Fsm92's Blog

Demographic Data of World Populations:

26 Nov 2010 1 Comment

by fsm92 in Assignment #8:

Demographic Data and Construction and Interpretation of Related Graphs

Part A. Working with Demographic Data

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to develop a working vocabulary for population geography, to recognize the relationships and implications of demographic data, and to analyze population pyramids at different scales.

Additional Information on Populations: As Molles (2010) states, “population growth is the change in population over time.” Population growth is often used informally for the more precise phrase ‘population growth rate’, which refers, specifically, to the human population of the world. As Molles (2010) also mentions, “age distribution is the percentage of the total population, or the population of each sex at each age level.” Something interesting that relates to age distribution is the term age-dependency. For example, in some, usually less developed countries, the majority of the human population is either younger than 15 years of age or older than 65, causing the people to have no one to rely on to keep the economy running. This leads to economic depression. Lastly, as Molles discusses, population dynamics are the short and long term changes in the size and age compositions of populations, depending on birth and death rates, as well as immigration and emigration. It is interesting to study these population demographics because they can give the researcher an abundance of information on a specific country. For example, once the birth and death rates of a country are determined, one can calculate the infant mortality rate as well establish how industrialized, developed and economically stable a country is or isn’t.

Table 1- Annual Population Growth:

Table 2- Populations in Proportion to the World’s Population:

Graph 1- Bar Chart of Table 2:

*See Email (I could not seem to copy and paste it here)

Question 1- What trends are reflected in the bar chart?

Calculations: In table 2, the percents were calculated by dividing the population of a specific continent in a given year by the total world population in that same given year. For example, for North America in 2010, we divided 344 (in thousands), the current population of North America, by the current total world population of 6,892 (in thousands). We then changed the number into a percent.

Answer: The bar chart shows that Asia will have the highest increase in population by 2025 and 2050, but has decreased from the current population today.

Table 3- LDC/MDC Populations in Proportion to the World’s Population:

Question 2- Discuss the economic and the social implications of the changing proportions of the world’s population in less developed countries and in more developed countries.

Calculations: In table 3, the percents were calculated by dividing the population of a specific country in a given year by the total world population in that same given year. We then changed the number into a percent.

Answer: In more developed countries there is more money and more education available, therefore the people are aware that the population needs to be regulated, so there is significantly less of an increase in population. In less developed countries there is less money and less education, therefore they have a much higher rate of population increase.

Table 4- Calculating Rate of Natural Increase:

Question 3- Discuss the mathematical relationship between the crude birth rate, the crude death rate, and the rate of natural increase.

Calculations: To calculate the rate of natural increase, we took the difference between the crude death rate and the crude birth rate in. For example, from the US, we subtracted the CDR of 8 from the CBR of 14 to get 6, and then divided by 10 to get 0.6% for the rate of natural increase.

Answer: The rate of natural increase is the difference between the crude death rate (CDR) and the crude birth rate (CBR).

Table 5- Calculating Age-Dependency Ratios:

Question 4- A) What factors do you think contribute to a high age-dependency ratio? B) What are some economic and social consequences of a high age-dependency ratio?

Calculations: To calculate the age-dependency ratio of a specific country, we added the percent of the population of that country with less than 15 years of age to the percent above 65 years of age and then divided that number by the total percent of the population ages 15-64. We then multiplied that final number by 100 and converted the final number into a percent.

Answer A: Factors that contribute to a high age-dependency ratio are less education and less money, therefore less developed countries have higher age-dependency ratios.

Answer B: With a high age-dependency ratio, there are too many people below the age of 15 and too many above the age of 64, therefore there are not enough people to support the economy and there is no one to rely on. This leads to a social economic crisis.

Part B. Interpreting Age-Sex Graphs

Demographic Data: We will investigate the demographic data for the United Kingdom from Column A and Ethiopia from Column B.

Table 6- Demographic Indicators for the United Kingdom:

Graph 2- Age-Sex Pyramid for the United Kingdom:

*See Email (I could not seem to copy and paste it here)

Table 7- Demographic Indicators for Ethiopia:

Graph 3- Age-Sex Pyramid for Ethiopia:

*See Email (I could not seem to copy and paste it here)

Question 5- Compare the demographic indicators from the two countries you chose. What generalizations can be made concerning demographic indicators and level of development?

