Albedo

Within Ronald Wright’s novel, A Short History of Progress, the concept of a “progress trap” is explored. Described by Wright, a “progress trap” is a situation in which humans establish a dependence upon new technology or techniques that have been integrated into societal structures to help “improve” human living conditions. This newly developed technology or knowledge can become paramount in society and critical to the survival of the transformed civilization. At this point, a loop of “progress…

As the amount of anthropogenic CO2 has been rising in the atmosphere, this has meant a natural rise in the levels of CO2 in the oceans. This rise can have a large effect on the natural biogeochemical cycles of the oceans. The largest effect will be seen through the acidification of the oceans. When CO2 is dissolved in seawater it increases the concentration of hydrogen ions in the ocean, which then decreases the overall pH, causing acidification. This acidification can have a detrimental effect…

1 Introduction Since the eruption in 1980, the area around Mount St. Helens has rebounded in ways that were somewhat unexpected, with recovery coming not only from the surrounding area, but from within the barren expanse that remained after the eruption. While not the first eruption overall, this eruption was the first to occur on the U.S mainland in a time when modern scientific monitoring could track the events associated with it. Smaller earthquakes in March of 1980 eventually led to the…

I will be writing about Global Warming. Global Warming has been a local issue because it is shaping the world til this day . Many people ask the question what is Global Warming ? Global warming is something that is not really answered. I choose to write about this topic because to me this has been a big issue. Global Warming impacts our lives in many ways. I also, chose to write about Global Warming because it’s an issue that is not really brought to many people’s attention . Global Warming…

In the future what climate will the earth have? Will it be too hot, were we will all have to live underground to stay alive and cool. Will we be in the next ice age, struggling to survive in the cold. Will glaciers cover the earth’s surface to the point where no plants can grow? Will we have destroyed the crops where we can no longer feed ourselves? Will it be the same as it is now, proving that climate change is just a political game? No matter what is in store for us in the future, Climate…

As a result of global warming, there is not a corner of the worlds’ oceans left unaffected by anthropogenic disturbances. The heating of Earth’s surface occurs through a life supporting process known as the greenhouse effect. This is a natural process where heat from solar radiation passing through the atmosphere is absorbed by gases and radiated back to the surface (Bradford A 2014). However, human activities, such as deforestation, industrial processes, and fossil fuel combustion are polluting…

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) live throughout the ice-covered waters of the circumpolar Arctic, particularly in near shore annual ice over the continental shelf where biological productivity is highest. However, to a large degree under scenarios predicted by climate change models, these preferred sea ice habitats will be substantially altered. Spatial and temporal sea ice changes will lead to shifts in trophic interactions involving polar bears through reduced availability and abundance of their…

Water exists in all three physical states only on planet earth, the only planet where life exists in the whole of universe. Water supports life on earth due its unique physical properties such as density, temperature variation, reflectivity, surface tension, specific heat, boiling and freezing points, as well as its chemical properties including its polar nature, dissolving ability and capacity to act both as an acid or base. The exceptional physical properties are all attributed to water’s…