Author: Melagras Mirzakandova

Hall, Shannon. “Storm Waves with the Power to Heave Massive Boulders Over Cliffs.” The New York Times. 29 November 2017. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/science/boulders-storms-waves-tsunamis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=18&pgtype=sectionfront

Over the past couple of years, natural disasters have become more common and the effects have been devastating. Most of these disasters have been linked to climate change. One recurring event is a coastal storm, which is due to rising sea levels. Justin Gillis said, “For decades, as the global warming created by human emissions caused land ice to melt and ocean water to expand, scientists warned that the accelerating rise of the sea would eventually imperil the United States’ coastline.” Most people tend to underestimate coastal storms, believing that they are not powerful enough to cause severe harm; however, geologists have proven that the waves of a coastal storm have enough power to move large boulders from beneath the ocean’s surface.

Over the years, geologists have been trying to solve the mystery of how so many large boulders ended up in western Ireland. They believed it was either caused by coastal storms or tsunamis; however, they were not sure if a coastal storm was strong enough to carry large boulders. Geologists collected historical and oceanographic data to determine whether the waves of a coastal storm are powerful enough to carry these immense boulders, which can weigh four times more than a bus. They considered historical data, including the damage from a coastal storm in 1861. This coastal storm had such strong waves that the waves ended up crashing over the lighthouse. Dr. Dewey said, “If you’re throwing a wall of water, say 30 meters or 40 meters high over a large area, volume of water is enormous and the crushing force is tremendous.” A cubic meter of water weighs over 2000 pounds, which produces immense force, indicating capability for causing severe damage.

Although they concluded that coastal storms are the reason for the field of boulders in Ireland, the field of boulders in New Zealand are not caused by coastal storms. The boulders in New Zealand are much heavier and some weigh over 150 tons. Considering the massive weight of the boulders along with the materials between the boulders, geologists are able to determine that these boulders were moved by tsunamis rather than coastal storms. However, this proves that although coastal storms are not seen as detrimental, they have the potential and power to cause extreme destruction. Andrea Dutton, a climate scientist at the University of Florida, said, “It’s a slow, gradual attack, but it threatens the safety and security of the United States.” The only way to somehow reduce the number of coastal storms is to better address the issue of climate change and the issue of the sea level rise. However, individuals all over the world need to be aware of the intensity of all types of natural disasters that arise due to climate change, including coastal storms.

Gillis, Justin. “Flooding of Coast, Caused by Global Warming, Has Already Begun.” The New York Times.  3September 2016. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/science/flooding-of-coast-caused-by-global-warming-has-already-begun.html

Hall, Shannon. “Storm Waves with the Power to Heave Massive Boulders Over Cliffs.” The New York Times. 29 November 2017. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/science/boulders-storms-waves-tsunamis.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=18&pgtype=sectionfront

Casey, Nicholas. “In Peru’s Deserts, Melting Glaciers are a Godsend (Until They’re Gone).” The New York Times. 26 November 2017. Web.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/26/world/americas/peru-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

This article discusses the role of climate change and how it has been helping several villages, which is a unique side of the argument that not many people know about. Many people worldwide are aware of the melting glaciers that contribute to global warming. Just recently, leaders from all over the world met in Bonn, Germany to try to stop the globe’s warming and set a goal to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Everyone perceives climate change as disastrous; however, in Viru, Peru, climate change brings water, good crops, and electricity to the desert’s villages. High up in the mountains, there is an icecap that is melting away. This water makes its way to the desert and allows the people there to sustain life. According to Nicholas Casey, 100,000 acres of land has been irrigated and cultivated simply because of the glacial melting in the Andes. The temperature increase has also increased the number of crop cycles in a year, leading to more harvests.

The major problem with this development plan is the extreme reliance on the melting of the glacier. Once the icecap melts, leaving them without water, the people of Peru will not know how to sustain their civilizations. The Cordillera Blanca mountain range, which is a part of the Andes, “has shrunk by 40 percent since 1970 and is retreating at an ever-faster rate,” according to scientists. In addition, the lower lake and river levels will also interfere with the development projects, such as canals and water towers, that were completed throughout history in order to supply people with water and other essentials.

