Web Poster I Schedule- Spring 2005

Chase Behringer and Tyler Boyd

Project Title: The Dust Bowl

Abstract. The objective of our project was to analyze the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl. The website intends to focus on the scientific, social, and economic factors that worked in tandem to fuel this massive climate change. In working on the project, our group learned that both human and environmental factors played a significant role in enhancing this already naturally occurring event. Of the things we studied, the ways in which scientists record and study climate change was the most noteworthy. For example, or project focuses on NASA's Seasonal-to-Interannual Prediction Project (NSIPP), which helped synthesize and explain a number of scientific theories surrounding extreme droughts and climate change.

Kate Hurwitz and Peter Nalli

Project Title: Clean Coal: A Better Way?

Abstract: Our project sought to understand the context and innovation of clean coal technology and to create a one-stop website for someone seeking to understand clean coal. We started by researching traditional coal production, and how prominent a role it plays in electricity production domestically and abroad. We then studied the political and economic impacts of the coal industry, how coal has been embraced by both political parties, and how that has helped coal-fired electricity and industry to establish itself as an fossil fuel not likely to be phased out in the United States. We also looked into worldwide consumption of coal, and how it has become an integral part of Indian and Chinese industrialization. Next, we investigated clean coal technology, and broke down the technicalities of how clean coal improves the quality of emissions while harnessing the energy potential of coal. Finally, we looked ahead to projects underway that aim to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gases from coal-fired energy plants. In our conclusion, we discuss why cleaning coal emissions in likely the only option to seriously consider reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

Albert Lee and Nathaniel Landry

Title: Biodiversity and the Threat of a Modern Mass Extinction

Abstract. In our web poster we had hoped to explore the reasons behind as well as identify the offenders who are most responsible for
threatening the Earth's biodiversity. We sought to explore
different aspects surrounding the issue at hand, from causes to
methods by which scientists are hoping to alleviate the problem.
The issue of biodiversity has gradually come to be seen as an
increasingly important facet of our environments health and by
addressing it in our web poster we hoped to both educate and make
ourselves more wary of the danger at hand. Our end result focused
a bit more on the statistical and policy issues surrounding the
issue of biodiversity however we are still very pleased with our
end product. We feel as if we have covered the most essential
aspects regarding biodiversity in a succinct yet informative
manner. By focusing in on the policy measures and their
effectiveness we are more capable of potentially addressing the
issue in a more effective manner in the future.

Sarah V. Billingsley, Ian B. Gallagher, Antal C. Polony

Project Title: DISAPPEARING ISLANDS

Abstract. Our project began with the dilemmas faced by Tuvalu in regards to climate change. The small island nation is expected to disappear within the next half century, and many other Pacific island nations similar to it are in similar danger. This led us to include not just the dangers posed by sea level rise, but all increasing environmental problems stemming from global warming that could lead to the end of Tuvalu’s inhabitability. This includes problems such as erosion and tropical storms. Tuvalu’s problem begins the discussion of how to best deal with the growing human toll worldwide, issues of coastal development, sustainability, and where environmental refugees will be going. As sea level rise is the most imminent and obvious threat, it received most of the attention, including an explanation of the science of sea level detection. From what we found we concluded that Tuvalu, and the entire globe if nothing is done, will be in for a world of hurt.

David Sonnenborn

Title: Inside Chaco Canyon: The Collapse of an Ancient Anasazi Society

Abstract. This project’s objective is to discriminate between the natural and cultural conditions in Chaco Canyon leading up to the twelfth-century environmental change which resulted in the abandonment of this prehistoric Anasazi settlement. The project examines evidence of Chacoan deforestation using data from packrat midden analysis, tree-ring dating, and strontium isotope provenance studies while also considering the sociopolitical network behind regional wood procurement. Strategies of water management are also considered, particularly the features of Anasazi irrigation agriculture and arroyo formation in the centuries before the major drought. These aspects of the Chacoan Phenomenon reveal an increasingly interdependent, no longer self-sufficient society with a high-density population in an arid, fragile environment. Chacoan wood harvest and water management both contributed to the community’s considerable impact on the prehistoric landscape and its vulnerability on the eve of the drought. The website concludes with a final consideration of the Anasazi collapse and some of the values and limitations of applied historical ecology.

