Abstract

Just image if your house is underwater, everything you have ever known is lost, and you have to restart your life, all because of a hurricane. Now what if you could change all that by turning off a light bulb, or walking to work. Global warming is causing a rise in water temperature, which affects the strength of hurricanes. As global temperatures rise, so do SST’s, “sea surface temperatures”, which increase the strength and intensity of storms, which damage the economy and wildlife forever.

The main thing I want people to understand is that global warming is a dangerous thing. When most people think of global warming they think of melting ice, or warmer days, not hurricanes. The fact is that global warming does a lot more then melt ice, global warming bleaches coral reefs, and causes larger storms. These storms damage property, and the lives of people and wildlife, and are only getting worse with time. The reason for this is humans impact on earth, and the rise in Co2 in our atmosphere.

Some of the main contributors to carbon dioxide are your cars, and your electricity, through the burning of coal, and petroleum. The United States alone inputs 5,800,000 tons our carbon dioxide in to the atmosphere every year. There are many ways to limit the amount of carbon you put in the air, many of which include physical labor. Activities such as running or biking to work, can drastically decrease your carbon emissions, and may also get you in shape. Reducing you electricity bill will help you and the planet. 50% of all your electricity comes from the burning of coal. These coal run power plants, are one of the worst contributors to global warming. After the coal is burned, and run through a generator, the gasses sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide are introduced into the atmosphere, causing global warming, and acid rain. The easiest way to do this is to turn off all the light when you are not in the room. You will notice the difference and so will the planet.

Works Cited

BORENSTEIN, SETH. "Global Warming To Bring Stronger Hurricanes, Scientists Predict." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web.

"Global Warming Will Bring Violent Storms And Tornadoes, NASA Predicts." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 31 Aug. 2007. Web.

Holland, G. J. Mixing Politics and Science in Testing the Hypothesis That Greenhouse Warming Is Causing a Global Increase in Hurricane Intensity. Web. Aug. 2006.

Knutson/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA, Thomas R. "Global Warming and Hurricanes." 26 Jan. 2010. Web.

Changes in Tropical Cyclone Number, Duration, and Intensity in a Warming Environment -- Webster et al. 309 (5742): 1844 -- Science." Science/AAAS | Scientific research, news and career information. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

Mozer, David. "60 Benefits of Bike Commuting & Recreational Bicycling." International Bicycle Fund: Promoting Bicycle Transport and Economic Development and Cultural Understanding Worldwide. Web.

"Roundup Coal-Fired Power Plant." Montana River Action - Home Page. Web.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html

Vegetarian recipes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
4 tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 cups sliced white mushrooms
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the tomato wedges and mushrooms, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes and mushrooms are cooked through and the sauce is reduced and thickened.
2. Sprinkle on the basil, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.

Grant Noble

Food Inc. Reflection

When watching this movie I experienced two things, disgust and
knowledge. I was discussed at the way they treat animals, and how they
are only seen as food. The animals in this movie were bred to be
killed, and were treated very poorly.
In the chicken scene i was horrified by the way they treated the
animals, and the handlers of the animals. The people who looked after
the chickens were a slave to the system. They were paid very little,
and had to pay these companies huge loans for there chicken coops,
some up to $500,000. The chicken handlers only were paid 18,000 a year
and they had to do the work of the owner of the chicken farms. They
also had to do what ever the company asked of them, like upgrading
their coops for threat of being fired. The chickens were kept in very
cramp spaces, and could not see they’re surrounding. This is no life
for a chicken, many of these chickens died from dieses and had to be
pumped full of antibiotics to survive. Even the handlers were affected
by the dirtiness of the chicken. One of the handlers became allergic
to almost all antibiotics because of becoming a chicken farmer. Even
the way they handled the chicken was cruel, kicking them and throwing
them into trucks to be killed, some of those chickens could not even
stand to run away because of the way they were grown. I found it
disgusting that chickens a sprayed with chlorine, after they are
dead.. I don’t want to eat that.
I also found it interesting how or beef is made. These cows like the
chickens are kept in very cramp spaces, and contract many dieses, like
ecoli. These cows are fed corn threw feedlots to maximize growing
capacity. The reason they are fed corn is because corn is so cheap,
corn can be sold for less than it cost to make it. This is because of
government stimulus on corn, and soy. The government pays the farmers
more money if they grow these cash crops, and more and more framers
are moving to corn. The reason why they use corn is because it is
easy to store for a long time, when corn prices go down, they hold the
corn for a while, and the prices go back up again. Farming now a days
is all about science, farmers do not tend the land, they just drive
trackers and spray fertilizer.
I also learned about a company called Monsanto, which is dominating
the corn and soy industry. They are growing genetically modified
vegetables, and are contaminating all the surrounding farms that are
organic. When the Monsanto crops pollinates, its pollen spread to
other farms and turns their plant into a Monsanto plant. Recently
Monsanto has been able to patent there gene of plant and is able to
sue anyone who has there plant gene inside of it, purposely or not.
They are monopolizing the industry and need to be stopped.
After watching this video, I have not eaten at a fast food
restaurant, and am always nagging my mom to buy organically.

