Annenberg Learner (2007) explained the warming of the oceans, El Niño, and the importance of single celled organisms living in the Earth’s oceans. Once again, being reminded that “oceans cover 75% of the Earth’s surface,” and that oceans are used as an agent of transporting heat is fundamental to understand how the atmosphere and oceans interact (Annenberg Learner, 2007) (Bryson, 2003). For instance, other than hurricanes, El Niño is the interaction of the Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere which is so powerful that it can impact the city of Boston with horrendous snow storms. Typically, El Niño occurs from the interaction of the trade winds, deep ocean waters, and ocean surface water temperatures from east to west. Until the 1980’s scientist Bjerknes revealed that this can reserve from west to east as well (Annenberg Learner, 2007). Discovering this information caused more scientists to study El Niño patterns and lead to a model that helps predict future El Niño events, such as the Cane/Zebiak Model (Annenberg Learner, 2007). …show more content…
As we learned from Bryson (2003), oceans help the environment by absorbing carbon dioxide and storing it away from the atmosphere. However, what allows the ocean to do such a thing? Microscopic phytoplankton is responsible for regulating the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They are essential to the ocean ecosystems and they are also responsible for half of the photosynthesis and half of the oxygen on Earth (Annenberg Learner, 2007). Without the presence of microscopic plankton and the oceans locking away CO2, the amount of CO2 on Earth would double (Annenberg Learner,
According to a scientists in the video, if all of the carbon that sits at the bottom of the ocean were released back into the atmosphere, the amount of carbon currently in our atmosphere would double1. The scientists in the video explains that they know carbon exists down at the ocean’s depths because marine life that dies will sink to the bottoms of the ocean to decay producing this organic carbon1. This is important to know because it is such an important system, that without these phytoplankton at the start of the process that brings carbon to the ocean floor, then the atmosphere would contain two times its carbon
The film El Contrato showcases the conditions of workers trying to support families back at home. The men all live under one roof, on a contract for a duration of eight months to work in Ontario at a tomato greenhouse. The workers band together and treat each other as a family would, learning to survive.
El Nino is both an atmospheric and oceanic phenomenon affecting weather patterns all around the world. It is complemented by La Nina in a cycle that occurs approximately every 4 years, varying as much as every two years to every six years (Wang 1999, 3331). La Nina has almost the opposite effect, however differs in its strength and duration randomly, as does El Nino (Fedorov 2000, 1998). The cycle is often paraphrased as ENSO, standing for El Nino-Southern Oscillation (Flugel 1997, 3230). It is called this because the El Nino phenomenon is especially strong in the Southern Hemisphere, and has greater effects in areas of the pacific near the equator. Although ENSO is prominent in certain areas, it alters weather patterns all around the world. The El Nino pattern can be quite random with and approximate range of 2 to 6 years per cycle, and is a loaded gun believed to be triggered by western winds (Fedorov 2000, 1997). Many scientists are now looking to the past for answers, so the El Nino cycle can be predicted for the years to come. New discoveries have recently been made on El Nino's history, and possible future.
The short surrealist film Un Chien Andalou (1929) created by Spanish artists Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí stands out in film history as one of the most influential and shocking films of all time. It was one of the first films described by Andre Breton as a true surrealist film (Edwards, 2005). Early surrealists praised the film for defying conventional filmmaking particularly concepts of narrative, they saw it as an assault of commercial filmmaking of the time (Lang, 2012). The film is not linear and the narrative is disjointed, there appears to be no narrative progression throughout the film, though many critics have searched for one. Narrative structure and making sense of a film tend to be two concepts that come hand in hand however with the ambiguous narrative it is not clear whether any meaning can be drawn from the film. Buñuel admitted “No idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted” (Buñuel, 1983), therefore the filmmaker’s intentions from the outset was to take the viewer on an illogical journey. Buñuel and Dalí came up with the ideas for the film out of their own dreams
While it is hard to directly connect Hurricane Sandy to global warming, it is clear that warmer waters and increased sea level contributed to the severity of the storm. Higher sea levels increase the chance that hurricane winds will bring more water on land and storm surges that reach further inland. The Atlantic region is already experiencing sea level rise, and globally this trend is expected to continue. Ocean temperatures are also on the rise, an...
The ocean has always absorbed CO2 from the air. An article presented in Nature August 2012 enlightens that about half of all CO2 generated by human is absorbed by the ocean. This chemical reaction is occurring naturally and the rate at which carbon is being absorbed, the concentration of carbonic acid is increasing. This has overwhelming concerns, particularly for shelled creatures. Animals such as corals, crabs, and calms need calcium carbonate to build their shells. Calcium Carbonate is dissolved by carbonic acid and consequently these animals are incapable of maintaining casings of calcium. Bio geosciences in 2010, suggested that carbon confiscation by oceans and land is lessening, which has the potential to further worsen the impact of carbon emissions.
