Water Blog

Nitrate is a primary plant nutrient in water. It is measured because too much nitrate could cause algal blooms that reduce the waters quality.
 

pH is the measure of hydrogen ion concentration. It is measured because most aquatic life can only exist within a pH range of 5.5 to 9.5.

Conductivity is the measurement of the water's ability to conduct an electrical current. It is measured because pure water is a poor conductor. Measuring conductivity allows for people to see how pure the water is.

Turbidity refers to the clarity of water. Turbidity is measured to see how much sediment is in the water. Too much sediment can really damage a stream and make it very cloudy.

Dissolved oxygen is a product of photosynthesis and diffusion. The warmer the water is, the less oxygen it can hold. Dissolved Oxygen is measured because most organisms need at least 5 or 6 ppm to survive in that specific water. Too much dissolved oxygen could kill many organisms.

 

Temperature of water is measured because most aquatic organisms live in a range from 0 degrees to 32 degrees Celsius. Rapid temperature change and temperature extremes could cause a lot of stress on certain organisms.

Alkalinity refers to the water's ability to neutralize acids. Alkalinity is measured because it's important to aquatic organisms. It protects them against rapid changes in pH. Alkalinity is especially important in areas where acid rain is a problem. Too little alkalinity can kill a streams organisms.

E. Coli are coliform bacteria found in the intestines of warm blooded organisms. E. Coli is measured because pathogens can cause severe diarrhea and kidney damage. E. Coli can damage a streams live organisms.

Against Mountaintop Removal Mining

Mountaintop removal mining method has lots of disadvantages. It reduces biodiversity through habitat destruction. Streams are buried in valley fills. It also pollutes them due to the minerals and sediment. Health risks include asthma and different cancers. Flooding is increased due to deforestation. There is also damage to homes and infrastructure from the blasting of the mountaintops.

Favoring Mountaintop Removal Mining

Mountaintop removal mining method is a good and safe way to collect coal. This method creates flat land for economic development. It's also safer than underground mining. Mountaintop removal mining is more cost efficient than other mining methods. Most importantly, it creates jobs.

Coal Camp

Big Stick coal camp is located in Big Stick, West Virginia. The coal camp was owned by Pemberton Coal and Coke Company for awhile, until Lillybrook Coal company took over in 1942. The population at the coal camp was around 1,700 people. It wasn't a very popular coal camp, but there was a school for both white and black kids. There was also a company store just like many other coal camps. The mine closed around 1951. The miners and people that lived there gradually started leaving and the coal camp became abandoned in the late 1950's.

Surface Mining

There are three different types of surface mining. Those include Strip mining, Contour mining, and Mountaintop Removal mining. Strip mining is used when coal is near the surface or when the overburden is unstable. As mining progresses, the overburden is placed in the previous mine cavity. An advantage of strip mining is that it's much cheaper and faster than other surface mining methods. A disadvantage is that it destroys the landscape and environment around it. Contour mining is a type of strip or surface mining that follows the contour of a hill or mountain leaving terraces in the mountain side. An advantage of contour mining is the safety. One disadvantage is soil erosion. Mountaintop Removal mining is when tops of hills are removed to access horizontal coal seams. Following reclamation, the original contour is not restored. This is the most controversial mining method. An advantage of mountaintop removal mining is that the result of the flat land caused by the mining is good for future development. A disadvantage is numerous houses can be damaged due to mining sites being so close.

Underground Mining

There are 5 different types of underground mining. These include Drift, Shaft, Room and Pillar, Continuous, and Long wall. Drift mining is possible where the coal seam intersects the surface. The mine enters the seam in a horizontal direction following the coal. An advantage of drift mining is that it's much cheaper than other methods. A disadvantage is that it's not the safest way to mine as the tunnels may collapse killing and trapping miners. Shaft mining is a common method accessing a coal seam in which elevators provide access to mines. The shaft mines in West Virginia are commonly deeper than 1,000 feet below the surface. One advantage of shaft mining is that it's easy to cover the pit after it's done. A disadvantage is it's the deepest form of underground mining, so it's very unsafe. In room and pillar mining, nearly half the coal is left behind to support the mine roof. Pillars can squeeze putting pressure on adjacent pillars leading to roof collapses. In room and pillar mining, roof falls are a constant danger. An advantage of room and pillar mining is that most of the work place is completely flat. A disadvantage is very dangerous health conditions. In continuous mining, machines can be used with drift or room and pillar mines. Varieties of continuous mining machines have been in use since the 1940's. An advantage of continuous mining is that there are many different types of machines to get the job done. A disadvantage is the constant drilling and blasting of the walls could cause many collapses. Long wall mining is highly efficient. Once the coal is removed, the machine allows the roof to fall behind it. Long wall mines extract much more of the coal. An advantage of long wall mining is that there is a better resource recovery. A disadvantage is disruption of ecosystems and loss of stream and wetland functions.

 

 

Coal Formation

Coal was formed from the remains of swamp plant from 300-400 million years ago. The dead plants from the swamp became buried in the swamp. Since there was no oxygen reaching the plants, they didn't rot. The plants formed peat. The Light energy that the plants receive, excites the electrons in chlorophyll. Those electrons are used by the plant to produce ATP and electron carriers. Those are used to form high energy bonds between carbon dioxide molecules to form carbohydrates.

Excel Charts

Graph Analysis Conclusion

Due to the temperatures in big cities, people use more air conditioning. The air conditioning units put more aerosols into the atmosphere. Long Wave Infrared Radiation is sunlight, but also includes the radiation coming from the sun that is converted into heat. The radiation is trapped and absorbed in the atmosphere, making the temperature rise.

The question is “Do aerosols affect climate change through the Urban Heat Island Effect and greenhouse gases?” We believe that aerosols do affect climate change. We measured the Surface Temperature of certain urban areas, and found out that aerosols make the temperature rise. The percent transmissions from the temperatures show that aerosols do affect climate change. 

Aerosols are particles that are put in the air. Some are just naturally there, while others are suspended in the air by volcano eruptions, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation, and sea spray. Human's also put aerosols into the air by burning fossil fuels. Scientists haven't learned enough about aerosols to know whether it warms or cools the global climate, but I predict that aerosols cool down the over all climate. Most aerosols reflect sunlight, therefore, less radiation reaches earth. Although, the cooling does depend on the size and composition of the aerosols. Without aerosols, we would have no clouds. Clouds that have a lot of small droplets don't let the sun light pass through easy, reducing the amount of sunlight that reaches the surface. Even though aerosols can cause the climate to lower, there's a better chance of the climate to rise. (Aerosols and Climate Change by Mary Hardin and Ralph Kahn)