Impact Event as a Cause for Mass Extinction

Impact Event as a Cause for Mass Extinction   By Tom Newell    Part A          Possible Triggers for Mass Extinction Origin of Trigger Explanation Impact Events Extra-terrestrial Impact events, proposed as causes of mass extinction, are when the planet is struck by a comet or meteor large enough to create a huge shockwave felt around the globe. Widespread dust and debris rain down as well as forming a dust cloud, disrupting the climate and causing extinction on a global, rather than a local, scale. Climate Change Atmospheric Earths climate is not constant. Over geological time, the Earths dominant climate has gone from ice age to tropical heat and from steamy jungles to searing deserts. When such climate change occurs abruptly either in the form of a global warming or cooling animals and plants have no time to adapt so mass extinctions can occur. Flood Basalt Eruptions Land Flood basalt eruptions are a type of large-scale volcanic activity, both in terms of extent and duration, that can occur on land or on the ocean floor. A flood basalt may continue to erupt for tens of thousands possibly millions of years and the lava can cover hundreds of thousands of kilometres. Catastrophic Methane Releases Atmospheric Methane clathrate is an ice-like substance formed from water and methane in the sea bed, arctic lakes and permafrost. A temperature rise causes the methane in the clathrate to be released as gas. Global warming results and causes further clathrate heating and methane release. The resultant soaring temperature causes such stress to plant and animal life that mass extinction follows. Humans Land Because of the industrial lives we live, we are constantly emitting pollutants into the atmosphere. The chemicals being emitted are changing the composition of the atmosphere. This intern changes how our atmosphere affects our lives, from controlling temperature to blocking cosmic radiation. Part B It is believed that an impact event has caused a mass extinction in the past. Whats to say it wont happen again? An impact event capable of causing a mass extinction is when the planet is struck by an asteroid or meteor large enough to create a huge shockwave felt around the globe. When an impact event happens, the gigantic amount of kinetic energy is partly transferred from the large asteroid or meteorite travelling at high speeds, into the Earth. The rest of the energy is converted into heat and sound, creating pressure waves travelling radially outwards from its centre, similar to that of an atomic bomb. (physics.org, n.d.) As well as the blast from the impact, enormous amounts of dust and debris can be kicked up into the atmosphere blocking out sunlight and preventing the process of photosynthesis in plants from occurring, massively affecting the balance of ecosystems. If humans on the other side of the world from where the asteroid hit, survived the initial impact, they would mo st likely be killed by fiery rocks raining down from the sky and the heavily polluted dust filled atmosphere. Because of the polluted air, humans will not be able to breath properly and the Earths temperature will increase immensely. The huge dust cloud formed would block out light from the sun. If the asteroid lands in the ocean a colossal tsunami will form wiping out everything in its path and potentially wrapping around the world. An extensive earthquake will also be felt all over the globe after the impact, which will send structures crashing down and habitats will be destroyed. Obviously this chain of events would destroy the systems that we depend on for survival, from economic and infrastructure to the biological and fundamental building blocks of life, therefore causing a mass extinction. Part C Our planet is currently in the midst of its 6th mass extinction and unlike past mass extinction, caused by events like asteroid strikes and volcanic eruptions, humans are to blame! (biologicaldiversity.org, n.d.) It is human activities such as the emission of carbon monoxide (CO) and the clearing of wildlife that are killing our planet. Considerable amounts of CO are being emitted into the atmosphere every day because of our industrial lifestyle, but most people dont realise the harm that is being done to the environment. CO can be released into the air via a multitude of ways, but most commonly through your cars exhaust and the burning of fossil fuels in factories. Once CO is in the atmosphere it takes an oxygen molecule from the ozone molecules contained in the ozone layer in the attempt to make itself carbon dioxide (CO2). In doing this the ozone layer is damaged, therefore affecting its ability to protect us from the suns rays. Therefore, global warming occurs and the Earth will eventually be heated to a temperature at which humans and hundreds of thousands of other lifeforms can no longer survive. Another way in which humans contribute to mass extinction is through habitat removal. Not only does the clearing of habitants destroy the homes of animals, leaving them without a suitable place to live, but it also increases the amount of CO2 in the air. Trees and plants play a critical role in the ecosystem. They absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen for us to inhale and use in respiration. By clearing wildlife, we are reducing the amount of trees and plants therefore increasing the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Global warming is no myth and there is plenty of evidence to prove its existence. According to three reliable international agencies, 2016 was crowned the hottest year on record. (www.abc.net.au, 2017) This was no coincidence either, 2015 and 2014 have been the 2nd and 3rd hottest years to be recorded. This is clear evidence that we are impairing the ozone layer and putting our lives in danger and contributing to the next mass extinction. It is hard to deny that humans are causing the Earth to undergo its 6th mass extinction when there is so much evidence to suggest so. The real question isnt whether or not humans are currently causing the planets 6th mass extinction event, but whether or not we can do anything to stop it. Or is it already too late? References ABC News. (2017). Hottest year on record: Australia needs to get heat smart. [online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-19/2016-hottest-year-on-record-australia-needs-to-get-heat-smart/8194182 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Bbc.co.uk. (2017). BBC Nature Catastrophic methane release videos, news and facts. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/extinction_causes/Clathrate_gun_hypothesis [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Bbc.co.uk. (2017). BBC Nature Climate change videos, news and facts. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/extinction_causes/Geologic_temperature_record [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Bbc.co.uk. (2017). BBC Nature Impact events videos, news and facts. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/extinction_causes/Impact_event [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Bbc.co.uk. (2017). BBC Nature Mass extinction theories. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/extinction_causes [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Biologicaldiversity.org. (2017). The Extinction Crisis. [online] Available at: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. People.uwec.edu. (2017). Extinction Causes. [online] Available at: http://people.uwec.edu/jolhm/eh4/extinction/causeslink.html [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Physics.org. (2017). Will an asteroid impact spell the end of humanity?| Explore | physics.org. [online] Available at: http://www.physics.org/article-questions.asp?id=97 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. The Conversation. (2015). Earths sixth mass extinction has begun, new study confirms. [online] Available at: http://theconversation.com/earths-sixth-mass-extinction-has-begun-new-study-confirms-43432 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017]. Wallpaper HD Free Wallpaper in All Resolution Free Download. (2017). Asteroid Hitting Earth World End Wallpaper HD For Desktop. [online] Available at: http://www.wallpaperhd.pk/asteroid-hitting-earth-world-end-wallpaper/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2017].

