13 Jan · water and soil resources

Exercise 1

Indeed the thought of an entire country’s population being evacuated due to flooding from the rising ocean, seems like a fantastic script for a Hollywood block buster, however, for the government of Tuvalu and its 11,800 residents, it is a grim reality.

The small nation of Tuvalu, located in the South Pacific off the northeastern coast of Australia, is made up of 9 low-lying atolls which cover approximately ten sq. miles. In just the past few years, during the month of February, the tides have been rising higher than before. The islands’ roads have been known to be completely submerged due to waves coming in during these high tide times; leaving not only the roads underwater but, also destroying farmlands and leaving them stripped of any nutrients and eliminating the possibility of being used in the future.

Government officials fear the worst is yet to come; if the experts’ analyses are correct the nation of Tuvalu will become the first casualty of global warming and would literally be swept of the face of the earth.

According to the United Nations Environment Center the environment for development’s headlines read “Sea-Level Rise in Small Island Nations – Up to Four Times the Global Average – to Cost US$ Trillions in Annual Economic Loss and Impede Future Development “ . Now that is something to be concerned about, in over two decades we will see a loss of approximately thirty-four million hectares costing the international economy around $11.9 trillion –with a “T”.

Tuvalu is one of the less known island nations in peril; Kiribati, Maldives, Seychelles, Torres Strait Islands, Tegua, Micronesia, the Solomon Islands, Carteret Islands and Palau are other island nations that are also in dire “straits”. The populations combined come to 1,232,621 people. These are extremely small nations in comparison to the other nations of the world; however when we look at the nation of Bangladesh with a population of 156 million, it tends to raise some eyebrows.

Works cited:

http://nortonsafe.search.ask.com/search?&geo=&prt=cr&o=apn10506&chn=&ver=&q=Tuvalu&tpr=10&ctype=pictures&imgsize=all&safeSearch=on&imgDetail=true

http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2791&ArticleID=10879

http://www.businessinsider.com/islands-threatened-by-climate-change-2012-10

Exercise 2

Coral is considered a marine animal, a living organism. The beautiful colors that they are known for comes from symbiotic algae, which coincidently is also their source of nutrition. In week two I talked about the effects of deforestation is the increase in global water temperatures. The warmer water is affecting the reefs in the increase of disease-causing organisms and also the relationship between the coral and their symbiotic microalgae. Some coral appear white or “bleached”, this is caused by a breakdown in the relationship with the symbiotic microalgae and if the temperatures remain too high for too long, that relationship will break down permanently and recovery is hopeless.

The future of these magnificent living organisms, that not only support a number of marine ecosystems but, also alter water circulation and energy to a multitude of near-shore settings is bleak if not doomed unless we do something about it. By focusing on marine protected areas (MPAs) we can potentially begin the recuperation of these incredible structures. It is imperative that we as an international community begin to really pay attention and focus on protection and conservation of this magnificent, marine biological phenomenon.

Works cited:

http://www.globalissues.org/article/173/coral-reefs

http://www.climatehotmap.org/global-warming-locations/great-barrier-reef-australia.html

http://www.coral.noaa.gov/education/bleaching-background.html

Exercise 3:

Agronomic production and efficiency hinge on the inherited characteristics of harvests and livestock, top soil, weather, and the accessibility of required energy and nutrients. Many essentials of the complete agricultural science process and nourishment system are principally subtle to temperature changes:

· water and soil resources

· poultry productivity, livestock and crops

· income and financial condition, farm structure

· waste control for restrained animal services