...mathematician Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier discovered that the Earth's temperature was slowly increasing. Fourier argued that the earth's atmosphere traps solar radiation and reflects it back toward the earth. In the late 19th century Fourier's theory was labeled the "greenhouse effect" when Nobel Laureate Svante Arrhenius coined the term to explain how carbon dioxide traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere. Today, scientists disagree on the effects of global warming while some deny the phenomena all together. Despite these arguments many historians point out the direct relationship between man and the environment, often referencing the American Dust Bowl of the 1930s, where large scale soil erosion reduced parts of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas to arid deserts. Currently, many governments and corporations are working to reduce fuel emissions and produce "Earth friendly" products such as hybrid cars. Yet, many scientists warn that global warming is an imminent and pressing problem that needs to be addressed before it becomes irreversible. (History of Global Warming, The New York Times, page 1) I would like to start with three opinions on global warming. “It’s complete nonsense. Global warming is just nonsense. I’m not seeing any destroying of planet Earth, I haven’t been seeing, and I do not think that...
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...ESCI 1040 Test 2 Due March 29, 2011 Directions: Answer the following questions in your own words using your text (ch 7-10 and 12). Several of the questions refer to multiple chapters. Please keep in mind that because this is a take-home, open book test, your answers should demonstrate that you understand the material. Your answers should be well thought out, complete yet succinct, well written, with references cited. This is not a group effort; please make sure your work is your own. Please be careful with the use of images, if you do not explain your images you will receive no credit for them. Please e-mail me the test completed, including the multiple choice questions that follow the essay/shot answer questions, as a doc, docx or pdf file. Good Luck! 1. Differentiate between relative and absolute dating. List, define and discuss the principles used to define relative age. Discuss isotopic dating: what atomic particles are involved, what are some common isotopes that are used, and what are some uses of isotopic dating? Be sure to explain the calculation of the age of a rock. Relative dating is telling us the age of something compared to that of the substances around it, more plainly stated the sequence of events. Absolute dating tells how old something is, an amount of time can be associated with an object unlike in relative dating. There are four stratigraphy principles used to determine geologic history of a locality or a region: 1) original horizontally...
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...the Earth’s surface but has retreated to the polar regions. * Accumulation: the net gain in an ice mass. The sources of accumulation are direct snowfall and avalanching from higher slopes. * Sublimation: a transition from the solid state to gas with no intermediate liquid stage. * Ablation: the process of wastage of snow or ice, especially by melting. * Steady State: when the amounts of accumulation and ablation are equal over the course of a year. As a result, the snout of the glacier will remain stationary. * Surge: a short-lived phase of accelerated glacier flow. * Pressure Melting Point (PMP): the temperature at which ice under pressure will melt. * Extensional Flow: also known as extending flow, this is the extension and related thinning of glacier ice in those zones where velocity increases. * Compressional Flow: also known as compressing flow, this is the type of glacier flow whereby a reduction in velocity leads to an increase in thickness of a glacier. * Weathering: the breakdown of rocks in situ (in their original location, without them being moved away). This produces finer particles that can then be moved by agents of erosion such as wind and running water. The Global Distribution of Cold Environments: Ice Ages: * Begin as a result of global climatic changes. *...
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...Risks Of Plastic Surgery By Patricia Wagner - 2012 As techniques are becoming more refined, it seems that complications for plastic surgery are a rarity nowadays. However, every person who is considering having plastic surgery should be aware of its possible risks and dangers. Complications from plastic surgery can range anywhere from scarring to fatalities. The effects of surgery can at times traumatize the patient both physically and psychologically. Even though complications are not as common today, the patient still has to keep the dangers of plastic surgery in mind. One of the most common risks of plastic surgery is scarring. Most surgeons today will try to hide the incision line in inconspicuous places. However, most surgeries will still end with permanent scarring. Infection, hematomas and bleeding are all possible after surgery. However, these complications are usually treatable if they are caught early enough. One very serious complication that people should be aware of when considering plastic surgery is nerve damage. Some people who opt to have plastic surgery will lose the feeling in the operated area while other patients may experience trouble moving muscles in the operated area. The procedure you are having done will determine the risks involved. Smokers, diabetics, people with heart conditions and certain allergies are much more likely to have complications that other people of good health can avoid. Before undergoing plastic surgery, you...
