How Wildlife May Fare Under Trump

Posted on by

Link to the article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/11/wildlife-watch-trump-wildlife-trafficking-animal-conservation/

Since the recent presidency elections one of the major questions was about, what would Trump do for the environment? If he becomes the president-elect. The debates in this presidency election surround various of concerns, including some which focus on national security, trade, economics, and to a lesser degree in this election cycle, on the environment. Wildlife, however, plays a part in all those concerns.

“Given our demonstrably disastrous effects on wildlife, there is now recognition that humans have a certain obligation to protect wildlife for its own sake” (Rachel, Jani, 2016). Since 2013 president-elect Obama has worked greatly on the conservation and sustainability of nature and protection of wildlife besides that we even worked on reduction of the pollutants which effects the earth and its climate. Which shows the attempt by the president to really protect the environment for a better and sustainable future.

However, the concern now rises what is the new president-elect going to do for the environment, as some of his campaigns seemed to promote the idea of climate change being a hoax rather a real problem which deserves concern. Trump’s administration seems to promote trophy hunting and other unfriendly- environmental amendments which, may cause a disruption through out the ecosystem, especially the hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Besides, the wall which Trump plans to build is going to disrupt the ecosystem especially the biosphere as its going to hinder animal migration which might end up being a cause for the extinction of these animals.

Urban Heat Island Interactive Maps

Posted on by

We have spent quite a bit of time in class talking about Urban Heat Islands and their different effects, yet it is different to hear about them than to actually see them in a real-time map. This interactive map shows UHI in California calculating temperature differentials over time between urban areas and nearby upwind rural reference points at the height these would be experienced by humans rather than ground level. The map is color-coded according to intensity and the index is reported in degree-hours per day or you can also view the UHI effects through average daily temperature increments.

Website:http://www.calepa.ca.gov/

Syracuse University Hydrosphere Research Group

Posted on by

The purpose of the Syracuse University Hydrosphere Research Group is to integrate research in the Hydrosphere and physical geography as a whole into departments and colleges throughout Syracuse University. The group played a crucial role in creating the Interdisciplinary Graduate Education, Research, and Training (IGERT) proposal, which developed an integrated undergraduate training program focused on human interactions with the hydrosphere. The group has also taken steps within the earth sciences department to improve the quality of the water program. They are constantly bringing in new faculty and equipment to allow for more water related research in the hydrosphere.

On the group’s website, information on faculty members involved in the group and their contact information is provided. Visitors to the website are also able to investigate subgroups of the project including SWIFT, Water Science & Engineering, and hydrology, among others. Finally, there is a tab on the website that discusses job positions available to become a faculty member of the Syracuse University Hydrosphere Research Group, and how to apply.

http://hydrosphere.syr.edu

Center for Dark Energy Biosphere Investigation

Posted on by

This center’s main goal is to investigate the deep seas of our planet. They are actually looking for microbial life underneath the rocks on the floor of our oceans. Their goal is to determine what organisms exist where and how long they’ve been there, how they might be related to other organisms nearby, and how these organisms play into the cycles that make our earth what it is today. The researchers go in and collect samples from under the sea and they analyze that data, as well as create their own models to represent what is below. They have many different field sites across the world where they get their data from, including off the coast of Washington state and Costa Rica. This relates to our class because they are very interested in the biosphere but are also investigating sediment rocks to see if there are any organisms living inside there. Their main focus is investigating our earth’s crust. The center is very dedicated to education and wants to make sure people know about what they are doing.

Home

Stanford University Spatial History Project

Posted on by

The Spatial History Project is an attempt to conduct research within the humanities, specifically history, through the lens of spatial analysis. The team compiles both spatial and non spatial data together within geospatial databases. The differentiation between the Spatial History Project and traditional history research lies in several factors, including the fact that it places a strong emphasis on visualization, a conceptual approach to space, is more collaborative and depends heavily on the use of computers. The website allows you to access the research put out by the Project, as well as look at current projects. Some projects that are currently underway include A Chronology of Suburban Expansion for San Antonio, Texas, A Global Atlas of Oil, Follow the Money, and From Forest to Vineyards: The Changing Landscape in Brazil, among many others. All of these projects begin by examing a central historical issue, and then trace itsdevelopment using geospatial methods. This provides a unique perspective on historical inquiry. The website also allows you to go into the gallery of past projects and immerse yourselg in the research through the use of visals and other forms of media. The research falls within the cross section of the biosphere and lithosphere, lookig both and human interaction and developent with nature as well as the pure enviornmental development over time. In all this website is a useful and intriguing resource for anyone from history buffs to budding physical geographists. 

http://web.stanford.edu/group/spatialhistory/cgi-bin/site/index.php

Interactive MapMaker

Posted on by

Maps are a very useful tool for understanding how geography has played a role in the evolution of the environment. Maps can be very helpful in studying the National Parks of the United States of America.

