Into the Wildfire, what science is learning about fire and how to live with it.

Tullis, Paul. "Into the Wildfire." Www.nytimes.com. N.p., 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/magazine/into-the-wildfire.html?ref=earth&_r=0>.

 

            Lassen Volcanic National Park, in Northern California, has more than 100,000 acres of wilderness and woodlands surrounding Lassen Peak, a volcanic area that blew in 1915, when found out it was an active volcano. In the park, lack of water due to the droughts dehydrates the woodlands. On July 23, 2012 smoke was spotted coming from the park and a wildfire had occurred, burning up a large portion of the park. Since the fire was up towards the mountain approximately  7,100 feet above sea level, the fire wouldn’t spread that much, but it would be a challenge to stop it. Another problem is that scientists don’t know when or where the fire will spread to, and how long it will take before it burns out by itself, or if firefighters have to step in and try to take it out, which costs a lot of the government money. Scientists are now trying to invent a way to "see into the future" as to when a fire might possibly occur. Although this is a good idea, it may not work because although nature is a key element to wild fires, so are the people who illegally start fires in the woods while camping, and don’t put it out correctly which starts a wild fire that has to telling where it could spread.

            This effects humanity because the more woodland that is burned down, the more animals there are that don’t have a home, or the more animals that are killed which could soon lead to extinction. Also, scientists studied that the more people that build houses into the woodlands, the more danger they put themselves in. If people keep building into the woodlands, and a wild fire starts, the more likely they are of getting g hurt, or their belongings getting destroyed.

            This article was very well written and I liked how the author backed up the article by stories and statistics that proved the cause and effects of wild fires. I also liked how he got opinions from multiple scientists that tied into the wildfire topic, and explained what they were and causes etc One thing I would have liked to see in the article is the author incorporate personal options on the topic. Also, I would have liked for the author to incorporate stories from further back in time then just from 2009. Other than that, this article taught me that there are all different kinds of wildfires and they are all caused by different things, and that if they continue to happen, woodlands and wildlife will soon come to extinction.

 

 

 

A Climate Alarm, Too Muted for Some

Gillis, Justin. "A Climate Alarm, Too Muted for Some." The New York Times. N.p., 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/science/a-climate-alarm-too-muted-for-some.html?_r=0>.

The United Nations panel about the science of climate change will be meeting in Stockholm this month to finish a document about what is likely to happen if we continue polluting the earth over the next century.  There are two opposing views that are fighting over what is causing the problem.  One group says that the fossil fuels we are burning is causing the land ice to melt and could raise the ocean by 3 feet by 2100 and some say it may even be a five foot raise.  The second group is more focused on the Carbon Dioxide emissions and that it will drastically raise the earth’s temperature.  They claim that if the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere doubles, which it looks like it will, then the temperatures will rise at least 3.6°F but probably over 5°F.  Many believe that these panels exaggerate their data in order to cause panic and get something done.  It appears that in this study they are using the more accurate and less dramatic data and are saying that all this data is likely not definite.  Their data could change; they still haven’t released their final report and it won’t be released until September 27^th.

                If this report is correct, something needs to be done, and very quickly.  These increases in temperature will cause the oceans to flood many areas and also will destroy a lot of natural habitats for animals like Polar Bears.  These increases in carbon dioxide will also cause major changes and probably make a world that is more sensitive to carbon dioxide.  The major problem is that these are only predictions, we don’t know if they are accurate or if they will be much worse.  Hopefully these are just exaggerations.  If they are accurate, then we need to change our way of life, like switching to more environmentally friendly power sources and stay away from fossil fuels. 

                I found this article to be very interesting, but it was light on actual details about the document and focused too much on the politics of this situation.  It would be much more helpful if it had some information about a call to action in this document, or if it was just going to be stating the predictions.  It will be interesting to see the final document, and whether it is supported by the world, or ridiculed.    