Answer: It is clear by examining the demographic indicators of both the United Kingdom and Ethiopia that the United Kingdom is a much more developed country than Ethiopia. This is clear because, as one can see from the tables and graphs above, the United Kingdom has a crude birth rate of only 12% per 1,000, where as Ethiopia has a much higher crude birth rate of 43% per 1,000. The less developed a country is, the less education there is, therefore, the birth rate (population increase) goes up. One other factor that leads to the conclusion that Ethiopia is much less developed than the United Kingdom is that the infant mortality rate per 1,000 births is only 5% in the UK, but is 79% in Ethiopia. This statistic shows that there are, first off, many more babies being born in Ethiopia because the birth rate is still higher even though a lot of babies are dying, and that there is less education and, therefore, less advanced doctoring and more disease. It is clear that more babies are being born outside of hospitals in Ethiopia.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR3jzGMMEes

References:

1.   Molles, M.C. (2010). Ecology. Concepts and Applications. 5th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.

2.   World Population Data Sheet for 2010:

http://www.prb.org/pdf10/10wpds_eng.pd

3.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR3jzGMMEes

4.   U.S. Census Bureau “International Database”:

http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/

Project Overview: Final Presentation on Water Pollution

08 Nov 2010 3 Comments

by fsm92 in Assignment #6:

Project Overview: Final Presentation on Water Pollution

Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to consult the ecology textbook, as well as notes taken in class, in order to choose a topic of interest that will be studied over the next five weeks for a final 10-minute presentation in class.

Topic: I am choosing to study and present a project on water pollution in the world’s waters.

Water Pollution in Relation to Topics Discussed in Class: The topic I’m choosing of water pollution in the world’s waters relates to materials covered in class on a number of levels. We have discussed many topics relating to life under the water and how it is being affected by pollution. We have discussed the depletion of populations, as well as sources of pollution, human interaction, species abundance and diversity, coral reefs, the natural history of aquatic environments, water availability, and even run-off and eutrophication. We have even discussed topics relating to pollution on land in the atmosphere and how that affects the water. In the textbook, we have read and studied chapter 3, Life in Water, as well as chapter 6 on Water Relations. In the future we are going to cover chapter 16 on species abundance and diversity.

Reason for Choosing Water Pollution: I believe that we have discussed pollution relatively thoroughly when it comes to land and atmospheric pollution, but I don’t think we have been as thorough when it comes to the devastating issue of water pollution. I believe it would benefit the class and grasp their attention as I teach them about water pollution and how it is affecting biodiversity under the water. Many species, such as turtles, an umbrella species, are endangered and going extinct. With pollution, populations are being depleted rapidly. It is also interesting to hear how it affects humans with the tiny amount of available clean water left in the world. I plan on also teaching the class exactly what ways the water is being polluted, meaning the sources of the pollution, because it will be interesting for them to learn how they can help make a difference or learn how they are currently polluting the water indirectly or directly. I want to discuss what areas of the world are worst and what areas are the cleanest, so the class can put things in perspective and relate the areas being discussed to their homes. I specifically want to use the Pacific Gyre as an example of how bad water pollution really is because I think the visuals will really impact the class. I also plan on teaching them what the Environmental Protection Agency, working with the Clean Water Act, has planned as goals for the near future to express how serious this ecological issue really is. I want to discuss algae blooms because it’s something we have not really covered and would be new and interesting for the class.

Here are two pictures of the North Pacific Gyre, located in the Pacific Ocean:

Summary of Selected Online Source: The online source I chose is the web page on water pollution found on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website. The page begins by explaining how the EPA divides water pollution into two major categories, point and non-point source pollution. The page then continues to explain briefly what each of these sources of pollution are and how the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), under the Clean Water Act, regulates this pollution. The web page then explains how the EPA works with state governments and other local authorities in towns and counties to monitor pollution levels in the nation’s water systems. The web page then recommends a few other web pages related to water pollution, such as a summary of the Clean Water Act, which would be useful to someone researching this topic of water pollution. Lastly, there is a large section of EPA water pollution subtopics that each have links to articles and other web pages on different subjects related to water pollution with much more detailed overviews. For example, there are links to aquatic ecosystems, drinking water, ground water, storm water, surface water, wastewater, water infrastructures, water pollutions, water pollution control, water pollution effects, water pollution legal aspects, and water quality monitoring.