Some studies have found “that atmospheric CO2 concentration is approximately 383 parts per million by volume (ppmv), a level not seen in at least 650,000 years, and it is projected to increase by 0.5% per year throughout the 21st century.” (Guinotte) “This is because…the ocean absorbs about a third of fossil fuel emissions, but this amount is likely to increase to 90% in the future.” (Bralower) As a result, “the chemistry of the world's oceans is changing at a rate not seen for 65 million years, with far-reaching implications for marine biodiversity and food security, according to a new United Nations study...” (Knight) “…This change is cause for serious concern [for] many marine organisms…, [because they] may not be able to adapt quickly enough to survive these changes.” (Guinotte)
The great Egyptian Empire ruled over the Nile river for many centuries. Today, society looks at the feats of the once all powerful empire and marvels and the beautiful architecture and complex customs. The Egyptian Empire truly was a hallmark in human history, but it is surprising to most people that unlike other ancient civilizations, many Egyptian people were literate. This can be seen in the poetry of Deir el Medina. These poems reveal the attitudes of the village’s youth towards love and marriage, as well as their overwhelming obedience to their parents.
Oceans are such so vast that people underestimate the impact their actions —seeming so insignificant— have on them. Humans have by and large taken the oceans for granted; not considering how important a healthy ocean is to our survival. A popular mind-set is that the oceans are a bottomless supply of fish, natural resources, and an infinite waste dump. There are myriad reasons why the oceans should be saved and the most obvious one is marine life. With 71% of the Earth being covered by water, it is obvious that sea creatures are predominant form of life, making up 80% of the species of life on Earth. However, as important as marine life is, that is not the only reason why saving the oceans is crucial. The ocean floor provides natural resources such as, oil, natural gas, petroleum, minerals, medications, and ingredients for foods and products. The economic benefits of the oceans are huge and significant, as well. Fishing and fish products have provided employment to 38 million people and have generated about $124 billion in economic benefits. However, oceans are on the verge of crisis, marine life, natural resources, transportation, the economy, and important ingredients are at risk due to overfishing, pollution, and acidification. Thus, in this essay I will argue that, oceans are not impervious to human activity and threatening the health of the ocean threatens the health of humanity, since oceans key to our survival.
Why is poverty and homelessness important to know about? What are some of the causes and effects of poverty? What are some things we can do to help? These are all important things to know about. The reason poverty and homelessness are so important is because a massive amount of people are starving or without a home.
Sofonisba Anguissola was born in the bustling city of Cremona, Italy. She was the eldest of seven children, only one of whom was a boy. Both her parents were of noble blood, her father Amilcare Anguissola, and her mother Biance Ponzone. Her name was derived from a Carthaginian princess which stands for, “exceedingly beautiful and notable”. At a very young age, Sofonisba was pushed to her explore her artistic abilities.
La noche de los rábanos is one of the most unique folk art festivals in the world held annually on the 23rd of December in Oaxaca, Mexico. The event has its origins in the colonial period when radishes, that were native to China, were introduced by the Spanish in Mexico.
Four NOMAD buoys across the North Atlantic registered a 13-degree drop in SST. And soon a series of extreme weather happened in front of my eyes: hurricanes, snow storms, and even cyclones that rapidly pulled cool air from the upper troposphere which made people freeze instantly. Those were the scenes I saw from The Day after Tomorrow, the film that inspired my curiosity in atmospheric sciences in my seventh grade. Although shocked by the catastrophe caused by global warming in the film, I couldn't help take an eager interest in how freshwater from melted polar ice caps brought a shift in the North Atlantic Current, and how the shifted current brought a change in the earth’s climate. Later, as I gathered more information about the climate, I became fascinated by the physical and dynamical mechanisms explaining atmospheric phenomenon. And after three years of undergraduate study of atmospheric sciences, beyond the starting point of fascination, I have taken concrete steps forward with my hard work, independence, and creativity.
Climate change is evidenced through shifts in the weather patterns such as winds, humidity and temperatures over certain durations. Natural climate changes occur less frequently and they are triggered by factors related to geographical aspects as well as solar radiation. The earth’s movement on the orbit triggers changes in climate, causing some areas to have higher temperatures than usual, while others are significantly cold depending on the position of the earth on the orbit. The heat from the sun causes changes in the stratospheric ozone and it increases the amount of greenhouse gases. Heat from the oceanic crust also contributes to warming as a result of episodic hydrothermal venting (Liao & Sandeberg, 2012).
An El Nino happens in intervals of 3-7 years. The formation of this is related to the Pacific Southern Oscillation which is also the cycling of the Pacific Ocean circulation. The Pacific Southern Oscillation (the change of atmospheric pressures) happens when the easterly trade winds collapse, weaken, or even reverse. As this happens, the upwelling stops. The slight weakening of the winds cause a small change in sea surface temperatures, and the wind and pressure changes increase. The warm water of the western Pacific Ocean flow eastward and sea surface temperatures increase on the western coast of South America. When this occurs, the wet weather conditions (originally in the western Pacific) move east, and dry conditions (normally in the east) appear in the west.