Kent Collins, Alan Charles Weeth, Katy Schlictmann

Title: Reducing CO2 Emission: Living the Efficient Lifestyle

Abstract. In this project, we wanted to take a closer look at global warming and the extents humans are responsible; quantitatively examine a few ways that humans can reduce their impact; and to present a success story to demonstrate how large-scale reduction is possible. The ultimate goal was to see which lifestyle choices were most responsible for the emission of CO2. We found that the worst violator was Americans’ dependency on driving, and thus chose this lifestyle choice to analyze quantitatively. We discovered that while individuals can make a reduction on their annual CO2 emissions by driving less, it is still not enough to make the significant drop needed to thwart global warming. Thus, we turned to a city that has taken huge steps in a number of areas, from transportation to urban forestry, and made a significant impact on its immediate surroundings. However, in order for this plan to make a global difference, it must be undertaken on a global scale.

Sarah Ashley Simmons, Adam Glucksman, John DeSerio

Title: Your trash, wasted

Abstract. A website geared to teach you about solid waste in the united states. This site features 3 primary means of disposal: combustion through incineration, landfill, and recycling. Also included is information on governmental policy, social impacts, and links to other related sites. Visual aids in the form of graphs are available for comparison between the primary methods listed above. Also, enjoy a brief little biography of each of the team members.

Daniel Horten Altabef, Jordan S. Hepner, E. Chaz Dvorkin

Title: Volcanoes & Society

Abstract. This project sought to identify the major points of contact and conflict between volcanoes and society. In doing so, we engaged with several questions, from the mechanisms of volcanic activity, to the work of contemporary volcanologists (especially pertaining to the science of prediction), to the role of government in determining (and hindering) science-based policy. We uncovered a vast amount of information on the myriad hazards of volcanic activity and the potential for large-scale disasters to occur throughout the world. Ultimately, our team has formed a recommendation asking for the continued and expanded involvement of American resources--both scientific and human, as well as economic--in developing a global early-warning network and a corresponding plan for disaster-relief that will take advantage of our burgeoning capability to predict volcanic activity.

Alex Sherman, Lilly Icard, Nils Wortmann, Chris Ro

Title: Global Warming and Alaska

Abstract. Considering the fragility of Alaska’s ecosystem, our group
decided that an in-depth look at the impact of global warming in
this state would serve as a good “canary in a coal mine” case
study. Our objectives were thus multi-faceted. First, we wanted
to look at the history of climate change in Alaska to see what
damage has been done. We found that the climate change thus far is
unprecedented and indeed daunting. We are looking at a temperature
change of as much as 3 degrees. In the next section, we explore
what this change looks like on a global scale as well as the
breakdown of the various physical components that are suffering as
a consequence. More specifically, putting Alaska under a
microscope reveals that this polar region is suffering on many
levels including permafrost damage, glacier recession, damage to
commercial fisheries, and increased risk of forest fires. We also
wanted to look at what was being done about these threats and about
damage already done. Unfortunately, we found little evidence for an
auspicious future. National and State legislature on the issue of
global warming is sparse and a recent bill to alleviate the stress
failed. Local grassroots organizations have proven most effective.
Regrettably, the world is not responding appropriately to this
crisis. It is our conclusion that the problem is great, and the
world’s reaction deficient.

Khalilah Boone, Diana Childs and Sydney Spector

Title:Increase of Human Cases of Vector-Borne Disease in New York City in the Years 2050-2100 as a Result of Anthropogenic Forced Climate Change

Abstract. The Boone, Childs, Spector team’s goal was to research the effect that climate change due to global warming would have on New York City’s human cases of vector-borne disease. Consulting General Climate Models (GCMs), we researched the projected climate change for New York City for the years 2050-2100. We also researched the weather conditions that created habitats favorable for vector breeding, survival and longer life span. Learning the projected climate helped us to determine whether projected climate conditions for the years 2050-2100 would be more favorable for vector breeding survival and longer life span. Finally, focusing on the West Nile Virus as a representative for all vector-borne diseases carried by mosquitoes, we evaluated experiments which identified the species of mosquitoes most likely to transmit the West Nile Virus (WNV) to human beings, and prove a correlation between the numbers of WNV infected pools of mosquitoes and the numbers of human cases of WNV infection. Our research showed that if New York City climate changes in accordance with the GCMs we used, a climate will be created that will favor increased cases of vector-borne disease amongst humans in New York City. The potential for a disease epidemic uncontrollable by New York City’s vector management resources is a strong reason for New York City legislators, businesses, and lay citizens to do all they can to decrease greenhouse gas emissions to slow down or reverse global warming.

