Organization That Helps Wildlife / Final Farewell

One of the most common organizations that is helping endangered species is the WWF , World Wildlife Fund , it is one of the worlds largest independent conservation organization of over 5 million supporters worldwide in 90 countries and  supports about 1300 conservation and environmental projects. It is a  charity that relays on about 60% of its funding from voluntary donations by private individuals . Another 45% of its funds come from the Netherlands , United States and United Kingdom.

The main issues that this organizations  deals with is biodiversity, forests , freshwater ecosystems , oceans , coasts , endangered species , pollution , and climate change. The idea to start this organization came from a person named Victor Slotan who wrote a response to an article published by Julian Huxley. They decided to use the symbol of a  panda for their organization because it came from a panda named Chi Chi which was transferred from the Beijing Zoo to the London Zoo the same year WWF was established .

WWF's goals are to focus on restoring population of 36  species , conserving 35 globally important ecoregions around the world , and reducing peoples ecological footprints in 6 regions. As well it works with organizations dealing with biodiversity loss , including financing , business practices , laws , and  consumption choices.

My Personal Opinion
My personal thoughts on this article is that they are doing an amazing job by at least trying to save a number of different species as well as  taking on a whole bunch of other tasks that are somewhat related to their main focus . I found it interesting that they decided to use a panda for their symbol , as well I thought it was cool that the panda was being transferred the same year this organization was being  established. I feel like this is probably one of the best organizations in the country because it is trying to take on so many different things at one time.

Final Farewell
Well I guess this is the end of my blog , finally I would like to thank anyone who commented or took the time to read my blog .I must say that it  was appreciated on my  behalf that you took the time to read my blog and somehow give me some positive feedback on some of the  articles I have written about.

My  goal was to make people aware of all the animals that are endangered and what was all going on  inside our  world. I also wanted to educated  people on the fact that many things are  contributing to destroying our world . I feel that I achieved this goal because like I said I feel that some people actually realized what is happening to our world and hopefully will be doing something about it. My ideas for the future are possibly going to college and becoming a veterinarian so I can help  animals everyday.

Volcanoes

A volcano is where there is a opening in the planets  surface or crust , which allows hot magma , ashes , and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanoes are normally found where tectonic plates are deverging or converging .  They can also form when there is a  stretch or thinning of the Earth's crust of the interior plates,some examples are East African Rift , Wells - Grey Clearwater volcanic field, and the Rio Grand rift in  North America.













Divergent Plate Boundaries
Around the mid-oceanic  ridges there are two tectonic plates that are diverge from one another , the new oceanic crust is  being formed by hot molten rock which is slowly  cooling ans solidifying. This crust is very thin because of the tectonic plates .An example of this would be Black smokers or deep sea vents .









Convergent  Plate Boundaries
Subduction zones are places with two plates where the oceanic plate and the continental plate collide with one another .When this happens the oceanic plate submerges under the continental plate which forms a deep ocean trench offshore. Water released from this subducting plate lowers the melting temperature of the overlaying mantle wedge , which creates magma. Examples of this would be the Mount Etna, and the Pacific Ring of Fire.







Volcanic Features
The most common volcano that we know today would be the conical mountain , that spews lava and  poisonous gases from a carter at the summit.The structure and behavior of volcanoes depends on many different factors . A few volcanoes have rugged peaks , while others have landscape features such as a plateau .


Different  Volcanoes
Fissure vents - are flat linear cracks where lava emerges.

Shield Volcano-  named for their  broad-shield shape ,  are formed by the eruption of the low viscosity lava which can flow a great distance from the vent  but normally  don't explode catastrophically.

Lava Domes - are built by slow  eruptions of the high viscous lavas , or in other cases can be formed within the crater of a previous volcano or independently. 

There are other  types of volcanoes such as cryptodomes , volcanic cones , stratovolcanoes , super volcanoes, and submarine volcanoes.


My Personal Opinion

My thoughts on this matter is that I never knew that there could be so many different types of volcanoes , in a way it is  interesting how you can learn so much about one thing if you do the research. I had an idea of that it had something to do with tetonic plates , but I never knew about the rest of the other information. It surprised me that there were two kinds of plate boundaries I only thought there would be one or something.

Different Things Affected By Nature

Habitat Destruction

This is caused when the organisms in their natural habitat have been displaced or  destroyed which also reduces biodiversity.But the main cause is when humans are taking down their habitat and using it for industry production  and urbanization.Other things that contribute to habitat destruction are mining , logging , trawling , and urban sprawl. Habitat  destruction is ranked one of the main causes of why most species are becoming extincted throughout the world.

In the year 1986, a study had shown that at least 82 % of  endangered bird species were affected by habitat loss.Habitat destruction can also decrease the range of certain organisms population , this result can cause the reduction of  genetic diversity and the problem of being able to produce more offspring. Biodiversity hotspots are mostly tropical regions , these regions contain high concentrations of endemic species and sometimes they have some of the world's terrestrial species.

