BIO 220 Environmental Science
BIO 220 Environmental Science
I need help responding to the following peers’ posts in 120 words each
Amanda Leach
A great example of the effects of weathering on a natural national monument is the 2008 collapse of the Wall Arch in Arches National Park, Utah. During the evening of August 4, 2008, the effects of natural weathering on the monument caused the center to break free of the arms, falling to the ground. According to the National Parks Service (2008), there had been cracks forming along the monument as a result of weathering. Weathering and erosion are typically the cause of natural monuments, like those found in Arches National Park, but they are also the death of these monuments. The National Park Services notes that the Wall Arch had been standing for an incredibly long time – they particularly noted that was already in existence with the Great Pyramids of Egypt were being built – and that the effects of many millennia of wind, rain, snow, and ice led to the disintegration of the calcium which binds sandstone together (National Parks Service, n.d.). As the calcium was eaten away, gravity pulled the sandstone to the ground. When it comes to natural monuments, the impacts of natural weathering are both the birth of them, and the death.
Reference:
National Park Service. (n.d.). Fallen arches. U.S. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/arch-fallen-arches.htm
National Park Service. (2008). Wall arch collapses. Arches National Park (U.S. National Park Service). https://www.nps.gov/arch/learn/news/news080808.htm
Shannon Porcaro
The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty is affected by both chemical and physical weathering. When the statue was first assembled in 1886, weathering began. Galvanic corrosion is a chemical weathering when the copper and iron on the Statue of Liberty encounter seawater. This causes the green color of the statue instead of the original reddish-brown color. Acid rain has also begun to eat through the patina on the outside of the Statue of Liberty. This leaves non-seeable dark patches (Fleming, 2019). Patina is the name of the greenish color that occurs in the chemical reaction between copper and water. Abrasions from wind and water are some of the physical weathering that the statue is exposed to (Btrevyon, 2014).
Btrevyon. (2014). Weathering and erosion: What happened to the statue of liberty. trevyon.
Retrieved from https://trevyon.wordpress.com/2014/10/13/weathering-and-erosion-what-happened-to-the-statue-of-liberty/
Fleming, E. (2019). What type of weathering caused the Statue of Liberty to change colors?
SidmartinBio. Retrieved from https://www.sidemartinbio.org/what-type-of-weathering-caused-the-statue-of-liberty-to-change-colors/
Valcry Nunez
Solar energy from the sun is the best source of energy because the sun isn’t going anywhere! Fossil fuels are nonrenewable recourses, this source can and will eventually run out. That’s one pro and con of each one. Another pro would be that you can save money using solar panels (from the sun) and save big bills from large electricity bill, especially if you live in a state that is super-duper hot like Texas in the summer! “With the current state of the climate, homeowners have become more conscious of their lifestyle and their purchases” (Taherian, 2022). Fossil fuel is very expensive but it does help our economy by
The cons of fossil fuel would be air pollution! This is an ongoing issue that does get spoken about but doesn’t get much done for. One pro for Solar energy would be that they do not work at night. You would think the natural light of the moon could or would help but nope!
Reference:
Taherian, H., & Peters, R. W. (2022). Performance of a Mid-Size Net-Zero Energy Solar House. Applied Sciences (2076-3417), 12(6), 3005. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.3390/app12063005
Destani Long
I have selected wind energy for my renewable type of energy. This is very close to home for me as I live in southern California, and everyone uses solar energy, but we also have one of the largest wind farms in my area! Some pros to using wind energy are that it is the cleanest form of renewable energy, and it does not disrupt the natural order farmland operations that contribute to the area. Some cons can be that wind farms can possibly disrupt natural habitats and the turbines themselves can be noisy to the surrounding areas. However, some pros to fossil fuels are that there are plenty of them and most are very easy to transport if necessary. Some cons may
be that they pollute the environment and obtaining them can potentially be dangerous. All in all, it seems like renewable energy (while still having some cons) is more effective and safer to use for energy than fossil fuels. Especially if you live in areas that produce a large scale of it (areas that get lots of rain can use renewable water energy, areas that have a lot of direct sunlight can use solar and green energy, etc.) then you have an advantage to not need potentially dangerous substances for energy.
