For students in my environmental science class, please write down in the space for comment below your environmental project plan which will be conducted in group. Thanks.
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April 4, 2008 pada 1:58 am
taufik
salam kenal aja
April 5, 2008 pada 6:11 am
Nishalini Sivakumar
we are group 1 : Nur liyana, Kalaivani , Nishalini
Our projects are about the temperature in bandung. We are goin to take the temperature in two different areas in bandung. In Pasteur and in Sekeloa Timur. Temperature of this two areas will be taken consistently for one month. Then we will compare both temperature and find the reasons if there is differences. The time we are goin to take the temperature is 12am,6am,12pm and 6pm.
Thank You.
April 5, 2008 pada 6:18 am
Nishalini Sivakumar
PROBLEM’S EFFECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
There are so many problems effecting our environment now. The most obvious problems are the global warming and the green house effect. Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation. The Earth’s climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing), volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era.
This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity. None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth’s oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth’s current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.
The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and was first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896. It is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warm a planet’s lower atmosphere and surface.
Existence of the greenhouse effect as such is not disputed. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F), without which Earth would be uninhabitable. On Earth, the major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%. The issue is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the atmospheric concentrations of some greenhouse gases.
Human activity since the industrial revolution has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased radiative forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Molecule for molecule, methane is a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but its concentration is much smaller so that its total radiative forcing is only about a fourth of that from carbon dioxide. Some other naturally occurring gases contribute very small fractions of the greenhouse effect; one of these, nitrous oxide (N2O), is increasing in concentration owing to human activity such as agriculture. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased by 31% and 149% respectively since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores. From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO2 values this high were last attained 20 million years ago. Fossil fuel burning has produced about three-quarters of the increase in CO2 from human activity over the past 20 years. Most of the rest is due to land-use change, in particular deforestation.
The present atmospheric concentration of CO2 is about 385 parts per million (ppm) by volume. Future CO2 levels are expected to rise due to ongoing burning of fossil fuels and land-use change. The rate of rise will depend on uncertain economic, sociological, technological, and natural developments, but may be ultimately limited by the availability of fossil fuels. The IPCC Special Report on Emissions Scenarios gives a wide range of future CO2 scenarios, ranging from 541 to 970 ppm by the year 2100. Fossil fuel reserves are sufficient to reach this level and continue emissions past 2100, if coal, tar sands or methane clathrates are extensively used.
To prevent all this problems we have to stop using chemicals which gives impact to our environment. By using product which do not harm our environment should be practised.
April 5, 2008 pada 11:54 am
ROHIDAYAH ABD MAJID
Assalamualaikum wbt,
Group number: not sure
Group members: Amal Musliha, Hee Soon Sean, Rohidayah and Samreet Kaur.
Project : How to Handle Different Types of Rubbish/waste Produced from Different Areas.
Proposal:
-Investigation on types of rubbish produced from several areas; streets,markets,hospitals,offices,residentials.
-sample rubbish collection and classification based on the raw material(organic or inorganic).
-identification of the most effective disposal methode for each type of rubbish collected.
-determination of end state of each type of rubbish.
April 5, 2008 pada 2:44 pm
Amal Musliha binti Mohd Siran
The Troposphere.
The troposphere is where all weather takes place; it is the region of rising and falling packets of air. The air pressure at the top of the troposphere is only 10% of that at sea level (0.1 atmospheres). There is a thin buffer zone between the troposphere and the next layer called the tropopause.
The Stratosphere and Ozone Layer.
Above the troposphere is the stratosphere, where air flow is mostly horizontal. The thin ozone layer in the upper stratosphere has a high concentration of ozone, a particularly reactive form of oxygen. This layer is primarily responsible for absorbing the ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. The formation of this layer is a delicate matter, since only when oxygen is produced in the atmosphere can an ozone layer form and prevent an intense flux of ultraviolet radiation from reaching the surface, where it is quite hazardous to the evolution of life. There is considerable recent concern that manmade flourocarbon compounds may be depleting the ozone layer, with dire future consequences for life on the Earth.
The Mesosphere and Ionosphere.
Above the stratosphere is the mesosphere and above that is the ionosphere (or thermosphere), where many atoms are ionized (have gained or lost electrons so they have a net electrical charge). The ionosphere is very thin, but it is where aurora take place, and is also responsible for absorbing the most energetic photons from the Sun, and for reflecting radio waves, thereby making long-distance radio communication possible.
Potential effects of volcanic gases.
The volcanic gases that pose the greatest potential hazard to people, animals, agriculture, and property are sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen fluoride. Locally, sulfur dioxide gas can lead to acid rain and air pollution downwind from a volcano. Globally, large explosive eruptions that inject a tremendous volume of sulfur aerosols into the stratosphere can lead to lower surface temperatures and promote depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer. Because carbon dioxide gas is heavier than air, the gas may flow into in low-lying areas and collect in the soil. The concentration of carbon dioxide gas in these areas can be lethal to people, animals, and vegetation. A few historic eruptions have released sufficient fluorine-compounds to deform or kill animals that grazed on vegetation coated with volcanic ash; fluorine compounds tend to become concentrated on fine-grained ash particles, which can be ingested by animals.
