Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

Scrapesbook ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: ENN staff Published April 10, 2014 12:10 PM 2014 ten most endangered rivers American Rivers yesterday announced its annual list of Americas Most Endangered Rivers, naming California's San Joaquin River the Most Endangered River in the country. Outdated water management and excessive diversions, compounded by the current drought, have put the San Joaquin River at a breaking point. American Rivers is calling on the California State Water Resources Control Board to increase river flows to protect water quality, fish, and recreation, and support sustainable agriculture as well as urge Congress to preserve agreements and laws designed to protect the San Joaquin River and communities it supports. "On the San Joaquin and across the nation, communities can increase their ability to deal with drought now and in the future by protecting and restoring rivers and using water more efficiently," said Bob Irvin, President of American Rivers. "By prioritizing healthy rivers and sustainable water management, we can enjoy reliable clean water supplies, healthy fish and wildlife, recreation, and quality of life for generations to come." For the second consecutive year, the report underscores the problems that arise for communities and the environment when we drain too much water out of rivers. Last year the Colorado River was #1 on the list because of outdated water management. This basin remains in the spotlight this year, with water diversion threats placing the Gila River and the rivers of the Upper Colorado Basin on the Most Endangered list. The annual report is a list of rivers at a crossroads, where key decisions in the coming months will determine the rivers' fates. Over the years, the report has helped spur many successes including the removal of outdated dams, protection of rivers with Wild and Scenic designations, and prevention of harmful development and pollution. This year's list includes: #1 San Joaquin River Threat: Outdated water management and excessive diversions impacting river health #2 Upper Colorado River System

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

Threat: New trans-mountain water diversions impacting river health and recreation #3 Middle Mississippi River Threat: Outdated flood management impacting wildlife habitat and public safety #4 Gila River Threat: New water diversions impacting overall river health #5 San Francisquito Creek Threat: Dam impacting aquatic habitat and public safety #6 South Fork Edisto River Threat: Excessive water withdrawals impacting aquatic habitat, recreation, and water quality #7 White River (CO) Threat: Oil and gas drilling impacting drinking water supplies and aquatic habitat #8 White River (WA) Threat: Outdated dam and fish passage facilities impacting salmon, steelhead, and bull trout populations #9 Haw River Threat: Polluted runoff impacting clean water #10 Clearwater/Lochsa Rivers Threat: Industrialization of a Wild and Scenic River corridor impacting scenery, solitude, worldclass recreational values

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

Summary 1 A major problem in our country is the endangerment of rivers. Rivers serve many purposes such as habitats for living organisms, sources of water for people, and aesthetic pleasure. However, many things remain to threaten the liveliness of these rivers. One river in particular is the San Joaquin river which reached its way on the top of the most endangered rivers in the country. The main problem in the San Joaquin River is old water management which fails to keep the quality of water clean. Bob Irvin claims to solve the San Joaquin problem by selecting the health of rivers as the most serious problem that requires utmost attention. If rivers are preserved we can enjoy its water quality, and the wildlife it attracts for the present as well as future. Another problem is the overuse of water consumption by people. Our activities such as long showers and wasting water contribute to the quick depletion of water in the river. This problem can be easily solved by cutting back on overconsumption. Rivers are crucial in not only an environmental aspect but also an economic aspect. Rivers are used to give homes to organisms, provide us with clean water and maintain biodiversity. In an economic aspect the rivers serve to support our agriculture which we use to grow important crops such as vegetables and cotton. Without rivers many animals wouldnt prevail to live because animals would lose prey to feed on. Animals would not only be affected but also humans because many depend on the river as a water source to live. It should be in our greatest intentions to protect not only the river but all that nature offers us.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: ENN Staff Published April 8, 2014 01:20 PM

High Tech Trees!

