A-Z Project Allie Blackman Brooke Britt January 6, 2016
“But man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.� -Rachel Carson
A-Aphelion
This picture demonstrates that earth is far away from the sun when it is in aphelion. Aphelion refers to the distance of the earth from the sun. When the earth is in aphelion it is at the farthest possible distance away. This usually occurs in the summer months around July fourth. It seems that it would be winter because the earth is far away from the sun, however this is not the case. It is summer because the Northern Hemisphere is titled toward the sun. The tilt of the earth is at a 23.5 degree angle. Source-APES Notes
B-Barycenter QR code for info on barycenter
This picture depicts an example of where the barycenter is located between the sun and Jupiter. A barycenter is the point in space around which two objects orbit. It is located closer to the heavier object. The barycenter is similar to a seesaw. This is because it balances each side out. From the moon to the earth, the barycenter is located about three-quarters of the way from earth’s center to its surface. This is because the earth is much larger than the moon. Source-APES Notes and website https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjR8UkgAbN8
C-Convergent Boundaries
This picture depicts two landmasses sliding toward each other. Convergent boundaries form where two plates move together. This results in oceanic lithosphere plunging beneath an overriding plate and descending mantle. The three types of convergent boundaries include; oceanic and continental, oceanic and oceanic, and continental and continental. In oceanic and continental the oceanic plate goes underneath and causes volcanoes. In oceanic and oceanic, both plates go down and cause deep trenches to form. In continental and continental, both plates rise up and cause mountains to form. Source-APES Notes
D-Dihydrogen Monoxide QR Code for DHMO on youtube
This is a picture of my nephew taking a bath in dihydrogen monoxide (water). Water, also known as dihydrogen monoxide, is an essential nutrient to many things. Water, is needed by all living things, including humans, plants and animals. Also, it is involved in the water cycle, providing water for many important purposes. Water never leaves the earth. Many recreational activities also take place in water such as boating, fishing, and canoeing. Water can be found in many forms, liquid, solid, and gas. Ninety-seven percent of water is found in oceans and around two percent are found in glaciers. Source-APES Notes and Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAI1JAYj53k
E-Erosional Features
This is a picture of examples of erosional features. Erosional features are shoreline features that originate primarily from work of erosion. Erosional features include an arch, sea stack, cliffs, and caves. An arch forms when a cave gradually gets bigger until the arch forms. A sea stack forms when waves bend around a headland of rock that juts out into seas. A cliff forms when a strong wind and powerful waves break off soft rock so the harder rocks are left. A cave is formed using power of waves pounding against the shoreline. Source-APES Notes
F-Full Moon
This picture is of a full moon over the ocean. A full moon is a phase of the moon. It occurs when the earth is between the sun and the moon. The whole face of the moon is visible during a full moon. A lunar eclipse can occur during this time. Also, this happens monthly, sometimes it can even occur twice in a month. It is even thought to cause mysterious behavior in humans as well as animals. Source: APES Notes
G-Grasslands
This is a picture of what the grasslands look like. Grasslands are a type of biome that consists of mostly grasses. There are some flowering plants located here as well. No trees are located in the grasslands because they cannot withstand the many fires that occur. Animals that are located in the grasslands are the bison, wolf, and the prairie dog. This biome experiences seasonal droughts. The soil here is deep and nutrient rich. However, due to the dry seasons, short grasses grow in the dry areas while taller grasses grow in wetter areas. Source-APES Notes
H-Hurricanes
This picture demonstrates what a coastal home looks like while being hit by a hurricane. Hurricanes are whirling tropical cyclones that produce winds of at least 119 km/hr. During a hurricane, most deaths occur due to drowning. Hurricanes are more of a threat than they used to be because more people are wanting to live near the coasts. Most hurricanes occur in the North Pacific and in the late summer. The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to measure a hurricane’s intensity. This is on a scale from one to five, with five being the most intense. The Saffir-Simpson scale is based off wind speed. Source-APES Notes
I-Igneous Rocks
This is a picture of the Devil’s Tower igneous rock
Igneous rocks are formed when magma cools and hardens beneath the surface or as a result of a volcanic eruption. An example of this type of rock is the Devil’s Tower. The two basic types of igneous rocks are intrusive and extrusive. Intrusive igneous rocks are made when granite solidifies below earth’s surface. An extrusive igneous rock is made when they solidify on or above earth’s surface. Rocks can be broken down by weathering and can continue to become different types of rocks. Source: APES Notes
J-Jetties
