take longer than four years like Einstein said, but nonetheless there will be a decline were it to happen. According to the American Beekeeper Federation "Honey bees contribute over $14 billion to the value of U.S. crop production." If the numbers provided by the USDA are correct then 14 billion is less than 10% of the annual value of US crop production. 10% might not be that much in the grand scheme of things, but it sure is a lot. At the time Einstein said this it may have been true for the lack of technology. Now that we have more technology scientists are finding ways to potentially replace bees. Robo-Bees. Bees have instrumental value, but humans could survive without them. Their disappearance might affect other species and ecosystems like the human race, but we can bounce back from it with technology. 

Big Picture-

Human Impact- Humans can have good or bad benefits on ecosystems. Sadly, most of the time we are a disturbance, whether it be causing wildfires, oil spills, or cutting down forests or leaving a huge carbon footprint that slowly destroys this planet. In the current event I summarized, humans are assumed to have caused the ebola outbreak by form of deforestation, thus forcing bats to search for a different habitat. Humans also impact the hydrologic cycle by harvesting trees, which reduces evapotranspiration by reducing plant biomass, or paving over land surfaces which reduces the amount of percolation there thus increasing runoff and evaporation. The carbon cycle is also affected by humans. Human extraction of fossil fuels, the combustion of fossil fuels by humans, tree harvesting, and human caused fires in forests are examples of how humans impact the carbon cycle. With more carbon in the air and not enough plants to turn carbon into oxygen or sugars. The phosphorous cycle is affected by eutrophication, which cause algae to grow faster and the die. The death of the algae intakes a lot of oxygen which deprives the rest of the aquatic system of oxygen. The nitrogen cycle is also affected by humans and their use of fertilizers. Increased atmospheric nitrogen concentrations can be deposited into areas where nitrogen is a limiting nutrient. It can affect species in ecosystems. 

Environmental Impact- Ecosystems are part of the environment and are affected in similar ways. When an environment is harmed so is an ecosystem. If a forest is razed, if a pavement is built, if a place is urbanized, then an ecosystem is hurt because its surrounding environment changes and cannot sustain it anymore. Any disturbance can affect an ecosystem, no matter how high its resilience is. In the current even the deforestation of the that environment the bats lived in were most likely the cause of the ebola outbreak, per the article. The phosphorus cycle and its algal blooms can affect the environment of an ecosystem as well. 

Economic Impact- In my current even there are many economic impacts involved. Ebola has had many impacts on the economy. Countries have to put more money towards research and health care and it takes a toll on their country. Furthermore, in the article deforestation was the theorized cause of ebola since it took the bats home(s). Deforestation is done because of greed from big corporations, basically for economic gain. Ecosystems also provide 5 essential services to humans that economists call ecosystem services. Those five are provisions, regulating services, supports systems, resilience, and cultural services. 

Government Legislations- The EPA website shows all the government legislations concerning the environment. Some of the most important are the clean air act and the clean water act. Some of the cycles like the water cycle are affected by contaminated water. There is also the National Environmental Policy Act.