Author Archives: Michael Andrew Alberici

Are Earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador Related? The Science Says No

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This article talks about two recently striking earthquakes.  Earthquakes of magnitudes exceeding 7.0 struck Japan and Ecuador just hours apart on Saturday.  The two however are not related.  The two quakes occurred about 9,000 miles apart. That is too much of a distance for their to be a connection.  Large earthquakes can, and usually do, lead to more quakes; however, this is only if they are in the same region, or along/near the same fault.  These are called aftershocks. Sometimes a large quake can be linked to a smaller quake that occurred earlier, called a fore shock.  In the case, seismologists believe that several magnitude-6 quakes in the same region on the previous day were fore shocks to the Saturday event.  It turns out that the two earthquakes actually aren’t similar.  The magnitude 7.8 in Ecuador was what would be considered a classic mega thrust event.  A mega thrust quake occurs in the boundary zone where one of the planet’s tectonic plates is sliding under another which is the process of subduction.  Even though two 7.0 plus earthquakes occurred within the same day, this doesn’t mean that earthquake activity is increasing.  The geological survey, which monitors earthquakes around the world, says the average number of quakes per year is remarkably consistent.  For earthquakes between magnitude 7.0 and 7.9, there have been some years with more than 20 and others with fewer than 10, but the average, according to the survey, is about 15. That means that there is more than one per month, on average, and by chance, sometimes two quakes occur on the same day.  There are earthquakes occurring every day that people do not notice due to the fact that they are occurring in the ocean.  I think this is an article that shouldn’t alarm us but it is definitely good that we keep record of when earthquakes occur and continue to study them.

References:

Fountain, Henry. “Are Earthquakes in Japan and Ecuador Related? The Science Says No.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Apr. 2016. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.

Acreage for Genetically Modified Crops Declined in 2015

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The world’s farmers have increased their use of genetically modified crops steadily and sharply since the technology became broadly commercialized in 1996; however, this will not be the case anymore.  The article states that 2015 was the first time the acreage used for the crops declined.  According to a nonprofit that tracks, the plantings of biotech seeds.  The organization said the main cause for the decline, which measured 1 percent from 2014 levels, was low commodity prices, which led farmers to plant less corn, soybeans and canola of all types, both genetically engineered and non-engineered.  Only three countries account for more than three-quarters of the total global acreage. And only four crops account for the majority of biotechnology use in agriculture.  In many cases, more than 90 percent of those four crops grown in those three countries, and in other large growers like Canada, India and China, is already genetically modified, leaving little room for expansion.

There have been efforts to expand use of biotechnology to other crops and to other countries. These have created difficulties due to opposition from consumer and environmental groups, regulatory hurdles and in some cases scientific obstacles.  The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Application’s plan is to help small farmers in developing countries take advantage in biotechnology.  This in turn can increase farmer income and reduce use of chemical pesticides.  It receives financial support from various foundations, companies, trade groups and governments, including Monsanto and the United States government.  The overall acreage planted with biotech seeds in 2015 fell 1 percent globally to 444.0 million acres, from 448.5 million acres in 2014.  The crops were grown in 28 countries and used by up to 18 million farmers, most of them small ones in developing countries, the report said.  I guess we will just have to wait and see how this all plays out.  Allow more time to collect data and move from there.

References:

Pollack, Andrew. “Acreage for Genetically Modified Crops Declined in 2015.”The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Apr. 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.

Can Economies Rise as Emissions Fall? The Evidence Says Yes

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All through the 20th century, America was fueled by burning of coal and oil to move planes, trains, and automobiles emitting more CO2 and contributing to global warming.  This wasn’t the only thing getting higher, so was the economic growth.  A study by the International Energy Agency last year found that as global G.D.P. grew, global carbon emissions leveled off.  This was exciting to economists but it could be false.  A new study released more recently found that the trend continued.  21 countries have doubled their economic growth from carbon emissions.  In these countries, G.D.P. went up over the last 15 years, carbon pollution went down.  That may seem like a lot but 170 countries still have not reached this achievement.

Among the 170 countries are some of the worlds biggest polluters.  21 countries is not enough to save the world.  Everyone needs to help.  These countries lowered emissions by over a billion tons but overall emissions grew about 10 billion tons.  The article studies the different types of emissions and how each plays a part in overall emissions to the world.  Coal has shown to produce much more emissions than natural gas.  In general, people need to be more efficient with how they go about their day, not just everyday people but factories and manufactures as well. The only way to truly lower emissions will be to bite the bullet and accept a hit to the economy.  A big question remains, not to change with wishful thinking and changing to sustainable ways but can we manage without growth?  We’ll see how everything plays out over the next decade.  The choices we make will affect us later on.