Scientists at Oregon State University have found a way to convert tree cellulose into high-tech energy storage devices. Because cellulose is a key component of trees and the most abundant organic polymer on earth this discovery will have a profound impact in industry. Scientists were able to heat the tree cellulose in a furnace in the presence of ammonia to create the building block for supercapacitors for use in industrial electronic applications. Supercapacitors are extraordinarily, high-power energy devices for which production has been held back by cost and difficulty in producing high-quality carbon electrodes. The new approach just discovered at OSU can produce nitrogen-doped, nanoporous carbon membranes the electrodes of a supercapacitor at low cost, quickly, in an environmentally benign process. The only byproduct is methane, which could be used immediately as a fuel or for other purposes. "The ease, speed and potential of this process is really exciting," said Xiulei (David) Ji, an assistant professor of chemistry in the OSU College of Science, and lead author on a study announcing the discovery in Nano Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society. "For the first time we've proven that you can react cellulose with ammonia and create these Ndoped nanoporous carbon membranes," Ji said. "It's surprising that such a basic reaction was not reported before. Not only are there industrial applications, but this opens a whole new scientific area, studying reducing gas agents for carbon activation. "We're going to take cheap wood and turn it into a valuable high-tech product," he said. These carbon membranes at the nano-scale are extraordinarily thin a single gram of them can have a surface area of nearly 2,000 square meters. That's part of what makes them useful in supercapacitors. And the new process used to do this is a single-step reaction that's fast and inexpensive. It starts with something about as simple as a cellulose filter paper conceptually similar to the disposable paper filter in a coffee maker.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

The exposure to high heat and ammonia converts the cellulose to a nanoporous carbon material needed for supercapacitors, and should enable them to be produced, in mass, more cheaply than before. A supercapacitor is a type of energy storage device, but it can be recharged much faster than a battery and has a great deal more power. They are mostly used in any type of device where rapid power storage and short, but powerful energy release is needed.

Summary 2 According to analysts as time goes by technology advances, but we often question whether or not technological innovations can support the weight of our human population. Scientists have just proven that technology can be of benefit to the environment. High tech trees have been invented to power energy consuming devices. The supercapacitor uses the trees natural cellulose to combine with ammonia to create a high output of energy to energize devices. The only downside to this invention is the release of methane but is claimed to be easily resolved by using the methane released to immediate power other devices. What originally held the invention of these high tech trees were the enormous costs and challenging method to create high quality electrodes. However scientists have found a new inexpensive way to do the same thing which is by using nitrogen doped electrode membranes which take up extremely minimal space and is convenient for supercapacitors.

In conclusion these trees can prove itself as a great invention to support our high demand of energy. It is inexpensive and efficient which is what people often seek in technology. However even though these new trees are great inventions, they dont provide many things that real trees provide, such as aesthetic pleasure and habitats for animals. Another thing these high tech trees are unable to do is absorb a ton of water which helps to prevent floods and keep our

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

environment cool with its shade. These trees are good inventions but in my opinion real trees can never be replaced because of many of its unique purposes.

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: Robin Blackstone, ENN Published April 8, 2014 12:23 PM

Shifting bird and reptile distributions

With climate change come several dramatic shifts in species distribution within the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey in concert with the University of New Mexico and Northern Arizona University have recently projected distribution losses for nearly half of the 5 examined reptile species including the locally famed chuckwalla. Breeding bird ranges, however exhibited broader expansions and contractions within their breeding habitats.

For example, black-throated sparrows and gray vireos are projected to experience major gains in breeding habitat, but pygmy nuthatches, sage thrashers and Williamson sapsuckers are forecasted to experience large losses in breeding habitat, in some cases by as much as 80 percent. Thus, the latter three species may experience population declines. With the decline in the pinyon pine habitat, the pinyon jay will likely experience between one fourth and one third loss of its breeding territory. "Not surprisingly, whether a species is projected to be a winner or a loser depends primarily on its natural history and habitat needs and requirements," said USGS scientist Charles van Riper III, the lead author on the study. "Land managers should be aware of these potential changes so that they can adjust their management practices accordingly." The study was conducted by layering existing global climate change models with newer species distribution models to estimate losses and gains of seven southwestern upland bird species and 5 reptile species focusing on the Sonoran Desert and the Colorado Plateau.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

