hopefully someone can give me some feed back!
Fact: in some areas of the Pacific Ocean there is more plastic than there is plankton, tiny animals and plants that are a vital key in marine ecosystems and food chains. In recent years the oceans have suffered more and more from human activities. Some of the foreign things polluting the waters are sewage, marine debris, heavy metals, and oil. Seventy percent of all the oceans’ pollution comes from land based sources . In other words humans are ruining the thing that gave us life the time to change that is now. The sea is being used as a wastebasket for different types of human pollutants and though the affect has been devastating for our oceans, there are plenty of ways to stop the damage.
Sewage is a very harmful component in ocean pollution. Everyone flushes the toilet everyday and what is being flushed is called sewage, sewage is an organic material and biodegradable that is why animal waste is used as a fertilizer. But human waste often contains toxic chemicals, heavy metals, harmful bacteria, and viruses. Sewage enters the ocean either intentionally or unintentionally, it can go through pipes into rivers or directly into the ocean or if the capacity of a system is exceeded then it gets washed into the ocean untreated (also known as raw). Sewage is harmful for two main reasons; the first is that when it enters the ocean little organisms feed on it and it depletes the oxygen supply in the water of that area, off setting the delicate balance of that specific eco system, the other way it pollutes is that the nutrient rich waste may cause a bloom of phytoplankton causing them to clog the gills of fish and to kill the other plants in the area. There is no way to clean up sewage once it enters the ocean the damage is done but a some places are actually drying the sludge and burning it to create electricity, this shows promising ways of disposal and alternative energy sources for the future.
Marine debris is one of the most serious and pressing forms of pollution. Marine debris can be a number of things including undetonated bombs, abandoned off shore oil rigs, out dated rocket engines, drums of toxic chemicals and radioactive waste, sunken ships, automobiles, beverage cans and bottles, pieces of wood, and almost any other item imaginable; but it mainly breaks up into metal, glass, and plastic. The debris enters the ocean in a number of ways: intentional dumping from ships, accidental dumping from ships and garbage barges on their ways to offshore landfills, as part of sewage, by being swept in be the wind or storms, from polluted rivers or streams, and in runoff from beaches littered with trash. Not all marine debris is harmful some is actually helpful, for example ships have been sunken to form “artificial reefs” where the marine life has adapted and made it their home; but plastic debris however, often floats, making it dangerous to marine birds and mammals who either eat it or become entangled in it, the plastic resin pellets look like fish eggs and are also eaten by the marine creatures. When the animals ingest the plastic if they do not choke right away then it becomes caught in the intestine causing malnutrition. The plastic can also cause buoyancy that makes it impossible for the animals to escape from predators. Thousands of people from all over the world participate in beach clean ups every year but this is not enough the only way to stop this tragedy from further devastating our oceans is by stopping it at the source, properly disposing of plastics, and the further advancements on photodegradable plastics which are plastics that biodegrade when exposure to sunlight is prolonged. Not only does this sound promising for healthier oceans but as a way to help the planet overall.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
topic description
for my blog post this week im going to use the rough draft of my topic description for my reasearch paper. I think it will help me if I do the rough drafts here and then turn in a final edited draft to see if mr. sutherland or anyone else for that matter will help me proof read, because i honestly have no idea what to do and a fresh sewt of eyes would really be helpful.
My topic is the destruction of marine habitats and ecosystems. I picked this topic because it is something I have always been passionate about ever since I was a little girl the ocean has always fascinated me, I always saw it as clean and untouchable but as I got older I stared to realize that things were changing on the news I heard about oil spills and the beaches I went to were closed and absolutely covered in garbage. What was once a dear childhood memory is now something I cannot recognize.
What I have learned so far is that there are so many different types of pollution and they include but are not limited to sewage, marine debris, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, oil, and radioactive materials. In the case of sewage it pollutes by being dumped into the sea with other harmful things and when it decomposes the bacteria that eat it use up oxygen that would otherwise have been used by fish and plant life. The types of marine debris are undetonated bombs, abandoned off shore oil rigs, out dated rocket engines, drums of toxic chemicals and radio active waste, sunken ships, automobiles, cans, bottles, pieces of wood, plastic materials, and plenty of other items. There are two types of plastic debris in the ocean manufactured and raw. Raw plastic comes in resin pellets that can be melted down and made into a number of materials. They are transported in bulk. Because they are very lightweight, they are easily blown away by wind. As many as 34,000 pellets per square kilometer can be found in some areas of the Pacific Ocean. When toxic chemicals are dumped into the ocean they are absorbed by plankton and usually the plankton die but if they do survive and are eaten the fish becomes contaminated and mutated and possibly infertile. The toxic heavy metals that have been found in the ocean are lead, mercury, cadmium, and copper. If an area is infected with heavy metals the marine life in that area can all be compromised. What we call oil pollution is actually petroleum. Since oil is lighter than water it initially floats to the surface and absorbs sunlight, smothering plankton, then it coats seabirds and other marine life but the oil breaks down the protective shield that the birds developed to make themselves water proof causing them to sink and drown and when ingested by the birds it causes intestinal problems and liver failure. When radioactive materials enter the ocean they generally affect larger animals more and can cause somatic effects (direct) and genetic effects.
