Environmental Science Review Vocab Quizzes- Screenshots

 

The Biosphere one is not here because I couldn't get it but, you said that you could trust me so it is fine I guess.

Retracing your journey

• My favorite quest during this class was the Jurassic Park quest from the Extinction chain.
• The quest that challenged me the most was probably the quest Floods from the Natural Disasters quest chain. Mostly because I wasn't used to using locations in quests.
• I don't know exactly what you mean but I assume you meant what idea that you had the greatest impact on me, but the idea I think had the greatest impact would be when you linked a lot of the information that we were needed for notes to Youtube channels that I enjoy and related them into your class.
• The results of my sustainability challenge have ranged from me not relying on electronics as much to changing my eating. I have become vegetarian as of two months ago and I don't know if this class if what influenced me wanting to begin vegetarianism but it possibly could have.
• From this class I have learned how to use Google Maps (The example in the quest helped me remember that) TinkerCad, Blogger (Not necessarily caused by the class but the class made me use it), and how to look in Wikipedias references for more accurate documents of information.  

See The World! Sixth or Seventh- I don't know

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_XwzW5fUdu0ba1BTH3thbce3jj9XE02sB0BXXeMGb4I/edit?usp=sharing

This is my sixth or seventh see the world quest. Here you go!

The War for Water- The War for Water Quest Chain

In this post, I am going to be writing about an invention idea I came up with instead of writing about a conflict that happened over water. I think that the invention of a Water Purifying Bucket. The bucket could be used to scoop up water in massive amounts and the water would be automatically purified. This could be helpful for places similar to Africa where a lot of the water sources are polluted. The bucket would probably be two or three gallons large and would be made of some plastic material. There could purifiers, like the ones in water bottles, in the bucket so that it could purify it quickly and remove all the pollutants it can. The bucket could possibly have four purifiers in it like the ones in bottles and then it could also probably have a supply of those little tablets that are used to purify water supplies. I assume that all the purifiers would be top of the line so that they could continue to work over many years and in a good condition. The bucket would be very useful in places like Africa because it could be used to retrieve safe water for drinking, hygiene, or to use for anything else that the water may need to be pure for. I feel like this idea could be very useful and that there should already be something like this out in the world being used to give communities without safe drinking water.

My notes: Here

Don't drink the water!- The war for water Quest Chain

My filter was made of a plastic bottle, a hairbow, two different paper towels, sand, small rocks, and large rocks. They were all layered in the bottle and little pieces of paper towel on the bottom tied on with the hairbow. I also did the Bhopal Gas Leak, Australia's colonization, and Synthetic Pesticides on the Padlet.

My notes: Here

Climate Change- Climate Change Quest Chain

My notes: Here

I already wrote my responses in the discussion forum and replied to atleast two people.

Choking on Air Pollution- Climate Change Quest Chain

I did the air pollutant Hydrochlorofluorocarbons. Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are a large group of compounds, whose structure is very close to that of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), but including one or more hydrogen atoms. Under normal conditions, HCFCs are gases or liquids which evaporate easily. They are generally fairly stable and unreactive. HCFCs do not usually dissolve in water, but do dissolve in organic (carbon-containing) solvents. HCFCs are chemically similar to Hydrobromofluorocarbons (HBFCs), Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Halons and therefore display some similar properties, though they are much less stable and persistent. HCFCs are also part of a group of chemicals known as the volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Notes here: Link

The Green Revolution- The War for water Quest Chain

Hydroponics is when crops are grown without soil and are instead grown in water and still get all of their necessary nutrients. It is popular to use in nurseries because it is easy to maintain and gives great control over the environment. It is also a good way to grow plants in areas that are difficult, such as dry areas or places with poor soil. In fact, hydroponics conserves more water than irrigation does, because the water is recirculated rather than being allowed to drain away.

Notes are here: Link

The Energy of The Future- The Energy Crisis Quest Chain

I played EnergyCity twice and forgot to take a screenshot of the page. But my scores were 361000 and 411000.

What I learned from playing this on how we struggle with providing energy for ourselves is that the environment is harmed a lot due to our inefficient way to produce energy. If we continue to build power plants that are forming clouds of smog and pollution that that slowly damages the environment more and more. Plants that run on water, like hydroelectric dams, are a lot more environmentally friendly way to produce energy.