"In the last 35 years the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes have almost doubled along with an increase in wind speed and size."

Grant Noble

April, 14,2010

Final Draft

Global Warming and Hurricanes.

Just image if your house is underwater, everything you have ever known is lost, and you have to restart your life, all because of a hurricane. Now what if you could change all that by turning off a light bulb, or walking to work. I argue that global warming causes a rise in water temperature, which affects the strength of hurricanes. As global temperatures rise, so do SST’s, “sea surface temperatures”, which increase the strength and intensity of storms, which damage the economy and wildlife forever.

The main thing I want people to understand is that global warming is a dangerous thing. When most people think of global warming they think of melting ice, or warmer days, not hurricanes. The fact is that global warming does a lot more then melt ice, global warming bleaches coral reefs, and causes larger storms. These storms damage property, and the lives of people and wildlife, and are only getting worse with time. The reason for this is the rise in Co2 in our atmosphere. The Co2 is acting like a shield and is not letting the sun’s ray’s escape as much. The rays are being trapped on earth for a longer period of time, and are overheating the earth.

The main way green house gasses are produced is through combustion. Everything on earth contains carbon, and when it is burned carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Some of the main contributors to carbon dioxide are your cars, and your electricity, through the burning of coal, and petroleum.

When you drive your car, you are burning a chemical called petroleum. This chemical contains long strains of carbons, which when burned turn in to carbon dioxide, which leads to global warming. There are many ways to limit the amount of carbon you put in the air, many of which include physical labor. Activities such as running or biking to work, can drastically decrease your carbon emissions, and may also get you in shape. Reducing you electricity bill will help you and the planet. 50% of all your electricity comes from the burning of coal. These coal run power plants, are one of the worst contributors to global warming. After the coal is burned, and run threw a generator, the gasses sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide are introduced into the atmosphere, furthering along global warming. The easiest way to do this is to turn off all the light when you are not in the room. You will notice the difference and so will the planet.

Grant Noble

Questions

1a) The main thing I learned from writing this paper is that global warming affects hurricanes. Global warming increases the intensity of hurricanes, and causes devastation to both human and animal life.

1b) I want people to understand that global warming not only melts ice, but also has a much larger and more catastrophic effect on humans. To me when someone thinks of global warming they think of something that can’t directly hurt them, but I wanted to show them the more drastic effects of global warming, and why there should be a need for change.

2) I am still having troubles finding information relating to job loss. When a hurricane hits the amount of jobs losses is pretty vague because so many people leave the town. I am also having troubles elaborating and going into details about the statistics because they are hard to understand, and normally only need to be said once.

3) Everything in my senior project is relating to my essay and the essays of my partners. In our senior project we talk about how a rise in CO2 levels is raising the earths temperatures, how this is linked to storm intensities, and how this is melting the polar ice caps. We also talk about the bleaching of coral reefs, and how this negatively affects our marine organisms. Everything in our video is based off facts, and is very informative, and engaging.

4) I definitely need the most help with he essay, but it’s just a matter of me setting aside a few hours and doing a lot of research. I have the information, its just hard elaborating when a lot of the information is redundant.

Grant Noble

March 9, 2010

First Draft

Global Warming and Hurricanes.