What I would like to focus on is the different types of pollution in each ocean putting a larger emphasis on oil spills and marine debris. I would also like to include the effects that humans directly have on marine animals including but not limited to the effects that ambient noise has on whales, shark fining, and whaling.
My topic is the destruction of marine habitats and ecosystems. I picked this topic because it is something I have always been passionate about ever since I was a little girl the ocean has always fascinated me, I always saw it as clean and untouchable but as I got older I stared to realize that things were changing on the news I heard about oil spills and the beaches I went to were closed and absolutely covered in garbage. What was once a dear childhood memory is now something I cannot recognize.
What I have learned so far is that there are so many different types of pollution and they include but are not limited to sewage, marine debris, toxic chemicals, heavy metals, oil, and radioactive materials. In the case of sewage it pollutes by being dumped into the sea with other harmful things and when it decomposes the bacteria that eat it use up oxygen that would otherwise have been used by fish and plant life. The types of marine debris are undetonated bombs, abandoned off shore oil rigs, out dated rocket engines, drums of toxic chemicals and radio active waste, sunken ships, automobiles, cans, bottles, pieces of wood, plastic materials, and plenty of other items. There are two types of plastic debris in the ocean manufactured and raw. Raw plastic comes in resin pellets that can be melted down and made into a number of materials. They are transported in bulk. Because they are very lightweight, they are easily blown away by wind. As many as 34,000 pellets per square kilometer can be found in some areas of the Pacific Ocean. When toxic chemicals are dumped into the ocean they are absorbed by plankton and usually the plankton die but if they do survive and are eaten the fish becomes contaminated and mutated and possibly infertile. The toxic heavy metals that have been found in the ocean are lead, mercury, cadmium, and copper. If an area is infected with heavy metals the marine life in that area can all be compromised. What we call oil pollution is actually petroleum. Since oil is lighter than water it initially floats to the surface and absorbs sunlight, smothering plankton, then it coats seabirds and other marine life but the oil breaks down the protective shield that the birds developed to make themselves water proof causing them to sink and drown and when ingested by the birds it causes intestinal problems and liver failure. When radioactive materials enter the ocean they generally affect larger animals more and can cause somatic effects (direct) and genetic effects.
What I would like to focus on is the different types of pollution in each ocean putting a larger emphasis on oil spills and marine debris. I would also like to include the effects that humans directly have on marine animals including but not limited to the effects that ambient noise has on whales, shark fining, and whaling.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
lit circle letter #1: cannery row
for the first part of my lit circle letter i will just talk about what the book is like and what i think of it so far, for the second part i think i will do some character analysis.
well so far I'm not finding the book very interesting because i fail to see any type of plot beginning to form, another reason i think I'm finding it hard to read is that the characters are not likable i really do not care what happens to them, also the dialogue is hard to follow because of all the old time slang things. i think this is less of a book and more like a series of vignettes like the house on mango street. i think this because there really seems to be no plot or central conflict and because the characters don't seem to be very well connected they just all live in the same area. all the same i have started reading it and that mean i have to finish. its sort of funny they time Mr. Sutherland says make sure you pic an interesting book is the one time i don't.
for my character analysis i will start with Mack.
Now to me what this excerpt shows is that Mack is uneducated when he thinks celebrate and celibate are the same thing and usually when someone is celibate it means they choose not to have sex not that they cant. but i think this also shows that mack is caring and sticks up for the people how are good to him even if the people who are doing the attacking are his friends. this also shows that Mack and his crew do not really respect women but in this book and time setting i suppose no one really does.
i think this shows that Mack obviously thinks highly of doc and that he would probly think highly of anyone who would give him mone and that shiws he is brock and has probly asked doc for many quarters. this also shows that Mack likes to repay people for kindness- that he takes care of things, his friends for one and most likely his enemys.
well so far I'm not finding the book very interesting because i fail to see any type of plot beginning to form, another reason i think I'm finding it hard to read is that the characters are not likable i really do not care what happens to them, also the dialogue is hard to follow because of all the old time slang things. i think this is less of a book and more like a series of vignettes like the house on mango street. i think this because there really seems to be no plot or central conflict and because the characters don't seem to be very well connected they just all live in the same area. all the same i have started reading it and that mean i have to finish. its sort of funny they time Mr. Sutherland says make sure you pic an interesting book is the one time i don't.
for my character analysis i will start with Mack.
"Mack said reprovingly to Hughie, "Just because he doesn't run no dame naked through the streets in the daytime, you think docs celebrate."
" whats celebrate?" Eddie asked.
"that's when you cant get no dame," said Mack.
