Lab 8 – Research Paper For this week’s lab, please prepare a 5 page (double spac
ID: 105930 • Letter: L
Question
Lab 8 – Research Paper
For this week’s lab, please prepare a 5 page (double spaced) report on a current topic in Environmental Science of your choosing. The report should adhere to APA format. You are required to use 5 sources. Please be sure to cite all sources and remember any acts of plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Remember, this is a scientific research paper, and therefore should contain data from RELIABLE sources. This may be in the form of charts, graphs, tables, etc.
Some sample topics are given below.
Climate Change
The Future of Energy
Coral Reef Bleaching
Sustainable Agriculture
The Change to Organics
Electric Vehicles Good or Bad
GeoEngineering Topics
Endangered Species
Air/Wind/Water/Earth Pollution
SOMEONE HELP PLEASE
Explanation / Answer
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences (including ecology, biology, physics, chemistry, zoology, mineralogy, oceanology, limnology, soil science, geology, atmospheric science, and geodesy) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.
Related areas of study include environmental studies and environmental engineering. Environmental studies incorporates more of the social sciences for understanding human relationships, perceptions and policies towards the environment. Environmental engineering focuses on design and technology for improving environmental quality in every aspect.
Environmental scientists work on subjects like the understanding of earth processes, evaluating alternative energy systems, pollution control and mitigation, natural resource management, and the effects of global climate change. Environmental issues almost always include an interaction of physical, chemical, and biological processes. Environmental scientists bring a systems approach to the analysis of environmental problems. Key elements of an effective environmental scientist include the ability to relate space, and time relationships as well as quantitative analysis.Its components Atmospheric sciences,Ecology, Geosciences, Environmental chemistry ets.
There has been a notable and drastic climate change ocurred since time immemorial. Climate change occurs when long-term weather patterns are altered — for example, through human activity. Global warming is one measure of climate change, and is a rise in the average global temperature.We have released so much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that our planet's atmosphere is now like a thick, heat-trapping blanket. By disrupting the atmospheric balance that keeps the climate stable, we are now seeing extreme effects around the globe. It's like a thermostat that's gone haywire — it just doesn't work the way it should. The result: the climate changes, and it gets warmer. Extreme weather events also become more common.Global warming has already begun. Since 1900, the global average temperature has risen by 0.7 degrees Celsius, and the northern hemisphere is substantially warmer than at any point during the past 1,000 years.
The Future of Energy
That the global energy system is not sustainable is clearly demonstrated by increasingly scarce resources, frequently unstable energy supplies, and climate change. Ambitious plans have been drawn up to change that — primarily with the help of digital technologies and distributed energy generation systems. The goal of these plans is to dispense with fossil fuels.
In the context of the on-going energy system change and the World Economic Forum’s Future of Energy Global System Initiative, our council will act as a think tank to provide longer term (5-20 years) vision and solutions for an effective transition towards a more sustainable, secure and affordable energy future.
This can include identifying risks, opportunities and hurdles to overcome in reaching this future; analyzing the variables that have the greatest potential for disruption; and delivering clear recommendations for actions needed today.Governments are giving this transition a boost. In order to usher in a new age of electricity, the heads of the G7 countries declared at their 2015 summit in Elmau, Germany, that they would completely decarbonize their economies by dispensing with fossil fuels by 2100 and using electricity as a universal source of energy. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015, countries adopted a new climate-protection agreement to supplement the Kyoto Protocol. It is an important step in the right direction. However, as the charts and other facts clearly show, great efforts will still be needed only to achieve a turnaround in emissions by 2020 so that climate change won’t exceed the two-degree Celsius target. These steps harbor challenges but also opportunities for mankind, nature, and the economy. It’s time to take action.
Coral Reef Bleaching
Coral bleaching is the loss of endosymbiotic algae from the coral, either through expulsion or loss of algal pigmentation. Above-average sea water temperatures caused by global warming have been identified as a leading cause for coral bleaching worldwide. Bleached corals continue to live.
Warmer water temperatures can result in coral bleaching. When water is too warm, corals will expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues causing the coral to turn completely white. This is called coral bleaching. When a coral bleaches, it is not dead. Corals can survive a bleaching event, but they are under more stress and are subject to mortality.
In 2005, the U.S. lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year due to a massive bleaching event. The warm waters centered around the northern Antilles near the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico expanded southward. Comparison of satellite data from the previous 20 years confirmed that thermal stress from the 2005 event was greater than the previous 20 years combined.
Coral reefs are found in circumtropical shallow tropical waters along the shores of islands and continents. The reef substrate is mainly composed of calcium carbonate from living and dead scleractinian corals. Many other invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants live in close association to the scleractinian corals, with tight resource coupling and recycling, allowing coral reefs to have extremely high productivity and biodiversity, such that they are referred to as ‘the Tropical Rainforests of the Oceans’.
Corals live in very nutrient poor waters and have certain zones of tolerance to water temperature, salinity, UV radiation, opacity, and nutrient quantities.
Sustainable Agriculture.
Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It has been defined as "an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term", for example:
Satisfy human food and fiber needs.Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends.Make the most efficient use of non-renewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls.Sustain the economic viability of farm operations.Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.
