Z3-J.T.

Josh's Science Extensions Page

Step 1  Here are the notes that I took on the Greenhouse Effect Tutorial and Quiz- . When the sun's raditation reaches the atmosphere, some is reflected into space, while some passes through and sinks into the Earth, causing the Earth's surface to heat up . Heat from the Earth is radiated out and taken in by greenhouse gases. This stops heat from going into space. . Some human activities(mainly the burning of fossil fuel) intensify the warming effect by releasing more greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. These include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide . Global warming is partly due to human activity e.g. fossil fuels and deforestation . China releases the most greenhouse gases of any country in the world . Venus' poisonous atmosphere has given it the name,"the runaway greenhouse effect" . Compact fluorescent lightbulbs use 60 - 80% less energy than incandescent or halogen lightbulbs . The World Health Organization blames 150,000 deaths per year on global warming . It takes 100 years for carbon dioxide to disperse . Narwhals are more vulnerable to global warming than polar bear . As ice is reduced, global warming will accelerate because more heat will be absorbed . As heat rises, there will be more cases of malaria because mosquito population will increase due to warmer climate

Well, those are my notes that I took and the facts that surprised me the most were that 150,000 people die per year due to global warming and that it takes 100 years for carbon dioxide to disperse.

Step 2 <span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here is the Greenhouse Gases poster that I made.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The reason that a cow is on the poster is that agriculture(cows, pigs etc.) create 14% of the world's greenhouse gases. Also, Cows contribute 3% of Britain's overall greenhouse gases, and 25 to 30% of its methane, which is 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide! Here is our poster on The Greenhouse Effect.

Here is our poster on Global Warming.

<span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Here is our poster on Climate Change.

My partner and I put the parts of the poster in specific order because we needed to show how these were related, so we made the previous poster cause the next one. Get it?

Poster Sources: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/gw-overview-interactive.html?referrer=epalshttp://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/quiz-global-warming.html?referrer=epals//

//http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/zoology/mammals/methane-cow.htm//

Step 3  What my partner and I put for what we thought were three causes of global warming are agriculture, the burning of fossil fuels, and deforestation/ the cutting down of trees. Fact: In 2010, CO2 releases jumped by the largest amount ever. It was worse than scientists' worst case scenario. The U.S had the second highest emissions of any country in the world, next to China. We released 1 billion, 489 million metric tons(29,780,000,000 lb)! Which is a lot of gas, considering its very light weight. // Source: Associated Press Article November 4, 2011 // Step 4  *Is Global Warming Real Reflection*   Yes, global warming is real, because the average temperature in the last 100 years has gone up by 1 degree fahrenheit (0.8 celsius) and has gone up 2 degrees fahrenheit(1.6 celsius) in the arctic. Also, for a look at the atmosphere of the past, scientists drill holes in the Earth's ice sheets. Bubbles in the gas are actually parts of the Earth's past atmosphere, frozen from the past. You can also tell the history of climate by the rings in trees, because they get another ring each year and they are thicker in wetter and warmer years. Samples of sediment can help people know what the climate was like even millions of years ago! This is how they know that the amount of greenhouse gases has been increased since the industrial revolution. Computer models help scientists because they can then make predictions about future climates. I don't understand why people would think that global warming isn't real because there is so much evidence such as the arctic ice sheets melting. One thing that I am wondering is to find out the recent climate through tree rings, do they cut down trees or do they look in dead trees. If they did cut down trees, that would be counter-productive because that would be releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. The facts from the //Effects of Global Warming// article that most surprised me were that in 20 years, spruce bark beetles chewed up 4 million acres(19,360,000,000 square yards!) of spruce trees, and the Adelie penguin's numbers have fallen from 64,000 to 22,000. From reading all of this, I am surprised and concerned. *Interactive Map Notes*  In our region of the world, on the coasts, there will be greater storms and the population is growing, so more people will be affected. In the western mountains, there will be less snow, so there will be less fresh water resources. In the northern part of the U.S., there will be increased crop yields in some parts, but as it gets warmer, some crops won't do as well.

Fact: Every year in the U.S., there is enough stuff thrown away to fill a hole the size of a football field... 100 miles(528,000 feet) deep!

Step 5  Even if we stopped giving off greenhouse gases, the Earth would still get hotter by about a degree. What we do from now on makes a difference. Depending on what we do, scientists think that the Earth will warm by 2.5 degrees(2.0 celsius), or as much as 10 degrees(8 celsius) fahrenheit. *What we can do to stop Global Warming*  - increase energy efficiency   - increase the mpg(miles per gallon) of vehicles   - use more wind, hydrogen, and solar power   - use more biofuels e.g. ethanol   - carbon sequestration (capture the CO2 given off by fossil fuels, and store it underground)   - increase amount of gases taken //out// of the atmosphere by increasing forests so they suck up the CO2   - walking, taking public transportation, or riding your bicycle instead of driving   - conserve energy like turning off lights in empty rooms, or unplugging appliances that are not in use   - Reduce, reuse, recycle The three initiatives that I think are most important are increasing energy efficiency, using more wind, hydrogen, and solar power, and reduce, reuse, recycle. Quote: " In my view, the evidence is very strong – and the effects of climate change are very alarming. The national academy of Sciences has state in unequivocal terms that the effects are substantial and, to quote a report, the result of human activity. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will be to mitigate the effects of climate change. Are we going to hand our children and grandchildren a world vastly different from the one that we now inhabit?" //By Senator John McCain on Global Warming// Step 6 *Reflections* 11/9/11  Yesterday and today, I've worked hard on the project and I hope my partner likes the things that I have been working on. One thing that I learned is that there are actually //drought-resistant// crops. Pretty cool, huh?

11/10/11  Today, at school, I brought my flash drive with our presentation on it, but the flash drive wouldn't load. :( I hope to get more work done tonight. YAYZ! I finished it!!!   Comments   --   Please Leave Your Feedback!