...It is true that our world is heavily dependent on oil and are concerns and disagreements as to there is a debate about how much oil remains in the ground and how much of that oil we will actually be able to recover before we reach the peak of oil production. Oil is such a critical resource to our economy and way of life that we should be better prepared for any possible unplanned break to its supply. (Turk, J. 2014) This past decade has seen a growing chorus of energy analysts has warned of the approach of peak oil, when the global rate of petroleum extraction will reach its maximum and begin its inevitable decline. The biggest peak happened in the United States in 1970, when America produced 9.5 million barrels per day of oil, the current figure is less than 6 mbd. At one time the United States was the world's top oil-exporting nation; but today America is the world's top importer of oil. (Heinberg, R. 2014) One alternative to oil would be the use of geothermal energy which is a heat derived below the earth’s surface which can be utilized to produce clean, renewable energy. This essential, clean energy resource supplies renewable power and emits little or no greenhouse gases while requiring a small environmental footprint to develop. (DOE, 2012). Another would be the use of ethanol which is a renewable fuel made from corn and other plant materials. The use of ethanol is now widespread and almost all gasoline in the U.S. contains ethanol in...
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...Lab 1 – Introduction to Science Exercise 1: The Scientific Method Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid, such as water. Since many living organisms require oxygen to survive, it is a necessary component of water systems such as streams, lakes, and rivers in order to support aquatic life. The dissolved oxygen is measured in units of parts per million (ppm). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish observed in the body of water the sample was taken from and then answer the questions below. QUESTIONS 1. Make an observation – Based on the data in Table 4, describe the relationship between dissolved oxygen content and fish populations in the body of water. Discuss the pattern observed in the data set. Answer = The more parts per million of dissolved oxygen in water, the higher the fish population. 2. Do background research – Utilizing at least one scholarly source, describe how variations in dissolved oxygen content in a body of water can affect fish populations. Answer = Most dissolved oxygen in fresh water is derived from photosynthesis of aquatic plants and algae. According to Francis- Floyd (1992), optimum dissolved oxygen levels should be 5mg/L for fish production (p. 1). Depending on species, sensitivity can occur between 2-4mg/L, and sensitivity is species specific. Mortality of species usually occur at © eScience Labs, 2015 2mg/L or below. Mortality from lack of dissolved...
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...Nuclear Powers Carlethia Gordon SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor: Brain Maybruck 7/23/2012 Nuclear power is the use of nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity.(Wikipedia) There are about 6% of Nuclear power plants in the world that provide energy and about 14% that provide electricity.(Wikipedia) There have been two Nuclear power plant accidents they range from the past to the future. One is the Chernobyl disaster that appeared in 1986 and the Fukushima Daiichi disaster that happened in 2011. As read this essay briefly you will read about both disasters and how they both drew a conclusion about the risk and rewards of the nuclear energy. On April 26th, 1986 the Chernobyl disaster occurred at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. (Wikipedia) There was an explosion and fire released a large amount of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere. (Wikipedia) Studies show that this was the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. There was a total of thirty-one deaths reported. This was a test that had gone bad. The battle to take control of the contamination took over 500,000 workers and cost 18 billion dollars. (Wikipedia) The operators were to blame after there was an investigation. Because of the explosion there will be a lot of health problems that will occur according to the studies of The Union of Concerned Scientist. The Fukushima Daiichi Disaster was a series of nuclear meltdowns, equipment...
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...Save the World Starting at Home Crystal Meeks SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment (GSM1135A) Instructor: Jeff Kingsbury August 29, 2011 Save the World Starting at Home There are many different resources that the human population took for granted for many years and now we see so many of the destructive results that have to be dealt with. Habits of whole populations have to be changed in order to thwart a steady decline of our eco-system. These changes will involve educating people about the land and air around them. Urban and Suburban development is an area that needs to be addressed as it one of the main cause for the loss of land. Farm land is being destroyed in the United States and from 1982 to 1992, just ten years; the United States lost 4,000,000 acres to urban and suburban development land that was considered to “prime” farmland. This type of land is the land that is used for growing most crops because of its enriched soils and climate. To make matters worse the United States lost another 266,000 acres of “unique” during the same time period; land that is used for growing uncommon or rare crops. Once this land is gone it would take a miracle to ever regain its usage so essentially it is just lost forever. There are several ways to combat the loss of land so that we retain what we have for survival purposes. One way would first have to address population growth. If families were limited to having two children per family the impact to living space...
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...Innovation and Sustainability Jerald Brooks SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Professor Yavuz Cakir September, 07, 2011 Within history people have found ways to produce goods, and consume the material resources. As the human race grows; the need for material resources increases. The natural resourced that are on high demand are those of; food, water, and land. As this happens it gives us the challenge of finding new ways of meeting such demands. To meet these demands we are continuously producing more consumer goods and consuming more material including natural resources. The worldwide growth of human population requires innovative ways of producing consumer goods. These goods come largely from meat and crops. With the increase in human population comes the requirement of more food and other resources. There becomes a problem within our resources, “For most of the past decade, the world has been consuming more food than it has been producing” (Turk, and Bensel, 2011). Within developing countries they produce much of the grains that we import into the U.S. With the consumer good demands such grains are being used for livestock, which raises the prices of imported goods from local stores. The more the price rises within stores, the wealthier our importers get. Due to these demands of grain production the countries who supply them end up not being able to produce enough grain for livestock. In some areas grains are grown for...