This is a picture of a jetty put in use so that erosion is decreased in this area. Jetties are an example of a hard structural stabilization method to help solve the problem against coastline erosion. They are a breakwater constructed to protect the harbor, stretch of coast or a riverbank. Jetties are simply parallel structures to help reduce erosion. They assist in stabilizing the channel where harbors or rivers open into the ocean. This structure is not a long-term fix, however. It will only slow the process of erosion down but not eradicate it completely. Source: APES Notes
K-Kola Superdeep Borehole
This is a picture of the deepest man made hole on earth. The Kola Superdeep Borehole is located in Russia. It is the result of a drilling project of the Soviet Union. This project began in the 1970’s and it took twenty-four years to dig. The Soviet Union longed to drill a hole as deep as possible and ended up digging the deepest hole on earth. It is approximately 40,230 feet deep and extends 7.5 miles into the earth. Many discoveries were found while this drilling project occurred. Scientists discovered microscopic organisms as well as water deep in the earth. Source: APES Notes, website, and video http://www.iflscience.com/environment/deepest-hole-world
L-Low Pressure System
This picture represents that low pressure systems spin counterclockwise. A low pressure system involves increased cloudiness, winds, and temperature. Also, there is a change in temperature. During a low pressure system, warm air rises and forms clouds. It spins counterclockwise, unlike a high pressure system, which spins clockwise. It is represented on a map by isobars that are close together and a red letter L. Isobars indicate the amount of pressure change occurring over a given distance. Source: APES Notes and Newscast http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/weather
M-Montreal Protocol
This is a picture of how the Montreal Protocol can help with ozone depletion and the effects it will have in 2064. The full name of this protocol is the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. It was put in place to reduce the production and consumption of ozone depleting substances. In order to do this, the reduction of their abundance would have to be reduced in the atmosphere in order to protect the earth’s ozone layer. It was enforced on January 1, 1989. The Montreal Protocol has been adjusted six times in order to better protect the ozone layer. Under this protocol, it can regulate new chemical productions as well as a mechanism allowing under-developed countries to adjust to it.
Source: APES Notes and website http://ozone.unep.org/en/treaties-and-decisions/montreal-protocol-substances-depleteozone-layer
N-Nitrogen
This is a demonstration of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen is the number one element found in the earth’s troposphere. It makes up seventyeight percent of the troposphere while oxygen only makes up twenty-one percent. It is needed by all living organisms to build essential nutrients. In order for nitrogen to be used by different organisms, it must go through the nitrogen cycle. This involves chemical transformations converting nitrogen gas into more usable forms and then back into nitrogen gas. The steps to this cycle include, fixation, nitrification, assimilation, ammonification, and denitrification. Source-APES Notes
O-Oil
This is a picture of a machine that one can use to drill for oil. Oil is a nonrenewable resource that comes from the remains of tiny plants and animals that died in ancient seas. It is found in a layer of porous sandstone, beneath a layer of nonporous rock or limestone. It can be released from the ground by drilling for it. The limestone layer has to be punctured in order to release the oil. In 2010, the biggest oil spill in the United States History occurred. It is known as the BP Oil Spill and it occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. More than 200 million gallons of oil was spilled and many things were affected negatively, including animals. Source-APES Notes
P-Pangaea
This is a picture of the supercontinent, Pangaea. Pangaea is the idea that all continents were connected many years ago. There are four main evidences to the idea of Pangaea. The first reason is the matching fossil pieces found on different landmasses. The second reason is that the shorelines of different continents are very similar. Another evidence of Pangaea is the matching rock types and mountain belts that fit together. Also, on different continents there was evidence found about dramatic global climate changes. Source: APES Notes
Q-Quality of Water
This picture is an example of point source pollution of a pollutant being directly emptied into a water source The quality of water can be polluted by many different things. The two basic types of pollution are non-point and point source pollution. Non-point pollution is when the source is not easily identifiable. An example of this would be run-off. Point-source pollution is when the source is easily identifiable. This could be a pipe running directly into a water source or someone dumping oil directly into the ocean. The quality of water is vastly important because it is used for many purposes every day. Source: APES Notes
R-Raw Materials
