Astronomers Find Newly Discovered Asteroid is Earth’s Companion

Astronomers from the Armagh Observatory in Northern Ireland have learned that a recently discovered asteroid has been following Earth as it orbits around the Sun. They believe that this has been occurring for at least 250,000 years. They also believe that this asteroid named 2010 SO16 may be related to the origin of Earth.

The WISE infrared survey satellite, launched in 2009, discovered the asteroid two months after it was launched. Scientists, Apostolos Christou and David Asher, started to study this asteroid after they realized that its average distance from the Sun was identical to that of the Earth. They also discovered that the asteroid’s orbit is almost circular so that it cannot come close to any other planet in the solar system except Earth. This is very unusually for asteroids. Most asteroids have egg-shaped orbits that take the asteroid through the inner solar system. Currently, three other asteroids of Earth are known to exist but unlike 2010 SO16, is by far the largest of Earth’s asteroids. It has an estimate diameter of 200-400 meters. Christou and Asher have already used the Las Cumbres Oberservatory’s Faulkes Telescope in an ongoing campaign to track the asteroid. Christou and Asher would ultimately like to know where the asteroid originated from. But for now, they are planning to study the physical properties of the asteroid from the ground to discover its possible origin. If it proves unique in some way, they hope a probe can be sent to study it up close and to bring back a sample for laboratory scrutiny.

I believe Christou and Asher’s research into this new asteroid will help us better understand how our galaxy was created. I am anxious to see what new information is discovered about asteroid 2010 SO16. A probe to 2010 SO16 would provide scientists with information to unlock some of its mysteries. I hope someday, the scientific world will send probes to space to analyze this asteroid as well as the other asteroids that orbit. I think a lot can be learned about our Earth by studying these asteroids.

Resources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110406132024

A Renewable Twist on Fossil Fuels

Scientists attribute global warming, an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface to increased levels of greenhouse gases. Man’s increased use of fossil fuels, industrialization, pollution and deforestation have created much more greenhouse gases which in turn has caused the temperature on Earth to increase at a faster rate than ever before. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that has contributed to global warning. Scientists are researching ways to reduce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.

Joel Rosenthal, a chemist at the University of Delaware, is working on a method to transform carbon dioxide into gas for cars and a source of clean energy fuels. If he succeeds, we will be able to reduce the rising carbon dioxide levels responsible for global warming and also devise a method of creating renewable energy production. Oak Ridge Associated Universities, a consortium of 98 Ph.D. granting universities has selected Joel Rosenthal to receive the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award to pursue his research into turning carbon dioxide into a useful fuel. Rosenthal and his team are designing electrocatalysts from metals such as nickel and palladium that will freely give away electrons when they react with carbon dioxide. This will chemically reduce this greenhouse gas into an energy-rich carbon monoxide or methanol which in turn could be used as a basis for fuel production.

I am very interested in seeing if Joel Rosenthal and his team succeed in turning carbon dioxide into a new fuel source. His research is very important not only in providing a new fuel source but for the reduction of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas attributed to global warming.

Resources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110505162938.htm

Tooth Pick Fish

We are currently learning about genetics in my science class. We’ve learned how to determine what alleles (physical traits) an offspring would inherit from its mother and father. Just recently we performed an experiment that was related to both genetics and ecology. We were given 24 toothpicks (8 green, 8 red, and 8 yellow) that represented three different form of a gene that controls one fish trait: skin color. The first step in our experiment was to make a first generation of fish. This was done by randomly pulling out genes (toothpicks) in pairs. This simulated the way offspring are formed by sperm from the male fish combining randomly with eggs from the female fish. In this experiment, the color green was the dominant gene, which meant that if a fish had a green gene, then it would have green skin. Since green was a dominant gene it was represented by “G”. The colors red and yellow were recessive genes, which meant that a fish would need two red genes (toothpicks) to be red. This also meant that a fish would only be yellow if it had two yellow genes (toothpicks). Since, they are recessive genes they are represented by “r” (for red) and “y” (for yellow). A red gene was co-dominant to a yellow gene. This meant that the combining of a red gene and a yellow gene would produce a fish with orange skin. This is called incomplete dominance, which means the two traits are mixed.

