The Water Cycle

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/earth/Watercycle.shtml

a)The water cycle includes many recurring processes that never stop. These processes are; (1)

evaporation- a type of vaporization of water that occurs only on the surface of a liquid.

transpiration- the loss of water vapor from parts of plants -similar to sweating- especially in leaves but also in stems, flowers and roots.

condensation- the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase- this is the inverse of vaporization.

precipitation- Any or all of the forms of water particles, whether liquid or solid, that fall from the atmosphere- rain, hail, snow, sleet.

infiltration- liquid going into porous substance.

surface runoff- Overland flow of excess water that cannot be absorbed by the ground.

absorption- The act or process of being absorbed and made to disappear.

http://www.sanduskyriver.org

b)Lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands all come together to a watershed. Watersheds are where all of the water on a piece of land or under it goes and ends up in the same place. Streams come off of rivers, and run into lakes. It's a continuous cycle, hence the name "water cycle". 

c)There are 3 types of rivers. There's whitewaters, blackwaters, and clearwaters. They have these names because of the different clarities due to mineral content. Rivers flow towards other rivers, oceans, lakes, and seas. In some cases, rivers flow right into the ground or dry up before reaching another body of water. 

Streams can also be called branches, brooks, becks, burns, creeks, and gills. These little currents are very important for fish and wildlife migration. They're also a big factor in biodiversity.

Sometimes when there is too much precipitation these bodies of water cannot absorb or hold the water and this results in a flood. Rivers and streams can help on occasion because the water can run off and go somewhere else to even out the water levels. (2)

http://hipwader.com/2004/northern-alberta-rivers-daytrip

1) "Evaporation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporation

2) "Stream - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream>.

The Earth In Space



Earth.



 a) Our solar system is located in the outer edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. While orbiting, we are traveling about 155 miles per second. (1) It has been 13.75 gigayears since the "Big Bang" happened. Our universe is possibly infinite in size, but the region visible from Earth is approximately 46 billion light years. Our nearest sister galaxy is about 2.5 million light years away. The overall density of the universe that we have recently discovered is very low, about 9.9x10^-30 grams per cubic centimeter. (2) The universe has not been the same throughout its whole history though, research shows that it seems to have expanded. Even though there are many things in space and in our universe, the universe does NOT seem to have a net electric charge, nor net momentum and angular momentum.
 

Galactic North East of Solar System.






b) "According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in its present continuously expanding state." (2)







In 1912, Vesto Slipher

made the first

measurement of Doppler

shift- he

measured that of a spiral

nebula. He discovered that

almost all nebulae alike 

were receding from Earth. This and other research shows that the universe is 

expanding, supporting the Big Bang theory.  

c) Observing the Cosmic Microwave Background has

helped us determine the age of the universe because

CMB is radiation left over from an early stage in the

development of the universe. In the beginning of the universe, it was in full

thermal equilibrium. This means that photons were continually being emitted and absorbed, and everything was perfect. As the universe got bigger, it cooled to where photons could not be created, nor destroyed.  (2)

"In 1964, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson accidentally discovered the cosmic background radiation while conducting diagnostic observations using a new microwave receiver owned by Bell Laboratories. Their discovery provided substantial confirmation of the general CMB predictions—the radiation was found to be isotropic and consistent with a blackbody spectrum of about 3 K—and it pitched the balance of opinion in favor of the Big Bang hypothesis."






1) "The Milky Way Galaxy - Zoom Astronomy." ENCHANTED LEARNING HOME PAGE. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/solarsystem/where.shtml


2) "Universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe#Size.2C_age.2C_contents.2C_structure.2C_and_laws

preparing for floods- project

Preparing for Floods

 

Rachel Van Aken

Global Science

5th hour

Taking Precaution

-Ask whether your property is above or below the flood stage water level.

-Learn flood warning signs and your community alert signals.

-Stockpile emergency building materials. (plywood, lumber nails, hammer and saw, shovels, and sandbags.)

-Plan and practice an evacuation route for your family. Know where you will go if there ever is a flood. 

 

Pack Emergency Supplies

-Sturdy shoes and extra clothing.

-Cash and credit cards.

-Flashlights and extra batteries.

-A portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries.

-Emergency food, medicines and water.

-First aid kit (with manual).

Learn About Floods and BE READY!

- Know if your area is prone to floods.

- Have a place you can go if you ever have the nees to evacuate your home.

- Know about your area's flood warnings and notifications, just in case.

- Make sure your children will know what is happening and also make sure they know where to go if they are alone in the situation.