This is an example of a renewable raw material. Raw Materials are natural resources found on or in the earth. They can either be renewable or non-renewable resources. Renewable raw materials are biological materials such as trees or cotton. However, non-renewable resources are on a limited supply. These consist of fossil fuels or coal. The three steps of obtaining these raw materials are to locate the resource, gather it, and transport the resource to where it needs to go. In order to collect an item, it can be harvested, mined for, or drilled for depending on where it is located. Source-APES Notes
S-Soil Profile
This picture shows the different layers in the soil. I took it in Lillington along a train track. A soil profile is the vertical cross section of soil. When it is exposed, various soil horizons become apparent. There are six main layers in the soil profile. They consists of organic matter-O, topsoil-A, leached zoneE, subsoil-B, weathered bedrock-C, and bedrock-R. The O layer consists of humus, decayed plant matter. Some soil does not consist of all of these layers because they have likely eroded away in some way. Source-APES Notes
T-Troposphere
This is a picture I took of the clouds which are located in the tropospheric level There are five major layers of the atmosphere. The troposphere is the bottom layer of the atmosphere. It is where all weather conditions occur and the temperature decreases with increase in altitude in this level. Because it is the bottom layer, it is the layer that we live in. Also, most human activity occurs in the troposphere. Airplanes, such as Delta Airlines are flown in this layer of the atmosphere. Source-APES Notes
U-Underground Mining
This picture demonstrates what underground mining looks like. There are two main types of mining. They include underground mining and subsurface mining. Underground mining involves digging tunnels to reach the material one is mining for. There are three types of underground mining. They include, shaft mining, drift mining, and slope mining. Even though underground mining is dangerous, it is not as harmful as subsurface mining. Underground mining is dangerous because the mine may collapse. Also, the stores of natural gases may explode, or even a person can obtain lung disease. Source: APES Notes
V-Viscosity
This picture demonstrates that honey has a higher viscosity than water does. Viscosity is the resistance of a substance to flow. If a substance is more viscous it is less likely to flow. If a substance is less viscous it is more likely to flow. Honey is highly viscous while water is much less viscous. As a substance is heated, it becomes less viscous. Usually the thicker the substance, the higher the viscosity. You can test the viscosity of a substance by blowing into it. If the bubbles move slowly, it is more viscous
Source: APES Notes and Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AESWxko4nI
W- Weathering
This picture is of a rock that has been weathered away by sand. Weathering is the gradual breaking down of rock into smaller and smaller pieces. These pieces are called sediments and can eventually create sedimentary rocks. The three types of weathering are physical, chemical, and biological weathering. Physical weathering is when rocks get broken into smaller pieces without changing the chemical composition. Chemical weathering happens when rock and its component minerals are broken down or altered by chemical change. Biological weathering is the blend of both physical and chemical weathering. Source: APES Notes and Online Magazine http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/earth/the-dynamic-earth/weathering-erosion-article/
X-X-Ray This is a picture of coal being burned. This is an example of a way to create NORM. Some radioactive materials can occur naturally. These materials are called NaturallyOccurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). They can be the effects of using fertilizers, burning coal, and producing oil. Some human activities can allow for small amounts of exposure, as simple as playing in the backyard. However, some activities put humans at a much higher risks and precautions should be taken. These industries include, the coal industry, recycling industry, and metal mining.
Source: Website http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/safety-and-security/radiation-and-health/naturallyoccurring-radioactive-materials-norm/
Y-Yellowstone
This is a picture of what Yellowstone looks like today. Yellowstone is an intraplate volcano. This means that the volcano does not occur at a boundary but yet at the middle of the pacific plate. Yellowstone is a supervolcano. It is to preserve and protect unique thermal features. It has the largest collection on the planet earth. It also became the first national park in 1872. Yellowstone is protected by the National Park Service (NPA). Source: APES Notes
Z-Zebra Mussels
This is a picture of what a Zebra Mussel looks like. Zebra Mussels are an invasive species. They are rather small and attach themselves to surfaces such as boats. They produce really rapidly, sometimes producing around 500,000 eggs per day. Zebra Mussels were brought to the Great Lakes in ballast water under boats. They were originally from Europe and Russia. Some of their negative effects include reducing the performance of boats, cutting people’s feet when they attach to ladders going into the ocean, and even clogging irrigation pipes.
Source: Website http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticanimals/zebramussel/index.html