Temperatures in this region are projected to increase 6.3-7.2 F (3.54C) within the next 60 90 years while precipitation is projected to decline by 520 percent. "Changes of this magnitude may have profound effects on distribution and viability of many species," noted Stephen T. Jackson, director of the Interior Department's Southwest Climate Science Center. "Temperature matters a lot, biologically, in arid and semi-arid regions." The information has been documented and published in a series of range maps now available through the USGS. These predictive maps will help decision makers prioritize conservation efforts. "Wildlife resource managers need regionally specific information about climate change consequences so they better identify tools and strategies to conserve and sustain habitats in their region," said Doug Beard, director of the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center that supported the project. "Managers can use these results to help plan for ways to offset projected effects of climate change on these species."

Summary 3 An increase in climate temperature has proven to be detrimental to many species of reptiles and birds such as pinyon pine habitat, and the pinyon jay. Because of the rising climates these species as well as others are being lowered in population because they are forced to migrate to different areas and kicked out of their natural breeding grounds. Although some of these species are forced out of their breeding grounds, some species such as black-throated sparrows and gray vireos have grown in population because the climate has allowed them to migrate and breed in other different locations and expand their population. USGS representative Charles van Ripper warnes land managers to prepare for the species affected and advises them to take extra precautions and execute practices to help these animals survive because of the climate change. The climate has increased 6.2 to 7,2 degrees while chances of precipitation are expected to drop 5-20 percent.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

In conclusion the climate change has done both good by supporting the expansion of species into new territories and bad by forcing species to escape their natural habitat and lose their breeding grounds .In my opinion the increase in climate change is doing more bad because these animals deserve to stay in their natural habitat without going anywhere. I assume that humans have a great involvement with the dramatic increase in climate change because of the use of our greenhouse gases. Everyone should take precautions to use minimal amount of greenhouse gases and think about how their actions affect the environment.

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: Eric Sorensen, Washington State University News Published April 7, 2014 09:55 AM

Desert absorption helps curtail CO2 levels

Researchers led by a Washington State University biologist have found that arid areas, among the biggest ecosystems on the planet, take up an unexpectedly large amount of carbon as levels of carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere. The findings give scientists a better handle on the earth's carbon budget how much carbon remains in the atmosphere as CO2, contributing to global warming, and how much gets stored in the land or ocean in other carbon-containing forms.

"It has pointed out the importance of these arid ecosystems," said R. Dave Evans, a WSU professor of biological sciences specializing in ecology and global change. "They are a major sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide, so as CO2 levels go up, theyll increase their uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere. They'll help take up some of that excess CO2 going into the atmosphere. They can't take it all up, but they'll help." The findings, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, come after a novel 10-year experiment in which researchers exposed plots in the Mojave Desert to elevated carbon-dioxide

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

levels similar to those expected in 2050. The researchers then removed soil and plants down to a meter deep and measured how much carbon was absorbed. "We just dug up the whole site and measured everything," said Evans. The idea for the experiment originated with scientists at Nevada's universities in Reno and Las Vegas and the Desert Research Institute. Evans was brought in for his expertise in nutrient cycling and deserts, while researchers at the University of Idaho, Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University and Colorado State University also contributed. Funding came from the U.S. Department of Energy's Terrestrial Carbon Processes Program and the National Science Foundation's Ecosystem Studies Program. Vast Lands play significant role. The work addresses one of the big unknowns of global warming: the degree to which land-based ecosystems absorb or release carbon dioxide as it increases in the atmosphere. Receiving less than 10 inches of rain a year, arid areas run in a wide band at 30 degrees north and south latitude. Along with semi-arid areas, which receive less than 20 inches of rain a year, they account for nearly half the earths land surface. Forest soils have more organic matter and, square foot for square foot, hold much more carbon. But because arid soils cover so much area, they can have an outsize role in the earth's carbon budget and in how much the earth warms as heat-trapping gases accumulate in the atmosphere.

