Alison Korman 9/22/11

The Disappearing Bees

-Bee facts/importance

-honey bees in US pollinate the crops for one third of the US diet

-Bees pollinate all sorts of agriculture

-just the CA almond crop alone requires 1.3 million hives, which are trucked in from all over the country (commercial beekeeping is an extremely important business)

-CCD

            -symptoms

                        -worker bees just disappear from hives, leaving the queen and young bees, there are no dead bees found around the hive

            -never happened before

            -why its unusual

                        -hive mentality- queen controls everything, and bees only work for benefit of their hive

            -disappeared by the millions overnight

                        -commercial beekeepers were losing an average of over half of their hundreds of hives within a very short period of time

                        -34% of colonies died in 2010 winter alone

-possible factors

            -pesticides

            -new mite (varroa)

            -travel- hard on colonies, easier to pick up various mites and viruses

            -mixture of all those

            -bees would die out in US without beekeepers now

-how to help

            -flowers in gardens

            -small scale hives in back yards

-My Point of View:

            -I think CCD was probably caused by a combination of Pesticides and Mites. Mites have been around for a long time, but in combination with pesticides that have also been around but have maybe have just really sunk into earth in permanent ways. We completely killed off fireflies from pesticides, and if we don’t protect bees the same thing might happen, but with bees we will be in a serious agricultural crisis.

Fun Facts:

-bees have been around for millions of years

-communicate with pheromones

-new queen, will attack unknown bee, marshmallow, eat through until recognizes pheromones

-one colony can have 20,000 to 60,000 bees, mostly workers, some drones (male bees), and only one single queen

Questions For Class:

•What do you think are ways that we can help the bees?

•What are the repercussions of bee loss?

•Do you think these problems are humans’ fault, or is it a natural cycle?

More Info:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/business/27bees.html

http://www.backyardbeekeepers.com/facts.html

Honey Bee Waggle Dance Video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ijI-g4jHg

Texas Drought

Climate

a)     arid in west

b)    humid, subtropical in east

c)     emits the most greenhouse gases in US

d)    state’s annual carbon dioxide emissions are on average 1.5 trillion pounds

e)     If Texas was a nation it would be the world’s 7^th highest producer in greenhouse gases

·      3,700 streams and 15 major rivers

·      Texans have built over 100 artificial reservoirs

Texas

·      2^nd largest US state behind Alaska à Texas 268,601 square miles

·      3 of its borders are defined by rivers: Rio Grande (Mexico, south), Red River (Oklahoma and Arkansas to north), Sabine River (Louisiana east)

·      790 miles long and 660 miles wide at its most distant points

·      Lots of coal power plants and refining and manufacturing industries which provide most of US petroleum products

·      Produces 55% of U.S. crop and 2/3rds of America’s yield is exported

·      Texas and Oklahoma produce 1/3^rd of winter wheat in U.S.

Drought

·      Dry spell

·      Lack of rain, Shortage of water

·      Most often occurs when a region receives below average rainfalls

·      As sunlight hits the ground it evaporates any moisture in the soil à no moisture the ground is a hot plate

3 Types of Drought

1.     Meteorological à prolonged period with below average precipitation

2.     Agricultural à triggered by bad irrigation or by naturally less water

3.     Hydrologicalà water reserves (lakes, reservoirs) fall below average (stored water that is used but not replenished)  

Causes of drought

·      Loss of rainfall

·      Global Warming à Global warming is certainly making the drought hotter, which creates a vicious cycle, since the higher temps dry out the earth, but the drier it gets, the hotter its get

·      La Ninaà higher surface temps in tropical Atlantic ocean, a lot depends if la nina will return this fall if it does it will keep things dry

Consequences of drought

·      Crop growth/yield lowered

·      Dustbowls (sign of erosion) further erode landscape

·      Dust storms

·      Habitat damage

·      Famine/malnutrition

·      Wildfire à drier easier to ignite, temp hotter

Drought in Texas

·      Houston has received only 1.5 inches of rain in March, April, May –less than some parts of the Sahara desert get during the same period of time

·      The 10 months from October 2010 through July 2011 have been the driest for that 10-month period in Texas since 1895

·      Real problem à affect on economy

·      Losses so far estimated at 5 billion

·      Lost a little over half its cotton crop

·      Farmers have to sell cattle because there is no water for them to drink à shorter prices for meat in short run, but in long run prices will soar

·      Ranchers trying to relocate cattle to different areas but the cattle were bred specifically for Texas’s climate and the herds will be hard to rebuild in Dakota, Alabama etc…

·      "When you sell everything, you lose the genetics," Miller says. "They have selected cattle that do well under that environment and cattlemen have spent their life doing that."

·      “THE HEAT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THE REMAINDER OF THE SUMMER…WITH
THE DROUGHT CONTINUING UNABATED WELL INTO THE UPCOMING AUTUMN. WITH
THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER DRY LA NINA WINTER…THERE IS LITTLE TO
SUGGEST ANY END TO THE DROUGHT.” – ABC News

Drought Protection

·      Desalination – taking water from sea

·      Drought monitoring – prevent man made drought and land erosion

·      Restricting water use – sprinklers, plants

·      Rainwater harvesting – storing rain water

·      Recycled Water—sewage that has been purified 

Miles Crabill's News Report

1) Miles Crabill, presented 9/6/11

2)