A way that we can examine an organism’s alleles is by analyzing their genotypes and phenotypes. The phenotypes are what the offspring actually look like. In this case, the phenotype is the skin color of the offspring fish. The genotypes are the genetic traits in an organism. It has to do with the genetic coding of an organism. In this chart, the genotypes are represented by letters to show the offspring’s alleles. In this experiment, the phenotypes and genotypes were as follows:

Green: GG, Gr, Gy
Red: rr
Yellow: yy
Orange: ry

As you can see, the phenotype is the color of the fish and the genotype represents their genetic coding. From this chart we learn that an offspring with green skin had a parent who had green skin. Since green is the dominant gene the offspring automatically inherited the green skin color no matter the skin color of the other parent. An offspring with red skin came from parents who both had red skin. An offspring with yellow skin came from parents who both had yellow skin. An offspring with orange skin came from one parent who had red skin and the other parent who had yellow skin. From the information from this chart, we can say that two red fish cannot have offspring with green skin because neither parent had a green gene. We can also say that two orange fish can have a red offspring because both parents have a red gene. From this chart, we can also determine that two green fish cannot produce an orange offspring. Since green is the dominant gene the offspring automatically inherits the green skin color no matter the skin color of the other parent.

Total number of each color of offspring:
First Generation: Lots of seaweed and algae everywhere
6 Green Fish, 1 Red Fish, 1 Yellow Fish, 4 Orange Fish

Second Generation: Lots of seaweed and algae everywhere
8 Green Fish, 1 Red Fish, 0 Yellow Fish, 2 Orange Fish

Third Generation: Lots of seaweed and algae everywhere
8 Green Fish, 0 Red Fish, 0 Yellow Fish, 3 Orange Fish

Fourth Generation: Lots of seaweed and algae everywhere
6 Green Fish, 2 Red Fish, 1 Yellow Fish, 2 Orange Fish

Survivors: Seaweed and algae die
0 Green Fish, 2 Red Fish, 1 Yellow Fish, 2 Orange Fish


My first generation of fish consisted of 6 green fish, 1 red fish, 1 yellow fish, and 4 orange fish. In the experiment, our fish lived in a stream that was very green and had lots of vegetation and algae covering the streambed and banks. Because of the environment they lived in, the yellow fish did not survive or reproduce because their color stuck out in their green environment and it was easy for them to be seen by predators. My second generation of fish yielded 8 green fish, 1 red fish and 2 orange fish. I notice that the number of green fish has increased. The green fish are well-camouflaged so the live longer and can reproduce. My third generation of fishes yielded 8 green fish and 3 orange fish. I notice that my second and third generations do not have any yellow fish. Since the yellow fish cannot camouflage themselves, they have fallen prey to predators. This has prevented them from reproducing and has caused their population to decrease. But fortunately, the yellow allele has not disappeared. It is still carried by the orange fish. The same situation can also occur in the wild. Animals that have traits suited for their environment can hide from predators, live longer and can reproduce, thus increasing their population. Animals with traits that do not suit their environment will fall prey to predators. Their population ends up decreasing and the traits they carry will disappear. For the fourth generation, I came up with 6 green fish, 2 red fish, 1 yellow fish, and 2 orange fish. During the fourth generation, an environmental disaster occurred. Factory waste was dumped into the stream and killed most of the seaweed and algae. This meant that there were only rocks and sand left, which made good camouflage for the red, yellow, and orange fishes. Since there was no greenery left, all the green fish were easily spotted and eaten by predators. The population of the green fish disappears. The survivors of the environmental disaster consisted of 2 red fish, 1 yellow fish, and 2 orange fish. The population of fish had decreased because its environment changed and they fell prey to predators.

In the beginning of the experiment, I noticed that the fish with yellow alleles were disappearing because of predators. The population of the yellow fishes dwindled while the green fish population flourished because the green fish possessed a dominate gene color and had the ability to blend in with its environment. This allowed them to survive and reproduce. By the third generation, there were less yellow fish in the third generation than the first generation. This can also happen in the wild because animals that have traits that cause them to be easy prey start to disappear. By the end of the experiment, an environmental disaster occurred and eliminated the green fish’s camouflage. This made the green fish easy prey for predators. The population of the green fish disappeared after the environmental disaster. Since green was a dominant allele, every fish that had a green allele would automatically be green. The green allele disappeared when the green fish perished in the environmental disaster. Future generations of fish will never inherit the green allele. The red, yellow and orange fish posses the red alleles and the yellow alleles. Since they survived the environmental disaster, the red and yellow alleles survived. This means that the red and yellow alleles can be passed on to future generations of offspring. This experiment showed me that dominate genes can be quickly eliminated while recessive traits can survive because they are hidden.