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...There is a lot of concern about global warming, all around us changes are occurring and they are effecting things in negative ways. Global warming is melting the ice and glaciers it’s beginning to cause some very negative changes and the sad thing is that everyone is blaming it on humans. Enviromentalist Andrew C. Revkin and Vice President Al Gore warn the dangers of melting ice from global warming, while professor Philip Stott claims that their warning is an overblown myth. I believe global warming is a important matter but a over dramatic topic. In the article “Global warming is not a threat to a polar ice” Philip Stott explains that global warming is not happening because of human activity. He believes this is just a cycle of mother nature. Stott suggests that the world was going to go through global warming anyway but none of it was our fault. I agree with most of what He states because there is natural causes that lead to this thing we call global warming. It should not be blamed on mainly human activity and to be honest we cannot stop global warming we can only slow it down maybe. He states “Those who believe that human-cause global warming is a serious problem often point to change polar ice as proof of their theory. Stott 419. Stott is saying that people who think humans are the leading to cause to global warming Is a problem, he thinks they are just being dramatic and over exaggerating this myth. I agree with Stott’s opinion on global warming. I also have my...
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...Brett Hall Professor Armstrong English 113 M 17 November 2011 Fire and Ice Frost loaded an unbelievable amount of meaning into hos poem fire and ice. He brings up the highly debated topic of how the world is going to end. Two ways that he thinks the world will end is through fire and ice. Both fire and ice have deeper metaphorical meanings than just on the literal meaning of the poem. Fire can be used in the literal meaning of the word. In the second line of the poem Frost talks about how the world could end in fire. This topic is an extremely well researched thought and has a very real possibility of that happening. One way that this could happen is if another world war breaks out, a war that would be a war unlike any other that has ever been waged. We have technology now that is nothing compared to the types that we had in the first two world wars, now we have the power to destroy the world many times over. Fire could be a nuclear blast that would purge the land in a fiery explosion, covering what Frost is talking about in his poem about the world ending in fire. Also some scientists predict the end of the world would come from sun ether from a solar flare or from it expanding and engulfing the earth. This enlarging of the sun would it the description of the fiery destruction of the earth. Fire can also be passionate emotions like rage. The bible tells us to stay away from anger in psalms it says “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret-it leads only...
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...is adding to the earth’s greenhouse gases. The resulting affect of global warming is triggering warmer temperatures around the world, and ecosystems are taking the toll. One of the most publicized looming catastrophes is the plight of the polar bears. Once the glaciers are gone, the polar bear will be extinct in the wild. Although, scientists say it is caused by the pollution that humans are creating, global warming is a natural phenomenon. Snow capped mountains are a wondrous sight to behold, and can be found on every continent. But, these massive ice shelf’s have a purpose that many people take for granted. Many people do not realize that glaciers are responsible for part of the world’s water supply. Revkin (2003) states “The melting is likely to threaten water supplies in places like Peru and Nepal” (¶ 19). The result from the melting glaciers will raise water levels and potentially create devastating floods over time. The eventual outcome that these countries will face once the glaciers are gone is drought. Many communities are also dependent on hydroelectric dams and water reservoirs to create electricity. Once the glaciers are gone then what? Scientists think that without water from the glaciers to create electricity, these communities that are so dependent on the hydroelectric dams will need to use coal or oil to create the necessary...
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...Geography Test 4 Cheat Sheet Mineral- inorganic naturally occurring substance with a distinct chemical formula and a distinct crystalline form Rock-Aggregate of multiple grains of the same minerals Earth’s crust is made up of 8 elements oxygen 47% silicon 28% Al 8% Fe 5% Calcium 3.6% Sodium 2.8% Potassium 2.7% Magnesium 2% Every mineral has physical characteristics that aid in identification Hardness scale 1-10 chalk (1) and diamond (10) Luster-How shiny Cleavage-how it breaks Rocks are held together by a chemical bond Most common is oxygen and silica SiO2 which has 92% of the Earth’s crust. Granite is silicate. CaCO3 limestone forms in warm waters 3 types of rocks: Igneous- molten rock that has cooled and solidified Felsic- rock that is light color and light weight Mafic- heavy rocks are dark given it has a lot of metal Sedimentary-derive from accumulated sediment fragment of rocks ex: limestone, clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulder Metamorphic- rock that has been changed and does not go into an igneous state Limestone=marble Sandstone-quartzite Fluvial process- River process Igneous(cools fast)- small crystal Igneous(cools slow)- large crystals Sedimentary- erodes, is transported, and later becomes rocks, sandstone and metamorphic (crystalline structure changed due to heat and pressure) Erosion- Process by which particles are separated from original site and deposit at a new site Arid and semiarid- wind and water are the main sources of erosion ...