In a Breathtaking First, NASA Craft Exits the Solar System

         

Barnes, Brooks. "In a Breathtaking First, NASA’s Voyager 1 Exits the Solar System." New York Times. N.p., 12 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/science/in-a-breathtaking-first-nasa-craft-exits-the-solar-system.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=science>.

          “In a Breathtaking First, NASA Craft Exits the Solar System” by Brooks Barnes is a article about how NASA confirmed that Voyager 1 had left the solar system back in the summer of 2012, around the 25^th of August. For many scientists comprehending how far Voyager 1 has traveled is almost impossible. After drifting through space Voyager 1 is now 36 years old, but still sending back signals to NASA headquarters. For many years Voyager 1 has been in a way forgotten by the scientific community, but now that it has done something that has never seen before, the outdated craft is back in the spotlight. The incredible thing about Voyager 1 is that its technology is extremely simple compared to technology we have now such as the iPhone, yet it is getting the job done even though it has 1/240,00^th of the memory that is found in an iPhone that you might have in your pocket. After sometime the Voyager 1 staff was made to include 12 people only, one of these people is Ms. Dodd, who earlier in the year was embarrassed to even walk among those who are in charge of the Curiosity Mars rover. As of now these 12 people are overlooking one of the most exciting missions since the moon landing. Because of the small amount of space on the Voyager 1 craft, the Voyager 1 staff must now plan everything out perfectly, allowing for the available space to be put to good use. Now that the Voyager craft has left our solar system it has begun a new mission, where it shall relay information about interstellar space.

          As a human being I feel like humanity has taken another large leap. After hearing about Voyager 1 leaving our solar system I was extremely proud of the human race. For not only did we put a man on the moon but in the same century we have sent a man made object into interstellar space. This breakthrough shall lead to great discoveries about what is beyond our solar system, and hopefully us humans shall understand a lot more about the universe In the coming years. 

          I personally really enjoyed this article for its detailed information and the way it was written. As I was reading the writing style literally made me excited as I was reading, I believe the author did a great job in keeping a flow to the article itself. I hope to read more articles like this in the future.

            

In South Florida, a Polluted Bubble Ready to Burst

Alvarez, Lizette. "In South Florida, a Polluted Bubble Ready to Burst." The New York Times. The New York Times, 8 Sept. 2013. Web. 10 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/us/lake-okeechobee-in-florida-a-polluted-bubble-ready-to-burst.html?pagewanted=1>.

In South Florida, a Polluted Bubble Ready to Burst

Lake Okeechobee, a lake in South Florida, was hit with huge downpours earlier this year. The waters were at their limit, and there were two choices. One was to place a catastrophe on the agricultural areas and small communities near the lake if the dike breached, or to move the polluted waters to estuaries on the east and the west. The Army Corps of Engineers chose to put the water into the estuaries, which are extremely delicate and are breeding grounds for marine life. When the waters became polluted, large numbers of oysters died, and manatees, shellfish, sea grasses, and reefs were badly affected. “These estuaries,” said Mark D. Perry, executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, “are so important to us, our environment, and our economies.”

           

I was upset reading this article. Although both options with what to do with the polluted, overflowing water would have ended badly, it is extremely disappointing to see the pollution being moved to such important areas of life. Also, as Perry said, these estuaries are a big part of the nearby economy. The pollution interferes with jobs and businesses. Also, it is a horrible thing to do to the marine life. After all, life is life, and destroying it means destroying part of the natural environment that is supposed to be there. I don’t quite understand why people are knowingly polluting the environment when there are so many environmental problems already.

I enjoyed reading this article because it gave me a lot of insight on what is going on in the environment in my country and how people are handling it. It really showed me a lot about the choices we are making as a country and what our priorities are when it comes to the environment. This article provided me with a lot of interesting knowledge that I would not have known otherwise.