Recently, as more of the icecap is disappearing, the citizens of Viru, Peru have been noticing a great deal of problems. Inside of the glacier, there are a variety of heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. Due to the melting, these metals are now making their way out of the glacier. These metals make the water undrinkable and have enough power to kill livestock. Another factor is the increased temperature, which allow many more harmful pests and organisms to live in the air and destroy many crops.

When there is little or no rainfall during Peru’s dry season, Peruvians rely on a river called the Santa River, whose flow has been slowly declining. According to Lauren Morello, “Runoff from that ice feeds the Rio Santa, providing most of the river’s flow during the annual summer dry season — water that is used for drinking, irrigating fields and generating power along a broad swath of Peru’s Pacific coast.” Knowing that the Santa River’s flow is declining, many people in Peru are looking for alternative ways to get water in the future. Many people are starting to refurbish their old wells in order to ensure water for their families. It will hopefully be a temporary solution until a better idea is proposed.

Casey, Nicholas. “In Peru’s Deserts, Melting Glaciers are a Godsend (Until They’re Gone).” The New York Times. 26 November 2017. Web. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/26/world/americas/peru-climate-change.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

Morello, Lauren. “For Peru’s Rio Santa, has “Peak Water” Already Passed?” Scientific American. 21 December 2011. Web. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/peru-rio-santa-has-peak-water-past/ 

Friedman, L.(2017, October 13). “G.O.P. seizes chance to open drilling in Arctic Wildlife Refuge.” The New York Times, Retrieved November 10, 2017 from  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/climate/arctic-drilling.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

It seems that one of the most common debates these days is argued between two types of people – those who understand the importance of protecting the environment and those who want to drill into important wildlife habitats in order to save money and extract essential minerals. This is the situation occurring in Alaska, which is home to the 19 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senator Murkowski wants to open a part of the Refuge to oil and gas drilling, while being aware of how much harm that would cause the environment and the species that reside there. She said, “Drilling in the refuge will ultimately reduce the federal deficit by tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars over the decades to come.” If her bill goes through, pipelines, roads, and gravel mines will be constructed across the grounds of the coastal plain. This will initiate the destruction of habitats because these constructions will occur on the land where polar bears and many other animals live. The refuge is home to hundreds of animals, including birds, wolves, polar bears, caribou, and many other mammals.

In 1968, the largest oil field in North America was discovered in Purdhoe Bay. Ever since then, oil revenues accounted for the majority of Alaska’s economy. Recently, however, Alaska’s economy has been declining because of the relatively small amount of oil left in Purdhoe Bay. It is getting harder and harder to pump out oil of the same spot that has been stabilizing the economy for such a long time. This is what caused the government to consider other options like drilling in the refuge. In 1980, when the refuge was established, Congress did not allow drilling in the 1.5 million acres between the Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea. This piece of land is not far from Purdhoe Bay and despite high speculation that this area might contain a high amount of oil just like Purdhoe Bay did, they were hesitant to drill because any amount of drilling or seismographic testing would disturb the habitat for the majority of the refuge’s wildlife.

Seismic Testing is a process in which an image of the subsurface of the land is created in order for an oil company to find the best places to continue drilling. “In order to obtain this subsurface image, shot holes are drilled twenty or thirty feet below the surface and dynamite is placed into the holes. Sound waves are then sent into the earth and the data generated by the sound waves, being reflected off of the rock formations, is then captured by geophones on the surface and sent to a central location where the data is reviewed.  Another method uses thumper trucks.  These trucks contain a large plate in the center of the truck which is lowered to the ground.  The weight of the truck is placed on the plate.  Shock waves are then sent through the ground in order to collect data about the subsurface.” said Yagelski. In the mid 1980s, various oil companies used thumper trucks to thump the ground and receive information about the rock formations and the approximate amount of oil that could be extracted from the reserve. The oil companies’ conclusion was that there was approximately 4 to 12 billion barrels of recoverable oil under the reserve. That amount of oil will be able to support Alasks for an immensely long time but it comes at a high price. Senator Murkowski wants to start new seismic testing in that specific part of the reserve again to get a more accurate understanding of what is actually down there in this day and age. However, seismic testing, just like drilling, is very harmful to the animals that reside there. The seismic testing done there in the 1980s still has a negative impact on the reserve today.

