KEEP-UPS
Semester 2
Slow start for 2018 snow
Months of exceptionally warm weather and an early winter snow drought across big swaths of the West have left the snow pack at record-low levels in parts of the Central and Southern Rockies, raising concerns about water shortages and economic damage. Drought spread across large parts of the Western United States this month, and storms that moved across the region in early January made up only a small part of the deficit. Runoff from melting snow is now projected to be less than 50 percent of average in key river basins in the central and southern Rockies. Most of the region's annual water cycle starts as thick layers of mountain snow that accumulate during winter and melt slowly in spring. If the snows don't come, there's no water to fill the reservoirs. A series of recent studies examines how vulnerable that snow pack is to rising temperatures, and how the economic costs from the declining snow pack could soar into the hundreds of billions of dollars. As 2018 began, the snow pack was at record or near-record lows from Central and Southern Colorado across much of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. At many sites measured by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service on Jan. 1, the snow pack was less than 50 percent of average. Across Arizona and New Mexico, it was between 0 and 6 percent of average. California last winter rebounded from its most intense extended drought on record, but the state is once again dry and hot. October and November were the warmest recorded in Southern California, and the snow pack was only 44 percent of average at the end of December.
Trump rollback on climate and clean energy programs
The Trump administration has recently proposed sweeping rollbacks to U.S. programs designed to study and mitigate the effects of climate change, as well as cuts to research on renewable energy. At this point, the budget is merely an opening bid in negotiations with Congress; last year, lawmakers largely ignored similar proposed cuts. Nevertheless, the budget provides insight into the White House's priorities. For instance, the EPA budget suggests eliminating the environmental agency's climate-change research program, which currently costs the agency $16 million per year. In addition, the EPA has proposed axing several voluntary emission-reduction programs and STAR, which funds environmental research and graduate student fellowships. Other parts of the budget trim environmental services, such as the EPA's Report on the Environment, and cut the agency's Human Health Risk Assessment program by nearly 40 percent. The White House has proposed eliminating the U.S. State Department's Global Climate Change Initiative, which in 2017 received $160 million in funding. The program primarily aims to help other countries better weather the impacts of climate change. Though most developing countries did little to contribute to ongoing climate change, developing countries will be more severely affected.
Semester 1
2016 Global Warming Effects
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/the-crazy-climate-records-from-2016-you-havent-heard-much-about-21706
The year of 2016 was he hottest year on record around the globe according to the article These Are the Crazy Climate From 2016 You Haven't Heard Much About by Andrea Thompson, and one can imagine the impacts that come along with this fact. Greenhouse gas levels reached an all time high, which traps heat, causing this intense global warming. Temperatures rose around the globe soaring way above average, causing bodies of water to heat up and ice caps as well. Th arctic regions of the globe are the ones taking the biggest toll from this huge increase in temperature. Ice caps are melting at a very rapid rate, which increases their rate of melting over time for there is no longer as much ice in he arctic to reflect the sun's rays rather than absorbing them. Alpine glaciers are continuing to retreat, which are a major water source for various communities. The rising of temperatures is also causing sea levels to rise due to the melting ice caps.
Many people do not pay enough attention to the rapid increase of global warming each year and not enough awareness is raised about this issue. The melting of the ice caps could have serious effects on the wildlife living in the arctic. If global temperatures continue to rise every year as they have been, it wont be long until the arctic region has nearly or completely disappeared along with the species that live in those areas. The article states that he alpine glaciers are retreating, which leaves many communities that live in hose regions without their primary source of drinking water, creating great concern for this issue. Global warming has also had a large effect on the country we live in, the United States. Every year has been hotter than the previous one for the past twenty years, which shows that global warming is not a very recent issue. The heating of the globe has various impacts on the environment that may not seem like a big deal now, but they will soon become a large issue that attention should be called to.
Questionable Comments From E.P.A Chief
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/09/us/politics/epa-scott-pruitt-global-warming.html?mcubz=3
It is widely known that devastating fires in northern California have caused huge amounts of destruction and displacements of families. Already over 8,400 homes have been burnt down as a result of these massive fires. All of these effects of the fires are devastating, but another shocking negative effect of this event is the huge amounts of pollution that have been created by the fires. After data was collected about the fires, it was found that in just two days, the fires created more atmospheric pollution in two days than every car in California creates in one year. These fires have burned over 140,000 acres, which explains the extremely high levels of pollution and the horrible air quality. Numbers this catastrophic have not been recorded before, which shoes how devastating this occurrence truly is.
The effects that the fires in northern California have on the environment is important because bad air quality has negative effects on every person that goes outside not only in California, but also surrounding areas. Bad air quality increases the chance of irritating a breathing condition or a person developing a condition. It is even dangerous to be outside when air quality is this bad, so it greatly limits the activities that can be preformed on a day to day basis. All of the people and their families displaced by the fires have to endure these conditions as well for many have no place to live indoors. People that do not have access to shelter are especially at risk as well. The best that we can do is limit outdoor activity and hope that these devastating fires can be stopped as soon as possible.
