Moon
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Little Dipper
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
water cycle
Water Cycle
The water cycle has no starting point. But, we'll begin in the oceans, since that is where most of Earth's water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans. Some of it evaporates as vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere, along with water from evapotranspiration, which is water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe; cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years. Snow packs in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the melted water flows overland as snowmelt. Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape, with stream flow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff, and ground-water seepage, accumulate and are stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers, though. Much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration. Some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes aquifers, which store huge amounts of freshwater for long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as ground-water discharge, and some ground water finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Over time, though, all of this water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean.
cd7.e2bn.net/.../cd7/website/BluePlanet.htm
Watersheds and their complex network of flow paths regulate the movement of water and nutrients to aquatic ecosystems. Overland and subsurface (soil and ground water) flow paths transport nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) with differing levels of efficiency; P transport occurs via surface flow paths almost exclusively and N transport can utilize both overland and subsurface flow paths.
www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/MIwatershed.html
Floods are a natural consequence of stream flow in a continually changing environment. Floods have been occurring throughout Earth history, and are expected so long as the water cycle continues to run. Streams receive most of their water input from precipitation, and the amount of precipitation falling in any given drainage basin varies from day to day, year to year, and century to century.
Weather patterns determine the amount and location of rain and snowfall. Unfortunately the amount and time over which precipitation occurs is not constant for any given area. Overall, the water cycle is a balanced system. Water flowing into one part of the cycle (like streams) is balanced by water flowing back to the ocean. But sometimes the amount flowing in to one area is greater than the capacity of the system to hold it within natural confines. The result is a flood. Combinations of factors along with exceptional precipitation can also lead to flooding. For example, heavy snow melts, water saturated ground, unusually high tides, and drainage modifications when combined with heavy rain can lead to flooding.
www.calstatela.edu/dept/geology/G158.htm
Bibliography
http://www.kidzone.ws/WATER/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/flooding/causesoffloods.shtml
The water cycle has no starting point. But, we'll begin in the oceans, since that is where most of Earth's water exists. The sun, which drives the water cycle, heats water in the oceans. Some of it evaporates as vapor into the air. Ice and snow can sublimate directly into water vapor. Rising air currents take the vapor up into the atmosphere, along with water from evapotranspiration, which is water transpired from plants and evaporated from the soil. The vapor rises into the air where cooler temperatures cause it to condense into clouds. Air currents move clouds around the globe; cloud particles collide, grow, and fall out of the sky as precipitation. Some precipitation falls as snow and can accumulate as ice caps and glaciers, which can store frozen water for thousands of years. Snow packs in warmer climates often thaw and melt when spring arrives, and the melted water flows overland as snowmelt. Most precipitation falls back into the oceans or onto land, where, due to gravity, the precipitation flows over the ground as surface runoff. A portion of runoff enters rivers in valleys in the landscape, with stream flow moving water towards the oceans. Runoff, and ground-water seepage, accumulate and are stored as freshwater in lakes. Not all runoff flows into rivers, though. Much of it soaks into the ground as infiltration. Some water infiltrates deep into the ground and replenishes aquifers, which store huge amounts of freshwater for long periods of time. Some infiltration stays close to the land surface and can seep back into surface-water bodies (and the ocean) as ground-water discharge, and some ground water finds openings in the land surface and emerges as freshwater springs. Over time, though, all of this water keeps moving, some to reenter the ocean.
cd7.e2bn.net/.../cd7/website/BluePlanet.htm
Watersheds and their complex network of flow paths regulate the movement of water and nutrients to aquatic ecosystems. Overland and subsurface (soil and ground water) flow paths transport nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) with differing levels of efficiency; P transport occurs via surface flow paths almost exclusively and N transport can utilize both overland and subsurface flow paths.
www.geo.msu.edu/geogmich/MIwatershed.html
Floods are a natural consequence of stream flow in a continually changing environment. Floods have been occurring throughout Earth history, and are expected so long as the water cycle continues to run. Streams receive most of their water input from precipitation, and the amount of precipitation falling in any given drainage basin varies from day to day, year to year, and century to century.