Notes: Here

See The World- Deep Ocean

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_XwzW5fUdu0ba1BTH3thbce3jj9XE02sB0BXXeMGb4I/edit?usp=sharing

This is my another See The World quest but this time on the Deep Ocean.

The Energy Crisis

An energy crisis is when anything that is required by plants that create energy is threatened and more of it is needed but we can't get more. The main energy source that causes an energy crisis to happen is oil. Oil is used in a lot of things that we use today similar to factories, machines, cars, trains, and more. With that being said, the demand people have for oil is extremely high. If the supply and demand ratio of any product gets thrown off too quickly, then a crisis is waiting to happen. The supply and demand ratio that a product has is very rarely thrown off by the consumers. Usually, the government has to do something drastic like implement  tax hikes. stricter regulations, or union strikes in the industry that the product is based out of. The most common thing that a government does to affect the energy industry is to implement a tax hike. A tax hike is devastating to the energy industry because they now have to adjust the price of the product itself, the way that they make the product, and the cost of transportation. Major changes like these don't happen overnight. Until the energy industry changes its prices to accommodate the new tax hike, they are losing money. If a company is losing a lot of money in a small period of time, they will most likely panic and either stop production of their product or raise the price of their product significantly to cover the cost of the lost time adjusting the prices. Oil is widely used throughout the world, which means that the demand for oil is extremely high. If the amount of oil even for an instance drops below the average supply and demand ratio, a crisis will most likely occur. If companies and people have to pay more for oil, then the price for everything that uses oil will rise too. The energy crisis causes a domino effect to occur in the global economy.. It is estimated that 1.2 billion people in the world don't have access to an energy source at all. This can be considered bad for humans but good for the atmosphere because the smaller the amount of people who have access to energy, the smaller the amount of pollution from factories and plants. For people, this figure is bad because energy usage makes life easier and can potentially save the lives of people. Not enough energy is being produced for the growing population. If this continues, two potentially devastating things will most likely occur. The first is if the population of the world gets to a point where people can't produce enough oil to sustain themselves, then supply and demand will go into effect and significantly raise the price of oil so only the rich people can afford to use it. Two, the supply of oil could run out on Earth, which would cause humans to have to find another energy alternative to it. Electricity is cheaper and healthier to use than oil, but most companies and people will probably continue to use oil until it runs out.

Sources:

http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-solutions-to-the-global-energy-crisis.php

http://www.global-economic-symposium.org/knowledgebase/the-global-environment/the-energy-crisis-and-climate-change/proposals/the-energy-crisis-and-climate-change

https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epas-position-energy-crisis

Epidemics- Natural Disasters Quest Chain

From playing the Pandemic game, I can say that a disease being resistant to the heat, the cold, and moisture is a good way for it to spread and if the symptoms include coughing or sneezing than it can be spread easily. It if can be spread through the air, water, insects, and/or rodents than it is going to infect a lot of people.

Also, I did the disease Epidemic Typhus in the Class Spreadsheet.

Notes are here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_VfCl_B4eVlweS0hpoD_xD0qVQb-CppMYjZXjxk2EDI/edit?usp=sharing

See The World 4- Freshwater Biomes

Here is the link to my presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_XwzW5fUdu0ba1BTH3thbce3jj9XE02sB0BXXeMGb4I/edit?usp=sharing

This one is on Freshwater biomes and is the fifth slide of the powerpoint.

Droughts- Natural Disasters Quest Chain

I don’t think that we are at risk of another Dust Bowl, because even though we are having a period of drought in California it isn’t as bad as the ones during the Dust Bowl. I think that something similar to the Dust Bowl could occur again in the future though maybe not soon. We have hopefully learned how to farm differently from that experience. People could prevent things like the Dust Bowl from happening by stopping global warming, like using natural gasses up, and have everyone start using these improved farming techniques. We have started using and introducing techniques that are not as harmful to the environment and benefit us more too. However, we will probably have another Dust Bowl situation because of global warming or something similar to what caused the Dust Bowl.