After the experiment was completed, I wondered what would happen if the lab had been changed. If both the yellow and red fish did not survive or reproduce because their colors allowed them to be easy seem by predators, what would happen? From the experiment, I concluded that the decrease in the red and yellow fish population would cause a decrease in the orange fish population as well. Fish with orange skin come from a red fish parent and a yellow fish parent. If the population of red fish and yellow fish decrease then the population of the orange fish will decrease.

By: greendragon

Mission to Mysterious Ice Giant Uranus Proposed

A group of 168 scientists from Europe and the United States have submitted a proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA) detailing their desire to explore Uranus. A mission called Uranus Pathfinder is being planned to investigate Uranus’ orbit and to study the planet’s chemistry, rings, and moons. Scientists believe that an investigation of Uranus will help them better understand the evolution of planets in our solar system as well as how other star systems form. Twenty-five years ago, NASA’s Voyager 2 flew past Uranus on its way to Neptune. It provided scientists with a glimpse of Uranus. Scientists are anxious to get a better look at this planet. Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter and Saturn are called gas giants because they are massive planets with thick atmospheres and solid cores. Uranus and Neptune are very different from their gas giant cousins, Jupiter and Saturn. Uranus’s and Neptune’s clouds of atmospheric gases contain water, methane, ammonia, and traces of hydrocarbons whereas Jupiter and Saturn are composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Uranus is also called an “ice giant” because it contains large amounts of ice in its atmosphere. There are many mysteries surrounding Uranus that scientists would like to investigate. Uranus’ axis of rotation has an extreme tilt. It appears that Uranus orbits the sun on its side. Scientists are also interested in studying Uranus’ magnetic poles which appear to have a very different magnetic field. Unlike other planets, Uranus generates little heat and it has 27 moons. Scientists believe there is that there is a wealth of knowledge that can be obtained from the study of Uranus.

Since Uranus is so far from Earth, a spacecraft to Uranus could take anywhere from 8 to 15 years to reach the planet. Until recently, such an exploration did not seem feasible. The farther away a planet is from Earth, the more difficult and the more expensive it is to get there. Technological advances have made the cost of sending a robotic mission to Uranus more manageable.

I am very interest in seeing if and when the mission to explore Uranus will take place. Since Uranus is so far away from Earth little is know about this planet. I am anxious to see what new information is discovered about Uranus. A mission to Uranus will provide scientists with information to unlock some of Uranus’ mysteries.

By: greendragon

Citations:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41257486/ns/technology_and_science-discoverycom/

IBM Computer Takes on Two Jeopardy Champions

Recently, the game show, Jeopardy, announced that they will pit man versus machine this season. The IBM computer, Watson, will be taking on two of Jeopardy’s former champions, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter. Ken Jennings broke the Jeopardy record during the 2004-2005 season for most consecutive games won. He played 74 games during the 2004-2005 season and accumulated more than $2.5 million. Brad Rutter was a contestant who had won more money than any other contestant on Jeopardy; more than $3.2 million. The IBM team hopes that their IBM computer, Watson, can answer questions as fast as a human. They have created Watson to listen to the questions then quickly and correctly answer them. In preparation, the IBM computer has been playing mock Jeopardy games with former game show participants. The developers believe that the IBM computer is now ready to face Jeopardy’s most successful champions. The Jeopardy challenge is similar to the chess match played by an IBM machine in 1997. In the chess match in 1997, the IBM computer called Deep Blue beat chess champion Garry Kasparov. Deep Blue was able to calculate 200 million chess moves per second based on a fixed problem. In the Jeopardy challenge, Watson will have to work differently then Deep Blue. Watson will have to listen to the question, interpret the question, figure out what it is being asked and answer the question.

The Jeopardy games featuring Watson will be airing February 14-16. The IBM researchers hope that question-answer systems like Watson will have real-life impacts on businesses such as health care, online self-service desks and tourism. The computer’s ability to quickly sort large amounts of data and answer precisely, as well as rank its confidence, will improve the intelligence of computerized systems and thus make life easier for humans.