Weather patterns determine the amount and location of rain and snowfall. Unfortunately the amount and time over which precipitation occurs is not constant for any given area. Overall, the water cycle is a balanced system. Water flowing into one part of the cycle (like streams) is balanced by water flowing back to the ocean. But sometimes the amount flowing in to one area is greater than the capacity of the system to hold it within natural confines. The result is a flood. Combinations of factors along with exceptional precipitation can also lead to flooding. For example, heavy snow melts, water saturated ground, unusually high tides, and drainage modifications when combined with heavy rain can lead to flooding.
www.calstatela.edu/dept/geology/G158.htm
Bibliography
http://www.kidzone.ws/WATER/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/flooding/causesoffloods.shtml
Thursday, November 12, 2009
nature trail blog 2
5 changes:
Most leaves are off the trees
The leaves changed colors
A lot of things look dead or have fallen
The forest have thinned out
Its cleaner
5 k-12 uses:
summer camps
recreation programs
Community gardens
Research site for many studies
Public nature
5 community uses:
Nature centers provide a sense
of place and are a source of pride
for communities
Offer a local resource for dealing with
a community’s ecological issues
Create a positive attitude towards
the community as regional attractions
for new visitors
Have a substantial positive economic
impact
Serve an exemplary multiple age
and multi-cultural audience
Most leaves are off the trees
The leaves changed colors
A lot of things look dead or have fallen
The forest have thinned out
Its cleaner
5 k-12 uses:
summer camps
recreation programs
Community gardens
Research site for many studies
Public nature
5 community uses:
Nature centers provide a sense
of place and are a source of pride
for communities
Offer a local resource for dealing with
a community’s ecological issues
Create a positive attitude towards
the community as regional attractions
for new visitors
Have a substantial positive economic
impact
Serve an exemplary multiple age
and multi-cultural audience
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
nasa blog
1. Black Holes- a. Black holes are up to 50 times more massive than our sun. They are possibly powerful enough to slow time in it's vortex and is definitely strong enough to suck in light.
b. Was no quiz, but I feel as though I would have aced it anyway.
c. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagineWiki/ResourcesAg#BH
2. Dark Matter- a. Dark matter is the blackness we see in space. It is made up of W.I.M.P.s (Weakly Interactive Massive Particles). They absorb a lot of light so that we can't actually see the matter.
b. Quiz grade: 100%
c. http://cdms.berkeley.edu/Education/DMpages/index.shtml
3. Light Curves- a. Astronomers use light being emitted from an object to measure things like a planet's mass and size.
b. Quiz grade: 75%
c.http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
4. X-ray telescopes- a. X-ray telescopes can measure energy coming from stars and high-energy emitting objects in space.
b. 75%
c. http://constellation.gsfc.nasa.gov/
b. Was no quiz, but I feel as though I would have aced it anyway.
c. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagineWiki/ResourcesAg#BH
2. Dark Matter- a. Dark matter is the blackness we see in space. It is made up of W.I.M.P.s (Weakly Interactive Massive Particles). They absorb a lot of light so that we can't actually see the matter.
b. Quiz grade: 100%
c. http://cdms.berkeley.edu/Education/DMpages/index.shtml
3. Light Curves- a. Astronomers use light being emitted from an object to measure things like a planet's mass and size.
b. Quiz grade: 75%
c.http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
4. X-ray telescopes- a. X-ray telescopes can measure energy coming from stars and high-energy emitting objects in space.
b. 75%
c. http://constellation.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Is the nature trail important??
The nature trail is important to the community because it allows us to take a look at nature with out wrecking plants or any homes of animals. If there wasn't a trail people would probably walk over plants smashing them and ruining the homes of animals and also maybe food that an animal eats. The trail allows us to observe and study without disturbing the habitat to much. We should use the trail for this reason and maybe also as community get together, but we first need to clean the trail up so people can walk through and not be disgusted.
15 things i saw
On our trip to the nature trail i saw a variety of things and learned many things too. When we first walk in there you think just trees and weeds, but thats not the case you see a habitat and how plants trees and animals live together in there own little ecosystem. i saw many trees such as birch, maple, oak, and even a "box-cutter". In addition i also saw poison ivy, wild roses, along with many other plants. We saw a pond or some sort of water with duckweed on it. we saw an old fence line and many dead treas with decomposer's such as mushrooms and the stink bomb things. we saw pokeweed, vines, and many other plants. Animals i saw were box elder bugs, a chipmunk, a squirrel, and birds. i saw a variety of things on this trip a variety of which i don't even know, but those are all things that make a habitat functional
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