Friday, February 22, 2013

Exam #1 Potential Questions

Q1. What are the benefits and the drawbacks of the process of leaching?

A1: The biggest benefit of leaching is that water is transferred through soil, which carries nutrients through the soil profile. This allows for soluble materials to be absorbed by the organisms within the soil as well as for the chemicals to react with minerals in the soil. Another benefit is that this allows for the accumulation of groundwater sources. The drawbacks of leaching are that it is not selective in what it transfers through the soil. Leaching is how toxic chemicals get into the soil, then our food, and even our drinking water.

Q2: What are the two types of non-radiative heating and how do they differ?

A2: The two types are sensible heat and latent heat. Sensible heat is a function of the air temperature and the surface temperature. Latent heat is a function relative to water where it takes wetness and humidity into account. Essentially it is the transfer of heat through the medium of water.

Q3: List 4 soil properties that are affected by soil texture and give an example of how a particular soil texture would specifically influence 2 of these these properties.

A3: Soil texture can influence many soil properties such as drainage capability, water holding capacity, aeration, organic material, cation exchange capacity, pH buffering capacity, etc. If a soil was very sandy there would be high drainage and very low water holding capacity.


Friday, February 15, 2013

USGCRP National Climate Assessment Report

I read some of the National Climate Assessment Report this week, although I will admit that I did not read all of it because it is incredibly long. Which is to be expected because a report assessing the current climate problems of our nation is likely to be vast because of all of the current environmental issues. One thing I learned is that there is a projection temperature rise of 2-4 degrees Fahrenheit in the next few decades. I had heard rumblings of the problems caused by just one degree of temperature change, but the fact that there could be 2-4 is startling. That seriously makes me worry about my future here on this planet as well as my children and grandchildren's. With that being said, there was not all that much that I learned form what I did read of the report. I'm sure if I had the time to read the entire thing in detail I would learn much more, but otherwise it was just more detail on problems I was already aware of in the U.S. climate.
What I found most helpful, and not really for myself but for the American people, is the emphasis it put on the impact on humans. Although it was not necessary for me, I think in the American society it is important, if not vital, to use this method in addressing the problem here. Acknowledging the human aspect is the only way to really get the attention of much of the nation and make people realize the seriousness of these problems.
What was good about the report is the facts it provided, which gives me an updated resource and reference to use when doing future environmental research as well as something to base my arguments off of when trying to discuss climate disruption with the public. My peers at UVM are equally as intrigued by this report and the information it contains, however the students at UVM and in my major are not typical of the American "youth". Our interest in environmental issues and regulation is not the same as what I was used to back home in Rhode Island. However, I think if the information in the report is presented in the right way to could spark the interest of many others in my age group.
I guess that's also the thing I would change. There was so much information and data that it was a bit hard to swallow. I would have maybe made some kind of abstract that was much easier to understand with the information a bit more clearly presented. This could be just because I was so overwhelmed by the amount of information and the length of the report that I overlooked some of what I was reading, but if I could change something about it that would be the one thing I could really pick right now.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Low Impact Hobbit House

A few years ago I was using Stumble Upon for the first time and came across something that has stayed in my bookmarks ever since. It may have popped up for a lot of you as well if you stumble through environmental things. A family in Wales built a home to work with the ecosystem around it in the most efficient and low impact way possible. What was most interesting about this was that it is built in the form of a Hobbits home. Who would have guessed Tolkien was giving us great environmental architecture and landscaping ideas when he wrote his books 75 years ago.

Not only is the house environmentally friendly, but the surrounding environment is not your typical "yard". During the period of building the home the family took part in managing the surrounding ecological woodlands and even crafted a forest garden. What is most amazing is that to build all of these things required less materials and tools than it would require to build a normal home. The house is dug into a hillside like a true Hobbit home. The dirt and other materials that were dug out did not go to waste, they were reused in other ways throughout the home. Main structures of the home were built using wood from the surrounding woodlands and lime plaster on the walls which makes the home more breathable, so it's almost a living, breathing part of the ecosystem. 
This home and this family's story is evidence that there is hope that humans can learn to live in a low impact way. People tend to use the excuse that there is no way we can live in harmony with the environment when we need shelter and live in this society. Although this is a fair, valid point this house shows that there is incredibly affordable and feasible ways of approaching this symbiosis.
Not to mention that I am a Lord of the Rings/Hobbit fan and I've always been jealous of the way the Hobbits lived in the Shire, so I would LOVE to have a home like this. Knowing its possible really blows my mind.