Climate
Freezing in Florida
The day before Halloween 2020, I wrote a blog for my website about my walking routine and posted pictures of me decked out in my Capris, neon tee shirt, along with my supply bag of ice water and sweat rag, among other necessary items for walking in the Southern Florida oppressive heat and unbearable humidity. Yes, the heat and humidity last well into October in my area of Florida. That blog has since been published as a story on Vocal.- The Walking Queen.
By Joan Gershman5 years ago in Earth
Producing Energy From Geothermal Resources
Geothermal energy is a platform tapping the inherent energy found within the Earth. Her is an overview of how the process works from a practical perspective. Producing Energy From Geothermal Resources There are several types of energy used in the world that are considered eco-friendly. These energy types include solar, which harnesses the power of the sun, and hydroelectric, which uses the power of water to generate electricity. One often neglected ecologically sound energy source that should be grouped with the others is geothermal energy. Geothermal energy involves using the Earth’s own heat to create energy and warmth to be used by people. Geothermal energy is so named because it derives from the Greek words for “earth heat”, “geo” and “therme”. Extreme amounts of heat are generated in the Earth’s core, which reaches temperatures of up to 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The Earth’s core then transfers heat to the mantle, a crust of rock surrounding the core. This rock liquefies due to the intense heat becoming magma (molten rock). In this magma layer, water collects in columns or reserves. This trapped water, which can be heated to temperatures of about 700 degrees Fahrenheit, is known as a geothermal reservoir. When engineers want to use geothermal energy, they “tap” in to this geothermal water and use the resulting hot water and steam for various purposes. Geothermal energy plants work by using the steam resulting from tapping into the geothermal water reservoirs to power turbines. These turbines spin producing electricity which can then be used to power industries or even residential areas. The first geothermically engineered power plant was built in Italy in 1904. These days, roughly 7000 megawatts of electricity is produced by geothermal power plants per year. Geothermal power plants are located in 21 countries throughout the world. In the United States alone, enough geothermal power is generated per year to be the equivalent to the burning of 60 million barrels of oil, to wit, geothermal energy is a major source of power. Geothermal energy has been used by cultures throughout history for thousands of years. The process used to harness geothermal energy has always been relatively simple compared to that of other energy processes, and the components used are familiar to everyone. The concept of using super hot water from the Earth’s magma layers may seem high tech, but once you have tapped into this resource, it is easy to maintain and use as a continual power source. The best analogy for geothermal energy production is another alternative energy source. It works in the same way as hydropower. Water is used to spin turbines which produce electricity. In the case of geothermal energy, however, the water comes from the internal chambers of the Earth in, most often, the form of steamssOne of the core concepts of PicoTurbine can be stated: Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I might remember some of it. Involve me, and I will master it. Based on this old tried and true adage, the kits that the company produces come with activity suggestions to get the young people into hands-on learning situations. One suggestion of the company is to demonstrate how heat can be produced by wind energy (the company’s specialty) through using a “picture wire” for the heating element. PicoTurbine has found that people typically think of wind energy as being “cold” energy, and are pleasantly surprised to see how wind can be used for generating heat in the home. Another project suggestion that the company offers is to have different groups split off in the classroom and then compare their respective wind turbines that they have built. They can see which ones produce the most or least electricity; which ones start up with need of the least amount of wind power; and for very young children, which ones have the most aesthetic appeal.teams
By kartik agarwal5 years ago in Earth
What’s the Missing Link in Emotional Intelligence to Address Nature’s Climate Change?
As a teacher, student of nature, and new eco-fiction writer let me try and make a case that emotional intelligence may be a missing link to help bring attention to nature’s climate change.
By Annemarie Berukoff5 years ago in Earth
WINTER STORM PREP; ARE YOU READY?
Regardless of where they live, nearly everyone is likely to face some severe winter weather at some point in their lives. Winter storms can range from moderate snow over a few hours to a blinding blizzard with powerful winds and drifting snow or sleet and ice. Travel could be extremely hazardous or nearly impossible. Power outages could last for days or even a week. Winter storms can have the ability to knock out heat, power, and communications to your home, sometimes for several days. Heavy snowfall, ice, and extreme cold can paralyze an entire region. You could be trapped for many days without access to food stores or water.
By Marley Bakos5 years ago in Earth
The Volcanic Eruption in Tonga Might Have Lasting Effects on the Climate
On Saturday, January 15th, 2022 (5pm local time), an undersea volcano near Tonga erupted in an intensity that rivaled the largest volcanic explosions of the 21st century (1). As of writing this (2pm PT), countries that border the Pacific have already begun to feel the effects of the massive blast. The United States has issued Tsunami advisories up the entire U.S. Western Coast and Tsunami threats have been issued from New Zealand and all the way to up to Japan (2).
By Olivia L. Dobbs5 years ago in Earth
Mommy, Daddy, Why Did You Kill Us All When You Could Have Acted Sooner?