Human population growth and related industrial expansion, have led to greater air pollution and a change in the composition of the earth’s atmosphere. Some pollutants enhance the natural greenhouse effect, resulting in increased global atmospheric temperatures.
-Water vapour is the main greenhouse gas. Human activities are not known to have had a significant influence on the atmospheric concentration of water vapour.
-Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the pollutant most responsible for increased global warming. It is released into the atmosphere mainly through burning of fossil fuels (e.g. coal, petrol, diesel). In addition, widespread destruction of natural vegetation, particularly forests, has contributed to increased atmospheric CO2 levels. This has occurred for two reasons. First, plants take up CO2 through the process of photosynthesis. The destruction of vegetation, as occurs in deforestation, reduces the amount of CO2 that is removed from the atmosphere. Second, when forests are cleared, and burnt or left to rot, CO2 is released.
-Methane (CH4) has doubled in concentration, mainly as a result of agricultural activities, between 1750 and 1990.
-Nitrous oxide (N2O), also a product of burning fossil fuel, has increased by 8% over the same period.
-Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), in addition to damaging the ozone layer, are potent greenhouse gases. Their concentrations in the atmosphere are increasing by about 4% every year.
April 5, 2008 pada 4:42 pm
Nur Nadiah binti Marzuki
GLOBAL WARMING
Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s near-surface air and oceans since the mid-twentieth century and its projected continuation.
The global average air temperature near the Earth’s surface rose 0.74 ± 0.18 °C (1.33 ± 0.32 °F) during the hundred years ending in 2005.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-twentieth century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations” via the greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least thirty scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with some findings of the IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change agree with the IPCC’s main conclusions.[9][10]
Climate model projections summarized by the IPCC indicate that average global surface temperature will likely rise a further 1.1 to 6.4 °C (2.0 to 11.5 °F) during the twenty-first century. The range of values results from the use of differing scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions as well as models with differing climate sensitivity. Although most studies focus on the period up to 2100, warming and sea level rise are expected to continue for more than a thousand years even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilized. The delay in reaching equilibrium is a result of the large heat capacity of the oceans.
Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences.
The Earth’s climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing), volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.
None of the effects of forcing are instantaneous. The thermal inertia of the Earth’s oceans and slow responses of other indirect effects mean that the Earth’s current climate is not in equilibrium with the forcing imposed. Climate commitment studies indicate that even if greenhouse gases were stabilized at 2000 levels, a further warming of about 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) would still occur.
The greenhouse effect was discovered by Joseph Fourier in 1824 and was first investigated quantitatively by Svante Arrhenius in 1896. It is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warm a planet’s lower atmosphere and surface.
Existence of the greenhouse effect as such is not disputed. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F), without which Earth would be uninhabitable. On Earth, the major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%.The issue is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the atmospheric concentrations of some greenhouse gases.
Human activity since the industrial revolution has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased radiative forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Molecule for molecule, methane is a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but its concentration is much smaller so that its total radiative forcing is only about a fourth of that from carbon dioxide. Some other naturally occurring gases contribute very small fractions of the greenhouse effect; one of these, nitrous oxide (N2O), is increasing in concentration owing to human activity such as agriculture. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased by 31% and 149% respectively since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores. From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO2 values this high were last attained 20 million years ago. Fossil fuel burning has produced about three-quarters of the increase in CO2 from human activity over the past 20 years. Most of the rest is due to land-use change, in particular deforestation.
In the nutshell, everyone must be concern about global warming because it’s not only destroying our planet, but also ourselves.
April 6, 2008 pada 4:56 am
Hee Soon Sean
May the God always be with you… …
Acid Rain
Acid rain, one of the most important environmental problems of all, cannot be seen. The invisible gases that cause acid rain usually come from automobiles or coal-burning power plants.
Acid rain moves easily, affecting locations far beyond those that let out the pollution. As a result, this global pollution issue causes great debates between countries that fight over polluting each other’s environments.
The primary causes of acid rain are sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These chemicals are released by certain industrial processes, and as a result, the more industrialized nations of Europe as well as the US suffer severely from acid rain.
Most sulfur dioxide comes from power plants that use coal as their fuel. These plants emit 100 million tons of sulfur dioxide, 70% of that in the world.
Automobiles produce about half of the world’s nitrogen oxide. As the number of automobiles in use increases, so does the amount of acid rain. Power plants that burn fossil fuels also contribute significantly to nitrogen oxide emission.
Global warming
Global warming, also known as the greenhouse effect, immediately received international attention. Scientists, environmentalists, and governments around the world took an interest in the subject.
Global warming is called the greenhouse effect because the gases that are gathering above the earth make the planet comparable to a greenhouse. By trapping heat near the surface of the earth, the greenhouse effect is warming the planet and threatening the environment.
Many different gases can increase the planet’s temperature. The number of different products and human activities that contribute to global warming are so numerous that finding solutions to the problem is very difficult.