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...Should Cars be more efficient? David Hayes Dependence of man on the environment (SCI207) Jacqueline Poole March 4, 2013 There are many things that have gone into shaping the society we live in today. The fabric of our culture has changed and changed again in response to new additions which have woven their way into our lives. But, none has affected our society as deeply as the automobile. From the way we work and play to how we design the buildings we call home, the automobile has created in many ways a car culture with its own status symbols. However, while the automobile has changed the lives of us all in a positive light; this does comes with a price, and the price is our environment. Currently “cars and other highway vehicles continue to emit some 60 million tons of carbon monoxide per year. Motor vehicles also emit as much as 50 percent of our carcinogenic and toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and formaldehyde. And heavy vehicles, particularly diesel-powered buses and freight trucks, constitute a significant source of soot and other unhealthy fine particles that, when inhaled, lodge in and damage human tissue.” (Turk, J & Bensel, T 4.3) In this paper, I am going to debate why cars should be made more efficient for the sake of saving the environment in which we live in. I will then give the different options as to how cars can be built to be more efficient; and then, debate as to why these options would not be a wise decision for some. Even with all the different...
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...Genetically Modified Foods Linda L. Day SCI207 – Dependence of Man on the Environment Cynthia Collins February 26th, 2012 Genetically Modified Foods Genetically modified foods have increased the total harvest of many cash crops by eradicating the harm done by weeds and insects, and for the most part, this has been the single greatest benefit that GMOs have presented within the last decade. There are benefits being speculated and tested as of now to future speculation on what this science can bring us. There are other ways that GMOs are able to increase the overall bounty of a crops harvest, such as resisting dangerous diseases and being able to sustain the plant with less water or less nutrients. There have also been attempts to create plants resistant to more untamable forces of nature rather than pests, such as the temperature. There have been many speculations that cold-resistant crops, mainly corn and other fruits and vegetable, could be created by taking the DNA of cold-tolerant fish in the Arctic and splicing it with these foods. “An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings,” (Whitman). One benefit in particular that has seemed to have caught the eye of retailers especially adding more nutritional benefits to foods, such as rice with built-in Vitamin A that can help prevent blindness...
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...Water Quality and Contamination Lab Report Kathryn Thomas SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor Joseph Fiedor October 6, 2014 Water Quality and Contamination Lab Report Abstract The water filtration process was examined using oil, vinegar, and detergent to show how well the process works. The watercolor, consistency, and smell would change allowing the difference to be seen. Different kinds of water were tested using test chemical strips to evaluate the chemicals within them. The reason was to show that bottled water was not better for human consumption than tap water. Contaminants can be carried from one point to another and can affect human health. Water quality is very important and knowledge gained in our communities can make a difference. Introduction Water quality research is important because it helps to protect and restore the quality of the Nation’s water. Certain standards help to identify problems caused by incorrectly treating wastewater, sediment, fertilizers, and chemical from agricultural areas. Standards are put in place to achieve and preserve protective water quality conditions. (EPA, 2012). Water quality affects ecological processes such as good river health, vegetation, wetlands, and birdlife. Our water resources have major environmental, social, and economic values. If the water quality is not maintained, it will affect more than the environment; it will affect commercial and recreational values as well. (NSW, 2012). The main...
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...Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Be Opened to Oil Drilling? SCI207 Dependence of Man on the environment July 11, 2010 Abstract The rising cost of gas has been a great debate for consumers and congress. Currently the price of gas is between $2.71 to 3.39 depending on what state you live in. Consumers are finding it more and more disturbing that gas is increasing what is it going to take to make the prices decrease? Is oil drilling here in the United Stated the best thing to do? Oil Drilling has been a topic for our government for years. It seems that the debate is that oil should be drilled hear in our United States. Some have stated that oil drilling would be costly. But it would also reduce the amount we consumers spend on gas. If drilling was to take place there is an area in Alaska where the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is. I hope to show the positive side of oil drilling in Alaska and the negative affects it will have on oil drilling. Currently, I understand both sides of drilling oil but it is not fair to kill off wildlife if oil drilling could be possibly found in areas where there aren’t any wildlife would be good or if the government could provide proof that if oil drilling was to take place that the wildlife would not be hurt. As we look at both sides of why to drill and why not we can explore just what seems to be the big problem we and what the decision should...