Summary 4 Recently scientists have discovered yet another importance of deserts and how they help the environment. Deserts are among one of the largest ecosystems on earth known for its dry climates and extreme weather. However it was recently discovered that deserts play a major role as a carbon tank absorbing much of the carbon in the atmosphere. Deserts have been credited with absorbing so much carbon but is still inferior to the amount of carbon absorbed by our large bodies of water. Although they cant absorb all the carbon, they still make a major difference in the battle against carbon. Scientists have also concluded that the larger the land, the more beneficial it is to serving as a carbon tank due to the amount of area

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

covered. Forests have an abundant amount of organic matter which is known to hold much carbon and in addition the cast amount of land covered by organic matter helps to take in excessive carbon. In conclusion deserts serve an important role along with forests and oceans as carbon tanks and clean up human`s messes. This is yet another reason why we should preserve all our ecosystems because from this we have learned that all ecosystems serve a purpose and don`t deserve to be treated as a place to dump our trash. The amount of carbon absorbed by the ecosystems can get us to realize how much carbon we humans are responsible for. I hope that humans can be more knowledgeable of their actions to prevent harm to nature.

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: Click Green Staff, ClickGreen, More from this Affiliate Published April 3, 2014 01:09 PM

Wild Bees Improve Farm Revenues by Boosting Crop Yields

Investing in habitat that attracts and supports wild bees in farms is not only an effective approach to helping enhance crop pollination, but it can also pay for itself in four years or less, according to Michigan State University research. The paper, published in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Ecology, gives farmers of pollination-dependent crops tangible results to convert marginal acreage to fields of wildflowers, said Rufus Isaacs, MSU entomologist and co-author of the paper. "Other studies have demonstrated that creating flowering habitat will attract wild bees, and a few have shown that this can increase yields," he said. "This is the first paper that demonstrates an

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

economic advantage. This gives us a strong argument to present to farmers that this method works, and it puts money back in their pockets." As part of the study, marginal lands surrounding productive blueberry fields were planted with a mix of 15 native perennial wildflowers. The fields were pollinated by honey bees, but Isaacs and Brett Blaauw, MSU graduate student, were interested in whether increasing the wild bee population would improve pollination in nearby crop fields. The results weren't immediate, which implies that landowners would need to be patient, Isaacs said. "In the first two years as the plantings established, we found little to no increase in the number of wild bees," he said. "After that, though, the number of wild bees was twice as high as those found in our control fields that had no habitat improvements." Once the wild bees were more abundant, more flowers turned into blueberries, and the blueberries had more seeds and were larger. Based on the results, a two-acre field planted with wildflowers adjacent to a 10-acre field of blueberries boosted yields by 10-20 percent. This translated into more revenue from the field, which can recoup the money from planting wildflowers. With 420 species of wild bees in Michigan alone, it makes sense to attract as many free pollinators as possible. However, this doesn't mean that this approach would replace honey bees, which are trucked in via beekeepers and pollinate crops valued at $14 billion nationwide, Isaacs said. "Honey bees do a great job of pollinating blueberries, and were not suggesting that growers stop using them," he said. "But, our research shows that adding some wild bee habitat to the farm can increase bee abundance in the nearby crop, can be profitable and is an insurance policy to make sure there is good pollination each year."

Summary 5 The population of bees are diminishing at a fast rate, and we know that bees are essential in our environment because they pollinate flowers needed to serve as food for animals. Although farmers have been anxious about investing in bees, it has turned out successful because much land that was marginal acreage has been converted to a large field of flowers in order to serve its purpose to give bees a place to pollinate. This has benefited the farmers because it has put much money in their pockets by attracting many of the 420 species

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

of bees alone in Michigan. The pollination of the bees has caused plants such as blueberry plants to become higher quality. The role of bees not only helped the plants but also farmers. In conclusion bees are essential in our agriculture because they pollinate our flowers for free which plays a role in making our crops thrive and helping farmers make cash. Without bees many of our plants wouldnt exist because there would be nothing to pollinate the plants and therefore the plants wouldnt be able to survive. If the plants arent able to survive than primary consumers would have nothing to eat and this would cause a negative feedback loop in the food chain. Bees are dying quick and we should make it one of our greatest priorities to protect bees.