Using a refrigerator releases dangerous gases, turning on the lights requires energy from a power plant, and driving to work causes gas emissions from the car. Countless other normal activities lead to global warming.
Though having an atmosphere is important, the greenhouse effect may be making it excessively thick. The levels of gases covering the Earth have soared with industrialization, and developed countries now produce about 75% of greenhouse gases.
The most common gas is carbon dioxide, accounting for about 50% of all greenhouse gases. Other gases, including methane, CFCs, nitrogen oxides, and ozone, also contribute to forming the greenhouse layer.
Because these gases are produced by so many important and common processes, limiting their production to prevent global warming will be difficult. As population increases and Third World countries begin to use greater amounts of energy, the problem may expand rather than contract.
Ozone Depletion
The ozone layer protects the Earth from the ultraviolet rays sent down by the sun. If the ozone layer is depleted by human action, the effects on the planet could be catastrophic.
Ozone is present in the stratosphere. The stratosphere reaches 30 miles above the Earth, and at the very top it contains ozone. The suns rays are absorbed by the ozone in the stratosphere and thus do not reach the Earth.
Ozone is a bluish gas that is formed by three atoms of oxygen. The form of oxygen that humans breathe in consists of two oxygen atoms, O2. When found on the surface of the planet, ozone is considered a dangerous pollutant and is one substance responsible for producing the greenhouse effect.
The highest regions of the stratosphere contain about 90% of all ozone.
Antarctica was an early victim of ozone destruction. A massive hole in the ozone layer right above Antarctica now threatens not only that continent, but many others that could be the victims of Antarctica’s melting icecaps. In the future, the ozone problem will have to be solved so that the protective layer can be conserved.
Smog
Smog causes a smoky dark atmosphere to arise over cities. It decreases visibility, and creates a haze throughout the area.
Numerous studies have monitored smog throughout the world. Some of the world’s dirtiest cities have millions of inhabitants, all of whom are threatened by the smog.
Particulates present in smog include carbon monoxide, dirt, soot, dust, and ozone. To really create the smog effect, sunlight, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides have to mix together.
Major producers of smog include automobiles, fires, waste treatment, oil production, industrial solvents, paints, and coatings.
Car engines, especially diesel engines, as well as gas stations that allow gas to be leaked out are huge contributors to the smog problem. Gas vapor that gets away from gas pumps contributes to the hydrocarbons needed to form smog. Diesel engines emit particles of soot that enter the atmosphere.
Today, the smog problems created by cars are becoming increasingly severe. As gas prices decline, consumers are buying cars that use more gas, and hence pollute the atmosphere to a greater extent.
April 6, 2008 pada 8:31 am
Hasyimah binti Hashim
Pollution, in one sense, is the introduction of contaminants into an environment, of whatever predetermined or agreed upon proportions or frame of reference, that cause instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms therein. Pollution can be in the form of chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants can be naturally occurring substances or energies, but are considered contaminants when in excess of natural levels. Pollution is often categorized into point source and nonpoint source pollution.
In another sense, pollution is a term for any substance introduced into an ecology that causes instability and breakdown of the life or reproductive forces of said system. A substance as common and generally healthy as water can become a “pollutant” at high enough concentrations, e.g. if a human were to drink excessive amounts, leading to a burden on physical systems, a breakdown of such systems, and potentially leading to death. Water has been used in just such a way in suicide attempts and successes. In a even broader application of the concept, excessive noise “pollution” and exposure is used in military exercises to induce imbalance in the subject’s mental ecology, causing malfunction and psychosis
The effects from the pollution can be divided to human health and ecosystems. Adverse air quality can kill many organisms including humans. Ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. Water pollution causes approximately 14,000 deaths per day, mostly due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in developing countries. Oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes. Noise pollution induces hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance.
From the ecosystems aspect, there are several effects caused by pollution which are sulfur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen can cause acid rain which reduces the pH value of soil, soil can become infertile and unsuitable for plants. This will affect other organisms in the food web. Besides that, smog and haze can reduce the amount of sunlight received by plants to carry out photosynthesis. Invasive species can out compete native species and reduce biodiversity. Invasive plants can contribute debris and biomolecules (allelopathy) that can alter soil and chemical compositions of an environment, often reducing native species competitiveness. Biomagnification describes a situation where toxins may be pass through trophic levels, becoming exponentially more concentrated in the process.
Carbon dioxide, while vital for photosynthesis, is sometimes referred to as pollution, because raised levels of the gas in the atmosphere are affecting the Earth’s climate. Disruption of the environment can also highlight the connection between areas of pollution that would normally be classified separately, such as those of water and air. Recent studies have investigated the potential for long-term rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to cause slight but critical increases in the acidity of ocean waters, and the possible effects of this on marine ecosystems.
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April 8, 2008 pada 9:12 am
priyadarrshini
Ozone depletion.
Ozone depletion describes two distinct, but related observations: a slow, steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of ozone in Earth’s stratosphere since the late 1970s; and a much larger, but seasonal, decrease in stratospheric ozone over Earth’s polar regions during the same period. The latter phenomenon is commonly referred to as the ozone hole.