Wildfires and Climate Change

Liv Cappello                                                                                                                           9/4/13

Chemistry IH / C Block (Even)                                                                                              Mr. Ippolito

Galbraith, Kate. "Wildfires and Climate Change." The New York Times. The New York Times, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 04 Sept. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/business/energy-environment/wildfires-and-climate-change.html?ref=science>.

Major wildfires are spreading throughout the United States and much of the world due to intrusions by humans in forests, alterations in forest ecology, and most of all, climate change. Wildfires have always occurred throughout the world, but their patterns are changing to due to the intrusion of humans. Humans are largely responsible for many forest fires, whether the cause is accidental or intentional. An accidental fire normally occurs when people try to suppress smaller fires, which lead to “buildups of burnable brush” that can cause huge fires when sparked. People most times try to clear land by setting fires, which cause forests to dry out. For example, in the Amazon, moisture is recycled, so if there is less forest to do the recycling, land becomes dry and more vulnerable. Climate change has the most harmful effects from wildfires. A paper published in the ‘Ecosphere’ journal says that “climate change has effects on wildfires that varies widely, especially in accordance with that area’s precipitation patterns.” In areas such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and in Artic regions, there is much carbon-rich peat soil. This soil, when burned, creates massive fires which emit vast amounts of greenhouse gas. Recently, fires in Indonesia have caused bad air quality and haze problems, leading to major health and economic concerns. Similar concerns are also spreading in the US. Fires in San Francisco caused ash to contaminate the city’s water supply, and the quality of air and infrastructure are instable in other parts of the US. Ultimately, climate change is heating up and drying out many areas throughout the world, which can all simply be reduced by stopping human intrusion in forest areas.

Wildfires are very dangerous and affect many people around the world. It is important to know about these conditions, not only to prevent any activities that can cause wildfires, but to be aware that conditions like this are active around us in the United States and in foreign countries. In this article, humans are blamed for the cause of these massively destructive fires. The article was written in part as a call to action to prevent the causes of wildfires and to stop preventable fires from spreading around the world. I chose this article because I believe this is a big issue that can easily be prevented, and with enough awareness and support, wildfires can be stopped.

Although this article conveyed important information about a very legitimate issue, it wasn’t detailed in its writing. The author didn’t include vital information, such as how humans are causing these fires more specifically. The author only says that humans interfere by intrusions in forests, climate change, and forest ecology, but not specifically how each affect different aspects in causing these fires. Also, this article had ideas strewn throughout the text; there weren’t clear ideas in each of the paragraphs, just a bunch of disconnected information. I think that the author succeeded in getting the information to the reader, but could have done it in a more straightforward and put-together way.

Wildfires and Climate Change - Original Article

Wildfires and Climate Change

Galbraith, Kate. "Wildfires and Climate Change." New York Times 4 Sept. 2013. 6 Sept. 2013 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/05/business/energy-environment/wildfires-and-climate-change.html

           The article, Wildfires and Climate Change by Kate Galbraith of The New York Times discusses the huge problem we face today in terms of the number of wild fires that are happening around the world and their impact on the climate of the areas they hit.  When these fires occur it leaves everything in its tracks shriveled in turn making the climate very dry.  Mostly humans are to blame for starting these fires and not always by accident. Some of these fires get so big and begin to spread making them hard to contain and made worse by the change in climate. An Ecosphere researcher explains how parts of the tropics are less likely to have wild fires with climate change because they’re an area near the Equator with more of a chance of precipitation with climate change. In Southeast Asia people use fires to clear land later these fires become out of control and lead to way more devastation then intended.

            These fires pollute the air making us have to breath in harmful chemicals into our bodies.  The ashes contaminate the water supply. These fires destroy buildings, land, and lives. These fires are not good for us and they’re not good for our environment.

            I believe this article is a great piece of work.  The reason I like it is because it is not an article just about facts, which bores me but it has personality I also enjoyed reading what the researchers and firemen had to say.  It opened my eyes to what is happening in the world in terms of our environment.