Now to me what this excerpt shows is that Mack is uneducated when he thinks celebrate and celibate are the same thing and usually when someone is celibate it means they choose not to have sex not that they cant. but i think this also shows that mack is caring and sticks up for the people how are good to him even if the people who are doing the attacking are his friends. this also shows that Mack and his crew do not really respect women but in this book and time setting i suppose no one really does.
"that Doc is a hell of a nice fella" Mack said "he'll give you a quarter anytime. when i cut myself he put a new bandage on every day. A hell of a nice fella."... "i Have been wondering for a long time" he said "what could we do for him- something nice. Something he'd like."
i think this shows that Mack obviously thinks highly of doc and that he would probly think highly of anyone who would give him mone and that shiws he is brock and has probly asked doc for many quarters. this also shows that Mack likes to repay people for kindness- that he takes care of things, his friends for one and most likely his enemys.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
autobiography: part one
My name is Stephanie Elizabeth Harlyn Keel-Moore and this is my song.
I was born August 6th 1994, in Walnut Creek, California, at Kaiser Hospital. My mom carried home a 5 pound 7ounce 14 inch long baby to Concord, California where we lived for about a year. While we lived there we had a pet iguana she was 4 and a half feet long we also had an over protective cat who would sleep in my crib with me.
When I was 8 months old I got up to walk and never sat down and when I was 12 months old I started to talk and never shut up. Ever since then I’ve been the kind of girl who speaks her mind without thinking of who’s listening and the kind of girl who climbs a tree without wondering how she will get down.
My mom and I moved back to alameda when I was two to be with me dad and Brother Devin. Two is also the age I started gymnastics and ballet so guess you could say that is also the age I learned what it’s like to have a passion for something. Another thing that happened when I was two I, two words potty trained.
When I was three is when I first started pre-school I still remember my first day I went in happy and excited but when my mom started to leave I was bawling. But after snack time I started to feel right at home and that’s when I made my first best friend Arianna.
The summer of 1998 was the summer where I learned to swim and do cartwheels which are now in my opinion are my most used summer skills.
Also during the year I got my first pet that a could call my own (even though mom mostly took care of him) and he was none other than a 12 cent feeder fish from pet which I named Fido.
Five years of age I traded nap time for uniforms and started kindergarten at peter pan academy a private school on bay farm. And then I discovered not only to find that it’s hard to sit still but even harder to do it without falling asleep. The news on Fido: he’s still alive and has doubled in size. he has also made the first killing meaning I thought he would like a friend to keep him company little did I know he only wanted a friend to eat.
Grade school a horrific time for any child but not only was I faced with the traumas of first grade that year my dad also tried to teach me how to ride a bike (and failed) that was also the year where my mom, Devin, and I drove to 42 American states and Canada in search of the world’s largest ball of string as my mom calls it “it was our search for string and everything in between”
Fido update: still alive and now triple his original size and weight. He has killed again to but for the last time that was when I finally came to terms that Fido did not want a friend.
I was born August 6th 1994, in Walnut Creek, California, at Kaiser Hospital. My mom carried home a 5 pound 7ounce 14 inch long baby to Concord, California where we lived for about a year. While we lived there we had a pet iguana she was 4 and a half feet long we also had an over protective cat who would sleep in my crib with me.
When I was 8 months old I got up to walk and never sat down and when I was 12 months old I started to talk and never shut up. Ever since then I’ve been the kind of girl who speaks her mind without thinking of who’s listening and the kind of girl who climbs a tree without wondering how she will get down.
My mom and I moved back to alameda when I was two to be with me dad and Brother Devin. Two is also the age I started gymnastics and ballet so guess you could say that is also the age I learned what it’s like to have a passion for something. Another thing that happened when I was two I, two words potty trained.
When I was three is when I first started pre-school I still remember my first day I went in happy and excited but when my mom started to leave I was bawling. But after snack time I started to feel right at home and that’s when I made my first best friend Arianna.
The summer of 1998 was the summer where I learned to swim and do cartwheels which are now in my opinion are my most used summer skills.
Also during the year I got my first pet that a could call my own (even though mom mostly took care of him) and he was none other than a 12 cent feeder fish from pet which I named Fido.
Five years of age I traded nap time for uniforms and started kindergarten at peter pan academy a private school on bay farm. And then I discovered not only to find that it’s hard to sit still but even harder to do it without falling asleep. The news on Fido: he’s still alive and has doubled in size. he has also made the first killing meaning I thought he would like a friend to keep him company little did I know he only wanted a friend to eat.
Grade school a horrific time for any child but not only was I faced with the traumas of first grade that year my dad also tried to teach me how to ride a bike (and failed) that was also the year where my mom, Devin, and I drove to 42 American states and Canada in search of the world’s largest ball of string as my mom calls it “it was our search for string and everything in between”
Fido update: still alive and now triple his original size and weight. He has killed again to but for the last time that was when I finally came to terms that Fido did not want a friend.
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