In addition to this well-known stratospheric ozone depletion, there are also tropospheric ozone depletion events, which occur near the surface in polar regions during spring.
The detailed mechanism by which the polar ozone holes form is different from that for the mid-latitude thinning, but the most important process in both trends is catalytic destruction of ozone by atomic chlorine and bromine.[1] The main source of these halogen atoms in the stratosphere is photodissociation of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) compounds, commonly called freons, and of bromofluorocarbon compounds known as halons. These compounds are transported into the stratosphere after being emitted at the surface. Both ozone depletion mechanisms strengthened as emissions of CFCs and halons increased.
CFCs and other contributory substances are commonly referred to as ozone-depleting substances (ODS). Since the ozone layer prevents most harmful UVB wavelengths (270–315 nm) of ultraviolet light (UV light) from passing through the Earth’s atmosphere, observed and projected decreases in ozone have generated worldwide concern leading to adoption of the Montreal Protocol banning the production of CFCs and halons as well as related ozone depleting chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethane. It is suspected that a variety of biological consequences such as increases in skin cancer, damage to plants, and reduction of plankton populations in the ocean’s photic zone may result from the increased UV exposure due to ozone depletion
Reactions that take place on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) play an important role in enhancing ozone depletion.PSCs form more readily in the extreme cold of Antarctic stratosphere. This is why ozone holes first formed, and are deeper, over Antarctica. Early models failed to take PSCs into account and predicted a gradual global depletion, which is why the sudden Antarctic ozone hole was such a surprise to many scientists.
While the effect of the Antarctic ozone hole in decreasing the global ozone is relatively small, estimated at about 4% per decade, the hole has generated a great deal of interest because:
The decrease in the ozone layer was predicted in the early 1980s to be roughly 7% over a sixty-year period.
The sudden recognition in 1985 that there was a substantial “hole” was widely reported in the press. The especially rapid ozone depletion in Antarctica had previously been dismissed as a measurement error.
Many were worried that ozone holes might start to appear over other areas of the globe but to date the only other large-scale depletion is a smaller ozone “dimple” observed during the Arctic spring over the North Pole. Ozone at middle latitudes has declined, but by a much smaller extent (about 4–5% decrease).
If the conditions became more severe (cooler stratospheric temperatures, more stratospheric clouds, more active chlorine), then global ozone may decrease at a much greater pace. Standard global warming theory predicts that the stratosphere will cool.
When the Antarctic ozone hole breaks up, the ozone-depleted air drifts out into nearby areas. Decreases in the ozone level of up to 10% have been reported in New Zealand in the month following the break-up of the Antarctic ozone hole.
Although they are often interlinked in the mass media, the connection between global warming and ozone depletion is not strong. There are four areas of linkage:
The same CO2 radiative forcing that produces near-surface global warming is expected to cool the stratosphere.[citation needed] This cooling, in turn, is expected to produce a relative increase in ozone (O3) depletion and the frequency of ozone holes.
Radiative forcing from various greenhouse gases and other sourcesConversely, ozone depletion represents a radiative forcing of the climate system. There are two opposing effects: Reduced ozone causes the stratosphere to absorb less solar radiation, thus cooling the stratosphere while warming the troposphere; the resulting colder stratosphere emits less long-wave radiation downward, thus cooling the troposphere. Overall, the cooling dominates; the IPCC concludes that “observed stratospheric O3 losses over the past two decades have caused a negative forcing of the surface-troposphere system”[38] of about −0.15 ± 0.10 watts per square meter (W/m²).[39]
One of the strongest predictions of the greenhouse effect theory is that the stratosphere will cool.Although this cooling has been observed, it is not trivial to separate the effects of changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases and ozone depletion since both will lead to cooling. However, this can be done by numerical stratospheric modeling. Results from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory show that above 20 km (12.4 miles), the greenhouse gases dominate the cooling.[40]
Ozone depleting chemicals are also greenhouse gases. The increases in concentrations of these chemicals have produced 0.34 ± 0.03 W/m² of radiative forcing, corresponding to about 14% of the total radiative forcing from increases in the concentrations of well-mixed greenhouse gases
April 9, 2008 pada 4:40 pm
Ahmad Ashraf
The last week lecture realized me how important for us to appreciate the environment. About the animal extinction, many times humans intrude into the range of different wildlife habitat, causing some of the wildlife to move or even go extinct. Wildlife is present not only in tropical rainforests and other remote places, but in urban areas. Many animals adapt to changing conditions. Any environmental changes in food, water, shelter, cover, and habitat space these can affect the life of an organism. We need to understand the importance of keeping areas natural
About the ozone layer, which shields life on earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation. The chemicals that destroy ozone are formed by industrial and natural processes such as methane (CH4), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), nitrous oxide (N2O). Ozone layer depletion is expected to increase surface UV levels, which could lead to damage, including increases in skin cancer and also affect the crops.
