Article due 12/11

DDT is a dangerous pesticide that kills and repels mosquitos more effectively than any other known substance. This chemical was used widely in the developing world to prevent malaria, a disease that not only kills the populations of these areas, but the economies, but has been stopped due to pressures from the developed world. The developed world wants use of DDT to stop because it is a chemical that takes years to decompose, and it bioaccumulates in humans, which could be dangerous.
The continued use of DDT would hurt the environment as it is a pesticide that would accumulate in animals, leading to deaths. Also, the discontinued use of DDT would increase the mosquito population, increasing the cases worldwide of malaria.
Should use be stopped now or should developing countries use DDT?

Post due 12/4

In India alone, 140 million people drink water that is contaminated with pollutants, despite measures to improve water quality. Sarvajal is a company that is trying to tackle this problem with water ATMs, created with sensory equipment and cloud technology. This invention not only provides clean water to many rural areas, but allows for the women and children who used to spend their time only retrieving water may now divert their attentions.
The still growing population of India will begin to stress the water supply beyond capacity, creating a detriment to the region as the water table will fall. The fall of the water table will not only hurt the human populations of the area, but all natural habitats as well.
Will the improvement of water in India be enough to halt over use of the area's resources?

Blog Post 11/27

        The growing human population is creating a need for resources that may not be available in the next century. The demand for food will double by 2050, and triple by 2100, which is not sustainable. Also, water will be scarce as it is wasted on creating luxury products, 2,700 liters for a bar of chocolate.
        The growth of the human population will negatively impact the environment as the destruction of natural habitats will increase dramatically, creating a loss of biodiversity. Also, with the destruction of habitat will come a loss of ecosystem function, hurting our already scarce resources.
Will population growth slow down in time to achieve sustainability? Will I have to do blog posts over winter break?

Article for 11/20

The quality of a banana that consumers love- consistency- is the genetic downfall of the fruit. The plantations that currently provide North America and Europe with their favorite fruit are at risk of disease, the cavendish is being wiped out by the panama fungus. Scientists are trying to create a genetically modified fruit that resists the disease and plantations in central america are trying to breed a consumer welcome replacement.
This circumstance exemplifies the idea that low genetic diversity may leads to a species being unresistant to disease. The loss of these plants would also effect their ecosystems, as they provide shade to growing plants underneath them.
Would a genetically modified plant serve the same function in the ecosystem?

Article 11/13

Euryodendron excelsum is a very rare species of tree, less than 200 individuals, that lives in Southeastern China. China's industrial nature creates a constant threat to the plant, land clearing and wood cutting are constant threats. Previous research into saving this tree have focused on biological and ecological aspects of endangerment, but a new study by Yunnan University focuses on the microbes living around the tree's roots. 

The study of microbes relates to environmental science as understanding the microscopic aspects of an ecosystem will allow for a greater understanding of its function as a whole. Also, a better understanding of microbes will allow for greater accuracy when trying to rebuild lost habitat. 

When recreating lost habitat, would any microbe of a similar ecosystem if brought in would improve ecosystem function? 

Article 11/6

A few Filipino marines have been living on a wrecked ship in the Southern Pacific Ocean in order to maintain their hold on the area. China has been flooding the area with ships trying to obtain full ownership of the fishery and oil. The men on the ship are struggling to survive, and are constantly watched by a rotation of Chinese ships.

The shift of ownership to the Chinese would affect the ecosystem of the fisheries as they would be greatly harvested. This reduction of the fish population would reduce the function of the ecosystem as a whole. 

Would the placement of oil rigs in the area have a greater or lesser affect on the fish population than would over harvesting?

Article 10/22

The current culmination of human effect and climate change is a greatly amplified version of the events that caused extinctions of large mammals such as the wooly mammoth in the Pleistocene era. Current calculations, using the modest estimate of 10 million species in the world, predict that 1 million species are at risk for extinctions due to changing conditions. Currently, the world's biologically unique environments have lost 70% of their high quality habitat.
These extinctions relation to environmental science for many reasons. Primarily, the loss of species will directly effect their environments because food sources and/or predators will be lost, causing shifts in food webs and balances. Also, the synergy effect may take place and add the changing climate, human impacts, and species loss into an even greater change than expected, creating massive shifts within the environment.
Is there any way to reverse the effects of species loss once they have occurred?

Article for 10/16

North Dakota recently experienced an oil spill, 20,000 gallons, the largest in the state's history. Since the introduction of the Bakken shale oil, North Dakota has become the second most lucrative state in oil production. When the leak was discovered, the spill posed no threat to the groundwater of the area.
This article applies to Environmental Science because this large leak of crude oil will cause a major change in the environment of the area, affecting local ecosystems. The area surrounding the spill may not return to its prior state because the plants and animals affected may never reach their previous potential.
One questions is how was the species richness and evenness affected by the oil spill.

Article 9/25

Researchers form Brown University and Washington University found that nitrogen isotopes ratios have changed significantly in the past 300 years, especially between 1950 and 1985. They believe that this change in the nitrogen cycle is caused by the increased combustion of fossil fuels, which has greatly increased in the past 60 years. Introducing this new source of nitrogen to its cycle has greatly increased the nitrogen stored in the atmosphere. This is a problem because the released nitric oxide binds with other elements  and forms smog and acid rain which affect multiple environments. Also, the increase of nitrogen in the atmosphere has effected lake chemistry by causing organic nitrogen decline. Is it possible for these changes to be reversed?