Credibility of Online Source: This source is one of the most widely known online sources in the Environmental Science world and it is credible because it is a US governmental website, known by the .gov at the end of the web address as stated in the Online Credibility pdf.

References:

1.   Molles, M.C. (2010). Ecology. Concepts and Applications. 5^th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.

2.   Photos retrieved www.google.com/pacificgyre.

3.   Water Pollution retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/watewaterpollution.html

What Kind of Consumer Are You?

20 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment

by fsm92 in Assignment #5:

Part A: What Kind of Consumer Are You?

Part B: The purpose of this assignment is to study the different types of consumers in order to learn how one’s diet, consisting of different amounts of plants and/or animals, impacts the environment.

Part C: EF, meaning ecological footprint, is the measure of a human‘s impact on Earth’s ecosystem in terms of Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate. Energy and nutrients flow from producers to consumers within an ecosystem and the flow of nutrients equals the flow of energy. More specifically, nutrients and energy flow from producers, plants, to primary consumers, such as mice, to secondary consumers, such as snakes, to tertiary consumers, such as eagles, to decomposers, such as ants and other insects, back to producers. Then, the cycle begins again. This cycle can also be referred to as the Food Chain and it is a sort of natural recycling process.

Part D:

Calories and the Environment

1.   Calculating Calories and Environmental Footprints: For 100% plant, 0% animal, 2,000 calories would be multiplied by 365 days in a year to get 730,000 ecologically equivalent calories if I was a complete vegetarian and consumed only plants. For 90% plant, 10% animal, 3,800 calories would be multiplied by 365 days in a year to get 1,387,000 ecologically equivalent calories. If 50% of my diet was plants and 50% animals, 11,000 calories would be multiplied by 365 days in a year to get 4,014,000 ecologically equivalent calories. Lastly, if I consumed 100% animals and absolutely no plants in my diet, I would multiply 20,000 calories by 365 days of the year to get 7,300,000 ecologically equivalent calories.

2.   Eat Plants, Not Animals: A diet consisting strictly of animal products, so 100% animal, 0% plants, means one is consuming exactly 10 times the amount of ecological equivalent calories than one would if they consumed only plants, so 100% plants, 0% animals. As seen on the chart above, consuming 2,000 calories of plants means one is consuming 2,000 ecologically equivalent calories, where as consuming 2,000 calories of animal’s means one is consuming 20,000 ecologically equivalent calories. If I consumed as little as 10% of my calories from animal sources to make my diet 90% plant, 10% animal, I would consume 1,800 more economically equivalent calories than if I continued to only eat plants.

3.   Where Do You Stand?: I do not eat any meat or eggs, but I do drink milk and eat yogurt, so I think 90% of my diet comes from plants and 10% comes from animal sources, meaning the ecologically equivalent calorie count of my diet is about 1,387,000 ecologically equivalent calories compared to 730,000 ecologically equivalent calories for someone who is a strict vegetarian.

4.   Population Increase=Food Demand Increase: As the world population continues to rise, so does the demand for food supply. There is a lot of pressure being placed on arable land, land that is still able to be farmed, energy, and natural resources, such as water, to provide an adequate supple of food for mankind while preserving earth’s biodiversity end ecosystems. One other big problem the world’s population faces is malnutrition among children who are not getting enough food and nutrients. People in poorer nations are also developing a taste for an American style diet, meaning rich in animal protein and fat, so arable land and fertile soils are disappearing as farmers continue to farm, use pesticides and fertilizers, and house herds of livestock, destroying land over time.

Ursus Maritimus- Thermoregulation in the Arctic World:

17 Oct 2010 1 Comment

by fsm92 in Assignment #4:

Part A

Ursus Maritimus- Thermoregulation in the Arctic World:

Part B

A Glimpse at Polar Bears and Thermoregulation:

1.    Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to gather information from the textbook, class notes, and online sources about the thermoregulation patterns of a particular species living in extreme temperatures, in this case, polar bears living in the arctic world.