Slavery in Latin America Essay -- Latin American History Slavery Essay

Slavery in Latin America Chile History Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th cent., the Araucanians had long been in control of the land in the southern part of the region; in the north, the inhabitants were ruled by the Inca empire. Diego de Almagro, who was sent by Francisco Pizarro from Peru to explore the southern region, led a party of men through the Andes into the central lowlands of Chile but was unsuccessful (1536) in establishing a foothold there. In 1540, Pedro de Valdivia marched into Chile and, despite stout resistance from the Araucanians, founded Santiago (1541) and later established La Serena, Concepcià ³n, and Valdivia. After an initial period of incessant warfare with the natives, the Spanish succeeded in subjugating the indigenous population. Although Chile was unattractive to the Spanish because of its isolation from Peru to the north and its lack of precious metals (copper was discovered much later), the Spanish developed a pastoral society there based on large ranches and haciendas worked by indigenous people; the yields were shipped to Peru. During the long colonial era, the mestizos became a tenant farmer class, called inquilinos; although technically free, most were in practice bound to the soil. During most of the colonial period Chile was a captaincy general dependent upon the viceroyalty of Peru, but in 1778 it became a separate division virtually independent of Peru. Territorial limits were ill-defined and were the cause, after independence, of long-drawn-out boundary disputes with Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. The movement toward independence began in 1810 under the leadership of Juan Martà ­nez de Rozas and Bernardo O'Higgins. The first phase (1810-14) ended in defeat at Rancagua, largely because of the rivalry of O'Higgins with Josà © Miguel Carrera and his brothers. In 1817, Josà © de San Martà ­n, with incredible hardship, brought an army over the Andes from Argentina to Chile. The following year he won the decisive battle of Maipà º over the Spaniards. The New Nation O'Higgins, who had been chosen supreme director, formally proclaimed Chile's independence Feb. 12, 1818, at Talca and established a military autocracy that characterized the republic's politics until 1833; O'Higgins ruled Chile from 1818 until 1823, when strong opposition to his policies forced him to resign. During this time the Britis... ... an underdeveloped country met with little success, although great personal fortunes were amassed from tin mining by tycoons such as Simà ³n I. Patià ±o. Conflicting claims to the Chaco, which was thought to be oil-rich, brought on yet another disastrous territorial war, this time with Paraguay (1932-35). The fighting ended in 1935 with both nations exhausted and Bolivia defeated and stripped of most of its claims in that area. Programs for curing the ills of the nation were hampered by military coups and countercoups. World War II proved a boon to the Bolivian economy by increasing demands for tin and wolframite. International pressure over pro-German elements in the government eventually forced Bolivia to break relations with the Axis and declare war (1943). Rising prices aggravated the restiveness of the miners over miserable working conditions; strikes were brutally suppressed. The crisis reached a peak in Dec., 1943, when the nationalistic, pro-miner National Revolutionary Movement (MNR) engineered a successful revolt. The regime, however, was not recognized by other American nations (except Argentina) until 1944, when pro-Axis elements in the MNR were officially removed.

