A z project

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A-Z Project By: Camryn Carr Ms. Brooke Britt~~January 5, 2016

“The future will either be green or not at all” -Bob Brown

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A quaculture

This image shows the way Aquaculture works and is used to raise fish is large accessible amounts. You would see this in North Carolina around eastern NC and western NC where things like catfish are bred.

http://www.environmental-watch.com/2013/06/24/shellfish-sustainableaquaculture/

Aquaculture, also known as aqua farming, is a new and rapidly growing technique of growing a variety of fish in one area. This technique was introduced because the population was becoming so great; this way is more efficiently meeting the needs of human consumption. This process can be done in lake, ponds, oceans, and or man made tanks. This depends on the type of fish and what is the closest to their natural environment. Those fish grown in lakes and ponds are called freshwater aquaculture and those grown in the ocean are called marine aquaculture. In class we learned about the use of this technique during lessons labeled human population and food production. Growing these fish in tanks and breeding them together for one purpose, consumption, then it will prevent overfishing. That’s a good example of the Tragedy of the Commons, which the Earth is trying to hard to avoid.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/what_is_aquaculture.html

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B each

This is a personal image that shows the beaches in Topsail, North Carolina. You can see the two major aspects, the beach and shoreline and also the ocean with its everchanging tides and currents.

Image taken by Jackie Carr

The beach is an accumulation of sediments found along the shore of a lake or ocean.

Most people do not realize that the beach doesn’t account for the entire ocean, sand, and community. The beach is actually only the sand that leads to the ocean. The beach constantly undergoes changes caused by waves and currents, these two things move the sediment and deposit it somewhere else. That process is called erosion and deposition. The beach can also be defined as the location along a shoreline where sediments is in motion being moved by waves, tides and currents.

We learned this in class when we discussed coastlines and their features. Beaches can be found along the coast of North Carolina and also at places like White Lake.

http://www.visitnc.com/beaches

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C oral Reef

This image shows the stunning beauty and biodiversity of the coral reefs. These coral reefs are facing rapid degradation caused by human activity. These can be found along the coast of Australia, not so much North Carolina.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/feb/23/coral-reef-report-dyingdanger

The largest coral reef in existence today is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. North Carolina doesn’t have many if any at all, which is sad because of the beauty they exhibit. These colorful coral reefs are home to a great deal of fish, they have very high biodiversity. 90% of them are at risk due too sea temperatures rising, sediment runoff, bad fishing methods, coral mining, and ocean dumping. These are all things that are rapidly decline the heath and habitat of the coral reefs. Most of these things are caused by human error and we need to change this before it is too late and they are all gone.

http://www.greatbarrierreef.org

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D ecomposition

This image shows the breaking down of a leaf, it is eaten away by decomposers, which reside at the bottom of the trophic level. These can be found just about anywhere in North Carolina, primarily in the forest floors.

http://thenaturallivingsite.com/blog/2013/08/day-6-sit-spot-challenge-compostingand-decomposition/

Decomposition is the state or process of rotting or decaying; this is made possible by decomposers. They are small organisms like bacteria, fungi, and some worms are what do the job. They break down things like plants, animals, and insects that have died. They are made into soil and give the soil energy and nutrients to pass back through the roots of living plants so they can grow and thrive. This cycle is continuous and is essential for things to grow. This process happens anywhere there are plants and animals, mostly in forest area that have a lot of leaves falling and habitat space for animals.

http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module10/Decomposition.htm

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E ndangered Species

The Red wolf is a good example of an endangered species in North Carolina. They reside currently under a population watch.

http://www.fws.gov/raleigh/media/red_wolf_usfws.jpg

Endangered species is a broad topic with many different aspects that play into it.

The animals that make this list are considered likely to become extinct without human interference. The real question you need to answer to know how to help them is, “how did they get this way?� For some it may have been a change in the food chain that caused them to be starved out, or their inability to change to adapt to a new habitat. Nonnative invasive species may have also caused these changes for the native animals. Humans who participate in deforestation may also cause this animals lose their homes to this activity every single day. The endangered species list is growing at a faster rate than it should and is mainly a problem caused by us humans that we need to learn how to reverse. If we do not see what is happening then generation after us may never see some of the great animals that once inhabited planet Earth.

http://www.animalplanet.com/wild-animals/endangered-species/ *Video*

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F ood Chain

The food chain is a universal concept and affects biotic factors everywhere. An example of a food chain would be what is pictured above.