The effects that the fires in northern California have on the environment is important because bad air quality has negative effects on every person that goes outside not only in California, but also surrounding areas. Bad air quality increases the chance of irritating a breathing condition or a person developing a condition. It is even dangerous to be outside when air quality is this bad, so it greatly limits the activities that can be preformed on a day to day basis. All of the people and their families displaced by the fires have to endure these conditions as well for many have no place to live indoors. People that do not have access to shelter are especially at risk as well. The best that we can do is limit outdoor activity and hope that these devastating fires can be stopped as soon as possible.
Ozone Depletion
In the middle of the 20th century, a collective interest in the human effect on the environment had begun to emerge. Scientists were keenly observing how interference by society in the natural processes of Earth worked out. In the 1970’s, this research led to some interesting observations about the ozone layer and ozone hole of the Earth.This layer is present in the atmosphere, and it prevents excessive UV radiation from entering into the Earth. It was noticed that there was a steady decline of the ozone in the stratosphere, which comprised of the ozone layer. They also noticed ozone depletion in larger amounts over the two poles of the earth, which is known as the ozone hole.
Thinning of ozone layer means getting direct in touch with ultra violet rays which can cause skin cancer or skin irritation which can lead to death. A decrease in 1% of ozone layer can cause 5% increase in cases of skin cancer. Exposure to UV rays has also increased the cases of cataracts which in turn affects people’s vision and could also cause an increase in people becoming blind. Depletion of ozone layer and increase in UV rays can also cause DNA damage which can also be catastrophic. Aquatic plants and animals are not even safe. UV rays can penetrate through water and can kill small plants and animals. If ozone hole keep on expanding, there would be very few plants which means less food in the whole world.
Thinning of ozone layer means getting direct in touch with ultra violet rays which can cause skin cancer or skin irritation which can lead to death. A decrease in 1% of ozone layer can cause 5% increase in cases of skin cancer. Exposure to UV rays has also increased the cases of cataracts which in turn affects people’s vision and could also cause an increase in people becoming blind. Depletion of ozone layer and increase in UV rays can also cause DNA damage which can also be catastrophic. Aquatic plants and animals are not even safe. UV rays can penetrate through water and can kill small plants and animals. If ozone hole keep on expanding, there would be very few plants which means less food in the whole world.
Pollution-Causing Industries
Most people wear only around 20% of their wardrobe. It is encouraged for people to buy fewer items and to wear them more often. This is why: The fashion industry is the world’s second most polluting industry, after oil, 25% of the world’s chemicals are used for textile production, Around 10% of the world’s global carbon emissions result from the apparel & textile industry, and the textile industry uses more water than any other industry apart from agriculture. All this serves to release toxic chemicals into our air, water and soil. It also results in the creation of greenhouse gases and depletes our water and fossil fuel energy resources. Cotton is a major component in almost all clothing items. Cotton is grown and uses large-scale industrial processes. Its production is chemically and water-intensive. The chemicals it uses are agrochemicals – herbicides, pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, etc – many of which are not absorbed by the plant but which disperse into the air or leech into the soil and water. Post cultivation cotton also undergoes various processes to create yarns suitable for textile production. Again this requires energy and chemicals, including sodium hydroxide, which increases water acidity. It is clear that the fashion industry is a huge polluter, and we must work to lessen the amount of pollution that is excreted from this production.
Drought Causes and Effects
Drought can be defined as the time period when a region gets much less than normal rainfall and is characterized by immense water deficient and this may last for months and sometimes even years. A drought can be announced after a period of only 15 days and is something that brings a lot of suffering for both mankind and other living organisms. The primary drought cause is receipt of less than average precipitation for a prolonged period of time. And this can have a great impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. A drought can last for several years and even it does not, a drought that lasts for few days or weeks can have significant effect on the local economy and cause damage. Drought causes and effects are many and here we would look at them in details.The California drought has had major effects on its various ecosystems. It has caused millions of trees to die out and dry up, causing it much easier for massive forest fires to begin. In addition, when the trees are dead, their roots are weak and can no longer hold the soil together. This causes major erosion which pollutes rivers and waterways with unwanted minerals. This also causes landslides and habitat loss.
Southern California Wildfire Causes
While wildfires in Northern California are often caused by lightning storms, about 99 percent of wildfires in Southern California are caused by humans. While throwing a cigarette butt out of a window is usually not enough to spark a fire, other simple tasks, like mowing the lawn or parking a car on dry grass can. For instance, if a rock hits a lawn mower’s metal blades, that’s usually enough friction to create a spark that can ultimately start a fire, Scott McLean, an information officer at the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, told Fox News. And the heat from a car’s catalytic converter, a device that’s located underneath that controls its exhaust emissions, can reach up to 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, enough heat to create a fire if the car is parked over dry, flammable grass. Another common source of wildfires are utility wires, Peterson said. On a windy day, these wires can be knocked over, land on dry vegetation and ultimately ignite a fire. Wildfires are a perfectly natural, normal phenomenon, but as urban areas continue to expand into wild land areas, the risk of wildfires will also continue to grow. Wildfires will occur one way or another, yet precautions can be taken, such as removing dry brush and planting more water-filled plants.