We also should be aware with the effects of pollution. The most serious result of pollution is its harmful biological effects on human health and on the food chain of animals, birds, and marine life. Pollution can destroy vegetation that provides food and shelter. It can seriously disrupt the balance of nature. In extreme cases it can cause the death of humans.
The algae growing out of control the water can reduce oxygen levels, cloud water, and restrict circulation. So, we should control the amount of algae so that we can keep the marine life inside the water alive with sufficient amount of oxygen.
Most of the consequences of global warming would result from one of three physical changes which are sea level rise, higher local temperatures, and changes in rainfall patterns. We must take some action to reduce the effects, such as recycling our organic waste, plant a tree and reduce the amount of energy consumed. Start using renewable energy sources, such as wind power and solar power is also a good idea to save the environment.
April 9, 2008 pada 5:56 pm
mohammad fauzi bin bostanudin
This is about the project..
My group members are hafifi,izaidi,ashraf and fauzi(me)
Topic : Traffic congestion
Purposes :
– to investigate the traffic condition in congested area
– to determine the peak time of congestion
– to find out the causes of the congestion
– to find the solution for this such of problem
So,this project will take place around the area of tubagus,simpang dago and itb.
April 9, 2008 pada 6:20 pm
mohammad fauzi bin bostanudin
Last week I have learned about our environment condition, how bad is our environment condition. So, first, is about deforestation. Deforestation is the conventionial of forested areas to non-forest land for use such as arable land, pasture, urban use, logged area, or wasteland. Generally, the removal or destruction of significant areas of forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity. In many countries, massive forestation is ongoing and is shaping climate and geography. Deforestation results from removal of trees without sufficient reforestation, and results in declines in habitat and biodiversity, wood for fuel and industrial use, and quality of life.
About ozone depletion, I have already known how the ozone be produced and how it can be destroyed. The most popular cause is, CFC. CFC can be found in our refrigerator and air cond. Ozone can shield us from the dangerous UV rays. The depletion of ozone can bring bad effects to us. UV rays can cause cancer to us.
Other is about pollution. The air pollution can warm up our earth temperature. This is called greenhouse effect. The smoke acn caught the heat from go outside, so, the heat is kept inside the earth and warm up the temperature. The effect of this phenomenon, it can melt the ice berg and rise the sea level. To save our earth and our life, we have to toil protect and do whatever we can such as recycling the used things, decrease the use of CFC and protect our trees from being deforestated.
April 13, 2008 pada 5:16 am
yasmin bt mohd noh
sorry sir for the late comment for the pollution assignment…
Well, basically what have the lecturer taught last week about the pollution really reminds me how important the environment is to human beings, animals and also to the plantation..pollution is a contamination to the ecosystem that if not been treated early it will spread badly to everyone…about air pollution; human introduction into the atmosphere of chemicals, particulates, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damage the environment. Air pollution causes deaths and respiratory disease. Air pollution is often identified with major stationary sources, but the greatest source of emissions is actually mobile sources, mainly automobiles. Gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, have recently gained recognition as pollutants by climate scientists, while they also recognize that carbon dioxide is essential for plant life through photosynthesis. There are many substances in the air which may impair the health of plants and animals (including humans), or reduce visibility. These arise both from natural processes and human activity. Substances not naturally found in the air or at greater concentrations or in different locations from usual are referred to as pollutants.
Pollutants can be classified as either primary or secondary. Primary pollutants are substances directly emitted from a process, such as ash from a volcanic eruption or the carbon monoxide gas from a motor vehicle exhaust. Secondary pollutants are not emitted directly. Rather, they form in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. An important example of a secondary pollutant is ground level ozone – one of the many secondary pollutants that make up photochemical smog. Some pollutants may be both primary and secondary: that is, they are both emitted directly and formed from other primary pollutants.
One type of air pollution is the release of particles into the air from burning fuel for energy. Diesel smoke is a good example of this particulate matter . The particles are very small pieces of matter measuring about 2.5 microns or about .0001 inches. This type of pollution is sometimes referred to as “black carbon” pollution. The exhaust from burning fuels in automobiles, homes, and industries is a major source of pollution in the air. Some authorities believe that even the burning of wood and charcoal in fireplaces and barbeques can release significant quanitites of soot into the air.
Therefore, the air is very fragile and need extra precaution on how to take care and save the air as it can be used in future generation. If the air pollution keep increasing it will give a bad effects to the people as well as the animals and plants…A lot of disease will spread such as asthma, skin disease etc. To those people who lthis love to live in a happy life, please start thinking on how to confront this matter as the air is so important to the ecosystem.
April 13, 2008 pada 5:29 am
yasmin bt mohd noh
group member: Amira Balqis, Nur Syazreen and Yasmin
group number: no sure….
Topic: Flood in Bandung
The proposal that what we want to discuss is about how the issues happen, the effects from the flood and also what to do to prevent the flood from happen…
issues: ~ poor dranaige system
~ pollution of rubbish
~ road condition
~ lacking attention from the government
effects: ~ traffic jams
~ bad impression on tourist
~ foul smell
~ dirty road
~ consume energy
~ insecure life
prevention: ~ improve drainage system
~ renew / tar the road
~ self responsibility
~ awareness campaign
~ government takes responsible
So, as we will observed a few places when the flood happens and will make a summary on what’s going on to the project plan…
thank you….