http://www.biologycorner.com/APbiology/ecology/ch48_ecosystems.html

A hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food is the definition for food chain. This is essential in each type of ecosystem because it shows the way things are produced, consumed, and decomposed. Its important because that it controls populations and shows who is competing against each other and where each organism stands in the ecosystem. The food chain starts with an autotroph or producer, then the arrow points to the herbivore like a grasshopper. A snake, which is a carnivore, would be next, and the something would eat the snake and the chain continues.

https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/foodchains/fyi/

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G eneralized Niche The Bluefin tuna is an example of a generalized niche because it eats a variety of fish and can migrate easily; it is native to the Atlantic Ocean off the shores of North Carolina. http://coasttocoastfishmounts.com/fish-mounts/bluefin-tuna-fish-replicas Animals can have a certain food diet or can eat just about anything. These types of animals that can eat a variety have a generalized niche. They can use this to their own advantage and survive easier than those who can only consume certain things.

Those animals have a specialized niche. The generalized niche animals can also adapt to new environments faster and have a higher rate of survival. An example of this would be a Cane Toad; they were placed in a completely different environment and could survive due to their ability to consume many different things.

http://www.nzdl.org/gsdlmod?e=d-00000-00---off-0envl--00-0----0-10-0---0--0direct-10---4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about---00-0-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-10-0utfZz-800&a=d&cl=CL1.1&d=HASH0192c760fbf07f7d6fa34cb8.2.2

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H eadwater

The Neuse River is located in North Carolina and we live in its basin.

http://www.neuseriver.org/journalday20.html

A headwater is the beginning, or source of a river. Some headwaters can be large but most look like little spring just barely running across the ground, they eventually feed into the large part of the river. Some look like marshy areas created from snowy area that has melted. I can also be huge with a lot of little streams that all meet. The headwater is the source for the entire river so it is very important. The healthiness of the river depends on the headwaters and anything that happens there will eventually make it all the way downstream. That is why it is important to be careful of runoff and what we do, because it will eventually find its way to a river and can contaminate it.

http://www.americanrivers.org/rivers/about/

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I nvasive Species

The kudzu plant is a nonnative invasive species and very heavily affects the vegetation in eastern North Carolina.

http://www.pecva.org/our-mission/wildlife-habitat/736-invasiveplants-why-bother Invasive species are plants, animals or pathogens that are non-native to an area and they are likely to cause harm in that ecosystem. Mainly we humans brought most invasive species here on accident. They attach to our boots when we go hiking, they attach to boats that steam across the ocean from one place to another, and they can simply get brought in as small pets that get way to big so their owners release them as full grown pets out into the wild. These actions may seem like nothing major but once you introduce something new into an ecosystem everything is changed dramatically.

https://ncsu.edu/goingnative/whygo/invspec.html

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J etties

This image shows type of breakwater, these are man made and can be found in

NC. There is one located at Wrightsville Beach.

http://gulfcoastaerialphotos.com/?p=149 A jetty is a type of breakwater that’s used to protect harbors and stabilize channels.

It protects a harbor from weather and long shore drift. It is considered a hard structural stabilization effort used by humans to try and solve the problems of coastline erosion. They use other techniques called groins, seawalls, and breakwaters to try and slow erosion. We talked about this in class along with beach erosion, deposition, and stabilization.

http://beachapedia.org/Shoreline_Structures

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K รถppen Climate Classification System

The climate is different everywhere like shown above, in North Carolina we are considered humid subtropical. http://gazpachot.blogspot.com/2006/12/world-acccording-to-kppen.html The Kรถppen Climate Classification System is the most widely used system for classifying the world climates. It used 5 major climatic regions, all represented by capitol letters. The first is A - Tropical Moist Climates, B - Dry Climates, C - Moist Mid-latitude Climates with Mild Winters, D - Moist Mid-Latitude Climates with Cold Winters, and lastly E - Polar Climates. Each has slightly different atmospheric conditions and we in North Carolina live in humid subtropical climate.

http://www.thesustainabilitycouncil.org/resources/the-koppen-climate-classificationsystem/

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L ithification

This image shows the process of lithification, it begins with weathering and erosion and in the end results in a sedimentary rock. http://www.indiana.edu/~g103/theinteractiveearth/5Sedimentary%20Rocks/module5.html Lithification is the process in which sediments compact together under extreme pressure and eventually create a rock; this type of rock is called sedimentary because it came from individual sediments. This process makes the newly formed rock completely impermeable. This process of lithification is very important because it starts off the rock cycle. The rest of this cycle begins with a sedimentary rock being compacted under heat and pressure; it forms a metamorphic rock. Then when a metamorphic rock melts down and cools it forms the last rock which is an igneous rock and after that the cycle continues forever.