Introduction to Object Oriented Programming

Computer Programming 2 Programming Paradigm Procedural Programming ? ? style of programming in which the programming task is broken down into a series of operations (called procedures) applied to data (or data structures) C and Pascal Object-Oriented Programming ? ? ? extension of procedural programming breaks down a programming task into a series of interactions among different entities or objects Java, C++, and Smalltalk Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 1 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Object-Oriented Programming type of programming in which programmers define not only the data structures, but also the ypes of operations (methods) that can be applied to the data structure enables programmers to create modules that do not need to be changed when a new type of object is added most widely used paradigm instead of focusing on what the system has to do, focus on: ? what objects the system contains ? how they interact towards solving the programming problem Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 2 of 15 1 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Object-Oriented Programming Illustration of OOP Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 3 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Object-Oriented Programming Advantages of OOP over conventional approaches: ? It provides a clear modular structure for programs which makes it good for defining abstract data types where implementation details are hidden and the unit has a clearly efined interface. ? It makes it easy to maintain and modify existing code as new objects can be created with small differences from existing ones. ? It provides a good framework for code libraries where supplied software components can be easily adapted and modified by the programmer. This is particularly useful for developing graphical user interfaces. Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 4 of 15 3 __________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ 4 __________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Object-Oriented Programming Key OOP concepts: ? Objects ? Classes ? Abstraction ? Inheritance ? Encapsulation ? Polymorphism Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 5 of 15 Comput er Programming 2 Objects and Classes Objects ? ? represent â€Å"things† from the real world made up of †¢ attributes – characteristics that define an object methods – self-contained block of program code similar to procedure ? example: †¢ a car’s attributes are make, model, year, and purchase price †¢ a car’s methods are forward and backward Classes ? ? ? ? term that describes a group or collection of objects with common properties define a type of object specifies methods and data that type of object has example: †¢ Employee †¢ Car Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 6 of 15 5 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ 6 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _______ ____________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Abstraction allows a programmer to hide all but the relevant information (to the problem at hand) about an object in order to reduce complexity and increase efficiency closely related to encapsulation and information hiding Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 7 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Encapsulation refers to the hiding of data (attributes) and ethods within an object protects an object’s data from corruption protects the object’s data from arbitrary and unintended use hides the details of an object’s internal implementation from the users of an object separates how an object behaves from how it is implemented easier to modify programs since one object type is modified at a time Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 8 of 15 7 __________________ ___________________ ___________________ _________ __________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Encapsulation Illustration of Encapsulation Change Address Change Name View Name Enroll in a Course Name Address Course GPA Drop a Course View GPA Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 9 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Inheritance the process by which objects can acquire (inherit) the properties of objects of other class provides reusability, like adding additional eatures to an existing class without modifying it Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 10 of 15 9 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ____________ _______ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ 10 ________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Inheritance getName() etID() Name Student ID setName() setID() Student Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 11 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Polymorphism refers to the ability to process objects differently depending on their data type or class the ability to redefine methods for derived classes request for an operation can be made without knowing which specific method should be invoked Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 12 of 15 11 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ _ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ ___________________ 12 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Polymorphism Illustration of Polymorphism Student Application Form s. isRegistered() Car c. isRegistered() Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 13 of 15 Computer Programming 2 Abstract Classes class that is not used to create (instantiate) objects designed to act as a base class (to be inherited by other classes) esign concept in program development and provides a base upon which other classes are built can only specify members that should be implemented by all inheriting classes Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 14 of 15 13 ________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ _________ __________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ 14 ________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ __________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ Computer Programming 2 Interfaces allow you to create definitions for component interaction provide another way of implementing polymorphism specify methods that a component must implement without actually specifying how the method is implemented Introduction to OOP * Property of STI Page 15 of 15 15 _________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________ ___________________

