Which Way the Wind Blows

The Earth is a sphere and does not have an flat surface. The earth has also has a tilt of about 23.5 degrees. These two factors are responsible for the uneven heating on Earth. The equator receives the most direct sunlight from the sun. The equator receives this sunlight from direct rays, which heats that area more because it is direct. Angled light rays heat areas on the Earth that are further from the equator such as the poles. Moving to about thirty degrees north and south of the equator, the warm air from the equator begins to cool and sink. Between thirty degrees latitude and the equator, most of the cooling sinking air moves back to the equator. I learned this from the the "Global Winds Activity" in class. It helps me to remember this when I think about convection; where as heat at a lower rises, gets cooler, goes back to a lower elevation, and repeats the cycle.

The movement of wind and water on Earth is caused by what is known as the Coriolis effect. The Coriolis effect is when a  whereby a mass moving in a rotating system experiences a force acting perpendicular to the direction of motion and to the axis of rotation. What actually happens is that global winds blow diagonally. The Coriolis effect influences wind direction around the world in this way: in the Northern Hemisphere it curves winds to the right; in the Southern Hemisphere it curves them left. The exception is with low pressure systems. Hadley cells are large-scale convection cells that in which air rises at the equator and sinks at lower altitudes.

Doldrums are areas located at the equator and little or no wind activity due to heat rising in the atmosphere. Horse latitudes also are areas with weak winds, but are located at the 30 degree latitude. Trade winds form when air sinks at the 30 degree latitude. Then, the air blows toward the equator, and after that, the wind is deflected by the Coriolis effect. Westerlies form when air sinks at the 30 degree latitude. The winds blow from west to east and is deflected by the Coriolis effect. From the "Global Winds Activity," I learned that horse latitudes and doldrums are very similar, but they are in different locations. 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=WEGGKShygMZ33M&tbnid=DvM2ezsvrJKuNM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fserc.carleton.edu%2Feslabs%2Fweather%2F3.html

Warm air tends to cause there to be less winds in any given area. For example, Doldrums are areas with no winds because winds because heat rises. With global warming, there will be a lot more heat, which will rise, and eventually cause their to be less wind.

Loggerhead Community-Goodrich Island

1. What special considerations did you have to make for the nesting sea turtle sites located on the barrier island? When considering the nesting sea turtle sites, we had to make sure that they were separated from all of the human made structures. The nesting sites were at the top of the island along with the human made structures, but they were separated by trees that we planted.

2. What special considerations had to be made when determining a good site for the proposed fishing pier? To have a good site for the fishing pier, we considered putting it an area where there was a lot of sea grass.

3. What could be some of the potential problems that might arise from the proposed golf course? Propose some of the ways in which the impacts can be reduced. The golf course can cause a lot of potential problems. For example, it is a wide open area where many trees may have been cut down. To reduce the impact this has made, we planted trees in other areas including around the golf course.

4. What are the economic benefits to the community of Loggerhead County if the development was done with the least amount of environmental impact? With no environmental damage done, the community would wind up successful with the resort and have a good reputation.

5. Describe three ways in which humans negatively impact coastal ecosystems such as the one you are working on with Loggerhead Barrier Island. Humans negatively impact coastal ecosystems with pollution such as from trash or vehicles burning gas. All of the lights used by humans can negatively effect the coast such as interfering with nesting sites. Too many human made structures can interfere with coasts. 

6. How can maintaining natural vegetation help us to reduce the damage caused by oceanic events such as hurricanes, tsunami and continued beach erosion? Natural vegetation is the growth of plants in a certain area that has occurred without man's intervention. These were not planted by humans but have grown naturally for centuries within a certain area. With more natural vegetation, oceanic events are less likely to wipe all of it out.

7. After listening to the other groups make their presentations, were there any ideas they had you would have used if you had though about it before-hand? You should list at least three different ideas and indicate why their idea is actually better for the environment than yours. When looking at all of the other group's islands, I realized that they all were a little different in some way. Although this is true, I don't think that the island could be changed. I don't think that anyone's island was better in any way because  ours had no major improvements.