Elisabeth Grefrath, David Lucero, Michael Lignos

Project Title: War in the Name of Expansion, Killing for the Sake of
Land, Invasion in Search of Resources . . . The Question Few Have
Yet to Ask: Is Climate to Blame?

Abstract: After 1200 BC, the Mycenaean people of the southern Greek
Peloponese rapidly ceased using their language almost completely,
cut themselves off from any forms of commerce, built no permanent
homes or cities and were reduced to dark centuries of hand-to
mouth, pastoral methods of feeding themselves. At the same time,
Mycenaean warriors waged a brutal, decade-long war in Troy – what
is now northwestern Turkey. Why? Historians have mostly been of the
consensus that the Mycenaean civilization fell because of raids and
invasion by the Dorian peoples. That is, until the 1960s, when
climate historians began to collect and present support for the
theory that a sudden climate change was the ultimate cause of the
Greek migration. It should come as little surprise that Homer, too,
subtly provides us with understated clues into the climate change of
the 13th century BC. Descriptions of pastoral life and
livestock-based economy reinforce, as well as modern
paleoclimatological science, reveal that the most probably cause of
the Mycenaean collapse was climate related.

Anastasia Gornick and Aaron Lewis

Title: SUV Emissions & Global Warming

Abstract: This project addresses one aspect of the human influence on the
atmosphere,and global warming: Sport Utility Vehicles. The rise in
popularity of these vehicles, which have sub-standard emissions is a
contributing factor to global warming. We will explain the basics
of global warming, the influence of the SUV, and some of the
possible solutions in the form of new vehicle technologies. We
will also explore some of public policies that seek to address the
issue of global warming and automobile emissions. Global Warming
is a worldwide problem and needs to be addressed on a large scale,
but by looking at the everyday decisions we as consumers make there
is the possibility to facilitate change by voting for cleaner
technologies with our dollars.

Jonathan Billig and Anna Iroff

Title: Oil Drilling Practices in Alaska

Abstract. Skirting a debate on ANWR or the use of petroleum in general, our project provides an understanding of the process that allows for drilling to occur and the technologies that change oil estimates. The site starts with summaries of how oil is formed, found, and assessed. Next is an analysis of why different reports on the same oil wells can come to very different conclusions. After addressing the issue of assessment, the site illustrates how drilling is done and gives an analysis of technologies that would improve drilling by lowering its cost and impact. After that is a section on repairing damage that drilling causes to the environment in the North Slope of Alaska. Finally, we briefly address technologies that may alleviate the need for petroleum products, but acknowledge that this solution is a long way off.

Theresa Hernandez, Jake Hubbard & Lynn Wills

Title: Mississippi Delta and Coastal Protection

Abstract. Our group undertook to research the situation of wetland loss in the Mississippi Delta region. In light of Hurricane Katrina, we were interested in exploring the issues that led to such devastation and lack of preparation or protection from discernable threats. Wetland loss, a natural barrier to the devastating effects of powerful storms and hurricanes, is a pertinent regional and national issue of concern and will continue to be so for some time. We examined the causes, both natural and human, that have led to the alarming rates of land loss experienced in this region. We also looked at how the effects of global warming specifically relates to loss of wetland. We found that global warming has the potential to greatly exacerbate the issue through drastically increasing sea levels. We also found that the levees constructed over 70 years ago along the Mississippi River, problematic at the time, have severely hampered the natural process that replenishes the wetlands. With the many and disparate interests of various parties involved in the Mississippi Delta region, such as oil companies, fisheries, the government, environmental protection agencies and the public, the present challenge is to find consensus solutions that will not be even more problematic for the next generation.

 Jeanice Brad, Stephanie Odenheimer

Title: Causes and Effects of Drought in the Sahel

Abstract.

Updated December 6, 2005