I am amazed that new question-answer computers like Watson actually exist. I am anxious to see how well Watson performs against humans. I can’t wait to see if a computer system like Watson can think and react like a human. Like many others, I will be watching Jeopardy to see how Watson performs in this Jeopardy challenge. If the IBM team can create a computer that can think like a human, there is no telling what advances can be made to artificial intelligence.

Citations:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40656286/ns/today-entertainment/

http://www.eweek.com/index2.php?option=content&task=view&id=65508&pop=1&hide_a...

By: greendragon

Pine Barrens Website

This website is made by greendragon, jazzmatazz9 and blackshinyarmordragon:

http://www.omegaredpinebarrens.webs.com/

Mutualism

This picture shows me standing in the foyer of my house with a tree. My parents purchased this tree when I was a baby. It sits in our foyer and has grown quite a bit since when we first bought it. You may be wondering what kind of relationship I could possibly have with a tree. Well, this tree and I represent an example of mutualism. Mutualism is a relationship between two organisms in which both benefit greatly from the association. This association is necessary for the organisms to survive. Without plants and trees, humans could not survive. Plants and trees produce oxygen which is the most important nutrient to the human body because life could not exist without oxygen. Every cell in our body uses oxygen. Brain function decreases dramatically when it does not have enough oxygen. Humans cannot survive without the oxygen produced from plants and trees. On the other hand, plants could not survive without humans. Humans produce carbon dioxide when we exhale. Plants take the carbon dioxide to make their food. The carbon dioxide is combined with water and sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. Oxygen is a byproduct of that process. Without the carbon dioxide produced from humans, plants could not produce food to survive. Plants (and trees) and humans are dependent on each other for their survival.

Abiotic Factor

Water is an abiotic factor. Water is a necessity to all living organisms. It can limit the population of an organism. If there is too much water, their homes would be flooded. If there is too little water, then the organisms can't survive. Water is a key abiotic limiting factor.

Picture taken by:
greendragon

All About Tornadoes

http://www.omegatornadoes.webs.com/

By:
greendragon
the environmentalist
sk8er789

Lit. Poems

“Liesel”

Caring, courageous, and daring
Who loves her parents, Papa and Mama
Who feels the desire to read
Who needs the encouragement of friends
Who shares her love of words with others
Who fears being alone
Who’d like to see her loved ones again
Who dreams of her dying brother
Who ends up a survivor

By:
Death

“Books and Fire”

Books
Intriguing, educational
Reading, writing, analyzing
Comforting, soothing, distracting, powerful
Burning, smoking, consuming
Bright, destructive
Fire

By:

greendragon

The Adventure Aquarium

My unit just finished learning about phylums in science class. There are about 35 major phylums into which biologists classify members of the animal kingdom. To reinforce what we had learned about phylums, the school planned a trip for us to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey so that we could see some of the animals we had read about. On Friday, May 7, 2010, we went on our field trip to the aquarium. I have visited the aquarium at least a dozen times. But each time I go I am still amazed at the views of the Ocean Realm. The Ocean Realm is this enormous tank. It has a huge collection of sea creatures freely swimming around in it. There are sharks, stingrays, shark rays and loggerhead sea turtles. There is a four hundred pound turtle named Bob that I always look for when I visit the aquarium. One strange thing about Bob is that Bob is a female turtle. Bob, a loggerhead turtle, is in the phylum Chordata. The sharks, stingrays and shark rays that share the Ocean Realm with Bob are also in the phylum Chordata. The Chordata is the animal phylum with which everyone is most familiar with because it includes humans and other vertebrates. You can sit and watch this beautiful collection of marine animals gliding by, giving us a glimpse into their ocean world. I also enjoy walking through the shark tunnel. As you walk through the tunnels, sharks are swimming all around you. They seem so close. Sometimes I think I can reach out and touch them. But if you want to touch a real shark, you have to go to the Touch-A-Shark exhibit. In this exhibit, you can actually touch sharks, not the great white sharks or hammerhead sharks that you see in the shark tunnel, but smaller white-spotted bamboo sharks. All these sharks are in the phylum Chordata. Another fascinating area is the Jules Verne Gallery. As you walk through the gallery you will see several exhibits displaying all different kinds of sea creatures. I especially liked the giant octopus, jellyfish and the giant spider crabs. The giant octopus is in the phylum Mollusca, which are invertebrates with soft, un-segmented bodies that are often protected by a hard outer shell. The jellyfish is in the phylum Cnidaria, which use stinging cells to capture food and defend themselves. The giant spider crab is in the phylum Arthropoda, invertebrates that have an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Irazu Falls is also a good place to stop by. There’s a waterfall and you can see some enormous fish from the Amazon swimming in the tank. If you like tropical fish, you should go to the area in the aquarium called the Caribbean Currents. There are hundreds of brightly colored tropical fish. If you look close enough, you’ll see some seahorses too. All these tropical fishes and the seahorses are in the phylum Chordata. Penguin Island is another great area to visit especially during feeding time. The penguins are in the phylum Chordata. These penguins are really smart. They know when it’s feeding time because they all gather at the door where the aquarium workers enter with food. It’s fun to see them swim and fight for food.




