Global Warming

     Global warming is about climate change and the impact that will have on humans and wildlife throughout the planet.  Many say that human activities cause this warming to occur; for example burning fossil fuels.  It is also said that if humans continue on with this trend, then the impacts would increase.  For instance the health of tropical species will most likely be reduced.  This temperature increase would affect insects negatively with their population growth rates.  Insects are important in the tropics due to their varieties of species.  Since there is such a variety of species, global warming is going to be detrimental to the varieties of different species in climates that are tropical even more alarming.  Since the insects will be hurt from this global warming, the ecosystem will also be affected.  This is due to the nature of insects carrying out necessary functions for humans and the ecosystems.  Some examples would be pollinating the plants and breaking down matter that are organic.  This is necessary for the use of other organisms because the organic matter is converted back into its nutrients.  This would be a chain reaction; without the insects, an ecosystem would be different.  Insects are essential.

     At least for short term, there is a benefit.  Warming will reduce an insect's ability to reproduce, but in higher latitudes reproduction will increase slightly.  This is only short term and if warming does not cease to continue, then higher latitude reproduction would also be affected negatively.  There would be a significant drop in the population growth rate leading to a rapid population collapse.  Yet, everything is adaptable, but how they would respond is a different matter.  One conclusion would be that the organisms would go further up towards higher elevations or move towards the poles where temperatures would be lower or what an organism is used to.  At this point, insects will not be the only one affected and responding.  Many reptiles and cold blooded creatures would act in the same way.  

     Global warming in the tropics have different affects on organisms than warming in northern areas.  Although many would not think so, but in an area like Alaska, for example, weather changes are dramatic constantly.  There is temperature variability between the seasons and the organisms are used to it.  Rather in the tropics, it is basically warm all throughout the seasons.  There is not much temperature variability in the tropic region.  With a 1 degree increase in temperature, it is felt differently in both regions that are on opposite ends of the temperature spectrum.  

http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/What-is-Global-Warming.aspx

http://www.greenscroll.org/problem-global-warming.html

Bhola Cyclone

November 12, 1970 East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh, and West Bengal was struck by a devastating cyclone that killed up to 500,000 people and 100,000 people missing due to the 20 ft storm surge of the Ganges Delta that flooded many of the islands that are low-lying.  Since the devastation was extremely deadly, a proper count was impossible.  There are some who say that the death toll could be as high as 1,00,000.  Some people were drowned when in bed due to the water rising during the early morning, but many more lost their lived due to their attempts in transporting their possessions rather than fleeing to higher ground or safety.  

This was the season's strongest cyclic storm out of the North Indian Ocean cyclone season and reached a strength that is similar to an extremely strong category three hurricane.  November 8th is when the cyclone formed and started to move north from central Bay of Bengal.  By November 12th, the peak was reached at 225 km/h for winds and a landfall was made at night on the coast of East Pakistan.  Multiple offshore islands were devastated by this storm surge that destroyed crops and wiped out villages.  Tazumuddin and Charfasson was most affected by this with more than forty-five percent of the population killed, around 167,000 people.  Meteorologists knew of the storm that was about to approach, but could not get word out to people living on the coast and islands of the Ganges River.  There was over $490 million worth of damage that occured.  Around eighty-five percent of dwellings were damaged or destroyed with the most damage along the coast.  More than half of the fishermen in the region disappeared and the rest were severely injured.  This natural disaster was a huge blow to the fishing industry where eighty percent consumes fish for protein.  

http://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/1970s/greatbhola/

http://patriciahysell.wordpress.com/tag/bhola-cyclone/

Marburg Virus

Marburg virus, also known as Lake Victoria marburgvirus, causes the disease Marburg Haemorrhafic Fever (MHF).  The Marburg virus starts off with a severe headache which leads to severe haemorrhagic display somewhere between five to seven days and then a rash occurs after five days.  Central and East Africa is where this virus originated from.  This virus was recognized in 1967 where simultaneous outbreaks occurred in German and Yugoslavian laboratories.  Infected animals such as monkeys and fruit bats are the mode of transmission for the Marburg Virus. 

Fortunately Marburg virus is a rare human disease and is treatable, but is rather difficult to diagnose due to having similarities to other infectious diseases like malaria and typhoid fever.  There is not much information on the disease, but for people who come in close contact with people and primates that are infected are in danger.  This virus spreads by bodily fluids such as blood and saliva. 

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Marburg-Virus.aspx

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/marburg/en/

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/marburg/qa.htm

About Me

Hello! I am a college student that made a blog for my environmental class.  I will be posting my assignments here as required by the professor. I hope to continue to post more after the class is over, but for now I am going to mainly focus on the class assignments. 

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