References:

Davenport, Coral. “Can Economies Rise as Emissions Fall? The Evidence Says Yes.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Apr. 2016. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.

The Danger of a Runaway Antarctica

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Leaders of nations met in Paris and reached a landmark agreement to lower gas emissions.  Scientists reported that 2015 was by far the hottest year on record, this is scary.  In February, a Princeton-based research organization said the tidal flooding that has already made life miserable for people in coastal cities like Miami and Charleston is getting steadily worse.  Also not a good thing to think about.  A group of experts including the one guy who initially brought the results of climate change to congress back in 1988 warned that climate shifts could become sudden and abrupt.  This in turn wouldn’t give humanity enough time to prepare for flooding, severe droughts and disasters.

Another startling finding is that if carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels continue unabated, the vast West Antarctica ice sheet could begin to disintegrate.  This could cause sea leveling rising by five to six feet by the end of the century.   With sea levels rising this much, it would destroy coastal cities and low-lying island nations and create environmental devastation within the lifetimes of children born today.  Robert DeConto of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and David Pollard of Pennsylvania State University were the two to publish this new article.

The report also contains what we would consider good news today.  “The collapse of Antarctica is not inevitable,” it says, and could be prevented with an aggressive global effort to keep greenhouse gases at or below the levels called for in Paris, where leaders embraced a goal of holding warming “well below” an increase of two degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.”  This issue requires every county to do their part and put in effort.  We all need to work together to try to minimize these emissions quickly.  President Obama is moving aggressively to increase automobile efficiency and develop cleaner sources of energy.  The United States will have to continue to exercise leadership throughout era and we all need to do our best to be more clean and conservative with energy, only then, will we see a difference.

References:

“The Danger of a Runaway Antarctica.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.

Fight to Keep Alternative Energy Local Stymies an Industry

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This article deals with alternative energy, mostly wind and how we need to utilize it more.  All down the center of the country, winds rip through which could fulfill the power demands for millions of customers.  The problems lies where the demand is needed as to where the wind turbines can be constructed.  Companies are working to build high voltage transmission lines across the country to the coasts where the bulk of the demand is.  This job is in need of government approval.  More than 3,100 miles of line are yet to be built.  Some companies have spent years to get approval by each state to get the go ahead.  One company only won the approval of 3 states over the course of 6 years.  They have since hit a dead end in Missouri due to some land owners, landowners that own a good bit of land and have farms.  These land owners argue that it alters their way of life as well as that this project violates their property rights.  I can see where these people are coming from.  I wouldn’t want a heavy voltage power line in my back yard either.  The land owners also argue that they shouldn’t have to derive wind from the middle of the U.S. when there is plenty of wind in the East.  Essentially, the entire project is on hold at the moment and the we are all entering an emerging battle over how the nation should shift to alternative energy resources as well as how we can meet targets in carbon reduction.  This outcome will determine where and how green energy will develop over the coming decades.

References:

Cardwell, Diane. “Fight to Keep Alternative Energy Local Stymies an Industry.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Mar. 2016. Web. 24 Mar. 2016.

Wind Farm May Be Built Off Long Island

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This article talks about the possible construction of a wind farm off of the Long Island.  It will be several years before any New Yorker’s see anything being developed.  A project like this will takes years of environmental assessments as well as construction plan development.  The site would be about 11 miles of the cost of long beach and would be 127 square miles.  According to the United States Energy Bureau, five private companies have expressed interest in developing the site.  They are: Fisherman’s Energy, Energy Management, Deepwater Wind, EDF Renewable Energy, and Sea Breeze Energy.  The federal government has issued 11 leases for wind farms on the East Coast.  New York’s coast holds a lot of potential and with the site holding 194 wind turbines each generating 3.6 megawatts, this would produce up to 700 megawatts of power.  The Power Authority stated that this could be enough energy to provide power for around 300,000 homes!  This is not the first offshore project that has been proposed for New York but certainly seems the most promising.  President Obama has helped this issue by not allowing off shore drilling on the Atlantic Coast.  This would be a great asset for New York if they were able to channel the wind off the coast into energy.  I am all for this idea.  This article also relates to module 8.  Module 8 discusses the effects of human impact on the oceans.  This could be a very promising new plan for our future and could lead to a new wave of resources.