Dakota Access Pipeline
The pipeline is to be built by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and is designed to transport as many as 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline would be a key conduit connecting oil wells in the state’s Bakken Shale, where the development of fracking has opened billions of gallons of new oil to recovery, to other valuable consumer markets, including the Gulf Coast, Midwest and East Coast. The nearly $4 billion project was first proposed in 2014 with an anticipated completion of this year. The pipeline has united a number of different interest groups with a variety of objections, but Native Americans have been at the center of the opposition. The pipeline would travel underneath the Missouri River, the primary drinking water source for the Standing Rock Sioux, a tribe of around 10,000 with a reservation in the central part of North and South Dakota. Builders of the pipeline insist that they have taken extraordinary measures to safeguard against disaster, but opponents point out that even the safest pipelines can leak. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration has reported more than 3,300 incidents of leaks and ruptures at oil and gas pipelines since 2010. And even the smallest spill could damage the tribe’s water supply. The Standing Rock Sioux also argue that the pipeline traverses a sacred burial ground. The pipeline overall is intruding on territory that should be preserved and has no business being installed.
Effects of Deforestation
Deforestation is considered to be one of the contributing factors to global climate change. The biggest problem caused by deforestation is the impact on the global carbon cycle. Gas molecules that absorb thermal infrared radiation are called greenhouse gasses. If greenhouse gases are in large enough quantity, they can force climate change. Trees help store some of this carbon in order to reduce greenhouse gas levels, but by cutting down huge amounts of trees, not only does deforestation lessen the amount of carbon stored, it also releases carbon dioxide into the air. This is because when trees die, they release the stored carbon. Deforestation releases nearly a billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere per year, though the numbers are not as high as the ones recorded in the previous decade. Deforestation also causes major habitat destruction, leading to the displacement or event extinction of species. Logging must be done in a sustainable manner in order for the effects of global warming to decrease and to save endangered species.
The Sixth Mass Extinction
A biological annihilation of wildlife in recent decades means a sixth mass extinction in Earth’s history is under way and is more severe than previously feared, according to research. Scientists analysed both common and rare species and found billions of regional or local populations have been lost. They blame human overpopulation and over consumption for the crisis and warn that it threatens the survival of human civilization, with just a short window of time in which to act. Previous studies have shown species are becoming extinct at a significantly faster rate. than for millions of years before, but even so extinctions remain relatively rare giving the impression of a gradual loss of biodiversity. The new work instead takes a broader view, assessing many common species which are losing populations all over the world as their ranges shrink, but remain present elsewhere. The scientists found that a third of the thousands of species losing populations are not currently considered endangered and that up to 50% of all individual animals have been lost in recent decades. Detailed data is available for land mammals, and almost half of these have lost 80% of their range in the last century. The scientists found billions of populations of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians have been lost all over the planet, leading them to say a sixth mass extinction has already progressed further than was thought.
Is the drought returning in California?
After a series of powerful atmospheric rivers brought the wettest rainy season on record to Northern California, brimming reservoirs became a symbol of the state's plentiful water reserves and the end of a five-year drought. Now that this year's season has started with below average precipitation and the northern part of the state has seen very little rain in December, you might be wondering how the reservoir water levels are looking. Images were tracked down of some of the state's largest and most important reservoirs and the good news is that they're still swollen with water. Oroville is one exception in Northern California; it's below 100 percent as water levels were kept low as the reservoir's dam underwent repairs after the extreme storms damaged its spillway. That said, the reservoirs are ever-so slowly inching back down. The total storage for 154 reservoirs tracked by the Department of Water Resources is 116 percent of the historical average. Although many of the California reservoirs are still full, many areas in southern California have been declared abnormally dry or are already in a state of drought.
The Asian Carp Invaders
Seven species of carp native to Asia have been introduced into United States waters in recent decades, but it’s four in particular, bighead, black, grass and silver, that worry ecologists, biologists, fishers and policymakers alike. Introduced in the southeast to help control weeds and parasites in aquaculture operations, these fish soon spread up the Mississippi River system where they have been crowding out native fish populations not used to competing with such aggressive invaders. The carps’ presence in such numbers is also compromising water quality and killing off sensitive species such as freshwater mussels. Asian carp are hardy, lay hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time and spread into new habitat quickly and easily. To wit, they can jump over barriers such as low dams. Also, flooding has helped the fish expand into previously unattainable water bodies. And fishers using young carp as live bait have also facilitated the fish’s spread, as have boats going through locks up and down the Mississippi. The federal government’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force considers the Asian carps to be nuisance species and encourages and supports active control by natural resources management agencies. Federal and state governments have spent millions in tax dollars accordingly to prevent the carp from making their way into the Great Lakes, but an elaborate underwater electric fence constructed to keep them out has not worked as well as hoped, and policymakers are reviewing other options now.