February
Article 1
Captive Killer Whale Is Ruled to Be Member of Endangered Species
By: Brian Clark Howard
February 4, 2015
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150204-lolita-orca-whale-miami-seaquarium-animal-rights/
Summary
The federal government said a captive orca is an endangered species. Animal activists have fought for years to free Lolita, an orca from the Miami Seaquarium. Lolita came from a population of orcas which are endangered. She is the only captive orca in the U.S. from the only population of the species that is considered endangered. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries ruled that “captive animals such as Lolita cannot be assigned separate legal status from their wild counterparts.” Releasing Lolita would be dangerous because she could get a disease because she has been captive for so long. Lolita is a Southern Resident Killer Whale. This population was endangered in 2005 and includes only about 80 whales. People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals may try to use the Endangered Species Act to release Lolita. Jared Goodman said "There is now significant precedent behind the idea that captive animals need to be protected just as wild members [of the species] are, and we are going to use everything in our power to make sure that Lolita is protected by the harm and harassment provisions of the Endangered Species Act." The Seaquarium said that they would not use Lolita as an experiment because they do not know how she will end up in the ocean.
How does this relate to Environmental Science?
This relates to Environmental Science because it deals with an endangered species.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I choose this article because I recently watched Black Fish and it made me sad how the orcas were being captured and kept in a small place and being tortured at times. When I saw the title about Killer Whales being endangered, it caught my attention. What is most interesting to me how some people treat orcas. People should treat them like people and be kind and gentile to them.
By: Brian Clark Howard
February 4, 2015
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/02/150204-lolita-orca-whale-miami-seaquarium-animal-rights/
Summary
The federal government said a captive orca is an endangered species. Animal activists have fought for years to free Lolita, an orca from the Miami Seaquarium. Lolita came from a population of orcas which are endangered. She is the only captive orca in the U.S. from the only population of the species that is considered endangered. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries ruled that “captive animals such as Lolita cannot be assigned separate legal status from their wild counterparts.” Releasing Lolita would be dangerous because she could get a disease because she has been captive for so long. Lolita is a Southern Resident Killer Whale. This population was endangered in 2005 and includes only about 80 whales. People of the Ethical Treatment of Animals may try to use the Endangered Species Act to release Lolita. Jared Goodman said "There is now significant precedent behind the idea that captive animals need to be protected just as wild members [of the species] are, and we are going to use everything in our power to make sure that Lolita is protected by the harm and harassment provisions of the Endangered Species Act." The Seaquarium said that they would not use Lolita as an experiment because they do not know how she will end up in the ocean.
How does this relate to Environmental Science?
This relates to Environmental Science because it deals with an endangered species.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I choose this article because I recently watched Black Fish and it made me sad how the orcas were being captured and kept in a small place and being tortured at times. When I saw the title about Killer Whales being endangered, it caught my attention. What is most interesting to me how some people treat orcas. People should treat them like people and be kind and gentile to them.
Article 2
Battery Storage Needed to Expand Renewable Energy
By: Umair Irfan and ClimateWire
February 13, 2015
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/battery-storage-needed-to-expand-renewable-energy/
Summary
DOE companies are trying to find out how to store energy. Stored energy can respond to increased power demands faster than a turbine can spool up. SunEdison CEO Ahmad Chatila said "The most important technology we can develop right now is storage." A strategy for storing energy is flow batteries. They are suited for grid-level electricity storage because they can be scaled up easily. Flow batteries are safer on large scales than conventional batteries. They also charge quickly and last for thousands of cycles, but they are expensive. Many companies are trying to increase energy densities. Researchers are also trying to look for better ways to store and then later dispatch heat.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This relates to environmental science because people are trying to find ways to expand renewable energy.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I choose this article because the title caught my attention on how we expand renewable energy. The most interesting thing is how companies are trying to save energy and try to find ways to renew energy.
By: Umair Irfan and ClimateWire
February 13, 2015
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/battery-storage-needed-to-expand-renewable-energy/
Summary
DOE companies are trying to find out how to store energy. Stored energy can respond to increased power demands faster than a turbine can spool up. SunEdison CEO Ahmad Chatila said "The most important technology we can develop right now is storage." A strategy for storing energy is flow batteries. They are suited for grid-level electricity storage because they can be scaled up easily. Flow batteries are safer on large scales than conventional batteries. They also charge quickly and last for thousands of cycles, but they are expensive. Many companies are trying to increase energy densities. Researchers are also trying to look for better ways to store and then later dispatch heat.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This relates to environmental science because people are trying to find ways to expand renewable energy.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I choose this article because the title caught my attention on how we expand renewable energy. The most interesting thing is how companies are trying to save energy and try to find ways to renew energy.