References:

Schlossberg, Tatiana. “Wind Farm May Be Built Off Long Island.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

In Zika Epidemic, a Warning on Climate Change

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This article talks about the relation of climate change to viruses spreading causing sickness to people.  2015 was the hottest year in the historical record, with an outbreak in Brazil of a disease transmitted by heat-loving mosquitoes.  Scientists say it will take them years to figure that out, and pointed to other factors that may have played a larger role in starting the crisis. These same experts added that the Zika epidemic, as well as the related spread of a disease called dengue that is sickening as many as 100 million people a year and killing thousands, should be interpreted as warnings.  These mosquitoes will thrive in warmer climates; therefore, climate change will be a factor in disease outbreaks.  The viruses are being transmitted largely by the yellow mosquito.  That creature adapted long ago to live in human settlements, and developed a concomitant taste for human blood.

Cities in the tropics, the climate zone most favorable to the mosquito, have undergone explosive growth.  This is putting more people at risk.  The mosquito lays its eggs in containers of water, of a sort that are especially common in the huge slums of Latin American cities.  The poorer countries will suffer more due to infected water supply of the mosquitoes.  They do not have water piping, their water just sits in buckets.  Water storage near homes is commonplace in areas where Zika has spread rapidly, like the cities of Recife and Salvador in northeastern Brazil.  Altogether, dengue killed at least 839 people in Brazil in 2015, a 40 percent increase from the previous year.  Dengue is killing more than 20,000 people a year worldwide.  Several experts said in interviews that a main reason for the disease outbreaks was most likely the expansion of the number of people at risk, through urbanization, population growth and international travel. They see the changing climate as just another stress on top of a situation that was already rife with peril.

The mosquitoes mostly live on flower nectar, but the female of the species needs a meal of human blood to have enough protein to lay her eggs. If she bites a person infected with dengue, Zika or any of several other diseases, she picks up the virus.  Aedes aegypti virus is present across the southern tier of the United States. Brief outbreaks of dengue have occurred recently at the warmest margins of the country, and one is underway in Hawaii but thanks to pervasive window screens and air-conditioning, the risk of disease transmission is far less for most Americans than for people in poorer countries.  The mosquito does not thrive in areas with cold winters according to some research.  The yellow fever mosquito competes with a cousin, the Asian tiger mosquito, that has also colonized the United States, and is more tolerant of cold weather.  In the end, there isn’t much we can do to control global warming but there are steps we can take to try to eliminate these viruses.  We are fortunate enough to live in wealth and not suffer like the poorer countries do.

References:

Gillis, Justin. “In Zika Epidemic, a Warning on Climate Change.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2016. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.

Storm Water, Long a Nuisance, May Be a Parched California’s Salvation.

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In long beach California, they have been suffering from one of the worst droughts throughout time, the winter rains finally came through to put an end to it.  This drought has left people with the question of using an intricate water system.  More than 200 billion gallons of storm water, enough to supply 1.4 million households for a year, could be captured statewide using a better system but instead, the water ends up spilling down sewers and drains and into the ocean, which was shown on Thursday in the hours after the rainfall ended, at the spot where the Los Angeles River ends here.

Engineers are now putting their focus to try to capture the storm water and put a stop to the dangers of flooding.  Over 90 people have lost their lives from floods in Southern California.  “Something that was once viewed as a nuisance is now seen as a necessity,” said Eric M. Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles.  He states “We haven’t done enough.”  The mayor stated that he wants to increase the amount of storm water captured from 8.8 billion gallons to 50 billion gallons by 2035.  The heavy January rains and snows that socked the northern part of the state have not kept pace into February.  A critical measure, the snow pack, which provides water as it melts into the spring, was at 94 percent of normal statewide this week.  Meteorologists are still pointing to the history of El Niño storms.  They say the heaviest rains could arrive later this month and in March and April.  This is very worrisome to Engineers.  Although there has been a focus on storm water for a while, now it is intensifying.  The view has changed from a problem to more of an opportunity.