Article 9/15

Even though Li-ion battery powered cars are better for the environment than gasoline powered vehicles, the materials used to create them have the potential to harm the environment and human health. The batteries with nick and cobalt cathodes have the greatest possibility of impact, such as environmental toxicity, global warming, and resource depletion. Also, production of these metals can create problematic respiratory, pulmonary, and neurological affects in those exposed. This applies to environmental science because the manufacturing of these batteries may introduce toxins into surrounding environments, affecting local plant an animal species. Also, aforementioned resource depletion needs to be checked, because the mining of these materials may create an adverse reaction to the local ecosystem. Are these Li-ion batteries worth these risks, are they still an improvement over gas-powered vehicles?

Environmental Article 5- Global

Scientific American discusses how Carbon Farms may reverse global warming.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=could-carbon-farms-reverse-global-warming

German researchers have been looking for a way to take CO2 out of the air, not just ameliorate carbon emissions. They suggest planting the Barbados nut (picture above) in dry costal or desert areas, space that is not used for food production. This plant is known for growing in sandy soil and is predicted to absorb massive amounts of carbon. The study suggests that if 730 million hectares of land, three fourths of the United States, were used to plant the Barbados nut, rising CO2 trends would be halted. The researchers chose this particular plant because it can grow with high levels of contamination in the soil and wastewater can be used to irrigate it. 

Environmental Article 4- Global

New York Times article about Ecuador dropping its ban on oil drilling in the Amazon.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/17/business/energy-environment/ecuador-drops-plan-to-ban-drilling-in-jungle.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&ref=environment&adxnnlx=1377453792-8rBnjCQqsc7D3b074wIFCw

The $3.6 billion dollars President Correa of Ecuador asked for six years ago has not been raised. Only $13 million has been donated to the fund that would have prevented oil drilling in the Amazon, and that is not enough for the country to abstain from obtaining oil revenue. While President Correa sides with those who believe drilling is ruining the land, he claims that he made this decision in order to help the country as a whole. Oil pollution in the Ecuadorean jungles has also been marked by decades of lawsuits on Texaco and Chevron. The Ecuadorean court sentenced Chevron to pay for damages, but enforcement proceedings are in various stages. 

Nature Picture 5

A picture of the Mediterranean, taken off the coast of Malaga, Spain. Taken 7/24/13. This part of the ocean has been especially effected by all of the trash dumping into the Mediterranean, due to the strong current that passes through the straight. Morocco and Spain boarder this straight, and trash piles on their shores.

Nature Picture 4

A picture of surrounding mountain tops in Malaga, Spain. Taken 7/14/13. This area is home to the botanical gardens of Malaga, an area dedicated to the preservation of may local plant life.

Nature Picture 3

This is a picture taken of the hills around the Alhambra in Granada, Spain. Taken on 7/13/13. The gardens of the Alhambra have been protected due to its historical significance, and have remained the same since its rehabilitation. Granda means pomegranate in spanish, and the area is home to thousands of pomegranate trees.

Nature Picture 2

This is a picture of a river in Toledo Spain, taken on 6/29/13. The water level of this river has dropped significantly due to the city's inhabitants need for water. Toledo is in a very dry area, and they are having problems with replenishing the water they use from the river.

Environmental Article 3- Local

Houston Chronicle article that discusses the action environmental groups have taken to stop the use of inaccurate formals used when calculating smog. 

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Environmental-groups-sue-EPA-over-refinery-4484297.php

This article published on May 2, 2013 discusses the lawsuit Air Houston and three other environmental groups filed against the Environmental Protection Agency because of their use of outdated formulas to calculate air pollution. These groups have produced studies that claim the actual pollution is 132 times greater than EPA estimations. Therefore, this agency must change if it is to protect citizen's health. Jennifer Duggan, an attorney representing Air Houston, claims that the EPA has known about the inaccuracies for some time and is against changing. The purpose of this lawsuit is to force the EPA to have accurate data so they can enforce laws accordingly.

Environmental Article 2- Global

The Economist published an article onJune 20, 2013 that discussed the climate plateau and how it has created doubt about the supposed scientific consensus.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2013/06/climate-change?zid=313&ah=fe2aac0b11adef572d67aed9273b6e55

This article discusses how Earth's climate change over the past ten years has been surprisingly low, stumping many scientists. Many previously claimed that there would be a drastic rise in temperatures do to increasing carbon emissions, but measurements have been at the lowest possible predictions. Mr. Cohn claims that this is a hiatus in the long term event that is global warming. Though this hiatus is good news for those concerned with dropping temperatures, it is detrimental to those who are trying to pass anti-carbon emissions legislature. This hiatus which scientists previously claimed impossible has cast a doubt over the pressing needs of environmental protection.

Nature Picture 1

This is a picture of part of the trail from my house to Memorial Park. Taken on 6/19/13. Memorial Park provides a green space for many of Houston's citizens, located inside the 610 loop. I have participated in tree plantings in the park, helping to replenish the plants that were lost in a previous drought.

Environmental Article 1- Local

The Houston Press Published an article on May 31st, 2013, about the relationship between Texas carbon emissions and the recent devastating tornadoes. 

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2013/05/texas_leads_in_carbon_emission.php

The state of Texas emits 10% of the total carbon emissions produced by the United States. While the smog creates problems because it is a respiratory irritant and it hurts Texas plant life, it is not directly connected to the killer tornadoes. This comparison is similar to the one made in Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth which pairs global warming with Hurricane Katrina. While these scare tactics may give the issue at hand attention, science does not support the correlation. The article concludes with the summation that Texas's carbon emissions must be addressed, but not because they cause killer tornadoes.