Oil Threatens Deep Sea Reefs http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/02/us/02coral.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Summary: Back in September of last year, a flourishing deep sea coral reef was found in the Gulf of Mexico. Now that coral reef and many more are being threatened by BP's oil spill. It is one of three discovered reefs that are in danger. Scientists believe that the plumes of dissolved oil will destroy the ecosystems in the hidden deep sea reefs. These plumes extend over 22 miles in all directions that may cause many more ecosystems in the ocean to be destroyed. Also this plume has more than 210,000 gallons of oil droplets, natural gas and dispersant chemical corexit(Whatever that is.) Scientists say that they have only uncovered 1% of all the deep sea reefs in the gulf. This is a serious problem. In the worst case scenario, the plumes will cover the coral and basically suffocate it. If the oil spill is not cleaned up in the near future, we may never see those other 99% of the coral reefs and their ecosystems.


Opinion: I believe that BP needs to find a way to clean up all the oil in the Gulf. There are so many things that are affecting people and animals alike. In this case, the oil spill has the potenetial to wipe out all ecosystems within a 22 mile radius of the leak. The way I look at it is this; what if a bomb hit Horsham and killed everyone and everything within a 22 mile radius? That would be catastrophic. I know that both BP and the government are not trying hard enough to get the mess cleaned up and restoring life in the Gulf of Mexico as it was. I hope in the near future that we can forget about this whole mess, learn from it, and move on.


Questions
1. If you could, how would you help clean up oil in the gulf?

2.What do you think will happen to the deep sea reefs?

3. What caused the oil spill to happen?

Mining’s Final Frontier
By: Sharon Begley
Newsweek, Inc
September 20, 2010
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/20/is-deep-sea-mining-bad-for-the-environment.html

Summary:
Chinese companies and government-supported funds have recently shown that they are very serious about acquiring the resources needed to help their country's industrial growth. According to this article, China wants to be the first to exploit a source of minerals that has "tempted and frustrated dreamers for almost 150 years: the floor of the deep sea." Recently the Chinese government submitted plans to explore the sea floor where hydrothermal vents have created deposits of gold, silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, and tellurium. This exploration could definitely damage our environment. Mining on the seafloor could potentially kill a lot of organisms that thrive on these minerals. There are so many new species founded at the vents. It would be a major loss to society if we destroyed these organisms without even discovering it. Although the vents can withstand disasters we need to be careful at what we are doing there. By mining only inactive vents where the geysers stopped and the ecosystem has died, we can spare the vent creatures. China has not revealed whether or not they will take any vent-protecting steps yet. As of right now China is not in the mining stage, they are in a researching period.

Opinion:
After reading this article I knew right away what I disagreed with. The Chinese are being very selfish with the exploration of the ocean floor. We cannot survive much more damage to our environment. Yes, there are many valuable items in those vents but think about all of the disastrous things that could happen. Some of the enzymes at the vents could prove effective against cancer or other diseases! I think that China should mine only inactive vents. This way we would be sure that we aren't killing these vent creatures that are very important to our society.

Questions:
1) Do you think the Chinese should explore the ocean floor? Why or why not?
2) Do you think the United States would explore the sea floor despite the environmental damages that could take place?
3) Would mining inactive vents be productive enough to help China's industrial growth?

Summary: In New Delhi, India; at least 63 people have been killed from flooding and landslides since Saturday. The authorities were able to evacuate around 5,000 people to safety. The flooding is from heavy rains and has blocked state highways and cut off communication links. The army and emergency crews have been called in for rescue by the state governments. Most of the 63 recorded deaths have been caused by collapsed houses, landslides and drowning cases. There is fear among officials that this death toll may rise though. The next 24 hours call for heavy rain so the flooding appears to not be stopping.

Opinion: I feel really bad for the people in India. I personally would hate to lose my life by drowning in a flood. I am also happy though that authorities were able to evacuate about 5,000 people to safety before some of them too lost their life. This article also states that flooding from seasonal monsoon rains kills hundreds of people every year in India. This makes me feel even worse for India as this is almost a regular occurrence for them. It is also stated that more than 800 rain-related deaths have been reported from across the country since June this year. This even further proves my point that monsoons and floods are almost a regular occurrence for India.