Mei 7, 2008 pada 4:52 am
Annapurni Devi
Greenhouse effect
Atmospheric scientists first used the term ‘greenhouse effect’ in the early 1800s. At that time, it was used to describe the naturally occurring functions of trace gases in the atmosphere and did not have any negative connotations. It was not until the mid-1950s that the term greenhouse effect was coupled with concern over climate change. And in recent decades, we often hear about the greenhouse effect in somewhat negative terms. The negative concerns are related to the possible impacts of an enhanced greenhouse effect. This is covered in more detail in the Global Climate Change section of this Web site. It is important to remember that without the greenhouse effect, life on earth as we know it would not be possible.
While the earth’s temperature is dependent upon the greenhouse-like action of the atmosphere, the amount of heating and cooling are strongly influenced by several factors just as greenhouses are affected by various factors.
In the atmospheric greenhouse effect, the type of surface that sunlight first encounters is the most important factor. Forests, grasslands, ocean surfaces, ice caps, deserts, and cities all absorb, reflect, and radiate radiation differently. Sunlight falling on a white glacier surface strongly reflects back into space, resulting in minimal heating of the surface and lower atmosphere. Sunlight falling on a dark desert soil is strongly absorbed, on the other hand, and contributes to significant heating of the surface and lower atmosphere. Cloud cover also affects greenhouse warming by both reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth’s surface and by reducing the amount of radiation energy emitted into space.
Scientists use the term albedo to define the percentage of solar energy reflected back by a surface. Understanding local, regional, and global albedo effects is critical to predicting global climate change
greenhouse gaseous
Carbon dioxide () is one of the greenhouse gases. It consists of one carbon atom with an oxygen atom bonded to each side. When its atoms are bonded tightly together, the carbon dioxide molecule can absorb infrared radiation and the molecule starts to vibrate. Eventually, the vibrating molecule will emit the radiation again, and it will likely be absorbed by yet another greenhouse gas molecule. This absorption-emission-absorption cycle serves to keep the heat near the surface, effectively insulating the surface from the cold of space.Carbon dioxide, water vapor (), methane (), nitorus oxide (), and a few other gases are greenhouse gases. They all are molecules composed of more than two component atoms, bound loosely enough together to be able to vibrate with the absorption of heat. The major components of the atmosphere ( and ) are two-atom molecules too tightly bound together to vibrate and thus they do not absorb heat and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
The ability of certain trace gases to be relatively transparent to incoming visible light from the sun, yet opaque to the energy radiated from the earth is one of the best understood processes in the atmospheric sciences. This phenomenon, the greenhouse effect, is what makes the earth habitable for life
Mei 7, 2008 pada 5:52 am
SHAMALA RAJANTEREH
Photochemical smog
Smog is a type of air pollution. Smog is a mixture of smoke and fog. Smog usually forms when smoke from pollution mixes with fog. For example, London, England, is often very foggy. Most people in London used to heat their homes by burning coal. The coal made lots of smoke, which mixed with fog to form smog. London used to have a lot of smog. There is a special kind of smog called photochemical smog. It forms when photons of sunlight hit molecules of different kinds of pollutants in the atmosphere. The photons make chemical reactions happen. The pollution molecules turn into other kinds of nasty chemicals. That mixture of bad chemicals is called photochemical smog. The chemicals in photochemical smog include nitrogen oxides, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), ozone, and PAN (peroxyacytyl nitrate). Nitrogen oxides mostly come from the engines of cars and trucks. VOCs are given off by paint, gasoline, and pesticides. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is harmful. PAN is a type of pollution that is made by chemical reactions between other kinds of pollution. Smog smells bad and makes it hard for people to breath. It can also damage materials. Smog is a very harmful kind of air pollution.
Smog is a problem in a number of cities and continues to harm human health. Ground-level ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide are especially harmful for senior citizens, children, and people with heart and lung conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. It can inflame breathing passages, decreasing the lungs’ working capacity, and causing shortness of breath, pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing, and coughing. It can cause eye and nose irritation and it dries out the protective membranes of the nose and throat and interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection, increasing susceptibility to illness. Hospital admissions and respiratory deaths often increase during periods when ozone levels are high.
Smog prevention requires control of particulates, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur dioxide from power plants, industrial boilers, and other furnaces; reduction of industrial emissions; restriction of gasoline vaporization from service stations and storage tanks; control of emissions of organics and nitrogen oxides from automobiles and trucks; and maintenance of petroleum refineries and chemical plants to prevent leaks and spills.
Mei 7, 2008 pada 6:18 am
Annapurni Devi
Project Proposal
Group members : Annapurni Devi, Shamala, Jayanthi, Syazreen, Amirah Balqis.
Topic : Air pollution in Gunung Batu Kapur, Padalarang, Bandung.