I really enjoyed our trip to the Adventure Aquarium. In my opinion, visiting the aquarium helped reinforce what we learned about phylums. Sure you can look at pictures and drawing, but seeing the real thing is much more interesting. I, like most students, learn best by seeing, touching and feeling objects that we have learned about in science class.

Air Pressure Lab

Today, I completed the Air Pressure lab. I placed a plastic bag over the top of a jar and secured it with a rubber band to the top of the jar. I tried pushing the plastic bag into the jar but the air pressure in the bag made it difficult to do this. The air pressure inside the bag was higher than the air pressure on the outside of the bag. As I pushed down the plastic bag I felt the air pressure in the bag pushing back preventing me from pushing the plastic bag into the jar.


In the second part of the experiment, I put the plastic bag into the jar and secured it to the top of the jar with the rubber band. Then I tried to pull the plastic bag out of the jar. When the bag is inside the jar, the air pressure inside the bag is higher. Air pressure was pushing the bag down into the jar and there wasn’t enough air pressure between the bottom of the bag and the jar to allow the bag to be pulled up.

Interactive Temperature Game

I played the Interactive Temperature Game. The purpose of the game was to match the temperatures of certain icons to their actual temperature. I was given the choice of playing the game using the Celsius, Fahrenheit or Kelvin temperature scales. On the Fahrenheit scale, water at sea level freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The Fahrenheit scale is mainly used in the United States. On the Celsius scale, water at sea level freezes at 0 degrees Celsius and boils at 100 degrees Celsius. The Celsius scale is used by most other countries to report temperature. On the Kelvin scale, water freezes at 273.15 Kelvin and boils at 373.15 Kelvin. The Kelvin scale is the international standard for scientific measurement of temperature and is used mainly by scientists. When we measure temperature, we are measuring how fast the molecules or atoms, in a substance, are moving.

Green House Effect

Article Title: 2 More Glaciers Gone From National Park


The melting of glaciers around the world has accelerated in recent years. More than 90 percent of the worldwide glaciers are melting. Scientists believe increasing temperatures brought about by higher atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases are the cause of this melting. Glacier National Park is one of the places experiencing this accelerated melting. There were once 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park. A glacier needs to be 25 acres in order to receive a name. Thirty-seven of the glaciers in the park were large enough to be given names. Glacier National Park has recently lost two more named glaciers, Shepard Glacier and Miche Waburn Glacier, to melting. Of the 37 named glaciers only 25 remain. Geological evidence shows that these glaciers have existed for seven thousand years. Unfortunately, scientists predict that several of the park’s largest glaciers will disappear by 2020.


It’s sad to read that glaciers that have existed for thousand of years are melting away. In my opinion, the glaciers in Glacier National Park as well as the glaciers in the Himalayas, the Alps and all around the world will start to disappear due to global warming and the greenhouse effect. Studies have shown that an increase of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere has caused the Earth’s temperature to rise at a faster rate than in the past. This temperature rise is melting the glaciers of the world. I hope this article will make people more aware of the effects of greenhouse gases and its effect on world’s glaciers. It is not too late to save the glaciers. Hopefully, people as well as the world governments will do something to decrease greenhouses gases so that the glaciers will not disappear.

Convection Popcorn Lab

Today, I completed the Convection Popcorn lab. My teacher used a popcorn popper to make popcorn. She placed the kernels in the popper. She turned on the popper. Hot air created by the popper transferred heat to the kernels, making the kernels expand and pop. There are three ways to heat something: conduction, convection and radiation. In this experiment, the popcorn was heated by convection. Convection heating occurs when heat is transferred by the movement of a gas or a liquid. In this lab, the movement of the hot air (a gas) transferred heat to the kernels. When heat was added to the kernels, the water in the kernel’s soft starchy insides turned to steam. The steam expanded so rapidly that it broke the hulls of the corn kernels and the starchy insides of the kernels expanded with air.

