Quarter 4, Article 5

a. Source: nytimes.com

b. June 1st, 2011

c. Small but Innumerable, Jellyfish Storm a Beach <-- Link to article.

d. Chapter 6: Aquatic Biodiversity.

e. Over Memorial Day weekend in Cocoa Beach, Florida many people came out to the beach only to find a swarm of jellyfish stretching to 10 miles on the beach. The mauve stingers are a type of jellyfish that mostly live in the Mediterranean are small, but they covered the entire beach. 1,800 people were treated for jellyfish stings during the weekend. Some were even sent to hospitals because they were allergic to the stings. Biologists say that jellyfish are flourishing because of warmer water temperatures and are more frequently washing up on beaches.
f. It is incredible to see a picture of how many jellyfish there actually were on this beach. This article shows that warmer ocean waters really are having impacts on the way we live. More jellyfish on the beaches can disrupt the way we live, because no one wants to be stung by a jellyfish while they're having a fun time at the beach. The increase in temperature of the water is most likely due to global warming by greenhouse gases. If we lessen our greenhouse gas emissions, problems like this would be happening less frequently.

g. Flotilla- a fleet.

Quarter 4, Article 4

a. Source: nationalgeographic.com

b. May 23rd, 2011

c. Joplin, Missouri, Tornado Strong but Not Surprising? <-- Link to article.

d. Chapter 5: Climate and Terrestrial Biodiversity

e. Tornadoes form when warm, moist air masses and cold, dry air masses collide to form a storm. A continuous source of warm water is needed to keep the tornado going, in the case of the tornado in Missouri the Gulf of Mexico was the source. Currently, the temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico are about 2 degrees higher than they usually are, which can explain the oddly high amount of tornadoes in the Midwest, specifically in the area between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains. The incredibly strong tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri last weekend can be classified as a F5 tornado/twister. An F5 twister has winds from 261-381 miles an hour, which can rip up pavements, flatten buildings and toss cars around. This devastating tornado took the lives of 116 people.

f. I think it is awful that tornadoes of this magnitude are becoming more and more common in the Midwest area because of the climbing temperatures of the Gulf which give fuel to the tornadoes making them even stronger. I wonder if the increasing temperatures are a result of the oil spill? or if they are a result of global warming by greenhouse gases?

g. mesocyclone- a rotating shaft of rapidly rising air within a storm. Under certain conditions, a mesocyclone can generate a tornado.

Quarter 4, Article 3

a. Source: nationalgeographic.com

b. May 31st, 2011

c. Female Fish Develop "Testes" in Gulf Dead Zone <-- Link to article.

d. Chapter 21: Water Pollution

e. Studies have shown that dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico is causing sexual deformities in the fist population. A dead zone is when agricultural and other kinds of waste runoff and spark rapid growth of algae and microbes in nearby bodies of water. These microbes taken in alot of oxygen and create areas of hypoxia in which fish can not survive, which is why they are called "dead zones." One species of fish in the Gulf have been severely impacted by this. The female Atlantic croaker fish have been seen to have developed male testes-like organs instead of normal ovaries. Just 10-weeks in hypoxic waters can cause this serious mutation. Currently, the dead zone in the Gulf is the size of Connecticut, which means that many fish species can be affected by this. The female Atlantic croaker fish have found to have decreased amounts of aromatase, which is a key chemical found in the brain that regulates the amount of estrogen produced. This deformity explains the decline of hatching rates in fish exposed to dead zones.

f. I think this is a serious problem, because this fish species could rapidly decline because they're will not be a sufficient amount of females that are capable of reproducing. This could drastically change the ecosystems of many other populations of fish and other aquatic animals. Also, studies haven't been done to see if any other species are effected by the dead zones in a similar way that the Atlantic croaker fish are. I think it is important to watch the amount of fertilizers that people are putting on their crops, and making sure that people are cleaning up their wastes and disposing of waste properly. The people that live along the Mississippi River where the runoff is found should be aware of this issue to understand the impact of their actions.

g. Hypoxia-oxygen deficiency.

Quarter 4, Article 2

a. Source: sciencedaily.com

b. June 1st, 2011

c. Biodegradable Products May be Bad For The Environment <-- Link to article.

d. Chapter 22: Solid and Hazardous Wastes

e. The EPA has done studies that show that only about 35% of municipal solid waste goes to landfills that capture methane for energy use, another 34% of landfills capture methane and burn it off on-site, while 31% allow the methane to escape. Methane can be a valuable energy source when it is captured but can be a harmful greenhouse gas when in the atmosphere. This study shows that biodegradable products are not more environmentally friendly when disposed of in landfills. Items are classified as biodegradable if they can decompose in a "reasonably short amount of time." Although this may seem like a good thing that it is being decomposed rapidly, it can have negative impacts because some landfills don't collect methane from the waste 2 years after it is buried. In this case, all the methane would have escaped into the atmosphere and less methane being used for energy.

f. I think that landfills shouldn't wait two years to collect the methane that escapes, because of the waste that decomposes quickly, if they collect the methane shortly after being buried to increase the amount of methane available for energy production and decrease the amount being let out into the atmosphere which increases the harmful effects of greenhouse gases. I think it is great that these tests are being done and understanding that just because they are biodegradable doesn't necessarily mean that it is better for the environment. I found this article very informative and surprising.

g. municipal waste- is a type of waste that includes predominately household waste with sometimes the addition of commercial wastes collected within a given area.

Quarter 4, Article 1

a. Source: Environmentalhealthnews.org

b. June 2nd, 2011

c. Counting down on the oceans <-- Link to article

d. Chapter 21: Water Pollution

e. Samples were taken from the coastline of California(near major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Fransisco) in 2009 and the results showed that high levels of mercury, PCBs and pesticides such as DDT were found in numerous popular sport fish species. The studies showed that 1 one in every 5 fish caught had so much mercury in them that it was dangerous for human consumption. These fish can cause nervous system damage, increase risk of cancer, liver damage and reproductive issues. Another study done five years ago predicted that it is possible that the world will run out of seafood by the year 2050 because of overfishing and contamination.

f. I think this is a very serious issue that people must be aware of. Since the population is growing rapidly and fish is a very big source of protein it is constantly in danger of being over-harvested. I think people should not only cut down the amount of fish they eat but also be aware of the garbage they leave behind. This garbage could easily run-off into lakes and streams and contaminate the fish population, and then they will eat the fish and get serious health problems because of the high levels of contaminants they are ingesting. Children and pregnant women are extremely susceptible to these health problems and they should make sure they know they aren't eating contaminated seafood.

g. Confluence- a merging or flowing together.