ENVR SCI-1301 Brittany Sims

  Plastic pollution has become a major environmental concern, with widespread attention on larger plastic debris like plastic bags and bottles that litter our beaches and harm marine life. However, there is a more insidious and hidden threat lurking in our oceans - microplastics. These tiny particles, often smaller than 5mm in size, are pervasive in our environment and pose significant risks to both humans and the ecosystem. (a) Definition of Microplastics and Their Sources Microplastics are small particles of plastic that result from the breakdown of larger plastic items or are intentionally produced as tiny plastic beads in consumer products. They can be categorized into two types: primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are designed to be small, such as microbeads in personal care products like toothpaste and exfoliators, and are directly released into the environment. Secondary microplastics are the result of larger plastic items breaking down due to weatheri...

  Air Pollution Basics   Sulfur Pollutants :  Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) is an incredibly important gaseous air pollutant. It is colorless but not odorless, known to have a pungent smell to it. Sulfure can combine with many other compounds to become oxidized, depending on which compound SO2 combines with the average atmospheric residence time is between 1 to 4 days. Although it may disperse long distances from its point of emission, this kind if dispersal is known as long-range transportation of air pollution. When combined with ammonium nitrate, this is what forms a fine particulate haze you see in larger cities.    Nitrogen Pollutants :  Nitric Oxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), and ammonia (NH3) are the more important nitrogen-based gases. Ammonia is a colorless gas and is mostly emitted from wetlands, produced through the decomposition of dead biomass, and stays within the atmosphere for up to seven days.  Nitric Oxide (NO) is colo...

Reading Material:  https://www.npr.org/2019/06/24/733795962/how-georgia-became-a-surprising-bright-spot-in-the-u-s-solar-industry Video:    https://vimeo.com/217896697   1. Exploratory Probe basic facts and knowledge found in the reading and video. ( What research evidence supports _________? Type up several facts and basic knowledge from the reading. Relate this to what you find in other resources, prior activities for stronger scores.)) Georgia is becoming the leading state for solar energy with the development of the largest solar plant in the Western hemisphere. This is a bit surprising given that Georgia does not have a state-level mandate for renewable energy.  “Installation of solar energy has fallen more than 70% in the past decade… becoming cost competitive with traditional forms of energy.” ( Hsu, A., & Kelly , 2019, para. 14) Large solar power plants can come together quickly, they can be fully built within a year. With these projects popping up a...

 Alternative Energy:  "Energy generated in ways that do not deplete natural resources or harm the environment, especially by avoiding the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power. The arguments being made for alternative energy at the moment would be the inefficiency of being able to distribute energy without losing it. An example would be heat coming from a lightbulb or heat coming from the battery of your computer. The heat being produced is energy wasted that did not transfer completely into the system to run these appliances. But as we learn more, and technology continues to advance alternative energy will become more prominent across the U.S.              Wind energy is a form of renewable energy that harnesses the power of wind to generate electricity. It has become greatly popular to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and decrease the amount of greenhouse gases we are releasing onto the planet currently. There are many advantages when i...

            When looking at our concept map, we can see that it revolves around Natural Resources. This can branch off in a multitude of ways, from sustainability to alternative resources, to renewable and nonrenewable resources.              Let’s first look at the sustainability of our natural resources. It all depends on how that resource is being maintained so as it’s not overused or over damaged in the long run. The problem with this is over population and over consumption our world is facing daily.              Next, we have our alternative natural resources which include synthetic materials. These of course are not quite as good of quality and may pose a threat if not properly disposed of. Let’s think plastic water bottles not being recycled to be reused in the future.         ...

  The concept map above explains the importance of biodiversity within our world, explaining and simplifying the two different values: Intrinsic and Utilitarian The concept map above shows how energy in our world works, how it is measured, and the different laws of thermodynamics - all supporting our way of life, biodiversity, and biomes. The concept map above explains our many different biomes - from tundra, to rainforests, to our grasslands. All supporting the biodiversity from the first concept map. With these three concept maps I will be explaining to you the details of energy, biodiversity, and biomes. They all correlate to one another, all interconnecting and working together to create the world we live in today.  Biodiversity is what gives us a diverse variety of life, leading to many different habitats and ecosystems that have formed throughout Earth’s existence. Thanks to nature’s diversity, humans have been able to evolve and survive. This includes our ever-expanding...