Notes: Here

Sources:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericmack/2015/02/12/climate-change-will-probably-force-me-to-move/#3782f162788a
http://news.discovery.com/earth/weather-extreme-events/drought-dust-bowl-120719.htm
http://drought.unl.edu/droughtforkids/whatisdrought/causesofdrought.aspx
http://drought.unl.edu/DroughtforKids/HowCanWeProtectOurselves.aspx

Our Breathable Eggshell- Climate Change Quest Chain

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/782383059394625536

My notes are here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I72BVtI_sawwtTHw9FXBlV2BiiSstGxAc076PuPZn9E/edit?usp=sharing

World Without Oil- Documentarian

Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2htGadwrhcI

This documentary is talking about how we use oil for almost everything that we currently use and how it is a big part of modern lives. They give a scenario that if the world were to lose all oil then cities and other places would start to stop functioning without oil. In the scenario oil begins to disappear and then gas station begin to run dry. It also talks about how food companies, hospitals, and other areas begin to lose power and thus they can no longer function. This documentary shows the world from a post-apocalyptic point of view.

Sinkholes- Natural Disasters Quest Chain

Causes of Sinkholes:

Rainfall percolating, or seeping, through the soil absorbs carbon dioxide and reacts with decaying vegetation, creating a slightly acidic water. That water moves through spaces and cracks underground, slowly dissolving limestone and creating a network of cavities and voids. As the limestone dissolves, pores and cracks are enlarged and carry even more acidic water. Sinkholes are formed when the land surface above collapses or sinks into the cavities or when surface material is carried downward into the voids. Drought, along with resulting high groundwater withdrawals, can make conditions favorable for sinkholes to form. Also, heavy rains after droughts often cause enough pressure on the ground to create sinkholes. Sinkholes can also form due to several manmade actions. These actions include drilling new wells, creating artificial ponds, over withdrawal of groundwater sources, and diverting surface water from a large section of other surface water.

For the area that I live in, I am not in any danger of a sinkhole forming. The bedrock under us is not very soluble to let water in and there is not much withdrawal from our well. We also have no other conditions that may lead to sinkholes.

Landslides- Natural Disasters Quest Chain

A few ways to tell if a landslide might occur in your area are a sudden increase in water levels, new cracks or unusual bulges in the ground, structures tilting, and/or rumbling sounds.


https://res.cloudinary.com/roadtrippers/image/upload/c_fill,h_316,w_520/v1369763596/mount-katahdin-51a4ef057f3d7726960045a7.jpg

I am doing mount Katahdin as the mountain I analyze. I think that the risk is very high, because the mountain is one of the tallest mountains in the Appalachian mountain range, and a large amount of trees have been killed off by acid rain, invasive species, and other things. This means that the soil is now very loose and can fall easier. By looking at a map of where landslide risk is the highest, the Appalachian mountains were rated as having a very high risk.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8532/8573212579_c404c9003c.jpg

My notes: Here

Floods- Natural Disasters Quest Chain

My house is not at risk for flooding. I am kind of near a flood risk area but am far enough away that I have less than a 10% chance of my house flooding.

• The environment can help prevent flooding. Things like trees, ditches, etc. You can dig a ditch that leads off of a body of water and the ditch leads into a large open field. This way the water can just pool into the field and maybe ruin those weeds but this way you don’t get flooded. Trees can either be planted or they can be laid across a river or stream. When laid across a river it prevents little to no water from getting past so it floods sideways. When you plant trees the trees soak up all of the water and catch the water when it falls downhill. 
• Sustainable drainage systems are another way to prevent floods. For this to work you replace things like concrete with a material that absorbs the water. With something like concrete the water just runs off of it into a drainage system. Drainage systems work until there is tons and tons of rain and then they get overwhelmed. Materials that absorb rain would soak up all of the extra like a sponge. Buildings being designed so that water runoff hits the soil instead of concrete is also helpful. 
• A third way you can prevent flooding is with flood barriers. They are used more in areas that have tons of flooding but you can use them anywhere. The barrier is usually close to the sides of the river. These are not expensive but only work to a certain extent. 

My notes: Here

Offshore Oil Drilling Industry- Documentarian

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jNSTIpBa1U
There is the link to the video. (Warning: Terrible quality)

Offshore drilling typically refers to the discovery and development of oil and gas resources which lie underwater. Most commonly, the term is used to describe oil extraction off the coasts of continents, though the term can also apply to drilling in lakes and inland seas. This also presents environmental challenges, especially in the Arctic or close to the shore. This is like controversies including the ongoing US offshore drilling debate and many other things. Oil also became more pricey once companies had taken most of the oil that was obviously in an area, making it harder to get oil for other companies.