Layers of the Atmosphere

1. What is the basis for dividing the atmosphere into four layers?
The atmosphere can be divided into four layers based on temperature variations.

2. Does the temperature increase or decrease with altitude in the:
Troposphere - decreases
Stratosphere - increases
Mesosphere - decreases
Thermosphere – increases

3. What is the approximate height and temperature of the:

Tropopause - approximate height = 12 km, approximate temperature = -5 degrees Celsius
Stratopause - approximate height = 50 km, approximate temperature = -2 degrees Celsius
Mesopause - approximate height = 80 km, approximate temperature = -79 degrees Celsius

4. What causes the temperature to increase with height through the stratosphere and decrease with the height through the mesosphere?


Ozone absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun causes the temperature to increase with height in the stratosphere.


The mesosphere does not absorb solar heat, so the temperature decreases with height.

5. What causes the temperature to decrease with height in the troposphere?
The troposphere is heated by the transfer of energy from the surface of the Earth. The lowest part of the troposphere is the warmest and the temperature decreases with height.

Water Cycle Presentation

http://www.slideshare.net/Omegapride/water-cycle-3662207

Frog Dissection

Well, we finally did it today. We got to dissect a frog. Not everyone has the guts to slice open a frog. Some queasy students just dread the thought of cutting open something that was alive. But what’s the big deal? We’re in science class. Aren’t we supposed to dissect animals in science class? Besides, the frog was dead already. I was kind of hesitant about dissecting a frog. I guess I was listening to all those queasy complainers. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it was really interesting. There were four people in my group. We each took turns cutting out different parts of the frog. The first parts I saw were the liver and the fat bodies. Once I removed the liver, I saw the other organs such as the stomach, large intestine and the small intestine. I don’t think I need to list all the internal organs of a frog. I think most of you should know them. As for my group, during the dissection we were given permission to remove an eyeball from the frog. As we were trying to remove the eyeball, we learned an important lesson. Eyeballs are very delicate (because we popped it before we could get it out). During this dissection, I learned a lot. Since a frog is a vertebrate, I learned how a frog’s internal organs are similar to humans. I also learned that taking out a frog’s eyeball requires skill and a delicate hand.

In my opinion, dissection of frogs really helps you learn about the anatomy of the animal. Sure you can look at pictures and drawing, but seeing the real thing is much more interesting than pictures. I, like most students, learn best by seeing, touching and feeling objects. Dissecting a frog or any animal can be messy and gross, but they are very good learning experiences.

By:

greendragon

The Snowicane

We can all thank last week’s snowicane for our early dismissal on Thursday and our snow day on Friday. Meteorologists named last week’s heavy snowstorm a snowicane. Well, what exactly is a snowicane? According to the forecasting service, AccuWeather who coined the term, a snowicane is a snowstorm with hurricane-force winds and rain which can cause flooding.

Well how did the snowicane formed? Winter storms, such as the snowicane, usually form from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. The water cycle plays an important part in the formation of snowstorms, like the snowicane. Warm ocean water evaporates into the atmosphere. The water then condenses into tiny droplets. As more and more water vapor condenses, the droplets grow. Cold air freezes this water into ice crystals. As the ice crystals come into contact with a warmer air mass, the air masses combine. They cause the ice crystals to melt a little to form snowflakes. Last week, weather forecasters monitored a low-pressure system, a whirling mass of warm, moist air, heading up the East Coast towards another system from the west. One system had moist and warm air from the Atlantic while the other contained colder air from the northwest. When these two air masses combined the snowicane was formed. The energy source that a hurricane needs in order to form and strengthen is warm ocean water. As ocean water evaporates and forms water vapor, heat energy is carried up into the atmosphere. When the water vapor condenses back into liquid water in a cloud, it releases this stored heat energy. The rising air spirals produce a low-pressure zone at the surface where thunderstorms begin to form. As these thunderstorms become more organized, they produce a cluster called a tropical disturbance. This storm system can continue to strengthen and begin to rotate, leading to the formation of a hurricane. All the earth's weather is dependent on that portion of the water cycle concerning evaporation and condensation (resulting in precipitation). So as you can see, the formation of a snowicane and a hurricane both require evaporation of warm ocean water and condensation resulting in precipitation in order to form.