Issues : To determine the causes of air pollution in this area
Air pollution are mainly caused by the chemical factories located
at this industrial area.
Effects : Air pollution on humans-> respiratory problem, asthma, eye
irritation, skin diseases,
On the ecosystem -> Photochemical smog, acid rain,
biomagnification.
Prevention :-Kyto Protocol ( reduce the emmission of carbon dioxide and
five other greenhouse gases)
-environmental awareness campaign by the goverment.
– impose fine or penalty to those commited in open burning
and penalty to factories causing air pollution.
– self awareness and responsibilty
thank you
Mei 10, 2008 pada 11:48 pm
KUMARASEN SILVA RATNAM
Project Proposal
Group members : Kumarasen Silva Ratnam, Priya Darshini and Arevin Sandrasekeran
Topic:- Pollution in Simpang, Dago
Issues and observation : Observed various pollution that can be clearly seen in Simpang, Dago…that are rubbish, air and noise…we made observation for a duration of one week.
Effects : Health and environmental issues
Prevention : Authority and awareness
A detailed report on this issue would be prepared and submitted when requested and also a presentation will be done…thank you.
Mei 12, 2008 pada 12:58 pm
Nishalini Sivakumar
CLIMATE
Climate is the average and variations of weather in a region over long periods of time. The climate of a location is affected by the presence of mountains, ice caps, as well nearby oceans and their associated currents. Locations on the western side of oceans exposed to warm water currents are relatively warm and humid, while deserts tend to exist on the east side of oceans where cold water currents contribute less warmth and moisture, leading to a more stable atmospheric profile. Mountain chains can cut off moisture streaming off an ocean or bay from reaching more inland locations. Climate zones can be defined using parameters such as temperature and rainfall to define desert, steppe, rain forest and polar ice cap regimes
TYPES OF ZONE
• Tropical rain forest
Rain forests are characterized by high rainfall, with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1,750 millimetres (69 in) and 2,000 millimetres (79 in). Mean monthly temperatures exceed 18 °C (64 °F) during all months of the year. Rainforests are home to half of all the living animal and plant species on the planet.
• Tropical monsoon
A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months, ushering in a region’s rainy season. The term was first used in English in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and neighboring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall to the region.
• Tropical savanna
A tropical savanna is a grassland biome located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes. A total of 11.5% of the world’s landmass is classified under this climate regime. Average temperatures remain at or above 18 °C (64 °F) year round. Grasslands are dominated by grass and other herbaceous plants. Savannas are grasslands with scattered trees. Shrublands are dominated by woody or herbaceous shrubs. They are widespread on Africa, and are also found in India, the northern parts of South America, Malaysia, and Australia.
• Humid subtropical
The Humid subtropical climate zone is characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly to mild winters. This climate type covers a broad category of climates, and the term “subtropical” may be a misnomer for the winter climate in the cooler areas within this category. Significant amounts of precipitation occur in all seasons in most areas. Winter rainfall (and sometimes snowfall) is associated with large storms that the westerlies steer from west to east. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms and from occasional tropical cyclones.
• Humid continental
Humid continental climate is found over large areas of land masses in the temperate regions of the mid-latitudes where there is a zone of conflict between polar and tropical air masses. The humid continental climate is marked by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal temperature variance. The seasonal temperature variance can be as great as 33°C (59°F), but is typically 15-22°C (27-40°F).
• Oceanic climate
.An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of all the world’s continents, and in southeastern Australia. Oceanic climates are characterized by a narrower annual range of temperatures than are encountered in other places at a comparable latitude, and do not have the extremely dry summers of Mediterranean climates. Precipitation is plentiful throughout the year in this climate regime.
• Mediterranean climate
The Mediterranean climate climate regime resembles the climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, which includes over half of the area with this climate type worldwide. Elsewhere, this climate type prevails in parts of western North America, in parts of Western and South Australia, in southwestern South Africa and in parts of central Chile. The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.
• Continental steppe
A steppe is a dry forest, but not dry enough to be a desert. The term steppe originally comes from the Russian word /stɛp/ which means a flat and arid land. The climates of all steppes are summarized by a continental climate. Peaks can be recorded in the summer of up to 40 °C (104 °F) and in winter down to −40 °C (−40.0 °F). Besides this huge temperature variation, the diurnal temperature differences are also very great. In the highlands of Mongolia, 30 °C (86 °F) can be reached during the day with temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) at night.
• Subarctic
A subarctic climate has monthly temperatures which are above 10 °C (50 °F) for one to three months of the year, and experiences some of the largest annual temperature ranges on the planet. Except for those areas adjacent to warm ocean currents, there is usually continuous permafrost due to the very cold winters. This means that building in most subarctic regions is very difficult and expensive: cities are very few (Murmansk being the largest) and generally small, whilst roads are few and railways non-existent. An important consequence is that transportation tends to be restricted to “bush” planes, helicopters and, in summer, river boats.