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...First of all with Climate Change it changes the temperature of even one of the coldest part’s of the world, which causes Arctic Sea Ice to melt. Since 1979 the Arctic sea ice has declined .Each decade the Arctic sea ice is declining by 13.3 percent per decade (NASA, 2017). Study shows that in the next 100 years or sooner the world’s glaciers will have disappeared as will the polar ice cap, and the huge Antarctic ice shelf. Scientist believe that snow will become a rare phenomenon at what are now the world’s most popular ski resorts. (National Climate Assessment, 2012). This shows how much Climate Change can affect even the coldest parts of the world to where it would cost the ice to melt. With the Climate Change melting the glaciers,...
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...Deserts, Glaciers, and Climate: Landscapes and Changes Deserts, Glaciers, and Climate: Landscapes and Changes It is no great mystery that the Earth is always changing. Talk of global warming is inescapable, making it a moral imperative to become educated about the Earth’s climate cycles and watch for changes and signs in Earth’s diverse landscapes. The following is a brief sketch of desert and glacial landscapes, as well as a look at historical and future climate changes. Deserts VS Glacial Landscapes Desert and glacial landscapes are very much on opposite sides of the landscape spectrum; however in terms of adjective depiction they are related: “abstract, beautiful, immense, remote ... and vulnerable” (Murck, Skinner, & Mackenzie, 2008, p. 376). Deserts The desert landscapes are primarily fashioned by wind and sand, however they are truly defined by the region’s annual rainfall. The landscapes in the desert are full of sand, alluvial fans, playas, oases, arroyos as well as deposits of salt. Eolian, better known as wind erosion, is the type of erosion seen in the desert. Desert is constantly altered and changing based on the direction of the wind. A highly noticeable example of a changing geological feature in a desert landscape would be the dunes. Dunes are hills or ridges of sand that are produced when the wind blows. These mounds of sand are irregular, yet they come in five common types, barchan, transverse, star...
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...Environmental Issues In the world today there are many issues and problems that cause a lot of controversy in American politics and government. A lot of these issues or problems affect the entire world in some way. One main problem that affects everyone around the world in some way is the environmental issues. Some of these problems consist of things like global warming, renewable energy, biodiversity, and recycling. Most people are starting to realize that if we keep going how we are going and don’t try to fix anything now, the problems are just going to keep getting bigger and worst. Most of the problems that the environment has can be controlled and not be as bad if we start doing something about it today. Once the environment is gone, it’s gone for good. One of the most concerning environmental issues the world faces today is the issue of global warming. Global warming just doesn’t affect a small part of the world, it affect the entire thing all the way from the United States to Europe. One way that global warming affects humans is by causing the overall world temperatures to increase. That ends up causing a number of problems such as the raising in sea level, changing in agriculture, and an increase in some deadly illnesses (Leonard). If the temperatures continue to raise that is going to lead to major ice caps and sea ice melting. Recent studies have shown that if nothing is done to try to stop this, the Greenland ice cap will start to melt. That would result in major...
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...Desert and Glacial Landscape There are several types of desert landforms; they include, but are not limited to mesas, plateaus, buttes, blowouts, and dunes. The desert landscape is shaped mainly by two forces: wind and water. Landforms in the desert, such as plateaus, buttes, and mesas are the product of weathering and erosion but are also a direct product of rock structure. Rocks of altering density and strengths will wear away at various rates. In time, this will create the astonishing structures that we see in the deserts. These rock structures are likely to have angular features because of the lack of rain in a desert setting. The lack of rain also means that there is little chemical weathering associated with rainfall. We typically do not associate rainfall with the desert, but when it does rain, flooding can easily happen and these flash floods will cut gullies and scarps into the landscape. Sand dunes are also a very common sight in a desert. These are created by winds that blow the sand around and eventually deposit them into different formations. Sand can travel many miles during the course of a year and can be devastating to anything in its path. Dunes can take on many shapes and characteristics. They include dome, crescentic, linear, star, parabolic, Seif, transverse, and reversing dunes. The shape and characteristic of the aforementioned dunes are dependent on the interaction with the wind. Silt and sand deposited by the wind is scientifically...