Questions:

1. Do you think there is a way for India to prepare for these floods and save a lot of lives? Why or why not?

2. Do you think that the Indian government handles these situations well? Why or why not?

3. If these were to happen in the United States, do you think that our government would handle it better or worse? Why or why not?

New NASA Probe to Dive-bomb the Sun http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/09/100909-science-space-sun-new-nasa-solar-probe-plus-dive-bomb/

Summary: With 180 million dollars on the budget, NASA's latest project is to learn what our Sun is really about. The project is expected to be in full tilt by 2018. By then, the 'Solar Probe Plus' is to be within four million miles of the Sun. To make this operation successful, NASA came up with a carbon composite heat armor. This new technology is said to withhold temperatures of up to 2,550 degrees farenheit. But even with this invention, the heat would still be five times greater than what we experience here on Earth. The satellite would have to rely on the shade of the armor to survive the extremity. The expedition would be a 'trip to hell and back,' but still, it would definitly be worth it. Professors and Scientists are more than excited to find what results this adventure will bring back.

Opinion: I definitly find this article an attention grabber. Living with the a star in our solar system and not knowing anything about it other than its existance is ignorant, whether we'd like to admit it or not. However, I also have my doubts on this mission. With temperatures up to 1.8 million degrees, it is hard to believe that this mission would hold out on the slightest bit of success. I'm pretty sure that we've all opened up an oven and felt the rush of hot air hit us in the face. Now imagine that magnified exponentially and we can't even grasp how much of a difficult task it would be to face that for a fraction of a second, let alone several years. And let's face it. The most successful space mission us as human beings have accomplished is a simple trip to the moon and back. Also, there's the 180 million dollar budget. The US is going through an economical recession where some familys can't afford to put food on the table. Then we have other projects going on such as the health reform bill and on top of that, we're in debt by billions of dollars to other countries. It's hard to think of where we'll find that extra 180 million dollars. With all those problems in mind, I don't find it easy to say that this mission might be the most successful one. I'm not trying to sound like an expert at this matter but anyone who can think logically can see that this experiment has its flaws. There's room for success but not much.

Questions:
What are some achievements and advancements that this mission might bring for the US or even the whole world?

Do you think that this mission will be successful at all? Why so?

Will this mission do the US better or worse considering the situation that we are in right now? Why?

Invasive Species: Asian Carp Get Their Day in Court

Invasive Species: Asian Carp Get Their Day in Court by Bryan Walsh
Time Magazine - August 24th, 2010
http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/08/24/invasive-species-asian-carp-get-their-day-in-court/?xid=rss-topstories&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+time%2Ftopstories+%28TIME%3A+Top+Stories%29


Summary:
Asian Carp, one of the top ten most invasive species, are threatening to destroy the Great Lakes. These fish originate in Asia and can grow to be up to 3 feet and 100 pounds. If the Asian Carp were to establish their home in the Great Lakes and breed, they would eat and destroy the bottom of the food chain, plankton, thus destroying the entire existing ecosystem. The native fish would be potentially starved, which would greatly endanger tourism in the Great Lakes area. Now, the five Great Lake states--Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Minnesota--are suing their case in court. Their goal is to force Chicago to shut down two locks, preventing the Asian Carp from using the canals to reach the Great Lakes. This plan has met great resistance and the economic impact of this idea would be steep. Both sides are fighting hard for their cause and there is much at stake. For now, we will have to keep watching for updates on the trial.

Opinion:
While reading this article, I was surprised to find that one species of fish could effect the Great Lakes so greatly. After reading it over a few times, I decided that I was on the Great Lake state's side. The invasion of these fish could greatly impact them. The economic impact would be very steep and tourism would go down because of the decrease in native fish. Although Chicago is also economically hurt if they lose the trial, it is only one state. There are five states that would be greatly effected if the Asian Carp were to establish their home in the Great Lakes.

Questions:
1. How long will it take until the Asian Carp reach the Great Lakes and actually start to change the ecosystem?
2. Do you think there are any other ways to prevent the Asian Carp from entering the Great Lakes?
3. How did the Asian Carp arrive in the U.S.?
4. How does Chicago plan to try to win the trial?