March (Extra Credit)
Article 1
Why Spring Gets About 30 Seconds Shorter Every Year
by: Laura Geggel
March 19, 2015
http://www.livescience.com/50194-spring-equinox-shorter-season.html
Summary
Spring gets shorter every year by about 30 seconds to a minute, because of astronomical quirks. This year, spring started at 6:45 p.m. on March 20. At this point, the earth's access will reach a halfway mark. It doesn't point towards the sun nor away from the sun. For thousands of years, spring has been losing time in the Northern Hemisphere. As the years go by, spring will lose time to summer and winter will lose time to autumn. The reason that this is happening is because Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth on its axis and the earth's axis itself is moving, this is called precession. Because of precession, the point along the earth's orbit shifts slightly. In the year 8680, spring will be 88.5 days long, about 4 days shorter than this year's spring. Another thing affects spring which is the earth's orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle, but it is a elliptical. The plant in not always the same distance from the sun. Schmidt told live science, "we go through winter quite quickly, whereas in the summertime were far away from the sun, and we're going to go slower." The change in speeds affects the length of seasons. This is not something that you would notice unless you're an astronomer.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This article relates to environmental science because the seasons have to do with the environment. Each season has a different affect on the earth.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I chose this article because I wanted to find out why spring was getting shorter. The most interesting thing to me was learning that the seasons are each different lengths.
by: Laura Geggel
March 19, 2015
http://www.livescience.com/50194-spring-equinox-shorter-season.html
Summary
Spring gets shorter every year by about 30 seconds to a minute, because of astronomical quirks. This year, spring started at 6:45 p.m. on March 20. At this point, the earth's access will reach a halfway mark. It doesn't point towards the sun nor away from the sun. For thousands of years, spring has been losing time in the Northern Hemisphere. As the years go by, spring will lose time to summer and winter will lose time to autumn. The reason that this is happening is because Earth's seasons are caused by the tilt of the earth on its axis and the earth's axis itself is moving, this is called precession. Because of precession, the point along the earth's orbit shifts slightly. In the year 8680, spring will be 88.5 days long, about 4 days shorter than this year's spring. Another thing affects spring which is the earth's orbit around the sun is not a perfect circle, but it is a elliptical. The plant in not always the same distance from the sun. Schmidt told live science, "we go through winter quite quickly, whereas in the summertime were far away from the sun, and we're going to go slower." The change in speeds affects the length of seasons. This is not something that you would notice unless you're an astronomer.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This article relates to environmental science because the seasons have to do with the environment. Each season has a different affect on the earth.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I chose this article because I wanted to find out why spring was getting shorter. The most interesting thing to me was learning that the seasons are each different lengths.
Article 2
Toxic Lead Pollution Left Its Mark in Andes Mountains
by: Becky Oskin
March 9, 2015
http://www.livescience.com/50082-lead-pollution-manmade-andes-glaciers.html
Summary
Leaded gasoline was the region's worst polluter in the past 2,000 years and toxic lead is buried in icy layers of Andes glacier. The research team found spikes in lead pollution during the height of the Tiwanaku- Qari culture (450 to 950). Researchers found that lead levels triples in the 1960s, when leaded gasoline was introduced. Lead from mining and metalwork produces lead isotopes that are different from fossil fuels. Lead is both harmful to humans and the environment. Researchers are now planning to measure other metals in the ice core to see if mining and smelting for gold, copper and zinc has left a pollution record in the glacier.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This article relates to environmental science because lead and other metals are polluting the Environment.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I chose this article because it educates people saying that lead is polluting the earth and we need to do whatever we can to prevent this. The most interesting thing to me about this article was how they talked about the early ages and how lead started being polluted.
by: Becky Oskin
March 9, 2015
http://www.livescience.com/50082-lead-pollution-manmade-andes-glaciers.html
Summary
Leaded gasoline was the region's worst polluter in the past 2,000 years and toxic lead is buried in icy layers of Andes glacier. The research team found spikes in lead pollution during the height of the Tiwanaku- Qari culture (450 to 950). Researchers found that lead levels triples in the 1960s, when leaded gasoline was introduced. Lead from mining and metalwork produces lead isotopes that are different from fossil fuels. Lead is both harmful to humans and the environment. Researchers are now planning to measure other metals in the ice core to see if mining and smelting for gold, copper and zinc has left a pollution record in the glacier.
How does this article relate to Environmental Science?
This article relates to environmental science because lead and other metals are polluting the Environment.
Why did I choose this article? What is most interesting to you?
I chose this article because it educates people saying that lead is polluting the earth and we need to do whatever we can to prevent this. The most interesting thing to me about this article was how they talked about the early ages and how lead started being polluted.