PDS APES 8th Period 2009-10

Mr. Willard said that we should already know about the background about ozone, but here’s a quick glance at what he was talking about:

• Ozone is a “global sunscreen” for the Earth. It blocks  and absorbs 95% of UV radiation!
• The ozone layer is 12 miles or 20 kilometers thick.
• The ozone layer exists in the stratosphere, and is considered “good ozone.”

Good Ozone vs. Bad Ozone:

Bad Ozone (Tropospheric Problem): Ozone (O3) can exist in the troposphere at ground level, but is “bad ozone,” because it can cause lung disease.

Good Ozone (Stratospheric Problem…if there’s a “hole”): The thing about “good ozone” is that it does absorb and block UV radiation. The thinning of the ozone layer, or what we now call the “ozone hole” is really a  dip in the thickness of the ozone layer. This thinning is caused by chloroflourcarbons (CFCs). These CFCs are “dream chemicals” that are odorless, nonflammable, and nontoxic and are used in aerosol cans, cleaning agents and coolants. When the UV radiation hits the CFCs, the following reaction breaks down the ozone into toxic chlorine (Cl) and diatomic oxygen. This cycle can be repeated thousands of times and this is the reason the ozone layer is being destroyed so quickly.

Cl + O3–>ClO + O2

ClO + O–> Cl + O2

Unfortunately, the thinning of the ozone layer has caused more UV radiation to penetrate the ozone layer. (The “hole” is largest during the Antarctic spring [September-October.]) This  UV radiation comes in two forms: UV A and UV B which both can cause cataracts and skin cancer in humans (UV A rays have wavelengths deep enough to cause squamous cell carcinoma in humans, and UV B rays have wavelengths shallow enough to cause melanoma),  damage DNA in animals and plants, reduce phytoplankton, and reduce crop yields.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Melanoma

In the 1980′s, scientists began observing the ozone layer, and in response to the “hole” observed near Antarctica and Europe, the international community came together a created the Montreal Protocol. This was designed to protect the ozone layer by reducing the CFC output by 1/3 by 2000 and bring back ozone levels to 1950 levels by 2100.

Ozone Levels 1980-1991

Hey guys, this question was #24 on the study guide.

When I was reading the book, all I found was a definition–it didn’t necessarily seem like a goal to me. But this is what I found: “Protection from environmental hazard regardless to race, age, gender, origin, or income.”

Were there any GOALS that anyone found?

Thanks,

AG

Okay, so I’m going through all the supplemental notes, and I’m wondering if anyone has a clever way to distinguish the following pieces of legislation and if someone can double-check the accuracy of my shortened definitions of each piece of legislation.

Wilderness Act of 1964: restrictions on activities done in an area

National Environmental Policy Act 1969: consider environmental impacts when there are proposed federal projects

CITES: treaty (species approach)

CBD: treaty (ecosystem approach)

Lacey Act: civil/criminal penalties given

Mr. Willard,

On the study guide you were talking about how we needed to study “environmental history.” Are you talking about that fat packet you gave us at the beginning of the year with people like John Muir….?

I wasn’t here in class when we learned about these. This is what I know about Soil Horizons; if someone can add/clarify, that would be GREAT.

A Horizon: topsoil/vegetation

B Horizon: subsoil/inorganic material and broken down rock

C Horizon: parent material/bedrock

O Horizon: ?

I can’t find what the limiting factors are on land and water in my notes. We talked about it, I just can’t find them.

Correct me if I’m wrong…

Land: Precipitation/Water

Water: Temperature or nutrients?

I’m still kind of confused with what a tax deduction is compared to a tax rebate/tax credit. Tax rebate is where the government GIVES us money back in the form of a check of some sort, tax credit is where we don’t have to pay some money ($7000–>$6000, w/tax credit of $1000.) So what is a tax DEDUCTION?