2.    Background Information: Polar Bears, known scientifically as Ursus Maritimus, meaning maritime bear, are the world’s largest land carnivore and most massive bear, although they spend most of their time hunting at sea. Distributed throughout the Arctic Circle and Adjacent landmasses, they can be found in Europe, Asia and North America, more specifically, Denmark, Norway, Russia, Alaska, and Canada. Polar bears are found in the Tundra biome. As Molles (2010) states, “The Arctic Tundra rings the top of the globe…” (p. 36), housing a typically cold and dry climate, where precipitation exceeds evaporation because average annual temperatures are so low. Precipitation in the tundra varies from less than 200 mm to a little over 600 mm annually, so there is very little rainfall or water availability in this region. The polar bear has evolved to occupy a narrow ecological niche, meaning, as Molles (2010) states, “the environmental factors that influence the growth, survival, and reproduction of a species” (p. 203), with many physical characteristics adapted for cold temperatures and for moving and hunting across snow, ice, and open water.

3.    Need for this Animal to Thermoregulate: Organisms have adapted and evolved ways to compensate for changes in environmental temperature by regulating their body temperature, as Molles (2010) mentions, “organisms regulate body temperature by manipulating heat gain and loss” (p. 110). Polar bears are endotherms and homeotherms, organisms that rely on internally derived metabolic heat energy (Hm) to heat their bodies and maintain relatively constant body temperature. Arctic species have impressively broad thermal neutral zones, as Molles (2010) defines, “the range of environmental temperatures over which metabolic rate of a homeothermic animal does not change” (p. 115). In the arctic, temperatures are extremely low, so polar bears must regulate their heat to keep themselves warm. Because polar bears hibernate for several months at a time during the coldest months of the year, they must thermoregulate while sleeping to keep themselves alive and warm enough to survive. They also spend a lot of their time in the freezing water in order to catch seals, the main source of food in their diet, so they must regulate their body temperatures while below the surface of the icy water in order to stay submerged for long periods of time. Polar bears specifically, regulate their body temperatures both physiologically and behaviorally proportional to their level of activity while within the thermo neutral zone.

4.

Part C

Breakdown of Thermoregulation by Polar Bears:

1.    Polar bears, being endotherms, manipulate heat exchange with the environment using the same anatomical and behavior tricks used by other organisms, so K. Schmidt-Nielsen’s equation for balancing heat gain and loss that we discussed in class and read about in the textbook (p. 115) still applies (Hs = Hm +/- Hcd +/- Hcv +/- Hr – He). However, where it differs for polar bears, and endotherms in general, is in the relative importance of the terms. Endotherms rely much more on metabolic heat, Hm, to maintain constant body temperature. For polar bears, when temperatures are within the thermal neutral zone of an inactive endothermic animal, its metabolic rate stays stead at resting metabolism, but if the temperature falls below or rises above the thermal neutral zone, an endotherm’s metabolic rate will rapidly increase to two or three times resting metabolism.

2.    Polar bears, like other mammals, start shivering at low temperatures, which generates heat by muscle contractions in order to stay warm. They also, like humans, release hormones that increase their metabolic rate, the rate at which they metabolize their energy stores, which are mainly fats. By increasing the metabolic rate, the rate at which they generate metabolic heat increases as well. In hot temperatures, in order to stay cool, polar bears’ heart rate and blood flow to the skin increase, which transports heat from the center of the body to the outer layers of skin, where sweating occurs to unload heat to the external environment.

3.    It is highly important for polar bears to keep their body temperatures stable because they are dealing with extremely low temperatures. As arctic endotherms, they can deal with a very broad thermal neutral zones and can tolerate environmental temperatures down to -30 degrees C without showing any increase in metabolic rate, however with global temperatures on the rise and polar ice caps melting, this arctic species is threatened by extreme environmental changes. They are beginning to have to regulate their body temperatures to adjust to warmer temperatures that they are not necessarily used to or comfortable with. Also, since the ice caps are melting, polar bears have to spend much more time in the water under freezing temperatures, so they have to be able to thermoregulate consistently in order to maintain stable body temperatures to hunt and perform successfully to survive.