The State Water Resources Control Board had earlier authorized spending 200 million on an array of projects devoted to capturing storm water.  However, officials said it would cost more than $1 billion for the kind of ambitious water collection goals set by Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay Area.  There is still a question as to where all of this money will come from.  Nearly two-thirds of Los Angeles is paved, meaning water that might otherwise soak into the ground runs down streets, driveways and sidewalks and into sewers.  On its way, it picks up pollutants before flowing into the Los Angeles River, which cuts across 43 miles of the region before reaching the ocean.  There is still a long way to go with this issue.  The positive is that there is good that can come from this.  I think that more efforts should be put towards finding solutions as they are doing.

References:

Nagourney, Adam. “Storm Water, Long a Nuisance, May Be a Parched California’s Salvation.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 19 Feb. 2016. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.

Two-Thirds of the World Faces Severe Water Shortages

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This article discusses the sever water shortages taking place right now.  About four billion people, or nearly two-thirds of the world’s population are facing severe water shortages during at least one month every year, far more than was previously thought.  A computer model was designed to create a more accurate picture of water scarcity around the world. Severe water scarcity can lead to crop failure and low crop yields, which could cause food price increases as well as famine and widespread starvation.  Water scarcity is no joke.  We all need water to live.  An area experiences severe water scarcity when its farms, industries and households consume double the amount of water available in that area. That means that groundwater levels are falling, lakes are drying up, less water is flowing in rivers.  Water supplies for industry and farmers are threatened.  Out of everyone, farmers  by far have it the worst.  Now not everyone would suffer equally due to different economic standings.  In more developed countries, severe water scarcity could mean water rations for showering and gardening, while in very poor countries it could lead to shortages of drinking water.

A study showed that half of the four billion people who experience conditions of severe water scarcity at least one month of the year live in either China or India. Of the remaining two billion, the majority live mostly in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Mexico and the western and southern parts of the United States, such as California, Texas and Florida. Previous studies had estimated that between 1.7 and 3.1 billion people were affected by extreme water shortages; however, those studies were proven to be inaccurate due to either measurements that were too general in size or used yearly averages that were not as precise as monthly data.  The professor for water management at The University of Twente Stated: “Freshwater scarcity is a major risk to the global economy, affecting four billion people directly, but since the remaining people in the world receive part of their food from the affected areas, it involves us all.”  I completely agree with his statement and I think we should all try to be more conservative with our water use.

References:

St, Nicholas. “Two-Thirds of the World Faces Severe Water Shortages.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.

New York State to investigate Radioactive Groundwater at Indian Point

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This article deals with a radioactive groundwater site in New York.  Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the State is going to be investigating the high levels of radioactive contamination found in the groundwater at the Indian Point nuclear plant.  What happened was water contaminated with tritium leaked into the groundwater at the plant.  This was the cause of what they said “alarming levels” of radioactivity.  These high levels were found at three out of their 40 monitoring wells on the site.  Entergy Corporation, the company that owns the plant reported a 65,000% increase in the water’s level of radioactivity.  The good news was that the contamination was limited to the groundwater beneath the plant but I think more precautions still need to be taken and more research needs to be done to prevent situations like these from happening.

The gov. made a statement saying that “The facility reports that the contamination has not migrated offsite and as such does not pose an immediate threat to public health.” “Our first concern is for the health and safety of the residents close to the facility and ensuring the groundwater leak does not pose a threat.”  In a statement, Entergy said the elevated tritium levels are “not in accordance with our standards” but that the amount of radioactivity found at Indian Point remained more than a thousand times below federally permissible limits.  The tritium did not affect any source of drinking water on-site or off-site but this was still a scare that needs to be taken with more precaution.

Taking full precaution, the governor sent a letter to the acting commissioner of the State Department of Environmental Conservation, and to the commissioner of the State Health Department.  He told them that he wants a full investigation of the issue and I agree with him.  He said his priority was to determine the extent and duration of the radioactive contamination along with what caused it and whether it might affect the environment and public health of nearby communities. On a final note he writes: “We need to identify whether this incident could have been avoided by exercising reasonable care.”  I guess we will have to just wait and find out if this could have been avoided.  In the end, situations like these do occur and its best to be prepared for the worst.  I think that the governor is doing a good job in handling this situation.

References:

Stack, Liam. “New York State to Investigate Radioactive Groundwater at Indian Point.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Feb. 2016. Web. 07 Feb. 2016.

