Head Count

One of the most influential discoveries in recorded history was the Haber-Bosch Process, a process that allows scientists to take nitrogen from the air and turn it into usable nitrogen in the soil for plants. Since the wide-scale implementation of the Haber-Bosch process, more than half of the worlds population has come to rely on crops grown with the Haber-Bosch process. This has allowed the human population to explode as we circumvent the nitrogen cycle. 

In the 2007 best-seller Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth, by Alan Weisman, the argument that this population boom is destroying the planet. Weisman says the buildup of greenhouse gasses is threatening not only humans, but every organism on the planet due to the rapid climate change it causes, but Weismann also makes another argument. He claims that human population will become unstable and some force of nature will come about to cut us down to size. The exact quote is “Either we decide to manage our own numbers, to avoid a collision of every line on civilization’s graph—or nature will do it for us.” 

Using Total Fertility Rates (TFR) population growth can be predicted by country and region. As we find out that some countries with a TFR under 2.1 children are losing people, some with greater than 2.1 are gaining them, but they gain a lot more than others lose, causing overall growth in the planet’s population. It can even be predicted how long it will take for the world’s population to double, creatively called the doubling time There are many worries that the growth is taking place in developing countries, putting even more stress on what resources can be had by any one person. It seems like nature is just not prepared to handle so many people created through the Haber-Bosch Process. This is widely viewed as a bad thing due to it’s pessimistic leanings, but I differ.

Yes, there will be difficulties faced that we cannot imagine, but humankind’s ability to singlehandedly render the nitrogen cycle, one of the fundamental processes of Earth irrelevant, is an outstanding positive. We can take whatever nature can throw at us, because every day it matters less and less. Our ingenuity will carry us to the stars and beyond. Any problem presented to us we can overcome

Seneca Lake Lab Report (Due: 11/13/15)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/144Imr4sFE4lr9fhuIuzEzFZ-4XarmEJfTOhtw9saItg/edit?usp=sharing

Research Plan for Seneca Lake (Due: 10/29/15)

Question: How is the water quality of areas with a high concentration of zebra mussels different from areas with a low population of zebra mussels. 

Controlled Variables: Areas being sampled, amount of water being sampled
Independent Variables: At least one area with high concentration of zebra mussels, low concentration, and moderate concentration
Relevant Variables: Measure the pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Chloride ion and the macro-invertebrates found in the water to determine water quality.

Zebra mussels are an invasive species in the Great lakes region originally from eastern Europe that have spread across the continental US since the 80's. They are filter feeders who purify the water, but also feed on microscopic organisms, causing a disruption in the feedback loops of the native species. They compete with juvenile fish and other mussels. They can clog up irrigation equipment, and they collect a lot of pollutants, causing trouble up the food chain due to biomagnification. They have more than doubled water visibility, but while that might look nice, that is very harmful to the native ecosystem. 

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/mollusks_zebra_mussel.php
https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Invasive-Species/Invasive-Mussels.aspx
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/zebramussel/index.html

Hypothesis: Areas with a high concentration of zebra mussels will have fewer microorganisms and have a lower turbidity due to the filter feeding nature of zebra mussels. 
Method: The controlled variables will be controlled by taking a sample of the bottom of the lake at similar depths and making a visual determination of the amount of zebra mussels. Differences will be made note of. Tests of the qualities of the water will be made. 
Procedure: 
I) A dredge will be used to sample the bottom of the lake
II) Count the amount of zebra mussels found
III) Take a water sample
IV) Test the turbidity, dissolved oxygen levels, pH, chloride, and hardness.
V) Find a new location with a similar depth
VI) Repeat 
VII) Compare differences found in relation to how many zebra mussels were found

Will we be able to go into the engine room after the trip?

Carbon Cycle Impact

Humans impact the carbon cycle in the following ways:

• Burning fossil fuels and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere
• Deforesting plant life in industrial quantities, therefore preventing the plants from extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Causing interruptions in the carbon cycle of the ocean, potentially limiting the ocean's ability to absorb and dissolve carbon dioxide. 

Beluga Biome HW

Dylan Buck

Beluga whales are common in inhumane water parks the Arctic Ocean. They migrate south when the water freezes over in the winter, coming as close as the St. Lawrence River in northern New York. Any beluga whales that are trapped and die in the frozen waters become food for polar bears and Orcas. Belugas are secondary consumers, feeding on fish, crustaceans, squid, and worms. There are also other animals found in the area, such as walruses, humpback whales, and arctic jellyfish. Arctic seaweed and arctic moss are the only plants to be found plentifully in the Arctic Ocean. All of these organisms are adapted very well to the cold climate. Whales, seals and walruses have a thick layer of blubber to shield the cold. Those that can migrate south during the cold, dark winter months do, and those that don't go into a dormant state or die. DDT threatens the wildlife of the Arctic Ocean, and is the main reason Beluga whales are classified as "Near Threatened," now that hunting is down. Ending the use of DDT is the best long-term solution to this problem, and has widely been accepted today. Another less intuitive threat to belugas is noise pollution, impairing the whale's ability to communicate. We need to slow the intense commercial boating in areas where beluga pods are. Belugas compete with other species of whale that make similar migrations for food and breeding locations. Beluga whales are at the top of their food chain and are a powerful indicator of the health of the biome they inhabit. The health of the Beluga is dependent on the health of the ecosystem.


Works cited:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Beluga.shtml
http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/arctic/wildlife/beluga_whales/
http://www.ehow.com/list_6951567_plants-arctic-ocean.html

Lab Report

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HzkPAzok6uKrOl6e4JojHi5m1CKS8iwvQ8X9k-nhwJw/edit?usp=sharing

Biomagnification Case Study

Biomagnification Case Study Mercury is introduced into bodies of water through the byproducts of most coal and sewage plants. It often goes through some chemical reactions in bodies of water, and turns into methylmercury, a highly toxic chemical that is absorbed at up to six times the rate of inorganic Mercury. Methylmercury is so dangerous because it is able to cross barriers within the bodies that most toxins cannot pass, such as blood to brain and placental barriers. This effects an organisms mental state, and can be transferred to an organism's offspring in-utero. Phytoplankton are the first organisms to absorb the methylmercury. This builds in concentration as filter feeders such as clams and shrimp. Small Fish eat these, and bigger fish eat them, as well as herons and otters, with the amount of methylmercury becoming more and more potent. Eventually, the negative effects are seen in eagles and bears. Then humans. There are a few options as to how to clean up the problem, but one of the most interesting is using engineered microbes that eat methylmercury. While this works in laboratories, this has a surprisingly small impact in the open environment. Apparently genetically engineered bacteria just aren't suited well to the world, and end up dying or being consumed by naturally occurring bacteria. The best way to combat Mercury in the environment is to simply find cleaner ways of burning fossil fuels and more green ways of processing sewage. This is a problem that should be solved at the source. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a7176/how-microbes-will-clean-up-our-messes/ https://www.ec.gc.ca/mercure-mercury/default.asp?lang=En&n=D721AC1F-1

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