Sand Reflection

This week I examined 8 different grains of sand based on their many different features. For example, I found that most of the grain sizes were rather small and therefore, they could travel far. Also, most of these grains were not magnetite, meaning they did not attract magnets. One thing that most of these grains had in common was they were a clear, white color. Another thing that I noticed about these grains is that most of them were sorted moderately or really well. This means that the sand grains were about the same size and same type. Out of the 8 different grains of sand, 7 of them had a composition of either minerals or rocks. Only one of types of grain (Mexico) had a biologic composition. Two sand grains that were worth comparing are the Hampton and the Bonaire grains. For starters, the Hampton grains had a orange/yellow color while the Bonaire grains were clear/white. Neither of these grains were magnetite, therefore they can attract to magnets. Based on size, the Bonaire grains are larger than the Hampton grains. Not only are the Hampton grains larger, but they also are better sorted. This means that they have the same size grains, most likely because they are sorted by the wind or the ocean. Both grains have a different composition: the Hampton grains are minerals and the Bonaire grains are rocks. Based on what I have observed, all of these grains have similar and different traits meaning they all maybe common in some way.

Sounding the sea: a study in bathymetric mapping

1. How can ocean floor features be measured and mapped using current acoustical technology? How can ocean floor maps be used in the commercial, military, and/or private sector?  

Ocean floor features can be measured by using sonar. They send waves to the ocean floor and see how long it takes them to bounce and come back. 

2. define the following:

a. abyssal plains: plains on the deep ocean floor that lie between the foot of a continental rise and a mid-ocean ridges

b. underwater sea-mount: An underwater mountain rising from the ocean floor and having a peaked or flat-topped summit below the surface of the sea

c. mid-ocean ridge: an underwater mountain range formed by plate tectonics

d. trench: long, narrow topographic depressions of the ocean that are the deepest parts of the ocean 

3. Responses to the analysis questions:

Our ocean floor was somewhat simple, but it did have some neat physical features. There were some slopes in the seafloor to show that there were deep trenches. In some places on the ocean floor, there were rougher areas than others. With remote sensing technology, we have the advantage of detecting and classifying objects with things such as satellites. The advantage of using vertical exaggeration lets us figure out and classify objects on the seafloor with ease. 

4.What is the importance of ocean floor maps? What kinds of thing might make up the sea floor?

5. The importance of this assignment was to get a better understanding of mapping the ocean floor. This gives scientists a better idea of what the ocean floor looks like based on what is there. 

Dance of the Continents

Although I already knew a lot prior to this topic, there is a variety of interesting things that I did learn from this activity.  One thing I already knew was that the earth had mainly one large continent. I also knew that it broke up into many pieces and they drifted apart (and still do). What I never thought about is the fact that the landmasses spread across the ocean floor. As far as the theory of tectonic plates goes, I did know that the tectonic plats existed and that they are parts of continents and islands. I also knew that their type of boundary is determined by their motion.  What I did not know about this theory is that there are six major plates on earth and that they also consist of the ocean floor. Another thing that I did not know about this theory is the fact that the plates are a part of what is called the lithosphere. Sea floor spreading is something I am completely new to. I did not know that magma rises between the plates in what is called the global rift. I also find it interesting how when the magma cools, it forces the plates to expand and the continents move.

Oceanography Fiield Trip

Out of the many field trips I've taken, this is one of the most interesting ones I have taken. I learned many things during this experience that I never realized before. For example, I learned how to pin-point my location using a map when im in the ocean. This was very helpful and interesting to learn about for if or when I ever am in this situation. I also learned about how imporatnt plankton are to the ocean and humans. They are the reason that we have around two thirds of our oxygen. They are also at the bottom of the food chain in the ocean and are essential for many sea mammals. I also learned some interesting things about the beach. I found it really neat how the sand changes its color when its closer or further from the ocean. The closer the sand is to the ocean, the smaller the grain is and its color is different. As far as animals go, I learned something really neat about lobsters. You can tell the male and female apart because the males have bigger claws but they have smaller tails. The females can carry thousands of egs on their stomachs. Overall, this field trip was a fascintaing experience as fas as expanding my learning about the ocean.