The year is 2090, and you've just come back to your room at the retirement home after a long day of therapy. The doctors say your hip surgery was a success, and you'll soon be able to go back to your home and get around just fine.
By Jason Morton5 years ago in Earth
News Flash - We Are Not Doomed!
We’ve all seen enough images of forest fires, floods, droughts, and turtles dying of plastic pollution and at this point, these images have started to lose their shock value. As an ex-climate activist myself, I can tell that climate activism (not slacktivism) is not ill-intentioned, in fact, those peers are some of the most passionate folks I’ve ever worked with. But that short stint as an activist made me realize that there is something wrong with the way we sell climate change.
By Rishi Rathi5 years ago in Earth
When in Drought
Tropical Forest, Queensland, Australia The wind rustles through our needles, barely holding onto our fragile limbs. Some fall, down, down to the earth. Light and drying into yellow, a breeze lifts them from our limbs and together they dance. Layers of dehydrated leaves and needles blanket our floor, too thick, too dry, too much. Dust billows, like sediment rising in the ocean, up through the brush and settles in the cracks of our bark. We haven't been this parched in centuries. Vines, twisting their lengths along the full height of our trunks, loosen their grips and dust settles in their drying bark, filtering through the cracks. Void of leaves, too barren for the season, they creak and settle around us. It already feels like summer, even though spring is just beginning. Swallows flit between our branches, wingtips just a breath away. Their song carries on the breeze and echoes between our trunks. We would smile if we could. An echidna, stout nose prodding gently at half-decomposed detritus and termite mounds, shuffles between us, feet tripping slightly on our surface roots. It can't even find insects to eat. Our brittle needles snap and give away under its gentle weight. The sun warms our canopy, breaking through to our floor between our shy crowns, and speckles the too-dry shrub with shifting, dappled, winking flecks of gold. We drink in its rays while wishing instead for rain, waiting for today's solstice night to fall.
By Tessa Markham5 years ago in Earth
Not Enough
Polar Bear Den, Ellesmere Island, Canada I blink furiously, eyes shimmering in the sunlight as I squint through its new brightness for the first time. The snow is soft beneath my paws and its countless flakes cling to the fur between my toepads. I turn my head, ears flicking, and look all around. It’s the solstice, the first day of spring, and the sky is so big. I thump into a sitting position, still looking at the cloud-dotted blue, and feel the breeze through my fur. Our mother said the days will only get longer from now until winter, but I can’t wait to see the stars. My brother starts to run off, kicking snow into my nose as he goes past, his head wagging excitedly from side-to-side. I respond in kind, shaking my head, and hop up to go after him. I can still barely see past the glare of sunlight on the snow. From behind, a low cuff, like an almost-growl. My brother and I skid to a stop, paws digging into the snowpack, and turn to our mother. She growls again and we return.
By Tessa Markham5 years ago in Earth
Floods
Puffin Colony, Maine, USA The wind rushes past, ruffling along the back edges of my feathers and stinging my eyes. My partner flies beside me, her wingstrokes almost in tandem with my own. We dip and glide between the ocean’s updrafts, flying in earnest towards the coastline far ahead, just below the horizon. The breeze shifts into warmer currents as we approach the shore, the one we see every year. Just a slope of green before the larger rocky coastline behind it, this island is where we come to breed; this is the island where I was born. We come back every year on the solstice, nesting before summer starts to come. Other pairs land first and latch their feet onto the land, one in front of the other, as they put their beaks to the ground, wings still outstretched. Some of them bump against one another and they part their beaks in momentary annoyance. Then their wings fold and they duck their heads into their burrows. My partner lands just before me and I follow. As she goes to inspect the outer edges of our burrow, the one we’ve used each year, I dip my head inside it.
By Tessa Markham5 years ago in Earth
Rising Seas
Iron Age Village, Orkney, Scotland Ocean waves crash to my left against ragged cliffs of stacked sedimentary rock only a few feet tall. Speckles of salty foam breach the too-tall berms and shower the yellowing marram grasses. Short blades fade into moss and then lichen along the rocky shore, stone and sand mixing in a gradient along the inshore berm. The lapping of waves on the beach melds with the whistling of wind across the island. Green hills tinged with fragmented yellow stretch out before me. They look flatter than I thought they were. A low wall stands to my right, sweeping through the grass in a rounded square, almost a circle. It’s rough and worn and doesn’t come up past my knees. I pivot and lean down over it, looking into the central indentation and the stone structures within. Small rectangles of packed earth bordered with thin stones line two walls and a doorway stands in the third, topped with the earth and grass that surrounds me. Dew gathers at the upper edges of the walls, teasing its droplets between the stiff grass and cold stone. There’s a half-open structure built into the wall farthest from me, and a hearth, empty and void of ashes, sits squarely in the middle of the room.
By Tessa Markham5 years ago in Earth