I feel like we may have answered this question in class, but are all generalist species, r-selected? I know that r-selected species reproduce a lot, but does that necessarily mean that they can live everywhere? My thinking is no, but I am doubting myself. Are all K-selected species, specialists then? Thanks!

Hey,

I was looking through the study guide and the reading, and I was wondering if someone could clear up or add some information regarding the following people’ s contributions to society:

Garrett Hardin: “Tragedy of the Commons” (which says that when an area is exploited the same way by every individual, then the area will be unsustainable.)

Ernst Haeckl: ?

Arthur B. Tansley: ?

Barry Commoner: Four Laws: 1) everything is connected to everything else; 2) everything goes somewhere; 3) everything goes somewhere else; 4) there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Lady Bird Johnson: 1st Lady who worked from the White House for the beautification of landscapes/conservation of natural resources

Ansel Adams: preserve the scenic value?

Thanks!

“WE’RE GOING FISHING!”

At the start of class on Friday, the mint jar was empty–we all knew someone would be responsible for refilling it.  Mr. Willard told us the day before that we’d be playing a game, so all hope for a fun Friday wasn’t lost.  Mr Willard told us about the game:  we were fishermen fishing for goldfish in blue birthday plates to keep our families from starving. There were ground rules we had to follow: there was a carrying capacity of 16 fish; we had to get two fish per round/minute/year to stay on the lake and keep our families from starving; we could not communicate during the first round (there were two round in all); our fishing poles were straws; the fish population would double every year, so keeping track of the carrying capacity was critical; for every fish caught after the first two, we could exchange for profits (Profits = Mints = Mr.  Willard *hopefully* refilling the jar again with his big bag of mints.)

We started the game, and these were the results and the lessons learned:

1. ALL PROFIT! In round one, some tables (like Table One)  had completely exploited the pond in round one by having each person catch four fish; although they got their profits of two mints per person, they could not survive in round two because there were no fish left to reproduce, so they had to “move away.”  If this was simulated in real life, the table would be ignoring the “creel limit” which advises a person on how many, what size, and type of fish a given person can kill to sustain the population in a body of water.  The lesson learned here is never to use up a natural resource faster than it can be reproduced again; the Lorax “spoke for the trees” because he knew the Once-ler was cutting down Truffula trees faster than they could grow back, causing all the animals to move away.

2. SAVE UP! Some tables didn’t take more than two fish per person, so they got to move onto round two, but they made no profit. This is probably the most environmentally friendly option, but in the case of our modern society, without any profit, moving ahead will be near impossible.

3. TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM! Some tables, after being able to communicate in round two, came up with a strategy that represented a monopoly in our modern society. One person got to stay on the pond by catching the required two fish (if not more), and the others didn’t catch any at all, which meant that they had to move away. The remaining person had to maintain the carrying capacity of 16, so he took 8 fish every round, and came out with 6 mints and shared his profits with his friends. The pond was not exploited in this situation, everyone got profits, and everyone was happy–the fish and the people.

4. BREAKING RULES! In round two, some tables ignored the rule of carrying capacity. At my table, we thought we could have everyone move away, and have one person getting all the fish and sharing profits, like in example #3. Instead of maintaining the carrying capacity of 16 fish, we decided that if one person got two fish at every round and waited until the end to reap in profits, we would end up getting around 72 mints (Round One: we start with 16, one person gets 2, we end up with 14, wait for the next round, let the population double, and end up with 28, and continue the process). Well, we couldn’t exactly get past round two, because our carrying capacity surpassed 16, and we were kicked out of the game for our rule breaking. Generally when the carrying capacity is exceeded in a community, there are less natural resources for the population to share, which could result in deaths, so maintaining carrying capacity is crucial to the survival of a community of organisms.

NC Creel Limits: Rules on Fishing Recreationally

Garrett Hardin: Ecologist who wrote “Tragedy of the Commons”

Tragedy of the Commons: Book written by Garrett Hardin that talks about how individuals acting independently in their own self-interest can ultimately destroy a shared limited resource.