www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

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M ining

This image shows the method of mining called mountain top removal and is used to retrieve things such as coal and began in the Appalachian Mountains. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-25/economy-the-winner-agriculture-theloser-from-mining-boom/5694404 Mining involves digging deep into the earth for resources like rocks, mineral, and coal. There are two types of mining, open pit, which is at the surface, and subsurface which is underground. Close to the surface 90% of coal can be recovered with a machine that dig hole and remove ore. Strip mining is a type of mining and earths movers strip overburden and power shovels remove deposit. Another type of mining is contour mining. This involves mining coal on hilly terrains with a wall of dirt left in front, a highly erodible bank called a high wall. Mountain top removal is the last type of open pit mining. It consists of draglines and explosives, which remove the top of a mountain to expose seams. Subsurface mining consists of shaft mining, drift mining, and slope mining.

http://www.mininghalloffame.org/page/learn-about-mining

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N utation

This image shows the process that the Earth goes through called nutation, accompanying it is processed called rotation and precession. https://svi.nl/MicroRotationWorkbench

Nutation is the nodding or swaying motion of the earth as it rotates on its axis.

Nutation and precession go hand in hand. Precession is a change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body. Every 26,000 years it whips around and points to another star, making it the North Star. We are currently pointing towards Polaris.

http://spacegeodesy.nasa.gov/multimedia/EarthOrientationAnimations/nutationAndPrecession.html

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O xbow Lake

An oxbow lake can be found near a river, North Carolina’s are located around the mountains where rivers tend to take a curvy pathway caused by the topography. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nowitna_river.jpg An oxbow lake is a U shaped body of water; it was originally a meander or bend in the river but soon was cut off to create a shorter path. It turned into a freestanding body of water. It was named after its resemblance to a bow pin of an oxbow. In North Carolina we have many rivers and with most river they will eventually create an oxbow lake. A meander occurs because as it flows it erodes and deposits sediment that builds up and causes a new path to be formed.

http://pages.uoregon.edu/millerm/meander.html

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P erpetual Resource The sun is an example of a perpetual resource because human can never exhaust this resource. North Carolina takes advantage of this by solar farming. http://cliparts.co/sun-clipart-images

There are three types of resources, nonrenewable, renewable, and perpetual.

Nonrenewable consists of things like coal, and fossil fuels. They are things that we use for energy to power our everyday lives, and there is only a set amount of these things. We are using them up rapidly and once they are gone, they are gone for good.

Renewable resources are things like trees, and nuclear energy that we can never run out of because we can replace it by just planting the tree back. The problem here comes in with the fact that we never replant those trees like we are supposed to.

The last type of resource is perpetual. It involves wind, water, and the sun. We do not have to replace these things and we will never run out of these resources because they are forever.

http://www.wral.com/news/local/documentaries/video/15229816/ *news article/documentary*

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Q uaternary Consumer

This food chain ends with a quaternary consumer, which consumes the least amount of energy and have very few if any predators. http://slideplayer.com/slide/3461006/

A quaternary consumer is at the top of the food chain, and it eats tertiary consumers. In the food chain the arrow points to the animal that is doing the eating and that is also the way that the energy flows. Energy is lost as it is transferred from trophic levels. Examples of animals that are quaternary consumers would be alligators, hawks, and polar bears. This is because those have no known predators so they reside at the top because they are only consumers. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/

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R ocks

This image is of rocks from my gravel driveway; they are all about pea size and are tightly compacted together due to being driven over.

Picture taken by me The first type of rock is called sedimentary because it came from individual sediments. This process makes the newly formed rock completely impermeable. It later forms a metamorphic rock when placed under extreme heat and pressure.

Then when a metamorphic rock melts down and cools it forms the last rock which is an igneous rock and after that the cycle continues forever.

http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html

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S ubduction Zone This image shows how a subduction zone works and what results from this occurrence.

http://study.com/academy/lesson/subduction-definition-process.html

A subduction zone is the collision between two tectonic plates. When they meet one plate sinks under the other and curves down toward the mantle. The oceanic crust is denser than continental crust so it usually always sinks under. These zones occur all along the pacific ocean shoreline, Alaska, Russia and other places and can be responsible for very destructive earthquakes.

http://www.livescience.com/43220-subduction-zone-definition.html

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T rophic Levels

The trophic level triangle pictured above illustrates how the energy decreases as the levels increase and how the biotic factors change accordingly.