Free Essays on The Best Thing

6:02 a.m., Saturday morning. It’s early but my eyes crack open slightly and I roll underneath my covers. I stretch my arms and legs, making loud groans as my body twists and turns. Half awake, my legs drag me to the window and I pull up the shades. Blinded by the morning light, my fingers feel for the window locks and unlock them. As I pull open the window the cold, winter air fills my room. I shiver, hugging myself to hold in the warmth. My eyes finally adjust and a smile creeps across my face. Winter’s first snow has arrived. I take one last whiff of the morning air and shut my window gently. Everyone is still sleeping, enjoying the comforting warmth of their beds. However, I am wide awake and excited. Slowly, I strip off my pajamas and pull on a first layer of clothing. Heading to the kitchen, I start my parents’ coffee and slide a tray of biscuits into the oven. It won’t be long before everyone is awake. Lightly tiptoeing to the closet and opening the door soundlessly, I rummage through the mess. At last I spot the bag. All the way in the back closet it sits and has been sitting since last winter. I notice my mother as usual, has clearly labeled the outside â€Å"Winter Stuff† and folded all the contents. With a bit of excitement, I tip the bag upside down letting the insides pile onto the floor. Sorting through the items one by one, I separate them into each family member’s belongings. The smell of biscuits has filled the kitchen and is slowly making its way to the bedrooms. It won’t be much longer now. A rustling sounds from my parents’ room and then a creak from the bed. A single grunt escapes my dad’s mouth and his footsteps begin. Scratching his head, he enters the kitchen. He notices the biscuits and the mess I’ve made on the floor. He chuckles softly and smiles at me. One by one they wake up and enter the kitchen looking slightly dazed and confused. They catch a glimpse of what I have ... Free Essays on The Best Thing Free Essays on The Best Thing 6:02 a.m., Saturday morning. It’s early but my eyes crack open slightly and I roll underneath my covers. I stretch my arms and legs, making loud groans as my body twists and turns. Half awake, my legs drag me to the window and I pull up the shades. Blinded by the morning light, my fingers feel for the window locks and unlock them. As I pull open the window the cold, winter air fills my room. I shiver, hugging myself to hold in the warmth. My eyes finally adjust and a smile creeps across my face. Winter’s first snow has arrived. I take one last whiff of the morning air and shut my window gently. Everyone is still sleeping, enjoying the comforting warmth of their beds. However, I am wide awake and excited. Slowly, I strip off my pajamas and pull on a first layer of clothing. Heading to the kitchen, I start my parents’ coffee and slide a tray of biscuits into the oven. It won’t be long before everyone is awake. Lightly tiptoeing to the closet and opening the door soundlessly, I rummage through the mess. At last I spot the bag. All the way in the back closet it sits and has been sitting since last winter. I notice my mother as usual, has clearly labeled the outside â€Å"Winter Stuff† and folded all the contents. With a bit of excitement, I tip the bag upside down letting the insides pile onto the floor. Sorting through the items one by one, I separate them into each family member’s belongings. The smell of biscuits has filled the kitchen and is slowly making its way to the bedrooms. It won’t be much longer now. A rustling sounds from my parents’ room and then a creak from the bed. A single grunt escapes my dad’s mouth and his footsteps begin. Scratching his head, he enters the kitchen. He notices the biscuits and the mess I’ve made on the floor. He chuckles softly and smiles at me. One by one they wake up and enter the kitchen looking slightly dazed and confused. They catch a glimpse of what I have ...

