Forestry Project Group Review

3 Good Things

·         We worked/communicated well together.  

·         All work was accomplished and submitted/presented on time.

·         We earned a good grade on our work.

3 Things That Could Have Been Improved

·         Pictures in power point could have been better.

·         Clinometer measurements could have been done better.

·         Power Point could have had a better ending.

Aerosols (Particulates) Blog

      Ozone is an aerosol that is a suspension of fine solid particles or liquid droplets in a gas; most of them are very small, not generally visible and are found in the Earth’s atmosphere.
      Some aerosols are natural while others are put into the air by humans. Natural sources of aerosols can come from dust in dry regions, forest fires, erupting volcanoes and salt from oceans. These aerosols can be taken to different places by wind.
      Aerosols, being a part of air pollution, are a contributing factor to climate change. While in the atmosphere, aerosols can change the amount of solar energy that is reflected back into space. They help to form clouds, and clouds help to reflect incoming sunlight back into space, potentially lowering the Earth’s temperature, causing more rainfall and strong low-front storms that can affect Earth’s ocean levels and climates.
      Aerosols affect life on Earth by potentially changing the Earth’s climate due to increases in cloud coverage. Increased cloud cover can change the climate by blocking more sunlight from reaching the ground for plants to use. In addition, more rainfall could cause flooding and colder temperatures could hurt wildlife in many of Earth’s ecosystems. Furthermore, from the aspect of human health, aerosols could cause long-term and short-term health problems through pollution, like upper respiratory infections including bronchitis, pneumonia, lung cancer and heart disease.

 

            Contributions from:

http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/cli_aerosols.htm

http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/Frames/pollution-health-effects-f.html

Ozone

            Ozone plays an essential part in preserving human life on Earth. Surface ozone is a gas that appears in two layers: the troposphere, which extends from the ground level to ten miles up, and the stratosphere, which is located 10-30 miles above Earth’s surface. Ozone in the stratosphere protects the planet from harmful ultraviolet waves (UV-b). The ozone in the troposphere, however, damages Earth and its resident living beings and is a key ingredient of smog.

            The ozone both enables and threatens life on Earth. On the good side of ozone, it protects the Earth from the sun and its harmful UV rays. However, the weakening of the ozone could result in damages to human health, vegetation and many common materials.

            Surface ozone is formed when certain compounds react in direct solar radiation. When high levels of VOCs and NOx are in the air, they can react. When they react in the sunlight and warm weather, ground level ozone forms.

            Surface ozone can protect life on Earth from harmful ultraviolet rays, but they can also cause significant damage as well. Some examples include irritation of the respiratory system, reduction of lung function, aggravating asthma and chronic lung diseases, inflammation and damaging of cells that line the lungs and causing permanent lung damage. Other damaging effects include susceptibility to skin cancer, impaired immune systems and cataracts.

Contributions from:

http://ciese.org/curriculum/airproj/ozoneprimer.html

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Ozone/