Bibliography.
http://volusia.org/storm/floods.htm

http://firstaid.about.com/od/floods/Preparing_for_Floods.htm

http://www.preservationnation.org/resources/technical-assistance/disaster-recovery/preparing-for-floods.html

Climate Research

DROUGHTS
     

http://free-extras.com/images/desert_drought-12419.htm

A drought is an extended period of time when an area notes a deficiency in its water supply. Most of the time, droughts occur when an area receives consistently below average rainfall. Droughts can range from a few months, to many years, and even the shortest drought can cause major damage. There are many, many regions where droughts occur, all over the world (see map below). One very important area where droughts are constantly happening is India. This is very concerning because so many people live there, and the Ganges is being affected. The Ganges provides drinking water and agricultural irrigation for more than 500 million people. If we are losing all of this water, then the environment is greatly impacted. (1) Some of the effects that droughts have on our regions are increased desertification, damage to plant/animal species, and erosion of soil. The impacts on the economy are damage to crops, increase in food prices, loss of hydroelectric power, and also rangefires and wildland fires. The effects of droughts on people can sometimes be deadly. Droughts can cause disease, lack of drinking water, mental and physical stress, and population migrations. (3)

This map shows the areas that commonly have droughts all across the world.

http://mapscroll.blogspot.com/2009/05/natural-disasters.html

http://www.patentbaristas.com/archives/2011/08/09/horn-of-africa-drought-and-famine-2011/

Ocean temperatures, changes in climate, changes in the jet stream, and changes in the local landscape all make up a recipe for a drought, but the most important and leading factor is lack of precipitation. Droughts usually happen when there is not a sufficient amount of precipitation in an area to support the region's needs. (2)

This is a map of the precipitation in the united states. The areas with more reds and oranges have less precipitation than the areas with more greens.


http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/precip.html








DROUGHT WARNINGS

There are not specific drought warnings that are released to the public, because droughts happen and develop over time. On the other hand, there are ways that we can prevent man-made droughts. Some of the things that we can monitor are crop rotation, land use, outdoor water use, recycled water, and transvasement. The only technology that we can use to predict droughts is measuring rainfall and precipitation. There is not much else to use because, again, droughts form over time and we can't really predict something like this.

 http://weatherobservatory.blogspot.com/2010/11/friday-november-12-2010-rain-chances.html

http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/garden/index_large.html

http://tnjn.com/2008/apr/01/drought-effects-on-east-tennes/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drought#Regions

Wikipedia

October 19, 2011

2) http://weather.about.com/od/drought/f/droughts.htm

About.com Weather- Rachelle Oblack

(Doesnt say when last updated)

3) http://library.thinkquest.org/16132/html/droughtinfo/effects1.html

Oracle Education Foundation

(Doesn't say when last updated)

This picture and the one below show one horrible effect that droughts have on the environment. There is sometimes not enough water for creatures to survive.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/03/drought-around-world-atlanta-perspective.php

Great Lakes in the Regional Context

 Summary: I learned a lot of stuff on the river last wednesday. Our q-value was 52. Our overall q-value was 73.779. No we did not expect this q-value because this high number is very good, and we predeicted that our river's value would be a lot lower and worse. Our action project will point out things and make people aware of their surroundings so they don't pollute the river any more than they have to.

1. In terms of volume, the largest lake is Lake Superior. The smallest lake is Lake Erie.

2. The most urban lake is Lake Erie and the most rural lake is Lake Superior.

3. Lake Huron has the longest shoreline length with ~3,800 miles.

4. We can best manage the ecosystem by making sure we don't pollute the water so our lakes are as natural and un-manipulated as possible.
5. *Pesticides, Herbicides, and Fungicides- relate to our action project because there is a farm along the edge of the nature trail. these chemicals are designed to kill or limit the growth of life forms. Irrigation, groundwater flow, and natural runoff lead these pollutants to rivers and streams.
    *Sediments- are also a pollutant related to our action project because there is a very high amount of clay in Eaton Rapids' water and soil.
6. Preliminary Questions

a) the water used in my house goes into the ground and to a waste treatment plant.
b) runoff water is water that accumulates and ends up going where it's not supposed to.
c) In cities runoff and sewer water do go to the same place. it should not, because they do not have the same contaminants in them.
d) sewage, cars, street litter, pets, yards, and many more.
e) point is obvious and consistent, and non-point is less obvious and less consistent.
f) watershed is the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place.

Nature Walk

1) On the nature walk I learned that kids are very observant and they enjoy learning about nature. Kids our age aren't as observant or talkative about what we see like these children are. It's very beneficial to talk to these kids about nature and what is going on around them because they can start caring about the earth at a young age. Owen started a collection of leaves and flowers and things, and I was happy to hear him say that he would ask his dad if he would bring him back to the nature trail again. I had so much fun with these little guys and I would love to take them on another walk.

2) Biological oxygen demand connects to our project because we can see how the sewage is effecting our trails.

3) Our project is marking the nature trail and letting people know it is there.

4) We are coming along very well, and we'll shortly have some trail markers going up, and a new map printed out.

5) My responsibilities are to shop for supplies, community presentations, and helping with the construction of the powerpoint.

Carbon Footprint

1. http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/


2. Yes this was a good site for me, but i don't think it would be good for younger kids seeing all of the questions about bills and driving.


3. My footprint is that we would need 5.5 planet earths to accomodate my lifestyle.


4. a) I could probably reduce my water usage by not taking as long of showers, and turning the water off when I brush my teeth.
    b) At school I could recycle more papers in stead of throwing them away.
     c) In the community I could drive less and walk more, since I live so close to the school.


5. My project will be about the importance of recycling and saving evergy, so this is definitely connected to my project in many ways. This carbon footprint test is all about energy and using what we have in moderation, which is what we should be thinking about while doing every day things.