The Interactive MapMaker is an online platform offered by National Geographic which lets you design, customize and share your own map without having any mapping experience. It allows you to layer your own texts, paths and other media with a variety of pre-designed data layers.  The interactive map also allows you to see the coordinates of any place on Earth and also discover information about countries and territories. The map can be saved and shared with others through email or social media.

All in all, this is a very useful website for people who want to make fully customized maps for instruction or assessment.

http://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org

 

Project BudBurst: Community-based Plant Research

Posted on by

Large-scale data collection is an important aspect of understanding our enivornment and the patterns of change both seasonally and throughout history. However, analyzing the biosphere of communities all over the country, let alone the world, is both time-consuming and expensive. Similarly to the BioBlitz we experienced early this year, Project BudBurst (http://budburst.org/) aims to change the nature of data collection by recruiting volunteers from all 50 states to track seasonal changes in the plant species of their communities. The project partners with a number of organizations, including the National Park Service, National Geographic, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, in order to maintain this initiative.

The aim of this project is to gain as much information as possible about national effects of climate change on various species. The data about plant phenophases is collected by the organization and made public through published reports. In addition to the data produced through this project, Project BudBurst also aims to educate the public about the importance of phenology in understanding changing environments. The group describes plants as the base of the food chain, which makes them the staple of any environment and a good way to measure changes in the entire biosphere of an area, since anything that affects plants generally affects all other areas of the related ecosystems. One major type of change that can be seen through the study of phenology is human impact on both small-scale and large-scale environments.  Project BudBurst gives people a way to personally connect to their surrounding natural environment and view first-hand the impact their community has through human activity. Hopefully, this type of national citizen engagement with the environment will lead to greater care and protection of our remaining natural spaces.

Tracking Ocean Explorations with the NOAA

Posted on by

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a website called ocean explorer, which allows you to track the recent ocean explorations by the NOAA from 2001 to the present. Each exploration provides extensive data that was collected and used, and gives an extensive background as well as the mission’s motivation. There are constant updates of new findings and new missions for each exploration, so you can see what has been found already and what the researchers are hoping to discover. Each exploration also provides photos and maps to help explain where it is taking place, and why the exploration is important to the certain area. The website provides a digital atlas that shows all of the current explorations around the world, allowing you to click on a certain mission and use GIS tools to examine dive locations, dive tracks, and ship tracking. You can also quickly view the education, data and summary of each mission on the map.

This website can help connect the general public to the advances in geographical research, and help inform them of what work is being done around the world to further the knowledge of our oceans. It also will help keep the public aware of the past history of the world, and what artifacts are found in oceans that help piece together important historical events.

http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/explorations.html

How the Parks of Tomorrow will be Different?

Posted on by

America’s most special places will always be beautiful, but a warming climate forces us to accept that they can’t be frozen in time.

Assateague Island National Seashore, which sits on a 37-mile-long sliver of land just off the coast of Maryland and Virginia, is gradually shuffling westwards 1. Hurricanes and Northeasters have driven sand from the beaches across island into the bayside marshes. The entire island is shifting closer to the coast.

Scientists expect that as the climate changes, the storms will likely strengthen, sea levels will keep rising, and Assateague’s slow westward migration may accelerate1. The staff at the National Park is preparing for these changes. The storms have destroyed the parking lots 6 times in 10 years. The park’s crew worked to adapt to the storms and created toilets, showers and beach shelters that could be moved quickly.

These adaptations, however did not take into account Climate Change. The seashore is one of the first national parks in the country to explicitly address and accept, the effects of climate change. The park will try to adjust to the changes, rather than fighting them. It will continue to move as the island moves, shifting its structures with the sands.

Dude Where’s our Water? Drought conditions across the United States

Posted on by

Although, news media coverage of the California drought has fizzled over time, the reality is that many parts of my home-state continue to be under “Extreme” or “Exceptional” drought conditions.

The United States Drought Monitor (USDM) is a useful tool in analyzing current drought conditions across the United States. The USDM is a joint project by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

With weekly comparisons, data tables, and even GIS data (among other useful tools), anybody can log on and examine the different effects of drought conditions. Users can examine specific attributes such as percent of normal rainfall and the Vegetation Drought Response Index (VegDRI) of a given state.

As the drought in California and other parts of the United States drag on, it is important to be informed about conditions and develop plans to save water.

USDM: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home.aspx