Part D

References:

1.    http://www.catalogueoflife.org/col/details/species/id/6850390/common/2126748

2.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_bear

3.    Molles, M.C. (2010). Ecology. Concepts and Applications. 5th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.

4.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXb9kOO8Lzs

5.    http://www.google.com/polarbears

Assignment #3: The Great Barrier Reef/Water and Population Growth:

08 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by fsm92 in Assignment #3:

Part A

I. Different agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, have been researching the relationship between global warming and rising sea levels. It has been scientifically measured that sea levels have in fact risen, so that leaves the question as to why. With increasing global temperatures, due to an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, a human influence as stated in the textbook, ice caps, ice sheets, and glaciers are melting and adding to the ocean’s water in liquid form, therefore causing it to rise. Also, the warming of the atmosphere causes ocean water to warm and expand thermally, increasing the volume of the ocean and raising its surface level.

II. I am choosing to expand upon coral reefs, more specifically, the Great Barrier Reef, stretching for almost 2,000 km off the northeast coast of Australia. I am choosing this subject matter because I have traveled to the Great Barrier Reef with my family and feel some sort of connection with it. First off, a barrier reef stands between the open ocean and a lagoon. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands. A few interesting facts about the Great Barrier Reef is that it’s so massive it can be seen from outer space. It is also the world’s largest structure made by living organisms called coral polyps. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and humans are destroying it slowly but surely. I would like to focus on human impacts such as pollution, overfishing and global warming, but also specifically on the sea turtles and how they are being harmed, because I got to see them hatch off the beach in the wild when I was visiting and it was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful happenings I’ve ever witnessed.

The Great Barrier Reef runs on a very balanced scale that humans are disrupting through overfishing, pollution, and global warming. With atmospheric temperatures rising, water temperatures rise as well, therefore, negatively affecting the reef’s highly productive ecosystem. Even though the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Service is working hard to protect the reefs from human activity such as fishing and tourism, aggressive overfishing is causing severe disruptions to the natural food web, upsetting the entire stability of oceanic life because of the depletion of keystone plant and animal life. One other major human influence is pollution threatening the health and stability of the Great Barrier Reef’s ecosystem. Onshore farming and development is causing fertilizers, pesticides, and sedimentation to runoff into the water harming the coral reef habitat by causing eutrophication and hypoxia. Lastly, many species of the Great Barrier Reef are growing endangered or going extinct. For example, there are six main species of sea turtles that inhabit these waters, and they are all endangered. Only 1 in 1000 sea turtles survives these days, and many die due to the consumption of garbage or by getting trapped in ghost nets that have broken off fishing nets from boats.

Part B

I. I have never experienced a drought first hand living in Westport, Connecticut, but I definitely have some ideas as to how I would conserve water if I ever did experience a drought. One simple household idea would be, using the toilet flush rule “if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.” Other ideas would be, to drink bottled water instead of tap and use bottled water to your advantage, be aware of how much water you are using- for example, how long your showers are- wash things only when it is necessary to do so, and do not use water when it is not absolutely needed. One way to also save water is by using a rainwater collection system so you are prepared in case a drought was to occur.

I believe that droughts occur during dry spells, meaning if it does not rain for a long period of time so aquifers and reservoirs cannot get filled and recharged.

II. There are definitely many people who live in extremely dry, desert like climates. For example, over my spring vacation last year, I traveled to Peru, one of the most arid regions of the world, and lived in a village called San Antonio for two weeks. I built latrines for them (sanitary toilet systems). Since it is dry there for the entire year, they are constantly dealing with water shortage and it is simply their way of life. Sometimes, 4 months will go by without one drop of rain. So how do they survive? They developed tactics for extracting every last drop of water from plants, and by digging to find water beneath the surface. One other way they survive is to avoid direct sunlight, which is actually how the turban came to be. They work in the mornings and at dusk and stay in the shade of their homes during the heat of the desert day. Tribes such as the Australian Aboriginals that lived permanently in a desert biome, were nomadic so they could follow food sources to available waterholes. The world, with over population, is not big enough for everyone to live in areas with an abundance of water, not to mention, places like that are almost nonexistent to begin with. Therefore, people have adapted over centuries to live in dry, desert climates with little to no water.

III. 1. By using the diagrams, it is shown that the world population is predicted to reach 9 ½ billion people by 2050, meaning it will grow a total of 7 ½ billion from 1950 to 2050, just one hundred years.

