The article Flipping icebergs, by Stephen Ornes was published April 3, 2012. the title basically sums up what this article is about, icebergs flipping over. When icebergs flip however, it causes huge commotion and can even release as much energy as an atomic bomb. in very cold areas like Greenland or Antarctica, glaciers can flow over the land and into the ocean. Where the edge of the glacier floats on water, it forms an ice shelf, A floating sheet of ice permanently attached to a landmass. An iceberg forms when part of the ice shelf cracks and breaks off. That’s when icebergs are more likely going to flip. An iceberg takes three or four minutes to flip, and after that it can send out large waves called tsunamis. It may even trigger an earthquake!
The main idea that the author is trying to convey is that these flips that the icebergs are doing is mixing up the water. It quotes "If a warm, salty layer of water is initially floating on a cold, freshwater layer, for example, a flipping iceberg can mix those layers and change the overall temperature and chemical makeup of the water." This could be bad for all of the creatures that live in the ocean, because that could really mess up their habitat. Another quote is "The melting rates of glaciers may depend on the temperature of the water, so scientists are interested in figuring out how flipping icebergs might change those rates." This can't be good if the flipping icebergs make the water temperature rise because that means the water level rises even quicker (because of global warming). Eventually we could be flooded by water.
The author is talking about a very serious and important topic. Earthquakes are the least of our problems when we know that we, or future generations, could be underwater if we don't do anything about it. I think we should alert people about what is going on, although, I don't think there is any way of stopping it. Either way, I'm glad I read the article.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
nonfiction evolution
The article Becoming human, was written by Stephen Ornes and published April 4, 2012. This article revolves around evolution, and it starts in Africa, where the oldest bones have been discovered. During the ice ages, the extremely cold weather drove the ancient species in Africa to warmer climates. Because of that, those species were isolated from other populations. Darren Curnoe, who studied the bones from China, thinks that a new species might have formed.
The main idea that the author is trying to convey is that dramatic changes in the climate can drive human migration. It quotes "In their paper, Stringer and ecologist Jon Stewart from the Bournemouth University in England show how changes in climate have controlled the migration of different types of animals.Studies suggest, for example, that polar bears were once brown bears that became isolated in the north and adapted to the cold conditions." This shows that humans weren't the only ones migrating and evolving because of climate. The quotes, " Ice age conditions may have driven the H. sapiens in what is now China to live and reproduce with the Denisovans." and "Stringer and Stewart also suggest that the Neandertals, another species, may have evolved from an isolated humanlike population in western Asia during ice ages. In addition, the so-called “hobbits,” a short species known to scientists as Homo floresiensis, may also have evolved from other isolated humanlike species." prove that the evolution of humans of many types resulted in the climate changing drastically.
I think it's great that someone came up with this theory, I personally think it is true. People migrate all the time, why would it be unreasonable for them to do it in the past. humans today migrate, if it was cold outside, I would "migrate" inside somewhere, not preserve my body heat. Even animals like birds migrate all the time when it gets too cold. It is an instinct to evacuate when things are to dangerous, just like the ice age. In the big picture this is happening today with global warming. Now animals all around are going to have to migrate to a climate that suits them. This article is more then just evolution.
The main idea that the author is trying to convey is that dramatic changes in the climate can drive human migration. It quotes "In their paper, Stringer and ecologist Jon Stewart from the Bournemouth University in England show how changes in climate have controlled the migration of different types of animals.Studies suggest, for example, that polar bears were once brown bears that became isolated in the north and adapted to the cold conditions." This shows that humans weren't the only ones migrating and evolving because of climate. The quotes, " Ice age conditions may have driven the H. sapiens in what is now China to live and reproduce with the Denisovans." and "Stringer and Stewart also suggest that the Neandertals, another species, may have evolved from an isolated humanlike population in western Asia during ice ages. In addition, the so-called “hobbits,” a short species known to scientists as Homo floresiensis, may also have evolved from other isolated humanlike species." prove that the evolution of humans of many types resulted in the climate changing drastically.
I think it's great that someone came up with this theory, I personally think it is true. People migrate all the time, why would it be unreasonable for them to do it in the past. humans today migrate, if it was cold outside, I would "migrate" inside somewhere, not preserve my body heat. Even animals like birds migrate all the time when it gets too cold. It is an instinct to evacuate when things are to dangerous, just like the ice age. In the big picture this is happening today with global warming. Now animals all around are going to have to migrate to a climate that suits them. This article is more then just evolution.
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