Lauren+P

​ My name is Lauren Petriccione, and I am a senior at BHS.

I would say one of the main topics I hear about science all the time is the global warming. **__GO GREEN__** is advertised all over the world because the human race needs to conserve our planet, not destroy it. There needs to be more awareness by educating people to stop having a negative impact on this planet. I have learned through magazines and news paper ads that ways to do that is to use metal water bottles instead of plastic bottles, recycle and re-use paper. Also, try to find a way to avoid pollution, and completely get rid of littering which kills animals. This is a major issue concerning science and the atmosphere, and I hear about it almost everyday.

We should care about global warming because it is impacting the world we live in and it does effect us. The constant temperature change leads to human sickness, death of plants and animals that cannot deal with the constant sparatic change, and it is something everyone should be trying to avoid. Global warming is when the earth hears up. It happens when the greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases the temperature. Global warming makes the sea rise, leads animals to lose their sourse of food, and it also leads to death for many plants and animals that cannot survive. [] Climate change occurs during global warming, which is ruining nature. The following are effects of climate change: 1.Glacier ice is melting in the arctic. 2. Ecosystems are changing, as temperatures rise animals will either move to a cooler habitat, or die. 3. The sea level is rising. 4. Heavier rain fall which causes flooding. 5.The percentage of drought is rising, and animals and ecosystems are slowly disappearing. []

Here are 4 reasons why we **SHOULD** care:

1) __Polar ice caps are melting__ -It will raise sea levels. There are 5,773,000 cubic miles of water in ice caps, glaciers, and permanent snow. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, if all glaciers melted today the seas would rise about 230 feet. -Melting ice caps will throw the global ecosystem off balance. -Temperture change, leads to landscape change, which leads to death of animals who cannot handle the drastic changes. -IF all the ice caps melt, which is the source of cooling the earth, the only other souce left is the ocean, which is also having climate changes due to the effects of global warming. This is overall ruining the atmosphere.

2) __Economic Consequence:__ -Hurricanes, which causes billions of dollars to repair damage. -Diseases from living with strangers, or on the streets cost money to medicate.

3) Increased probability of droughts and heat waves: - Africa already deals with droughts, global warming makes it worse. - The effects of this on the people living in Europe and Africa could eventually lead to war.

4) __Warmer waters and more hurricanes:__ -As the temperature of the oceans rise, we will see more hurricanes develop and leave the country in debt to try and pay for damage control.

5) __Spread of Disease:__ -As the temperature gets warmer, more insects carrying diseases are flying around globally which spreads diseases and sicknesses. Some of these diseases may not have cures. I think I am effected by global warming, along with the world around me because every day more animals, ecosystems, and even people are destroyed by this. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, freezing temperatures and temperatures that are too hot are all examples of effects on the ecosystems due to global warming. Many species are dying due to the effects, and destruction from natural causes leads to people being homeless, or sick with diseases.  I think awareness is very important because global warming is ruining our planet and people need to make an effort to change how we live and preserve this planet. If every single person in this world recycled, became educated, did not pollute, and tried to make a difference this world would no longer be dealing with natural disasters and the effects of global warming. I think one day we will be able to save this planet!
 * __ Reflection: __**


 * __ CARBON CYCLE: __** The movement of Carbon is released in many forms between the biosphere, atmosphere, and oceans. T he circulation of carbon atoms in the biosphere as a result of photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide into complex organic compounds by plants, which are consumed by other organisms: the carbon returns to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide as a result of respiration, decay by fungi, bacteria, etc., and combustion of fossil fuels. Without the cycle of Carbon, our atmosphere would not function, and animals and plants would die. Every part of the ecosystem depends on carbon and the way it moves through creates a functioning cycle. [[image:carbon-cycle.gif width="256" height="236"]]

Soil, natural gas, peat and coal are mainly made of carbon. If any of these absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they emit, they are known as **__ CARBON SINKS. __** In other words, this means if these objects have absorbed more carbon dioxide than released into the atmosphere.

__** CARBON SOURCE: **__ If plants, animals, and soil have emitted more carbon dioxide than they've absorb. In other words, this means that if the plans and animals have released more carbon into the atmosphere than they have taken in, they are involved in the carbon source cycle.


 * __ FOSSIL FUELS: __** Hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel, oil, petrolium, or natural gas, formed from the remains of dead plants and animals. I think this cycle explains how our daily uses are used in our environment. Even after animals are dead they are still taking part in our atmosphere by decomposing, and being used for fossil fuel, oils, and coal for energy.

** __GREENHOUSE GASES__: ** Any of the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation produced by solar warming of the Earth'sinclude carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and water vapor. I think this is important because without the greenhouse gases, our earth would not have the ability to obtain heat. [] []

contained in their body, enters the earth's crust || __**Ecological footprint:**__ All renewable resources come from the earth and the area of productive land and water ecosystems required to produce the resources that the population consumes and assimilate the wastes that the population produces, wherever on Earth the land and water is located. __ **Carbon footprint:** __ is a measure of the impact our activities have on the environment, and in particular climate change. It relates to the amount of greenhouse gases produced in our day-to-day lives through burning fossil fuels for electricity, heating and transportation etc.The carbon footprint is a measurement of all greenhouse gases we individually produce and has units of tonnes (or kg) of carbon dioxide equivalent. http://www.carbonfootprint.com/carbonfootprint.html
 * How is the balance of the carbon cycle affected? **
 * CARBON SOURCES (+) || CARBON SINKS(-) ||
 * Plant photosynthesis || Plants and trees absorb more carbon dioxide than they release ||
 * Power plants || Oceans and marine life ||
 * Burning trees || When plants and animals die the carbon
 * Green house gas makes the earth warmer ||  ||
 * Burning and the making of plastic ||  ||

**IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE ME** we would need to have 4.2 planet earth's. According to the website, my lifestyle takes 20 global acres of the Earth's productive area.

There are many things that I can do to change my living habits. I can do the following: 1) Eat less meat and store bought food, and have more vegetables and proteins. 2) Use less electricity/running water on a daily basis. 3) Carpool with friends and family to use less gas which will lead to less pollution that is going into the atmosphere. 4)Not use store bought products such as plastic and recycle more and conserve the environment. 5)Lastly, try to keep electricity to a minimum and only use it when it is a MUST.

__**//WHAT CAN I DO??//**__ 1) I could save water and use less electricity. I can do this by not leaving the water running for too long if I don't need it, and not leaving the lights on if I am not in the room. 2) Not driving as much and polluting the atmosphere. -This can be done by carpooling with friends and family, or walking places if it is in walking distance, that way we don't pollute the air and get exercise! 3) Reduce waste and RECYCLE! This will have a positive impact on the environment. -I can do this by using the same water bottle more than once, and also using metal water bottles instead of plastic! 4) Use less manufactured products that are taken from the wild, and reduce the amount of meat I eat. -I can do this by buying less products that are bad for the environment and are taken from the natural environments and only use and buy the things I need to survive, not things i want. **This is effective because if people are educated and get involved in organizations, we can preserve our planet!**

__//HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?**?**//__ I absolutely believe that one person can make a difference. All it takes is one person to do the research, learn about how the earth is effected by the every day life of humans, and spread the word. If every person in this world started to recycle, use less electricity, and try to walk places instead of using cars that release gas into the atmosphere. If a person told me they thought they couldn't make a difference I would tell them they were wrong. If you truly want to see a change in this world, you may have to be the one to start it, and after people hear about it and learn about how you are helping this world people will join! Everyone wants to be apart of something that will benefit the life around us!!!!!!!!! .