Climate Inquiry

"Climate Change | U.S. EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 18 Oct. 2010. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/.

The term climate change is often used interchangeably with the term global warming, but according to the National Academy of Sciences, "the phrase 'climate change' is growing in preferred use to 'global warming' because it helps convey that there are other changes in addition to rising temperatures."

Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer). Climate change may result from:

1. natural factors, such as changes in the sun's intensity or slow changes in the Earth's orbit around the sun;

2. natural processes within the climate system (e.g. changes in ocean circulation);

3. human activities that change the atmosphere's composition (e.g. through burning fossil fuels) and the land surface (e.g. deforestation, reforestation, urbanization, desertification, etc.)

Global warming is an average increase in the temperature of the atmosphere near the Earth's surface and in the troposphere, which can contribute to changes in global climate patterns. Global warming can occur from a variety of causes, both natural and human induced. In common usage, "global warming" often refers to the warming that can occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities.

"Global Climate Change / NASA's Eyes on the Earth." National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Author. Randell Jackson. http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner.

Effects that scientists had predicted in the past would result from global climate change are now occurring: loss of sea ice, accelerated sea level rise and longer, more intense heat waves.

Scientists have high confidence that global temperatures will continue to rise for decades to come, largely due to greenhouse gasses produced by human activities. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which includes more than 1,300 scientists from the United States and other countries, forecasts a temperature rise of 2.5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

In North America they expect decreasing snowpack in the western mountains; 5-20 percent increase in yields of rain-fed agriculture in some regions; increased frequency, intensity and duration of heat waves in cities that currently experience them.

Sewer Treatment Blog

    Last week we visited the sewer treatment plant. I learned a lot! Before last week I didn't even know where the plant was located let alone all the things they do the the sewer water to treat it. Besides the nasty smell, visiting the plant was a great leaning expenience. When we first got there we seen the water comeing into the plant and how it is initially filtered out and all the big chucks of stuff are removed. Next it goes into big tanks where the sluge is settled at the bottom and them removed. After that the water goes into even bigger tanks where little micro organisms eat the little chuncks of stuff out of  the water. I was hoping we could get to see the lab where the water is tested but we ran out of time. Mabey we can vistit there again sometime so we can see the rest of the plant.
    After leaving the sewage plant we went across the steet to recycle, (which I also didn't know it's location before last week). We recycled bottles and paper. Since I brought magazines which can't be recycled I picked up 25 pieces of trash and threw it away in the big granger dumpsters. This was very easy because unfortunally there was a lot of trash all around the recycling area.

City Talk

1.) Mrs. Byerly, who works as a project manager for the city of Eaton Rapids, came to talk to our class.
2.) The city upgraded our system for storm water in 2006 by putting in two parking lots that act as a filter because as all the rain water flows in the parking lot it goes through a rain garden where the water is naturally filtered through the layers of rocks and clay before it enters the river. Also all the construction that has been going on is the help make our river clearer by giving us a new sewage system so none of that stuff ends up in our river.
3.) These improvements will help our river water a ton by not allowing chemicals and other unwanted things into our water. For example, car brake pads that wear down into little particles that end up in our river and also oil and gas from the parking lots which will now be filtered rather than just flowing directly into the river.
4.) Since our group was responsible for the temperature of the river I don't think it will really be effected by the new improvements in our city. Im sure that many of the other tests our classmates did will have a big effect though because there will be a lot less pollutants in the water.
5.) I thought the two parking lots that were put in for filtering were interesting because i had no idea what those had another purpose besides added parking until she explained them to us. Also this might be surprising but I didn't know that our entire downtown is an island. I knew our town had the river going by it but I guess I never realized we are completely surrounded by it.
6.)  Our bio bottles are doing really well. The grass and peas seem to be growing great. My bottle is the control one but both my group members have plastic in theirs and it doesn't seem to really be effecting the plants.
7.) For our action project we are promoting plastic recycling.
8.) Our group hasn't even started our power point because we have no idea how to do it. Were hoping to get some help with it this week and be able to finish it soon.