ENN: Environmental News Network -- Know Your Environment

From: ENN Staff Published April 2, 2014 01:08 PM

American's energy usage jumps in 2013

Despite many individual efforts to decrease energy usage for 2013 increased by 2.3 Quadrillion thermal units over the previous year. These statistics have been monitored and presented by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in the most recent energy flow charts measuring renewable, fossil and even nuclear energy. The annual flow charts are generated by the LLNL and illustrate the nation's consumption and use of energy. The Laboratory also has released a companion chart illustrating the nation's energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Americans' carbon dioxide emissions increased to 5,390 million metric tons, the first annual increase since 2010.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

Wind energy continued to grow strongly, increasing 18 percent from 1.36 quadrillion BTUs, or quads, in 2012 to 1.6 quads in 2013 (a BTU or British Thermal Unit is a unit of measurement for energy; 3,400 BTU is equivalent to about 1 kilowatt-hr). New wind farms continue to come on line with bigger, more efficient turbines. Most new wind turbines can generate 2 to 2.5 megawatts of power. Natural gas prices rose slightly in 2013, reversing some of the recent shift from coal to gas in the electricity production sector. Although this did cause carbon dioxide emissions to increase in 2013, "the power industry is building a lot of natural gas plants," said A.J. Simon, group leader for Energy at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. "Gas plants are cheaper than coal plants. Natural gas is going to be a winner into the foreseeable future." Overall natural gas use increased by 0.6 quads. Losses in the electricity sector were more than offset by greater gas use in the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. "2013 was a cold winter," Simon said. "We expect to see continued high gas consumption in 2014, due to another tough winter on the East Coast." Nuclear energy was greater in 2013 than in 2012. "The use of nuclear energy fluctuates a little from year to year," Simon said. "It's likely that in 2013, fewer reactors were down for refueling than in previous years." However, a few of the nation's about 100 reactors have recently closed for good, such as the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Pendleton, Calif. The transportation sector is using more renewable energy, specifically biomass that is converted to ethanol. "This has been going up over time," Simon said. "We're expecting the fraction of biomass in transportation to remain relatively steady." The majority of energy use in 2013 was used for electricity generation (38.2 quads), followed by transportation, industrial, residential and commercial. Energy use in the residential, commercial transportation and industrial sectors all increased slightly.

Summary 6 A major problem in our country today is the overconsumption of energy. The amount of energy in the year 2013 has exponentially increased by 2.3 quadrillion when compared to years prior to 2013. This includes different types of energy sources such as fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear energy. To add on to this nightmare our carbon emissions have increased 5,390 million metric tons which is the largest increase since 2010. However there is still hope

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14

through the future of clean energy such as windmills which has grown to the use of 1.6 quadrillion in the year 2013. Recently built wind farms have also improved by using more efficient turbines that generate up to 2.6 megawatts of electric. In addition to cleaner energy natural gas has also grown simply because it is not cheaper to make a natural gas plant than coal plant and is predicted to be the future of clean energy. Nuclear energy is also a good alternative but its use has decreased from 2013 to 2012 because some reactors were down for maintenance. Despite all these new types of electricity we must save energy. In conclusion much energy is wasted daily by the typical American but there is always a good side because we have innovated to a cleaner alternatives to coal. The great alternatives to coal such as wind and nuclear produce no emissions but still give us the energy we need. These new types of energy are the future that our future generations will see because coal is becoming more expensive and its negative effects are becoming more notorious. I believe that although we have innovated to cleaner forms of energy it is our duty to preserve our precious energy.

Isaac Chan Period 3 4/10/14