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...Water Contamination Sierra Holmes SCI 207 Dependence of Man on the Environment Professor John Gomillion June 14, 2016 Abstract The water treatment experiment gives insight on how water can become contaminated by everyday products such as vinegar, oil, and detergent which we tested by seeing how well the soil can filter the chemicals before it reaches the groundwater. We put the compounds through the treatment process which consisted of pouring each mixture of each chemical/water through a filter containing soil placed in cheesecloth which resulted in the oil being the only product to filter through the soil. Our water becomes polluted with dangerous chemicals which are why it is important actually to filter contaminated water. We used a filtering method that consisted of coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. We used soil and water to create a contaminated solution than the coagulation process took place by adding alum to the settlement. After we had solidified the filter, it was by pouring the infected content in the filter which contained sand, charcoal, and gravel which resulted in purified water that we disinfected with bleach. Drinking water could be contaminated with chemicals such as ammonia, chloride, and phosphate, and iron which are why we tested the quality of bottled water and tap water using test strips. After dipping each test strips in the Fiji water, Dasani water, and tap water, it resulted in Fiji water containing the...
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...Can Humans Stop Global Warming? Tevin Johnson SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Rebecca Gillaspy 28 May 2012 Can Humans Stop Global Warming? It is no secret that global warming has been an issue that the human population has been battling for decades. The Earth is heating up and global warming contributes to this action. Apart from the increasing heat, more species and habitats are being affected by the changing planet. Scientists state that human activities are the responsible party for the global warming effect. In a written assignment, I will discuss what global warming is, how humans contribute to global warming and if humans are truly responsible, and what we can do to minimize it. Before one can claim responsibility or attempt to minimize global warming, they must understand what it is exactly. The discussion of global warming is all over the news, magazines, blogs, and internet so it must be a major issue. “Global warming is part of a long-term natural pattern or an effect of human industrial activity that has become a heated issue (Christiansen, 1995). This activity started in the 1990s. The greenhouse effect is generated by water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases in the atmosphere that reflect back heat radiating from the Earth’s surface. “Without the greenhouse effect, the average temperature on Earth would be about –18 degrees Celsius (0 degree Fahrenheit)” (Christiansen, 1995). In other words the planet’s temperature is warming...
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...WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATIONS PG. 1 Water Quality and Contamination Nalissa Johnson SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Otishna Jacobs 16 August 2015 WATER QUALITY AND CONTAMINATIONS PG. 2 Introduction Ground water is the biggest source of drinking water available to human population around the world and is rapidly being polluted because of industrialization and increasing demands of agriculture around the world. “Ground waters frequently contain iron, manganese and ammonium above the allowed concentration levels for drinking water”(Strembal, 2004)There are a lot of dangers associated with drinking or cooking with contaminated water. Diseases, poisons, and toxins can be found in contaminated water. There is also a possible correlation between an increased cancer risk and consuming contaminated water. “Being out of sight, it is not always apparent that damage has been, or is being, done to the groundwater resources. The need to prevent groundwater pollution is important because of the very high proportion of groundwater resources that are used for potable supply.” (Helmer, 1997) The objective of the first experiment we conducted was to test the ability of soil to remove oil, vinegar, and laundry detergent from the environment before it reaches ground water. We want to know this because often we...
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...Final Lab Report Water Quality and Contamination Rachel Hewitt SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Professor Andrea Van Gunst May 16, 2016 ABSTRACT All lab experiments were conducted in Windham, New York. The first experiment regarding water quality and contamination, used vinegar, liquid detergent and vegetable oil to contaminate tap water. The results of this experiment showed that when the water was contaminated and filtered through dirt some of the contaminates remained trapped in the soil and didn’t contaminate the groundwater but some did. This experiment could help in finding safer ways to purify and filter water. The results of this experiment were that the oil separated in the water and was trapped in the soil not the groundwater. The vinegar changed the smell of the water and contaminated the soil but without any major effect on the groundwater. The liquid detergent also changed the smell of the water as well as the color but also contaminated the soil and groundwater. The next experiment that was conducted was to use products like sand, charcoal and gravel to filter contaminated water that had been treated with alum. The products were used as an aquifer. The results of this experiment were basically if you used coagulants combined with alkalinity you would be able to remove contaminants from the groundwater. The last experiment bottle water and tap water were compared and tested for levels of iron, phosphate, chloride and ammonia to figure...
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...Outline Samantha Hernandez SCI207: Dependence of Man on the Environment Instructor: Alyssa Kunz April 24, 2012 Global Warming 1 Global Warming 2 Is global warming skepticism just smoke and mirrors? There are several different views on the issues of global warming. Some people think global warming might be just a myth while others think that global warming is happening and humans are the cause of it. One side believes that humans cause global warming, yet the other side thinks that global warming is a complete fallacy. I. Global warming is an environmental issue that is concerning a lot of people. Global warming has been an issue for many years. One area of this issue that is taking over right now is whether global warming is due to human actions or if global warming is due to natural cause there is a big argument over it. Some people believe global warming is due to human actions of pollutants such as burning fossil fuel, coal, and oil, human finger prints, and deforestation; while other people believe it is a natural cause and global warming is just a theory and nothing else. A. According to some people and scientists there is a huge impact of this environmental issue on the world and something needs to be done right now in order to try and stop or slow down global warming. On the other hand, some people and scientists believe that humans do not cause global warming; instead it is a part of history and would occur with or without the help...
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