2. It is evident that the average water availability per capital has dropped from about 16,500 m^3 to a little over 5,000 m^3 between 1950 and 2050, meaning it lowered about 11,500 m^3 in just one century.

3. By viewing the correlation between population growth and water availability, it is clear that as the population continues to grow, the level of water availability continues to decrease.

4. Water is one of the vital resources needed by everyone to survive. Only 1% of the Earth’s water is suitable for drinking. As the population continues to grow, water availability diminishes because more and more people are fighting for the miniscule amount of drinking water left on the Earth. At the rate the population is increasing, it is impossible for the Earth to produce fresh water at the same rate. Therefore, as the population goes up the amount of available drinking water goes down.

5. If the predictions for world population and growth and per capita water availability come true by 2050, we will absolutely have run out of that final 1% of available drinking water. Therefore, we will need to develop ways to mass purify salt water from the worlds oceans to the extent that it can not only be used for farming, but also for human consumption. The world might be a more violent place as people continue the fight for available water.

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Barrier_Reef

Baby Sea Turtle: http://www.metadasein.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/558878-3-baby-green-sea-turtle-great-barrier-reef-australia-505×336.jpg

Reef:http://www.whatson.uk.com/home/cswfkcyv/www/content_image/image/image/news%20november/great%20barrier%20reef.jpg

Coral:http://www.executiveretreats.com.au/content_images/article_image_gallery/The_Great_Barrier_Reef_3.jpg

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/gc2sec7labgroup3/introduction

Assignment #2: Ecological Footprints

01 Oct 2010 5 Comments

by fsm92 in Assignment #2:

Part A: The purpose of this assignment is to help orient us in Thessaloniki in relation to the rest of Greece and our homes back in the US. Many people travel but don’t consider where they actually are in the world, so this assignment will assist us in doing that. It is also meant to help us better understanding our surroundings from the point of view of a scientist. Knowing what biome we live in and what that means (climatically, geographically, biologically, etc) is very important and interesting and often overlooked. Lastly, this assignment is meant to give us a reality check, to realize how we’re living currently and how we are impacting the environment. It is also meant to motivate us to try our best to live more sustainably and to learn in what ways we can accomplish that goal.

Thessaloniki:

a) The point of interest I’m choosing to research in Thessaloniki, Greece is The Makedonia Palace Hotel, whose coordinates are 40⁰37’18.19 North and 22⁰57’07.98 East.

b) I attached two pictures of the Makedonia Palace Hotel. One is a screen shot taken from the Google Earth page, and one is a clear Google image picture of the hotel on the water. Here is a link to the picture I found on Google images: http://airtickets247.gr/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Makedonia-palace-hotel-Thessaloniki.jpg

Home in Connecticut:

a) The coordinates of my home in Greens Farms, Connecticut are 41⁰07’04.45 North and 73⁰18’21.09 West.

b) I also attached two pictures of my home in Connecticut. One image is a screen shot of the Google Earth page, and one is a picture of my school, which is just down the road from my house. A link to the picture of my school can be found at the following link: www.gfacademy.org

c) I would say that I live in a temperate forest where trees remain for hundreds of years. The soil is fertile and the trees are broad-leafed, deciduous trees. This temperate deciduous biome covers most of the eastern United States and parts of southern Canada. In most areas, precipitation is distributed evenly throughout the year. There is mild frost in the winter, and the seasons are very distinct from summer to winter.

http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/Forsite/tdfbiome.htm

Fifth Edition Ecology Concepts and Applications by Manuel C. Molles Jr. (McGraw-Hill International Edition) 2010

d) The temperate deciduous forest, which mostly lies between 40 and 50 degrees latitude, is found along the Atlantic seacoast to the Great Plains in North America. This forest harbors ancient trees and a cool, moist environment for moss and other organisms to grow and florish. The climate varies throughout the year, but temperatures are not extreme and annual precipitation averages from 650 mm to over 3,000 mm. The growing season for the temperate deciduous forest is about four months long and winters last for about three to four months and are generally mild. The soil is fertile in these forests, more so directly under deciduous trees where the soil is rich in organic matter and nutrients. Temperate forests are vertically stratified, so the trees grow upward. The canopy of trees can vary from 49 m to over 100 m, and birds, mammals, and insects make use of all layers of the forest, from the fertile soil to the high canopy. One important factor in temperate deciduous forest is the presence of fungi and bacteria that consume the large quantities of wood stored on the forest floor. These organisms control a process of recycling nutrients that the health of the entire forests relies on.

