Wednesday 10 December 2014

Solving global warming

Combating Global Warming
http://learningfundamentals.com.au/resources/combating-global-warming-mind-map/

CLIMATE CHANGE PICTURES

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/sci_nat_how_the_world_is_changing/html/1.stm


http://climate.nasa.gov/climate-reel/

http://climate.nasa.gov/state_of_flux#Columbia_Glacier_930x312.jpg

http://news.distractify.com/culture/photos-of-climate-change
http://www.neok12.com/diagram/Plants-01.htm

 General Stages in the Lifecycle of Flowering Plants

http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/lifecycles/lifecyc7.htm


GAME:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks2/science/living_things/plant_life_cycles/play/

REPRODUCTION AND CLONING:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel_pre_2011/genes/reproductionandcloningrev1.shtml


Angiosperm (flowering plant) Life Cycle

the life cycle of a flowering plant

Can I help nature to help us?

http://climatekids.nasa.gov/trivia/

http://climatekids.nasa.gov/how-to-help/

NASA'S CLIMATE KIDS

Why is the ocean important?

Photo of Earth from space.
Our watery world.
After all, we live on land.
But our world is a water world. The ocean covers 70% of Earth's surface. The average depth of the ocean is about 2.7 miles. In some places, the ocean is deeper than the tallest mountains are high! The ocean contains about 97% of all the water on Earth.
The ocean plays a starring role in whatever happens with the environment. One big part of its role is to soak up energy (heat) and distribute it more evenly around the Earth. Another part is to soak up CO2.

How does the ocean soak up energy?

How can a water balloon teach us about climate change? Watch this video and find out:              
 
.http://climatekids.nasa.gov/ocean/
 Cartoon of water balloon with flaming match held next to it.

The ocean does an excellent job of absorbing excess heat from the atmosphere. The top few meters of the ocean stores as much heat as Earth's entire atmosphere. So, as the planet warms, it's the ocean that gets most of the extra energy.
But if the ocean gets too warm, then the plants and animals that live in it must adapt—or die.


White coral in sunny water, with fish.
This coral has lost its algae, and thus its food source. It is sick and will probably die.

The ocean is great at sucking up CO2 from the air. It absorbs about one-quarter of the CO2 that we humans create when we burn fossil fuels (oil, coal, and natural gas.) If not for the ocean, we'd be in even worse trouble with too much CO2.



However, the ocean and everything in it are paying a price. The ocean is becoming more acidic.
What does this mean? Liquids are either acid or alkaline. Each liquid falls somewhere along a scale with acid at one end and alkaline at the other.
Drawing of the pH scale, with the most acidic reading of -5 on the left and the most alkaline reading of 14 on right. Example substances are shown, with their pH levels: Pure water has pH of 7, tomato juice is 4, battery acid is 0. Ocean water is 8.
Normally, ocean water is less acidic than fresh water. Unfortunately, as the ocean absorbs more and more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it becomes more acidic. Lemon juice is an example of an acidic liquid. Toothpaste is alkaline. The ocean is slightly alkaline.


However, when the ocean absorbs a lot of CO2, the water becomes more acidic. The alkalinity of the ocean is very important in maintaining a delicate balance needed for animals to make protective shells. If the water is too acidic, the animals may not be able to make strong shells. Corals could also be affected, since their skeletons are made of the same shell-like material.

 

How does the ocean affect the climate?

Cartoon red buoy.
One way the ocean affects the climate in places like Europe is by carrying heat to the north in the Atlantic Ocean. Way up north, cold water in the North Atlantic ocean sinks very deep and spreads out all around the world. The sinking water is replaced by warm water near the surface that moves to the north. Scientists call this the Great Ocean Conveyor Belt. The heat carried north helps keep the Atlantic ocean warmer in the winter time, which warms the nearby countries as well.
NASA missions that very accurately measure the hills and valleys in the ocean and changes in sea level help scientists understand what is happened with ocean currents.
Map of world showing major ocean currents. The "great ocean conveyor belt" refers to the major ocean currents that move warm water from the equator to the poles and cold water from the poles back toward the equator


Does the salt in the ocean do anything?

cartoon salt shaker.
Fresh water has lower salinity (saltiness) than estuary water, where the ocean water mixes with river water. The ocean itself is most salty of all.
Diagram shows levels of salt concentration in river water (least salty), estuary water (middle) and ocean water (most salty).The amount of salt in the ocean water also affects currents. Saltier water is heavier than less salty water. When salty ocean water freezes, the ice can no longer hold on to the salt. Instead, the salt mixes with the water below making it saltier and heavier. Glaciers, land ice and icebergs are made of fresh water, so what happens when this ice melts? Good question!
World map showing major ocean currents by salinity levels. Warm, shallow water is less salty than deeper, colder water.
The Great Ocean Conveyor Belt carries warmer, less salty water from the equator to the poles, and colder, saltier water from the poles back toward the equator. Colder water and very salty water are heavier than warmer water and less salty water.
The water in the North Atlantic sinks because it's cold, but also because it's salty. Being both cold AND salty makes it really heavy, so it can sink very far. But if too much ice melts in the North Atlantic, the water could become less salty. If that happens, what about the Ocean Conveyor Belt? Would it stop warming the North Atlantic? Could Europe get really cold? Scientists say it seems unlikely, but NASA satellites are keeping a close eye on the melting ice and the ocean currents to try to understand this complicated system better.

Thursday 4 December 2014

WMO Weather 2050 - Spain (Spanish original)

 
Este experimento de futurología climática, basado en proyecciones científicas, sirve para poner sobre aviso a la población de los riesgos que corre el planeta de seguir por esta vereda de emisiones de gases con efecto invernadero y cambio climático global. Según el pronóstico del tiempo que presenta López, jefa de Información Meteorológica de TVE, durante las noches de ese verano no habrá quien logre conciliar el sueño: entre las 22.00 horas y las 8.00 horas se darán temperaturas de más de 40 grados con una mínima de 29 grados.
Según explica López, en los 30 años que preceden a 2050 la temperatura media de España habrá aumentado de media 3 grados. Este vídeo forma parte de una serie que ha lanzado la OMM en el marco de la Cumbre del Clima que estos días se celebra en Lima, para concienciar a distintos países del mundo de las consecuencias de la inacción. Aunque noticias como la conocida ayer, que 2014 será el más caluroso de la historia, ya podrían servir para ese propósito.