Hydrology

The Tundra is the coldest biome out of all of them. The word tundra means “treeless plain”. The tundra is known for its frosty landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. The tundra is characterized into two types: arctic tundra, and alpine tundra. There are many different characteristics that make tundra such a unique biome. The extremely low climate and low biodiversity are the most known. Most of the energy and nutrients…

How does the Earth’s Water Cycle works? The water cycle is a process in which Earth’s water never stops moving by three steps evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Water is if not the most one of the most important components of life. Water defines how most ecosystems are. The water cycle is also connected by several ways to every other system in Earth. What is the water cycle? Water in Earth is always in movement, but how does it move. The water cycle also known as the hydrological…

In the essay “the illusion of water abundance”, Cynthia Barnett Talks about the growing problem of water misuse in America, and the widespread effects it has on the water supply in America. Out of all of the forms of rhetoric used in this essay, Ethos seems to be the most common. Barnett makes numerous emotional appeals throughout the essay. The very first statement she makes is an emotional appeal to the middle and lowers classes against the frivolous uses of water by wealthy neighborhoods…

According to a study by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), a combination of record high temperatures and sparse rainfall during California’s current drought have produced the worst drought conditions in 1,200 years. A key component to this drought, is the substantial water consumption in the Coachella Valley, a valley located in Southern California. Residents all throughout California, and even outside of the state, are putting partial blame onto the valley for facilitating in this severe…

Most Americans do not realize this, but water plays a significant part towards our survival. We use it for almost any basic need; drinking, cleaning, entertainment, and so on. Water is always there when we need it. However, in California, water is diminishing. Residents are finding out that they cannot take a shower, brush their teeth, or even drink water. “You don’t think of water as a privilege until you don’t have it anymore,” says Yolanda Serrato. Lakes and rivers are disappearing and…

2.7. Soil erosion modeling For this study a model-based approach was used to assess soil erosion risk. The well-known Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) (Wischmeier and Smith, 1978) was used because it is one of the least data demanding erosion models that have been developed and it has been applied widely at different scales. The model is designed to estimate long-term annual erosion rates of agricultural fields. The USLE model as described in Equation 1 was used to predict erosion of each 100…

1. The Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC) Ballast water management is defined as the “mechanical, physical, chemical, and biological processes, either singularly or in combination, to remove, render harmless, or avoid the uptake or discharge of Harmful Aquatic Organisms and Pathogens (HAOP) within Ballast Water and Sediments. (IMO, 2004) In February 2004, the IMO adopted the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments (the Ballast Water…

The easiest way to explain transpiration is to think of it as plant evaporation. Transpiration as a whole is the general cycle for water regarding plants, this includes the movement of water throughout the plant itself and the movement of water leaving the organism. However, most definitions of transpiration focus on aerial parts such as the stomata on the leaves. The adhesion and cohesion of water is something very important to life. It is these properties that allow the movement of water…

3.0 DETERMINATION OF CONSISTENCY LIMITS OF A SOIL 3.1 Introduction 3.1.1 Objective To determine the Atterberg Limits of Soils 3.1.2 Learning Outcomes Understand the Principle of Consistency and Atterberg Limits of Clay Soils Describe the Atterberg Limit Tests and their uses Perform the tests and obtain the Atterberg Limits Calculate some Indices (Flow Index, Plasticity Index and Toughness Index) for the Clay Soil 3.1.3 Consistency indices Fine-grained soils are formed in nature by the gradual…

Every year California Governor Jerry Brown along with other state employees meet to evaluate the accretion of winter and how spring runoff may help irrigated agriculture. The percentage of snow has been decreasing each year. A press conference was held to inform the public of Governor Brown’s executive decision to restrict urban water use by twenty-five percent. It was no surprise to Californians after facing four years of drought. With the lack of rain and increasing temperatures, climate…