Things I Learned This Semester #29

Water, water, everywhere, right?  We're all taught that something like 70% of the surface of the Earth is covered in water.  And when you take a look at an image of our "blue planet" from space, it does look more "blue" than anything else.  But this stunning image puts a whole new perspective on it.  Or, at least, it did for me.

Earth, with all it's water locked up in a bunch of huge marbles.  Illustration by Jack Cook of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, from the USGS website.

A film about our HOME.

(So I know I did the same thing last year, but please bear with me as I try and get everything sorted out after my week at SVP so that I can finish up tmy "daily posts from the field".  I'm glad I was able to get up three considering how busy the days are, and the lack of free Wi-Fi in the rooms.  They will come soon, but someone recently sent me this, and I feel like putting it up is pretty important, so here it goes.)

Depending on who you ask, the human population on the planet currently numbers somewhere between 6.973 billion (U. S. Census Beureau) and 7 billion (United nations Population Fund).  That is a lot of people, and sometimes, I don't think we consider the impact a population like that can have on the planet.  Even those of us that do are guilty of contributing to that impact in one way or another.  Many have suggested that we have now reached a critical point in human history; one where we understand what may be before us, and have to act in order to preserve our shared future.  The film HOME does this in a way that is hard to not take seriously.

A quick, but important, post.

The Xingu River is a tributary of the Amazon River located in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pará.

It is currently home to fourteen tribes of indigenous peoples that live along its borders.  They get most, if not all of the things they need for survival from the river and the surrounding forest.

The area is home to countless terrestrial and aquatic species, some of which can be found no where else on earth.

The Brazilian government wants to build a dam there. This will result in the diverting of 80% of the rivers waters, the flooding of 400 km² of forest, and the displacement of indigenous tribes and an additional 20,000 people from the surrounding municipalities.

If this bothers you, please, take the time to have a look at the Amazon Watch website dedicated to informing the global public about the issue, and stopping the construction of the Belo Monte Dam. And if you're so inclined, perhaps you'd like to sign a petition urging the Brazilian government to abandon the project, and instead, search for a more sustainable energy solution.

Earth Science Week - 4.54 Billion Years in the Making.

Among other things, today brings the start of Earth Science Week, a time for Earth scientists to share their knowledge and engage students in discovering the Earth sciences, in addition to reminding people that Earth science is literally all around us and that through understanding it, we can become better stewards for our planet. This years theme is "Exploring Energy", selected to do just that, and remind people where our energy comes from, and discuss alternatives for the future.

I can't stress enough how important it is to get people to think about such topics. How often do we think about how the electricity in our home works, let alone where it comes from? How the petrol in their car gets from deep within the Earth to their tank? I'm guilty of the same disconnect. As much as I try to conserve energy and explore the many facets of the world around me, I take a lot for granted. So dedicating some time this week to these topics seems completely worth it to me. It's essential we understand what's happening now so we can plan for the future. In the words of famous Earth scientist James Hutton (popularized by Charles Lyell's Principles of Geology), "the present is the key to the past", or in this case, the present and the past are the key to the future. So grab an Earth Science Week toolkit, plan an event or find one near you to join, enter one of the many contests - there's plenty to do. And not just from the 10th through the 16th of the month, but all year round. So people of Earth, have a great Earth Science Week.

The Discovery Hostage Situation

As much as I don't want to write about this, I feel I have to say something.

Silver Spring, Maryland, right down the road from where I work and live, and home to the Discovery Communications headquarters building, made national news yesterday as a hostage situation unfolded. "Environmental fundamentalist" James J. Lee entered the lobby of the Discovery building around 1:00PM, 01 September, 2010 firing shots and taking hostages. A little before 5:00PM, police had shot and killed Lee after hours of surveillance and attempted negotiation, fearing for the lives of the hostages as he brandished a firearm and told police he had explosives in the building. Watching the situation unfold via live web streams, Twitter updates, and Google Buzz posts took up a large portion of my afternoon.

My blog is carbon neutral!

As someone who tries to be as eco-conscious as possible, I'm always looking for little things that I can do to minimize my net strain on the environment. Lucky for me, wonderful websites like Machs grün exist that help me do just that! All I have to do is write a blog post linking to their website, and they'll plant a tree for me in Plumas National Forest in Northern California, for FREE! This is a brilliant idea, as my blogging emits around 8lbs of carbion dioxide every year, and the tree they plant will absorb around 11lbs a year.

I think everyone out there in the blogosphere should go ahead and jump on the bandwagon. And I want to give a special shout out to "T-Rexy" of dot dot Dinosaur, on whose blog I saw the logo for Machs grün in the first place.

Keep it green!

Earth Day - Make it every day.

This wouldn't be a very decent, science/nature themed blog without a post about Earth Day. Celebrated annually on April 22, Earth Day (coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network) is a time when all people, regardless of race, gender, income, or geography, are reminded of their moral right to contribute to a healthy, sustainable environment.

The Earth Day Flag, from Wikimedia Commons.