I argue that global warming causes a rise in water temperature, and thus affects the strength of hurricanes, which in turn is hurting both the economy and wildlife in the devastated area. As global temperatures go up, so does the SST, “sea surface temperatures”. When the SST goes up the strength and intensity of storms goes up, and when the intensity goes up Hurricanes damage the economy and wildlife.

In the past, Sea Surface Temperatures, “SST “have always been going up and down, either due to the seasons, or the co2 levels in the atmosphere. In the last 40 years however there has been an increase in SST, from 1970 to present we have undergone a 1-degree temperature change. A raise in SST affects everything from the bleaching to coral reefs, to larger storm, and this is due to human’s impact on the earth, and our CO2 inputs into the atmosphere.

Global warming is caused when CO2 or other green house gasses are put into the atmosphere through combustion. When the suns rays hit the earth, some of the rays bounce off while others hit the planet. The rays that do hit the planet bounce off the earth hit the atmosphere and bounce back, and escape, making the planet warm and inhabitable. If we didn’t have an atmosphere, it would be like the moon, very hot during the day, and freezing at night. The problems with these gasses are, they are not letting the ray’s escape as much. The rays are being trapped on earth for a longer period of time, and are overheating the earth. The main way green house gasses are produced is through combustion. Everything on earth contains carbon, and when something is burned that carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Some of the main contributors to carbon dioxide are your cars, and your electricity, through the burning of coal, and petroleum.

As SST go up, so does the intensity of storms. We have graphs that prove all the way back to 1850 that, as SST go up so does the number of named storms. “A storm large enough to be named”

This is because of the way hurricanes are created. A Hurricane is caused when ocean temperatures reach 80 degrees, and the ocean water starts to evaporate rapidly. The higher the temperature the more water is going to be evaporated. The hot air rises while the colder air is condensed into clouds. As more and more water is sucked up, the clouds begin to spin, and create wind. That is why hurricanes are normally found over tropical oceans where the water temperature is warm enough for it to evaporate. While storm amounts are not growing all over the world, the North Atlantic shows a drastic increase in tropical storms and hurricanes. In the last 35 years the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes have almost doubled along with an increase in wind speed and size.

1945-1955 1995-2005

#Named storms 115 165

# Hurricanes 74 112

# Category 4+5 19 28

Scientist predict that the number of level 4 and 5 hurricanes will double, corresponding to a 60 percent increase in damages along the coast line.

When a hurricane makes landfall it brings death and destruction along with it. With a hurricane come strong winds, storm surge, and flooding, all of which create damages to property. At a category one level a hurricane will do as little damage as damaging tree’s and shrubbery, but as storm levels increase so does the damage it carries with it. At a category five level, storms will create extensive damage to homes, blow away small buildings, and flood anything less than 15 feet from sea level. This involves extensive damages from flooding and from house close to the ocean. Already the average cost of hurricanes a year is estimated at 1-3 billion dollars in damages, just imagine what would happen to the economy if we had a category 4 or 5 every year. Hurricane Katrina, cost the United States 110 billion dollars, and Hurricane Andrew cost the U.S. 28 billion. If that amount were to double the economy would crumble.

Not only do larger hurricanes mean more damage to infrastructure, but it also takes away from jobs. After Hurricane Katrina unemployment went from 5.8 percent to 11. 5 percent, nearly 400,000 jobs were lost, and when so many people are job less, there is no money circulating.

Hurricanes both negatively effect humans, and sea life. When a hurricane comes through, especially a large one, they destroy coral reefs. Many coral reefs, such as ones inhabited with Elkhorn coral, were destroyed, the branches would snap off, hurting fish, and stirring up sediment. Hurricanes destroy biodiversity among coral, because it makes only the stronger coral survive. Hurricanes have, in some places, totally transformed the layout of the reef. They have created slower growing dome shaped corals that can withstand the constant pummeling of the waves. When the coral is destroyed, fish lose an area to feed and breed, and the biodiversity of fish in that area die off.