Marine  areas close to highly  populated coastal regions are facing the degradation of coral reefs and other marine habitat. Such areas include the eastern coast of Asia , Africa,  northern coast of North America , and the Caribbean Sea . But areas with high agricultural output tend to have the highest extent of habitat destruction, in the U.S. there is less than 25% of native vegetation that remains in many parts of the East and Midwest.

Tropical rainforest have also been victims of habitat destruction , there use to be up to 16 million square kilometers but today there is only about 9 million square kilometers left. Farming and logging have severely distributed 94% of temperate broadleaf  forests and many old growth forests have lost up to 98% of their previous area  due to human activity. Tropical deciduous forests are easier to clear and burn and are used more  for agriculture , and cattle ranching.

 

Coral Reef                                                                                      Cattle Ranching 

Natural causes of habitat destruction include conversion of land to agriculture , urban sprawl , infrastructure development , and other anthropogenic  changes to the characteristics of the land.  Other forms of habitat destruction include degradation , fragmentation , and pollution are forms of habitat collapse due to human activity.Desertification , deforestation, and coral reef degradation  are specific types of habitat destruction  for areas such as deserts , coral reef , and forests.

My Personal Opinion

My thoughts on this topic is that why are people doing this to our environment and our  ecosystem don't they realize that they are killing many plants and animals by destroying their natural habitat.It makes me mad to see people do this it seems like they are only thinking about their own needs and don't really care what happens to anything else. I think that this issue should be  addressed because if they aren't doing anything about it now what  will the future look like for us and the future generation. The government should seriously think about cutting back on all of the logging and mining , because it is destroying our world and the animals world at the same time.

 

Tsunami

A tsunami or also known as a tsunami train wave and was once known as a tidal wave , is a series of  water waves  caused by the displacement of a large  volume of a body of water , usually a ocean , but it can sometimes occur in large lakes. Some cases were a meteorological conditions , that cause such deep depressions which then cause tropical cyclones , and can generate a storm surge which is called a meteotsunami , this is were the tides rise several meters above normal levels.

There are many different kinds of other things that can cause a tsunami to generate and they are earthquakes, volcanic eruptions , underwater explosions , landslides glacier calvings , other mass movements , meteorite ocean impacts , and any other thing that effects it above or below the surface. Many geographical , and oceanographic texts refer to tsunamis as "seismic sea waves ."

A tsunami can occur when thrust faults  associated with convergent or destructive plate  boundaries move slightly , which causes water displacement , and vertical  component movement involved  . Tsunamis have a small amplitude and a very long wave length , this is why most of the time they go unnoticed at sea , forming a slight swell which is normally about 300 millimeters (12inches) above the normal sea  level. But they can grow in height once they get into shallower water .

   
Tsunamis can cause damage by two mechanisms: the smashing force of a wall of water traveling at a high speed and the destructive power of a large volume of water draining off the land and carrying it all with it , even if the wave did not look large.About 80 % of tsunamis can occur in the Pacific Ocean , but they can occur on large bodies of water , this includes lakes. The first part of the tsunami is called a drawback , rather than a crest , this is were the shoreline recedes dramatically , which exposes submerged areas.

Safety Precautions To Follow 
 By feeling the ground shake , this indicates that a  tsunami is on its way , so therefore you must avoid falling objects and make sure you get to higher  ground before the water comes. Once you are away from the water listen to the radio , for further instructions to follow.

My Personal Opinion  
I would be so scared if something like this had ever happened in our  region , I am not sure how I would react to all of the damage that was done by the tsunami. I could never imagine being  homeless , it is just something that I could never see happening to me but in the back of my  mind I have to realize it is also a possibility. Tsunami's seem like they can cause lots of damage a ruin your life in a  blink of an eye , I feel bad for people that go through this its like everything they have ever known was just taken away from them just like that. And I cant imagine how many lives are lost  during that time , it would be a very sad thing to  experience or  go through in your lifetime.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes are caused by a release of  sudden energy through the Earth's crust which sends out seismic waves, they can be  observed by using seismometers.  There are  two kinds of scales used to measure Earthquakes , the moment magnitude scale is used to measure whether  it is larger than 5 , the other scale used is local magnitude scale or known as the Richter scale. If a earthquake is 3 or lower then it doesn't  do very much damage , but if it is 7 or higher than it can cause a  huge amount of damage but that also depends on the depth as well.

On the Earth's  surface earthquakes can shake themselves and cause displacement of the ground ,  sometimes they can cause landslides , and on occasion volcanic activity. Earthquakes can be caused by a rupture of geological faults , along with landslides , volcanic activity , mine blasts , and nuclear tests. The earthquakes initial rupture is called its focus , or hypocenter. The epicenter is located just above the hypocenter , the epicenter is the point at ground level.

Earthquake Fault Types 
There are 3 kinds of fault types : strike- slip , normal , and thrust.  Normal and reverse faulting are examples of dip-slip , this is where a displacement along the fault is in the direction of the dip and the movement of them involves a vertical component. Normal faults can occur where the crust is being shortened . Strike- slip faults occur when where two parts of the strike - slip pass each other horizontally .