Sustainable agriculture can be understood as an ecosystem approach to agriculture.Practices that can cause long-term damage to soil include excessive tilling of the soil (leading to erosion) and irrigation without adequate drainage (leading to salinization). Long-term experiments have provided some of the best data on how various practices affect soil properties essential to sustainability. In the United States a federal agency, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, specializes in providing technical and financial assistance for those interested in pursuing natural resource conservation and production agriculture as compatible goals.
The most important factors for an individual site are sun, air, soil, nutrients, and water. Of the five, water and soil quality and quantity are most amenable to human intervention through time and labor.
Although air and sunlight are available everywhere on Earth, crops also depend on soil nutrients and the availability of water. When farmers grow and harvest crops, they remove some of these nutrients from the soil. Without replenishment, land suffers from nutrient depletion and becomes either unusable or suffers from reduced yields. Sustainable agriculture depends on replenishing the soil while minimizing the use or need of non-renewable resources, such as natural gas (used in converting atmospheric nitrogen into synthetic fertilizer), or mineral ores (e.g., phosphate).
The Change to Organics.
Agriculture, to many is just an industry of farmers and cows. Most people can’t even come close to fathom just how essential the continuance of agriculture is to not just our well being, but our very lives. People of the United States have been spoiled, they’ve never had to worry about the grocery stores running empty because, even to this day, there hasn’t been a problem growing enough to feed, not only the U.S. but a good part of the world too. The day though is fast approaching that we won’t be able to keep those grocery stores stocked. Due to the depletion of the vital resources, needed to produce our food, it is becoming increasingly challenging for today’s agriculturalists to feed the world. The only way to be able to keep up with the exponentially growing population and shrinking resource base, is to radically change how we produce our food or we will be looking at a huge crisis in the very near future.
Organic Agriculture, as defined by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB): “Is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain, and enhance ecological harmony.” Which is very fancily put for agriculture with as little man made input as possible trying to farm, as they perceive at least, the most beneficial to the environment in the agricultural setting. To do this, all uses of pesticides, herbicides, chemical nutrients, genetically modified seed, and the list goes on and on. The producer relies more heavily upon the application of manure and in most cases is forced into higher tillage to control weed pests. Although there is some other natural pest control methods, but the choices are pretty limited. Organic production’s man principle is to return organic matter back to the soil, as well as fetch premium market prices for their production. As for the history of the term “organic” and its association with agriculture as far as anyone can tell, at least in this country was around the 1940’s.
Electric Vehicles Good or Bad.
The electric car (EV) is a relatively new concept in the world of the automotive industry. Although some companies have based their entire model of cars around being proactive and using electricity, some also offer hybrid vehicles that work off both electricity and gas. An electric car such as Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric or Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Volt is a great way for you to not only save money, but also help contribute towards a healthy and stable environment.
Cars produce a lot of carbon emissions that are ejected into our natural atmosphere, leaving us vulnerable to things like pollution and greenhouse gases. In order to help positively the environment we live in, an electric car is a great step forward. By buying an electric car, you can also receive government subsidies for being environmentally conscious. Although you may end up paying more for your vehicle, the positives greatly overshadow the negatives. However there are still two sides to consider when you’re thinking about investing in an electric vehicle.Advantages of an Electric Car are No Gas Required, Savings, No Emissions, Safe to Drive, Cost Effective, Reduced Noise Pollution but its has disadvantages as well which includes Recharge Points, Electricity isn’t Free,Short Driving Range and Speed, Longer Recharge Time, Battery Replacement, Not Suitable for Cities Facing Shortage of Power. So its definitely a boon from environmental point of view and whole it a blessing in disguise. Hence a good.
GeoEngineering Topics.
Geoengineering commonly refers to Climate engineering.
Solar Radiation Management (SRM) or Solar Geoengineering- SRM techniques aim to reflect a small proportion of the Sun’s energy back into space, counteracting the temperature rise caused by increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere which absorb energy and raise temperatures.
CDR techniques aim to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, directly countering the increased greenhouse effect and ocean acidification. These techniques would have to be implemented on a global scale to have a significant impact on carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
Geological engineering, a hybrid discipline that comprises elements of civil engineering, mining engineering, petroleum engineering, and earth sciences.Engineering geology, the application of the geological sciences to engineering study. Geotechnical engineering, the branch of civil engineering concerned with the engineering behavior of earth materials. Geophysical engineering, the application of geophysics to the engineering design of facilities including roads, tunnels, and mines.
Endangered Species
An endangered species is a species which has been categorized as likely to become extinct. Endangered (EN), as categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations in the IUCN's schema after Critically Endangered (CR).
In 2012, the IUCN Red List featured 3079 animal and 2655 plant species as endangered (EN) worldwide. The figures for 1998 were, respectively, 1102 and 1197.
Many nations have laws that protect conservation-reliant species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development or creating preserves. Population numbers, trends and species' conservation status can be found in the lists of organisms by population. E.g, The Siberian tiger is an Endangered (EN) tiger subspecies. Blue-throated macaw, an endangered species.Brown spider monkey, an endangered species.Siamese crocodile, an endangered species.American burying beetle, an endangered species.Kemp's ridley sea turtle, an endangered species.
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