http://temperatedeciduousforests101.weebly.com/pyramids.html A quaternary consumer is at the top of the food chain, and it eats tertiary consumers. In the food chain the arrow points to the animal that is doing the eating and that is also the way that the energy flows. Energy is lost as it is transferred from trophic levels. The levels of this triangle consists of producers, primary consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, and then quarternary consumer.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/foodchain/

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U ranium This image is of Sharon Harris, a nuclear power plant located in North Carolina. https://www.duke-energy.com/power-plants/nuclear/harris.asp

In the creation of nuclear energy you need power from uranium 235. You can mine for uranium and then use it for energy. It is clean energy and only emits water vapor. How you create energy from it is by nuclear fission, which is the splitting of atoms. The sun doe the opposite of that t make its energy called nuclear fusion. In North Carolina we use a lot of nuclear energy to power the state, we even have our own plant called Sharon Harris. Some people are concerned about it due to its ability to over heat and leak radiation, which can kill or make sick anyone it comes in contact with.

Nuclear Energy: What Everyone Needs to Know By: Charles D. Ferguson *Book*

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V egetation

This image was taken in my yard beside the house where the rain runs off the roof and the sun always shines at. That area gives these little plants all the water and sunlight they need.

Picture taken by me

Vegetation is essential to our lives because it preforms photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is the process that changes carbon dioxide back into oxygen that we need to breathe and survive. They need water and sunlight to survive so they too can thrive. Trees are considered vegetation and also do photosynthesis. When we cut down trees and deforestation we are decreasing the amount of oxygen in the area. This needs to be considered before people clear-cut forests, especially in your own hometown.

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_photosynthesis.html

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W ater Cycle This image shows each aspect of the water cycle and that it is continuous.

http://schooltutoring.com/help/science-review-of-streams-and-the-water-cycle/

The water cycle has many components and parts to it. It begins with evaporation from water sources like the ocean, that liquid evaporates and is turned into a gas and rises. It condenses into a cloud and hangs in the air until it the water vapor becomes too heavy. It then falls as precipitation and that can be a variety of things like rain, sleet, snow, or hail. It runs off and is either soaked into the ground and becomes groundwater or returns to the ocean where the process begins again.

My notes!!

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X -Ray Radiation is dangerous for human to be exposed to, it can result in many types of cancer depending on the type of radiation. These signs are posted to warn people of their surroundings since you cannot see radiation.

http://www.thecuresafety.com/CAUTION_X_Ray_Radiation_Large_p/c661pb.htm

Radiation emits in the form of waves or particles through space. There are different types of these waves like electro-magnetic waves, radio waves, visible light, x-rays, and gamma radiation. Radiation can effect the environment in ways like plants.

Plants need some for of radiation to survive. Too much radiation is harmful to humans and can result in cancers and can potentially kill you if exposed to it for a long period of time. X-ray radiation however is okay to be around for small amounts of time, it’s the kind used in hospitals.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/236518-radiation-effects-on-the-environment/

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Y ellowstone

This image represents a natural phenomenon called a geyser that occurs at Yellowstone National Park. This geyser is called Old Faithful named after its frequent eruptions. http://thewildcalls.com/?package=5-day-earth-science-wilderness-tour Old faithful is a geyser at Yellowstone National Park. A geyser is a vent in the earth surface that will every now and then shoot a column of hot water and steam out.

They can shoot this water hundreds of feet into the air. Old faithful got its name from being almost able to time its next eruptions. 64,000 years ago the center of the park suddenly exploded and devastated everything in it reach, showing how violent earth is.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/yellowstone-nationalpark/#/old-faithful-frozen-vapor-yellowstone_92692_600x450.jpg

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Z ebra Mussel

Zebra mussels are invasive species and can move from place to place by attaching to boats and get carries to different areas and invade the environment there, causing an imbalance. North Carolina houses zebra mussels as an invasive species. http://www.100thmeridian.org/photobank/

Zebra mussels are a prime example of invasive species. Zebra mussels got their name from their stripped patterned shells. Invasive species are plants, animals or pathogens that are non-native to an area and they are likely to cause harm in that ecosystem. They interrupt food chains in the areas they are introduced too. Mainly we humans brought most invasive species here on accident. They attach to our boots when we go hiking, they attach to boats that steam across the ocean from one place to another, and they can simply get brought in as small pets that get way to big so their owners release them as full grown pets out into the wild. These actions may seem like nothing major but once you introduce something new into an ecosystem everything is changed dramatically.

http://www.protectyourwaters.net/hitchhikers/mollusks_zebra_mussel.php