• Wave and Tidal Power
• Purpose: To illustrate the future potential of hydropower - and specifically to inform the class about the current manifestations of water-based electricity sources. Talking points included the importance of hydropower sources in our modern world, a comparison of wave power, tidal power, ocean thermal energy conversion, and hydro-electric plants, and an analysis of current and future implementations of these technologies.
• Discussion Questions:
• In terms of specific technologies, which direction do you think hydropower will move in and why? 
• Why do you think hydro-electric power has been developed so much more than the other hydropower possibilities?
• Is there a specific reason that hydropower solutions have not been implemented on a large scale?
• If you had to map a time-frame for the likely implementation of hydropower technologies, when would you place each technology and why?
• Images:


• Additional Research: 
• Hydropower is an industry that is long overdue to explode. From my research I've concluded that technology has just recently advanced to the point that an explosion of hydropower would be economically viable - essentially, more people need to get in on the business. 
• OTEC is a booming technology that is only going to get more boomy - that is to say, considering the unlimited resource it requires (hot + cold water) and the byproduct that it produces (fresh water).
• I highly recommend you read this for the U.S. Department of Energy's official word on OTEC
• Wave and Tidal power are on their way! Hydro-electric has dominated the scene for far too long and is being phased out across the U.S. because of its habitat ruining ways. Non-destructive means of producing electricity are the future.
• Additional Resources:
• Article by David R. Baker of the San Francisco Chronicle, "California wave power project is on the rocks"
• Article on the official U.S. Department of Energy website about Ocean Tidal Power
• USGS article about the use of hydroelectric power in the U.S. and the world
• Article from 2008 - "California’s PG&E Takes the Plunge into Wave Power" - outdated
• Article by Mike Lee of SignOn San Diego about floundering wave power projects and lack of funding
• Article about the Ocean Renewable Power Company’s installation of a tidal power turbine on the east coast
• Article from the California Energy Commission about different types of hydropower
• PG&E's website for the deprecated WaveConnect program
• Powerpoint Download - Now with less Egypt!
• Bibliography because... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
• Baker, David R. "California Wave Power Project Is on the Rocks - Houston Chronicle." Houston Chronicle. 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/California-wave-power-project-is-on-the-rocks-1712148.php>.
• "Energy Savers: Ocean Tidal Power." EERE: Energy Savers Home Page. U.S. Department of Energy, 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.energysavers.gov/renewable_energy/ocean/index.cfm/mytopic=50008>.
• "Hydroelectric Power and Water." USGS Georgia Water Science Center. 8 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuhy.html>.
• Kriscenski, Ali. "California’s PG&E Takes the Plunge into Wave Power." Inhabitat. 2 Jan. 2008. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://inhabitat.com/pge-takes-the-plunge-into-wave-power/>.
• Lee, Mike. "Ocean Wave Power Projects Seek Solid Footing on West Coast." SignOnSanDiego.com. 15 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/aug/15/wave-power-projects-flounder-california/>.
• Mack, Sharon Kiley. "Rising Tide: Company Unveils Plans for Cutting-edge Turbine to Be Deployed next Spring." Bangor Daily News. 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://bangordailynews.com/2011/08/12/business/rising-tide-company-unveils-plans-for-cutting-edge-wind-turbine-to-be-deployed-next-spring/?ref=latest>.
• "Ocean Energy." California Energy Commission. 17 Feb. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.energy.ca.gov/oceanenergy/index.html>.
• "WaveConnect™." Pacific Gas and Electric Company. 29 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Sept. 2011. <http://www.pge.com/about/environment/pge/cleanenergy/waveconnect/>.

Maya Rhine's News Report

1) Maya Rhine, presented 9/1/11, E Block

2) Title: What is the World is Fracking?
Purpose: To teach the class about the relatively new process of hydraulic fracturing. This is when a well is drilled about 8,000 feet under the earths surface, through aquifers and into shale (seminary rock). Then, a mixture of water, sand, and chemicals (for example benzene and formaldehyde) are pumped at high pressure into the well in order to create fissures in the shale. This releases natural gas (methane), which is collected mainly for use in our homes. There is much controversy in the news today about the damage the leaked toxic chemicals and methane cause to our water supply and air. I first learned about this topic from the link (i) and used its visuals to show the class at the very beginning of the presentation. Then I used a catchy, and informative music video to teach about a wide range of issues involved with facking (ii).

3)Discussion Question:
            1) Considering the positive and negative aspects of fracking, what is your opinion on it?
            2) Fracking was banned in France in 2011 because of public pressure. Why do you think that the     United States not only still allows fracking, but it also is not heavily regulated?
            3) How can this relate to Tragedy of the Commons?
            4) Out of the world views described in "Living in the Environment," which do you think President Bush has when he signed the Halliburton Loophole, which allowed Fracking companies to be exempt form the Safe Drinking Water Act?

4)Additional Research: I really wanted to learn more about both sides of the debate on the issue of fracking. My main source talked mostly about the negatives (pollution, dangerous drinking water, etc.), so I researched about the positives. I learned that it keeps jobs local, as opposed to offshore oil drilling, which also makes us less dependent on imports. Also, natural gas emits 1/2 the carbon emission of oil. Some people say that because only about 1% of the water solution used to create the fissures consists of toxic chemicals, that it shouldn't have that much of an impact. However, a lot of tests are still being done to see the full effects of fracking. I also learned that at the moment, Obama strongly supports natural gas drilling. Some of the websites I used for this, and more, research are:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_11/b4219025777026.htm
http://www.hydraulicfracturing.com/Pages/information.aspx
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Fracking

5)Links to resources used during presentation
        (i) http://www.gaslandthemovie.com/whats-fracking
        (ii) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q4

This image shows a man, living in a town near a fracking site, lighting his tap water on fire. He is able to do this because of the natural gas leaking into the water. This is huge controversy. Many of the people who are effects by fracking pollution are underprivileged, and therefore have trouble fighting the big Natural Gas companies.