Even though hurricanes hurt coral reefs, they have positive roles as well. NASA, has proven that hurricanes help create plankton blooms, in what else would be a dessert of an ocean. When a hurricane goes over an area of water it sucks phytoplankton “plant plankton” from deeper waters to the surface of the water, creating a plankton boom. This once dormant plankton, or “Marine Snow” reacts with the sunlight and produces chlorophyll. “Chlorophyll is what makes phytoplankton photosensitize” The hurricane is creating an upwelling and is producing nutrients to help feed fish, and recycles old water, and reduces CO2 in the atmosphere.

From the research I have done 2120 does not seem like a very friendly place to live, especially on the east coast. With the amount of category 4 and 5 hurricanes predicted to double, and the economy the way it is, this is sounding like something out of the movies. Thankfully these are only predictions; there is no telling what is to happen in the future. The saying holds true though, it is better to be safe than sorry. If we don’t look towards a renewable future, CO2 levels will continue to rise along with SST, we are the future, and we have the power to change it.

One of the ways we can lower our CO2 emissions is through riding our bikes. As I said previously CO2 is caused through combustion, and cars being run on petroleum cause a lot of CO2. Just biking 4 miles saves 15 pounds of pollutants from being put into the atmosphere. Another way is to cut down on CO2 emissions, is to cut down on electricity. Coal burning power plants make up for roughly 52% of the U.S.’s electrical needs, and produce harmful chemicals such as CO2, sulfur oxides, and mercury. All in all it is up to us to make the changes necessary, to change the world.

Works Cited

"About HRD." DOC/NOAA/OAR/AOML: Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. Web.

. "Access : Meteorology: Are There Trends in Hurricane Destruction? : Nature." Nature Publishing Group : Science Journals, Jobs, and Information. 22 Dec. 2005. Web..

BORENSTEIN, SETH. "Global Warming To Bring Stronger Hurricanes, Scientists Predict." Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Web.

"Global Warming Will Bring Violent Storms And Tornadoes, NASA Predicts." Science Daily: News & Articles in Science, Health, Environment & Technology. 31 Aug. 2007. Web.

Holland, G. J. Mixing Politics and Science in Testing the Hypothesis That Greenhouse Warming Is Causing a Global Increase in Hurricane Intensity. Web. Aug. 2006.

Knutson/Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory/NOAA, Thomas R. "Global Warming and Hurricanes." 26 Jan. 2010. Web.

Changes in Tropical Cyclone Number, Duration, and Intensity in a Warming Environment -- Webster et al. 309 (5742): 1844 -- Science." Science/AAAS | Scientific research, news and career information. Web. 26 Feb. 2010.

Mozer, David. "60 Benefits of Bike Commuting & Recreational Bicycling." International Bicycle Fund: Promoting Bicycle Transport and Economic Development and Cultural Understanding Worldwide. Web.

"Roundup Coal-Fired Power Plant." Montana River Action - Home Page. Web.

From the research I have found it seems like the amount of storms, and the intensity of the storms is increasing. Global warming is heating up water in the tropics, and is making that water evaporate at an alarming rate. This raise in SST “ Sea Surface Temperature” seems to correlate with a raise in the amount of hurricanes. A hurricane is caused when water starts to evaporate rapidly; the hot air rises while the colder air is condensed into clouds. As more and more water is sucked up, the clouds begin to spin, and create wind. That is why hurricanes are normally found over tropical oceans where the water temperature is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

While storms amounts are not growing all over the world the North Atlantic shows a drastic increase in tropical storms and hurricanes. In the last 35 years the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes have almost doubled along with an increase in wind speed and size.

Works Cited

"Changes in Tropical Cyclone Number, Duration, and Intensity in a Warming Environment -- Webster et al. 309 (5742): 1844 -- Science." Science/AAAS | Scientific research, news and career information. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. .

Coral is a very fragile species, and are essential to life in the ocean and bio diversity in the ocean. One of the main things effecting the coral population is global warming. When coral gets too warm it becomes bleached and dies. It only takes a 1-degree Celsius change in summer for coral to become bleached because they are already so close to there lethal limits. UV radiation also affects the coral, and is increased because of the earths thinning ozone layer, and may also lead to bleaching. Bleaching of coral is happening world wide and is destroying our natural underwater forests.

Springer Berlin / Heidelberg. "Response of Hawaiian and other Indo-Pacific reef corals to elevated temperature." Springer links. Web.

Web.