The snowicane produced wind gusts of up to 91-94 mph in New Hampshire and Maine. These winds speeds were well above hurricane-force winds of 74mph.

The precipitation from a hurricane is heavy rain. The precipitation produced by the snowicane was a combination of snow and heavy rain. It produced a wet, heavy snow.

When a hurricane comes onto land, its heavy rains and strong winds can cause major flooding and wind damage to buildings, cars and trees. The snowicane did a lot of damage to cities along the east coast. Schools were closed. Major businesses and government offices also closed. Like a hurricane, the snowicane’s high winds and heavy rain downed trees and power lines and caused coastal flooding. It brought many forms of transportation to a standstill. It caused numerous power outages.

The global pattern of storms, like the snowicane as well as hurricanes, is affected by a combination of factors. This winter’s severe and more frequent snowstorms were caused by a combination of El Nino, a warm patch of water in the Pacific, the Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation. The Arctic Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation are both sending colder than usual air toward the eastern part of the United States. When all three factors are combined, much of the U.S., especially the North and East, experience cold, stormy, and snowy weather.

Meteorologists named last week’s snowstorm a snowicane because of its similarities to a hurricane. Like a hurricane, the snowicane brought with it not only heavy snow it brought hurricane-force winds and heavy rains. It caused major flooding in certain areas. Like a hurricane, the snowicane caused major damages to building and trees. The snowstorm’s similarities to a hurricane are the reason why meteorologists coined the name, snowicane.

By:

greendragon

Resources:

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-hurricane.htm
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35627330/ns/weather/
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/snow-hurricane-threatens-east-coast-snow-flooding-winds/story?id=9931285&page=2
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/28/2010-02-28_forecasters_fight_over_storms_call.html
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/2006-04-19-global-climate-patterns_x.htm
http://www.learner.org/interactives/weather/iceandsnow.html

Global Warming

What is global warming? We hear this phrase on TV all the time. We see it in the headlines of newspapers and magazines. Well, global warming is an increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s surface. Global warming is the result of the greenhouse effect. When greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor and nitrous oxide, trap heat and light from the sun they cause the temperature on Earth to increase. Natural concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere help keep Earth warm enough to support life. But man’s increased use of fossil fuels, industrialization, pollution and deforestation have created much more greenhouse gases which in turn has caused the temperature on Earth to increase at a faster rate than ever before. The concentration of carbon dioxide increased from 290 ppm (parts per million) in 1900 to 316 ppm in 1959. This represented an average increase of 0.44 ppm per year. The concentration of carbon dioxide has increased from 316 ppm in 1959 to 387 ppm in 2009. This represented an average increase of 1.41 ppm per year. About 75% of the annual increase in carbon dioxide is caused by man’s use of fossil fuels. As the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouses gases have increased, so has the Earth’s temperature. The 10 warmest years on record have occurred between the years 1997 to 2008. People may think, what’s the big deal? The earth is getting warmer. How can warmer temperatures hurt us? According to scientists, global warming is a worldwide issue that affects all of us. Glaciers around the world are melting causing sea levels to rise and causing water shortages to areas dependent on their melting ice as a source of water. Montana’s Glacier National Park has only 27 glaciers versus the 150 glaciers it had in 1910. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), sea levels could rise between 7 and 23 inches by the end of the century. As sea levels rise, the water covers many plants of low lying islands causing them to die. Plants are a food source. As they die off, animals and humans loose an important source of food. As sea levels rise and cover low lying islands, animals as well as humans will loose their habitants. Approximately 100,000,000 people living in coastal cities may some day loose their homes to rising sea levels. The effects of global warming have also been attributed to the increased numbers of forest fires, droughts, heat waves, cold waves and tropical storms. All of these have had a negative impact on our societies.


In my opinion, global warming is having a significant impact on plants, animals and humans around the world. The temperatures on Earth are warming up. As temperatures on Earth increase, certain species of plants as well as animals will loose their food sources and habitats and unless they can adapt to their new environments they will eventually be driven to extinction. Humans are also being affects by the erratic changes in weather brought on by global warming. Global warming is a serious world-wide problem that everyone needs to confront and solve. We only have one Earth. We must begin taking care of it before the damages we have done to it become irreversible.



By:greendragon

References:

http://globalwarming.sdsu.edu/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1206_041206_global_warming_2.html