Geothermal Energy?

What is geothermal energy? It is a source of energy using the heat that is already in the earth. It uses steam and hot water that is trapped in layers underneath the surface and converts it into electricity or energy. Many countries rely on this method already as a heating source. There are over 20 countries that use this for heating and/or cooling or electricity. The huge benefit for geothermal energy is that it can be extracted without the use of a fossil fuel such as coal or oil. The only problem is that it releases hydrogen sulfide, which at low concentrations smells like rotten eggs. There is also the fluids that are left over that have a slight toxin level to them. To read more about geothermal energy, click here.

Source: "Geothermal Energy Information, Geothermal Power Facts - National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.

WHAT CAN I SAY?!

So what's the difference... global warming....climate change.... it's all the same thing right? WRONG! Global warming refers to the global temperature increasing. While climate change refers to a much broader area. Climate change refers to how climates are taking the increase in global temperatures. This means like weather patterns, sea level rise and ocean acidification. NASA prefers the term climate change over global warming because it is a better representation of what the planet is going through since it does not only cover the increase of global temperature. To read more about where the phrases originated from, and the debate click here.

Source: Wall, Tim. "War of the Words: Climate Change or Global Warming? : DNews."DNews. N.p., 6 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

5 Common Misconceptions about Antarctic Ice

These five myths are commonly heard from the people who are denying that climate change exists. On this site they discuss the five most common misconceptions about the Antarctic ice melting. Here are three of the five myths:

1. The Antarctic ice is not shrinking, it is getting bigger.
1. The ice may seem like it is getting bigger, but what people are seeing is sea ice, not land ice. When scientists refer to the ice melting, they are referring to the land ice or the glaciers melting. And there is a possibility of the glaciers melting being caused by the growing amount of sea ice.
2. It must be all those volcanoes.
1. Volcanoes are not to blame for the melting ice. Climate change is definitely what is effecting the Antarctic with no exceptions. There are multiple examples of places that have a good amount of volcanoes and have glaciers covering it's surface.
3. It's all a global warming conspiracy.
1. False. All of the facts point towards humans causing global warming. What scientists report and what news shows talk about are all based on observed data not computer based simulations or projections. There is no global warming conspiracy there are numerous facts and data to back up the fact that humans are causing the climate to change.

If you want to read the other two you can click here to read more information about the myths and why they are wrong!

Source: Oskin, Becky. "Common Misconceptions About Big Changes : DNews." DNews. N.p., 14 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

The Arctic Ice Could Melt Faster Than We Thought!

All throughout the ocean there are underwater volcanoes that will sometimes erupt. There are volcanoes that are present underneath the Antarctic ice sheet, which could potentially lead to huge problems. If these were to erupt, the heat would cause the ice sheet to melt at a much faster rate and would cause abrupt sea level rises. If the ice were to melt at an accelerated pace, society as a whole most likely will not be able to completely prepare for such a sudden rise in sea levels. For more information about volcanic reactions effecting the ice you can look here.

Source: Heltzel, Paul. "Antarctic Melt Could Increase Volcanic Activity : DNews."DNews. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

For All You Non-Believers...

As with almost every issue, there is going to be two sides. Even things that you would think are common knowledge or relatively simple, like 9/11 or other tragic events, somehow have conspiracies behind them. Even with every fact pointing towards something being true, there are going to be people that don't believe it. And even nowadays with every single sign pointing towards global warming being real and happening, there are still people saying that it isn't real. As this group is becoming fewer and fewer, here is some solid proof that climate change is happening and effecting us more than we may know. On this website it shows you ten signs that climate change is happening, but all of these coincidentally have to do with rising sea levels and ice melting. Could it be any more obvious how much of a reality climate change is?

Source: Mulvaney, Kieran. "1. Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in the Atmosphere Are Increasing : DNews." DNews. N.p., 22 Apr. 2013. Web. 27 May 2014.

2,000 Year Old Ice Core

Scientists have recently successfully drilled into a 2,000 year old ice core in Antarctica, and can now directly observed how much the climate has evolved. In these ice cores scientists are able to receive information about previous climates using the chemistry of the air that was caught in the snow and ice. Ice cores are a very useful tool in paleoclimatology. From these little pieces of ice you can find our the solar radiation, volcanic activity and even storm events that occurred in the previous climates. Analyzing this cored will help scientists understand the series of ice ages and warm periods that occurred in the past. For more information about this drill you can read it here.

Source: AFP. "Polar Scientists Drill 2,000-year-old Ice Core : DNews." DNews. N.p., 8 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

Climate Model? How about a Universe Model?!

We all know about climate models, they can explain simple things in the climate or the climate as a whole. Up until now, scientists were never able to create a model (just like our climate ones) that displayed the entire universe as a whole. But now for the first time they created a model that shows the universe at the beginning up until now. This model is special because it shows a large and small scale changes at the same time. In this model scientists are able to fast forward, pause and zoom in to specific areas to get a better look. If you were to put this model into a modern day computer, it would take 2,000 years. The reason that this really interested me is because the building blocks behind these computer models are all mathematics equations. Here is the article from the Discovery Channel.

Source: O'Neill, Ian. "Mind-Blowing Computer Simulation Recreates Our Universe : DNews." DNews. N.p., 7 May 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

Fixing the Communication Failure

• What is cultural cognition?

Cultural cognition refers to the influence of group values on risk perceptions and related beliefs. These group values reflect on equality, individualism, authority and community.

• How does protective cognition manifest itself in the context of climate change science?

It is the main cause of political conflict over the credibility of scientific data on climate change and other environmental risks.

• Explain the two specific techniques suggested for improving scientific communication.

One method is to explain information in a way that affirms peoples beliefs rather that threatens them. This is because people tend to reject information that may prevent them from doing activities that are valued by their group. But in the other hand if they are also presented information that upholds their commitments then they are more likely to be open-minded about the subject. The second technique is to make sure that the evidence is backed up by a diverse panel of experts.

• What, unfortunately, is the reality of most scientific communication.

The method is to normally flood the public with as much information as possible, assuming that all of the truth will drown out the lies.

Ozone! What don't you know?

After reading this article about the ozone, here is three things I never knew:

1. One Chlorine atom can destroy 100,000 "good" ozone molecules
2. Over exposure to UV is believed to be contributing to the increase in melanoma, one of the most fatal of all skin cancers. It is believed that the chances of getting it has at least doubled since 1990.
3. Breathing in "bad" ozone can cause a lot of health problems. Chest pain, coughing, throat irritation and congestion are just some of the symptoms. It can worsen bronchitis as well as asthma and emphysema.

If You See Something, Say Something

Who is Michael Mann? He is the director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University as well as the author of The Hockey Stick and the Climate Change Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines."Who is James Hansen?

He is the former director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies. He warns the the pipeline from Canada to the US is something that we should definitely not do, or we have very little way from recovering from that.

Who is Steven Schneider?He worked at Stanford University and died in 2010. He believed that we should have a forceful approach on Global Warming.

In two sentences: summarize this opinion piece: This opinion piece is about recognizing that climate change is occurring and that action against it needs to be taken. Who knows what would happen if the people that can see it occurring and decided to do nothing about it, would their children be expected to accept our consequences?

You can find the article here.