Symbolic Landscape essays

Symbolic Landscape essays The grand work of art looms before me and I am taken aback by its unusual form, yet struck by its very expressive nature. "Symbolic Landscape" by Diego Rivera definitely makes its powerful presence in the room just as the artist forever made a mark in time as a man who pushed the political and social limits of his time through his art work and murals. Although the painting described in this paper is powerful and makes a bold statement, as many of his works do, it stands quite separated from the others in the ideas that it represents. We can get a good background of this piece by looking to the circumstances in his life that were concerning him at the time of its conception. After an eleven-year marriage to Frida Kahlo, a renowned painter and Mexican icon, they divorce and Rivera is quite saddened. Many call her the love of his life and "Symbolic Landscape" presents a very poetic view of the circumstance through symbols of the natural landscape. The piece itself measures 47 7/8" by 60 1/8" and is wider than it is tall, just as all landscapes are. Emerging from the lower right corner is a fallen tree that almost comes alive as it bends and twists its way into the center of the painting. It takes on the sensuous shape of a woman's torso with her back arched in intense emotion. The bark of the tree is extremely smooth and flows untouched until the very bottom where the rough underside is visible. Surrounding the tree and encompassing her on all sides is rough and jagged stone. The stone takes on many shapes including a man's face and tightly gripped fists, with one on either side of the trapped tree. The furrowed brow and clenched teeth of the stone face possess two very symbolic objects. A bloody knife with a wedding band slipped over its hideous blade, and a leather glove seems reminiscent of a dirty deed and altogether out of place in the otherwise all natural landscape. Far o ...

Human Rights and Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Human Rights and Development - Essay Example Low-income countries have many issues to deal with including poverty, poor education systems, inadequate healthcare provision systems and corruption among other issues. Most low-income countries are ill equipped to deal with diseases that affect large populations especially communicable diseases. HIV/ AIDS has proven to be a very difficult issue to solve in low income countries affecting human rights and development in such countries (Institute of Medicine (U.S.), Briere & National Academies Press, 2011:29). The UN Charter on human rights states that every person has a right to good health status, which means that all people must have access to quality health care services. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has made it difficult to achieve this aspect of human rights under the UN charter. Most low-income countries are ill equipped to deal with the pandemic. Their economic status and the healthcare sector do not have enough funds, equipment and personnel to deal with HIV/AIDS. In addition to this, most low-income countries cannot afford to provide medication and the necessary healthcare services to people with HIV/AIDS considering that these countries have the highest number of people suffering from the disease (Robinson,  2011:99). This countries struggle to deal with the HIV/ AIDS pandemic on top of the fact that new infections occur at higher rates compared to the middle income and the high income countries. As such, the fulfilment or the provision of human rights to populations with HIV/ AIDS in low-income countries has become a difficult issue to accomplish. All people affected by the HIV/ AIDS including those infected and their families are entitled to access public resources that enable them to cope with the effects of HIV/ AIDS. However, low-income countries face a difficulty to provide public support to this group meaning that they suffer rejection and

No title Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

No title - Essay Example The paper discusses about the technological advancements visualized in the movie â€Å"Minority Report† and critically examines the impact of its certain scenes. Progression of visual aids has been astonishing and better visuals are experienced by the audience in the recent years. Moreover the technological myth which is deflected in the movie indicates that world will be a very different place in the coming years due to rapid technology advancement (Livingston & Plantinga, 2012, p.61). The paper illustrates that what are the impacts of power and surveillance use in the city; how institutional power and private rights must be balanced & where would this technology realm lead us to. The movie Minority Report precisely indicates some of the hazardous circumstances which mankind will be facing in the coming years. A hawk view into the future has been portrayed in the movie. The depiction in the movie portrays that world would be a very difficult place to live in the imminent years. The movie portrays a glimpse of the future and exemplifies that police department power are substantial and considerable. They have established a Pre-crime department which claims to catch criminals before the happening of a crime. The department has installed a gigantic technological setup which has certain formalities. The setup enables Pre-crime police department to have a blueprint about the upcoming crime endeavors, which enables them to catch the convicted at the crime scene and save person from death. There have been no deaths in the past six years since this setup has been installed; but still ambiguity prevails among the Department of Justice that there are some flaws in the system (Minority Report, 2002). The above given picture portrays that pre-crime department does it level best to create peace and harmony in the city hence it invades into the crime scene and stops the crime to occur. The information is gathered before