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.