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...UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA Last Time Glaciers and Glacial Mechanics • • Types of glaciers (alpine) Formation of glacial ice • Movement of ice GY 301: Geomorphology Lecture 22: Glacial Geomorphology 1: Alpine Glaciers http://www.roberts-1.com/t/s07 Glaciers Glaciers are thick masses of ice that originate on land through the accumulation of snow. Glaciers Glaciers are thick masses of ice that originate on land through the accumulation of snow. Glaciers form through a 3 step process Snow Firn Glacial Ice All that is required is for more snow to fall in the cold winter months than melts in the warm summer months. http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/25/4a/ee/in-the-mountains-above.jpg http://www.ig.utexas.edu Alpine Glaciers Alpine or Valley Glaciers (Zone of Accumulation; Zone of Wasting/Ablation, Calving,) Ice Movement Ice moves down slope from the zone of accumulation to the zone of ablation due to a combination of plastic flow and basal slip. http://www.scienceclarified.com/images/uesc_05_img0282.jpg http://stloe.most.go.th/html/lo_index/LOcanada3/305/images/5_2.jpg http://nevis.k12.mn.us/academics/science/glacier_hor_profile1.jpg 1 Ice Movement Ice moves down slope from the zone of accumulation to the zone of ablation due to a combination of plastic flow and basal slip. Slip Geological Effects of Glaciers Ice exerts tremendous erosive force on bedrock forming unique geomorphologic features and transporting...
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...The Snowball Earth Hypothesis [pic] FIRST NAME, LAST NAME ID# Course number Contents Introduction 3 Synoptic Description of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis 3 Causes of the Snowball Earth 5 Occurrence of the Snowball Effect 6 Impacts of the Snowball Effect 8 Personal Suggestions 9 Conclusion 10 Works Cited 12 Introduction Massive changes in the earth’s climate are of particular note to environmental studies as they bear the potential to affect life greatly. Such geological and climatological changes are associated with the different ages that the earth has lived through, as well as the extinction and generation of various life forms. The Snowball Earth Hypothesis represents a concept explaining a possible climate and geological change in a past age in which the earth was entirely covered with ice. It explains contemporary observations about rock type distribution such as equatorial sedimentary deposits considered being from glacial origin (Cowen 50-51). This study analyzes the Hypothesis, providing a synoptic distribution, cause explanation, occurrence, and impact, before presenting a personal suggestion based on reflection on the evidence analyzed. Synoptic Description of the Snowball Earth Hypothesis The Snowball Earth Hypothesis focusses on the unparalleled climatic fluctuations that occurred during the Neoproterozoic time, positing that a global ice cover characterized this period. The hypothesis posits that the earth completely...
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...Snow Blowers and Throwers are machines for removing snow from unwanted areas like roadway, runway, sidewalk, railroad track or driveway. Both snow thrower and snow blower are slightly different from each other, snow thrower uses a single stage to remove the snow and snow blower uses two stages to remove snow. These machines either use electric power, diesel or gasoline as fuel source to throw snow to another location. Snow throwers ranges from the very small size, capable of removing only few inches of light snow to the very large size especially designed for moving 10 foot wide snow up to 6 feet deep. Snow Blowers and Throwers use a high speed impeller to move the snow into machine as well as force it out the discharge chute. Snow thrower with a single high speed impeller is light duty machine whereas heavy duty machines are usually self-propelled. On one hand snow throwers is a helpful machine to move snow to another place without any difficulty but on the other hand because of its complicated design it can lead to cause traumatic finger amputations. Electric Snow Blower requires no gas or oil, it is easy to handle, light weight and Eco-friendly. Electric Snow Thrower is best used for small jobs like removing snow from decks, sidewalks. Tractor Snow Blower can be a very useful and time saving piece of equipment. Basically there are two different configurations of tractor snow blower, a front mount and a rear mount. Diesel Snow Blower is made to carry out heavy duty; this...
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