• Tundra
Arctic tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere, north of the taiga belt. It is one of the world’s youngest biomes, forming 10,000 years ago. The word “tundra” usually refers only to the areas where the subsoil is permafrost, or permanently frozen soil. Permafrost tundra includes vast areas of northern Russia and Canada. The polar tundra is home to several peoples who are mostly nomadic reindeer herders, such as the Nganasan and Nenets in the permafrost area (and the Sami in Sápmi).
• Polar ice cap
A polar ice cap, or polar ice sheet, is a high-latitude region of a planet or moon that is covered in ice. There are no requirements with respect to size or composition for a body of ice to be termed a polar ice cap, nor any geological requirement for it to be over land; only that it must be a body of solid phase matter in the polar region. Earth’s polar ice caps are mainly water ice, and the coldest locations on the planet. There is so little moisture in the air that it is hypothesized that the polar ice cap is as dry as most deserts.
• Desert
A desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation. Just over 14% of the landmass of the Earth fits within this climate classification. Deserts can be defined as areas that receive an average annual precipitation of less than 250 millimetres (9.8 in), or as areas in which more water is lost than falls as precipitation.
BIOME
A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, often referred to as ecosystems. Biomes are defined based on factors such as plant structures (such as trees, shrubs, and grasses), leaf types (such as broadleaf and needleleaf), plant spacing (forest, woodland, savanna), and climate. Unlike ecozones, biomes are not defined by genetic, taxonomic, or historical similarities. Biomes are often identified with particular patterns of ecological succession and climax vegetation.The biodiversity characteristic of each biome, especially the diversity of fauna and subdominant plant forms, is a function of abiotic factors and the biomass productivity of the dominant vegetation. Species diversity tends to be higher in terrestrial biomes with higher net primary productivity, moisture availability, and temperature.
A fundamental classification of biomes is into:
1. Terrestrial (land) biomes and
2. Aquatic (water) biomes
Mei 14, 2008 pada 3:00 pm
Farha Zakaria
Nowadays,everyone talk about global warming…mean, the increasing of temperature globally.
The global average air temperature near the Earth’s surface increase during the hundred years ending in 2005.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-twentieth century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations” via the greenhouse effect. Natural phenomena such as solar variation combined with volcanoes probably had a small warming effect from pre-industrial times to 1950 and a small cooling effect from 1950 onward. These basic conclusions have been endorsed by at least thirty scientific societies and academies of science, including all of the national academies of science of the major industrialized countries. While individual scientists have voiced disagreement with some findings of the IPCC, the overwhelming majority of scientists working on climate change agree with the IPCC’s main conclusions.
Increasing global temperature will cause sea level to rise, and is expected to increase the intensity of extreme weather events and to change the amount and pattern of precipitation. Other effects of global warming include changes in agricultural yields, trade routes, glacier retreat, species extinctions and increases in the ranges of disease vectors.
Remaining scientific uncertainties include the amount of warming expected in the future, and how warming and related changes will vary from region to region around the globe. Most national governments have signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but there is ongoing political and public debate worldwide regarding what, if any, action should be taken to reduce or reverse future warming or to adapt to its expected consequences.
The Earth’s climate changes in response to external forcing, including variations in its orbit around the Sun (orbital forcing), volcanic eruptions, and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. The detailed causes of the recent warming remain an active field of research, but the scientific consensus is that the increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases due to human activity caused most of the warming observed since the start of the industrial era. This attribution is clearest for the most recent 50 years, for which the most detailed data are available. Some other hypotheses departing from the consensus view have been suggested to explain the temperature increase. One such hypothesis proposes that warming may be the result of variations in solar activity.
The greenhouse effect is the process by which absorption and emission of infrared radiation by atmospheric gases warm a planet’s lower atmosphere and surface.
Existence of the greenhouse effect as such is not disputed. Naturally occurring greenhouse gases have a mean warming effect of about 33 °C (59 °F), without which Earth would be uninhabitable. On Earth, the major greenhouse gases are water vapor, which causes about 36–70% of the greenhouse effect (not including clouds); carbon dioxide (CO2), which causes 9–26%; methane (CH4), which causes 4–9%; and ozone, which causes 3–7%.The issue is how the strength of the greenhouse effect changes when human activity increases the atmospheric concentrations of some greenhouse gases.
Human activity since the industrial revolution has increased the concentration of various greenhouse gases, leading to increased radiative forcing from CO2, methane, tropospheric ozone, CFCs and nitrous oxide. Molecule for molecule, methane is a more effective greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but its concentration is much smaller so that its total radiative forcing is only about a fourth of that from carbon dioxide. Some other naturally occurring gases contribute very small fractions of the greenhouse effect; one of these, nitrous oxide (N2O), is increasing in concentration owing to human activity such as agriculture. The atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and CH4 have increased by 31% and 149% respectively since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. These levels are considerably higher than at any time during the last 650,000 years, the period for which reliable data has been extracted from ice cores. From less direct geological evidence it is believed that CO2 values this high were last attained 20 million years ago. Fossil fuel burning has produced about three-quarters of the increase in CO2 from human activity over the past 20 years. Most of the rest is due to land-use change, in particular deforestation.