Fifth Edition Ecology Concepts and Applications by Manuel C. Molles Jr. (McGraw-Hill International Edition) 2010

e) As stated in the above paragraph (part d), the climate where I live, in a temperate deciduous biome, is not extreme. Temperatures are not severe and annual precipitation varies between 650 mm to over 3000 mm depending on the year. Winters last for anywhere between three and four months, and though snowfall may be heavy, winters are relatively mild. I definitely agree with the textbook in describing the geography, climate, soils, and biology of a temperate, deciduous biome. The only factor that I would also like to mention is the presence of water. Where I’m from, on the coast of Long Island Sound, the presence of the water body makes the air cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Therefore, the climate is not too extreme.

Fifth Edition Ecology Concepts and Applications by Manuel C. Molles Jr. (McGraw-Hill International Edition) 2010

Part B:

Table 1: Ecological Footprint (hectares per person), their proportion relative to world average, their proportion relative to world area available for selected countries.

http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?IndicatorID=19&country=LU#rowLU

http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?Country=LU&IndicatorID=13#rowLU

2a) As you can see in the table above, listed are the ecological footprints, measured in hectares, per person, the proportion relative to the world average, and the proportion relative to the world area available. It is interesting to see which countries have the biggest ecological footprint and which have the smallest, and to compare those calculations to the world average. As you can see, the United Arab Emirates, coming in at 9.9 hectares per person, and the United States at 9.5 hectares per person, are both more than three times the world average. Where as, Bangladesh, Peru, and Tanzania, at 0.5, 0.9, and 0.9 respectively, are far less than the world average. It’s interesting to note that Peru and Tanzania have the same ecological footprint.

2b) Bangladesh constitutes a developing country. It has a small population, very little affluence, and little technology. Where as, the United States is a developed country that is over populated, above the world average income, and very technologically advanced. Therefore, the ecological footprint in Bangladesh is very small and the EF in the United States is one of the largest in the world.

2c) Based on the calculations, research and information found in Table 1, it seems that there is a direct correlation between average per capita income and ecological footprint. As the average income goes up, the ecological footprint gets bigger.

Part C:

a) My personal ecological footprint is 5.2 hectares. It is unbelievable to think that the average American’s footprint is almost double mine at 9.5 hectares. It is also unreal to note that Bangladesh’s EF is about five times less than mine at 0.5 hectares. That makes me believe that I need to live more sustainably and develop better habits. It is clearly possible to live more sustainably and lower my ecological footprint if the worldly average is far smaller than mine at 2.23 hectares. Even in China, though they are one of the most developed and technologically advanced nations in the world, the average persons EF is only 1.5 hectares, leaving mine almost five times more than that. One other nation I would like to compare my average ecological footprint to is France, because their EF per person is 5.8 hectares. Although that is slightly larger than mine, it is the closest EF to mine of the countries researched in Table 1. Seeing that it would take more than five Earth’s to sustain the world population if they lived the way I do only motivates me further to continue studying the Environment and improving my ecological habits for the better.

http://www.myfootprint.org

b) To reduce my carbon footprint, I could start by using compact fluorescent bulbs and energy efficient appliances. I could install solar panels on my home and use storm doors and windows. I could also use water saving fixtures and use efficient washing machines and dishwashers. Habits of mine that I could change to better my ecological footprint would be turning off the lights every time I leave the room, turning off my computer when I’m not using it, hanging my clothes to dry instead of using a dryer, and/or unplugging appliances when I’m not using them. I could also start a composting system at home and use low flow water appliances such as toilets and sinks.

http://www.myfootprint.org

Bibliography:

http://www.gfacademy.org/

http://airtickets247.gr/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Makedonia-palace-hotel-Thessaloniki.jpg

http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/Forsite/tdfbiome.htm

Fifth Edition Ecology Concepts and Applications by Manuel C. Molles Jr. (McGraw-Hill International Edition) 2010

http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?IndicatorID=19&country=LU#rowLU

http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?Country=LU&IndicatorID=13#rowLU

http://www.myfootprint.org