Blog 2 Climate Deal’s First Big Hurdle: The Draw of Cheap Oil

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About a month ago, world leaders signed an agreement to reduce carbon emissions, now that the price of oil collapsed, the global commitment to renewable energy sources faces its first big test.  This is giving people the idea that why go electric if oil is becoming so cheap but this is not a good way to look at it.  The Obama administration has mandated that automakers nearly double the fuel economy by 2025 and our showing no signs of backing off.  As important as I think this is, I feel as if that is maybe a little too much to as in such a short period of time.  That is less that 10 years away.  We are really going to have to make substantial progress in that time.  China is taking steps to make sure oil does not reach under $30.00 a barrel.

Reducing global emissions is going to be challenging with these prices becoming low.  Not just oil but gas prices now are under $2.00 a gallon in most places.  Governments have to resist these lures of cheap fossil fuels and instead encourage or even require the use of zero carbon energy sources.  These policies clearly are going to be unpopular as traditional fuels become more affordable.  These policies can also be expensive.  As of now, the worlds two largest energy consumers, the United States and China are staying strong with staying the course of pushing towards a cleaner future.  This shows their seriousness towards the issue by resisting these cheap prices.  This is giving us an optimistic view of the future.

Top officials agree that is will not be a set back to us and that the future looks bright.  Utility scale solar power generation is expected to increase by 45% by 2017 according to the energy department.  Basically, all countries have to stay strong throughout times of drops in oil and gas prices.  These drops will happen throughout time but if we all keep on the path to the common goal of a cleaner future with renewable resources, we can do it.  This is a very important issue and I think for the most part, we are doing a very good job.

References:

Krauss, Clifford, and Diane Cardwell. “Climate Deal’s First Big Hurdle: The Draw of Cheap Oil.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.

Blog 1: Hit by Blizzard, Northeast Starts to Burrow Its Way Out

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Here in State College, we have all encountered a recent snow storm; however, there were others that have gotten it much worse then we have.  Many locations all along the East coast were really hit hard by this storm like Philadelphia, New York, the Jersey Shores.  You may be thinking its just a snow storm but this storm has had serious effects.  According to the New York Times, Storm Jonas has caused extreme flooding in coastal areas as well as thousands without power.  There were even 28 storm related deaths!  Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia said there was help coming all the way from Connecticut to help clean up.  Their were wind gusts up to 75 mph down in Dewy Beach Delaware.  This was a storm of record breaking accumulations.  Among the 28 deaths, most of them caused by driving in icy conditions, others while they were trying to shovel and their age didn’t permit them to exert that much physical energy.  There were also several deaths from Carbon Monoxide poisoning.  A woman and her young infant were killed as they sat in their car with the engine running.  The snow was covering the exhaust tip of the car.

I think that we should be more prepared for storms like Jonas because this is common.  There is simply no way to avoid them but we can better prepare for these storms as well has put more efforts into the equipment to clear the streets/sidewalks.  I think that Penn Dot as well as all other state and municipalities have done all they can with the resources they were given to clean up the streets but it simply wasn’t enough.  In the future, I hope leaders and officials take these storms more serious than they did for this one.

Winter storms gather their energy from the clash of two air masses of different temperatures and moisture levels. Winter storms usually form when an air mass of cold, dry, Canadian air moves south and interacts with a warm, moist air mass moving north from the Gulf of Mexico.  I don’t know what the future holds for us.  Our climate is changing so at this point, anything could be possible.  Thank fully we have scientist that study weather patterns so we can know well in advance when the next storm is coming.

References:

  • Barron, James, and Sarah Maslin Nir. “Hit by Blizzard, Northeast Starts to Burrow Its Way Out.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 Jan. 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/25/nyregion/east-coast-blizzard-2016.html?hp&clickSource=story-heading&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0&module=CloseSlideshow&region=SlideShowTopBar&version=EndSlate&action=click&contentCollection=N.Y.%20%2F%20Region&pgtype=imageslidesw
  • “Weather Wiz Kids Weather Information for Kids.” Weather Wiz Kids Weather Information for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.                  http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-winter-storms.htm

Introduction Post

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Hey guys, my name is Mike Alberici and I am a junior studying Earth Science and Policy – Energy.  In my free time, I am pretty involved in my Fraternity, I am the Vice President and Social Chairman.  That keeps me pretty busy.  At home I like to spend time with my friends and Ride motorcycles, Atv’s, etc.  In this course, I hope to learn more about my major and earth sciences in general.  This is my first time taking an online class so I’m interested in seeing how it goes.