Earthquake Clusters 

Aftershocks - this occurs after the original earthquake has already hit, it happens in the same  region as the main shock but in a smaller magnitude. Aftershocks are formed as the crust around the displaced fault plane adjust to the effects of the main shock.

Earthquake swarms -  Earthquakes striking in a specific area within a short period of time .


Earthquake storms - sometimes a  series of earthquake storms occur during an earthquake , this is where a  earthquake  strike a fault in clusters , which is triggered by stress or shaking retribution from the previous earthquake.

My Personal Opinion
 To me I think that Earthquakes are interesting in a way because you are learning about how the Earth's crust is being affected by tectonic plates. I would not want to be in one that is for sure because by looking at these pictures sometimes the end results can be  devastating .

I don't  know what I would do if I ever had to deal with all of the damage and consequences of an earthquake.  I feel so bad for the people that go through this,  its like they are losing everything they have ever known. Could you imagine what it would be like when a earthquake hit ? I imagine that the ground would be  shaking  , and buildings would be crumbling to the ground.In my mind I do not think that it would be something I would like to experience in my lifetime.

Tornados

A tornado can also be referred to as a twister or a cyclone, even though the word cyclone is used for meteorology which is used in naming hurricanes or twisters.It has many other shapes but  the most common shape for a tornado would be condensation funnel.Tornado's can get up to 110 miles per hour , and are approximately 250 feet across as well they travel a few miles before dissipating.

Other types of tornado's include landspout , multiple vortex , waterspout ,  gustnado , dust devil,  fire whirls and steam devil . A waterspout tornado is classified as being spiraling funnel - shaped wind current  that connects to large  cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud .These type of tornados are usually found near tropical places that are close to the equator , but they do not occur at high latitudes.Most tornados have been observed in every continent except for the Antarctica.Tornados  are mostly found in the Tornado Alley which is in the United States.

Pictures Of Different Tornados
Waterspout Tornado 

Steam Devil


















                         Fire  Whirl Tornado

Tornados can be classified on many different scales on how  dangerous they might be. Fujita scale rates the tornado on damage caused and has been replaced by another scale called the EFS , which is  Enhanced Fujita Scale. Another scale the FO or the EFO tornado , is the weakest category , this scale  mostly  consists of the damage  done to trees but not structures or buildings.An F5 or a EF5 tornado is considered to be one of the most severe category , the damages caused by this tornado can be the ripping of  foundations and the destruction of large skyscrapers.

Safety Procedures
If a tornado warning has been issued then you are suppose to the basement or into a first- floor room of a sturdy building which increases your chances of survival. In most  tornado - prone areas there are usually many buildings with storm cellars, these structures have saved many lives. In a case where you have no shelter to protect yourself from the tornado , meteorologists say that even laying a  ditch can be the next safest option.

Storm Cellar  

My Personal Opinion 

 I feel that tornados are probably one of the most danger things out there compared to other things that nature has created to destroy  our world. But then again tornados seem to be very interesting as well , sometimes it amazes me how  much damage such a  small thing  like this can do to buildings and stuff. I wonder if it is natures way of getting back at us for all of the things we have done to our plant. I never knew there was more than one different kind of tornado , but then again its obvious that they all wouldnt be the same. I found out that there is a water tornado and a fire tornado , I never thought there could be such a thing.

Tornado's surprise me with everything they can do , its like in a way they were built to do destruction  instead of something else .  I feel like tornados could possibly be one of the things that has shaped or changes our world today , even though there are lots of other things that have contributed . I am glad that we don't have tornados here in Manitoba , I am not sure how I would react if I ever ran into one or came across one.

Different Effects Nature Has Had On Our World

Climate Change Puts Farmers Crops On Hold : Wheat & Corn
Personal Opinion
My personal opinion on this topic is how come we are not doing anything to help stop climate change from affecting our crops , I think the government should be something about this problem. What will we do for food if the farmer's are not able to get in crops due to climate change?  There could be dramatic changes to the world if we do not do something about it . For all we know we could go into poverty like the rest of the provinces if we are not careful. How will we survive if we  dont have food.  As well  what is the government doing to help out with this problem is my question.

A recent study has showed that climate change has been causing farmers to produce less crops , it is said that the production of corn is 3.8% lower .As well national crop yields are still rising  as a general trend, but the big shocker is that they are lower and people think that we wont be able to feed our booming population.

Some people are saying that  bigger challenges may lie ahead in another study apparently the U.S. which produces 40% of these products they have a problem, they haven't had very much precipitation . There climate has mostly been warm temperatures.Experts have almost estimated that there has been a increase of  carbon dioxide in the atmosphere , which has caused the wheat production to decrease by 2.8%. But in other ways  somehow boosted the production of other crops , the production of rice and soya  beans increased.

Wheat


Conversely, the results could be an underestimate, given that the model doesn't look specifically at extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and heatwaves. "It's the best we can do with the data available," says Lobell.Other people have been saying that the  experts could be overestimating the results of crops from every study  they have done.Climate change is having  a greater effect on spring  wheat rather than winter wheat.Wheat crops have decreased in countries such as Russia , Mexico and Turkey , these crops have dropped about 15 %.

Example Of Climate Change In Different Areas