Senator Murkowski and the Republican party claim that they will limit the footprint of oil wells to 2,000 acres, which is a significantly small fraction of the 19 million acres that make up the refuge. However, environmentalists do not believe the 2,000-acre footprint and believe that the impact will go largely beyond that. I understand the importance of oil; however, human beings cannot keep destructing the habitats of animals in order to obtain it.

Works Cited:

Friedman, L.(2017, October 13). “G.O.P. seizes chance to open drilling in Arctic Wildlife Refuge.” The New York Times, Retrieved November 10, 2017 from  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/climate/arctic-drilling.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fclimate&action=click&contentCollection=climate&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront

Harball, E. (2017, June 24). “Alaska’s 40 years of oil riches almost never was.” NPR, Retrieved November 10, 2017 from https://www.npr.org/2017/06/24/533798430/alaskas-40-years-of-oil-riches-almost-never-was

Yagelski, P. “What is Seismic Testing?” RothamGordon, Retrieved from http://www.rothmangordon.com/news/articles/marcellus-utica-and-other-shales/seismic-testing/what-is-seismic-testing/

Forgrave, R.(2017, October 17). “In Northern Minnesota, Two Economies Square Off: Mining vs. Wilderness.” The New York Times,  Retrieved October 26, 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/magazine/in-northern-minnesota-two-economies-square-off-mining-vs-wilderness.html

This article focuses on the debate between mining and conservation in a town filled with rocks as old as 3.5 billion years old. The town of Ely has a very rich history – literally! 2.7 billion years ago, under what’s now known as Minnesota’s state border with Canada, there was basalt lava flowing, hardening, and eventually becoming a bedrock of granite and greenstone. About a billion years later, a layer of sedimentary rock that is immensely rich in iron formed and layered on top of the granite. Not long after that, a 50-mile wide crack or fissure of the Earth’s crust stretched from Lake Superior to Kansas, resulting in the formation of mineral deposits rising up to the surface. Settlers founded and populated the town of Ely because they knew that they can easily make a living off of the minerals inside the rocks. The rocks are an integral part of Ely; however, so is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, a conservation area that is home to wilderness and thousands of lakes. The Twin Metals Minnesota mining company wants to extract valuable metals a few miles from the Boundary Waters area. This would provide an immense supply of copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, gold, silver, and jobs to the state of Minnesota.

President Obama rejected a renewal of the mining company’s project and decided to suspend the project while an investigation is carried out to figure out if it is indeed safe to mine near the Boundary Waters. Forgrave said, “Mining advocates stress the hundreds of tangible construction and mining jobs this copper-nickel operation could create in the coming decades. Boundary Waters activists argue that the very presence of mining — its disruption of this area’s natural character, not to mention the specter of pollution — could hamper the region’s “amenity-based” development in a multitude of tangible and intangible ways, from destroying property values to stripping away jobs that feed off this area’s natural beauty.” There are definitely pros and cons to both views. Mining opens up more job opportunities, greater resources, and a continuous source to sustain a growing town. On the other hand, mining in that location would ultimately destroy a very important conservation and wilderness site and there is always a risk of water contamination. In the town of Ely, people move there for two sole reasons: to live off the mines or to appreciate the nature.

Dan Forsman, a miner, was born in Ely and understands both aspects of the debate. He believes that copper mining, clean water, and the preservation of nature can all coexist if done the right way. However, that is not always the case because many things can go wrong while mining. On the other side, Ely’s population has declined by 30% and due to that, many people are out of jobs. There are not enough students in the town to hire more teachers and employers continue to cut down on workers to support themselves and the lower population number. The mining project of the Twin Metals Minnesota company would bring many new jobs to the town of Ely, sparking a better economy. The other problem with this debate is that people automatically associate the word “mining” with “damage.” Many people are uneducated and do not know where certain materials come from. They do not understand that we need these minerals to make everyday materials. While rowing a canoe, Becky Rom, an anti-mining activist, pointed at some white pines and said, “This would be all mines. The noise, the lights, the dust, it would be everywhere.” Ely was rated as one of the world’s greatest outdoor towns by National Geographic, which proves the immense worth of the Boundary Waters.

There was a survey done to see what the residents of Ely think and it was found that they oppose copper mining near the Boundary Waters by more than two to one. There are numerous instances in which a mining job went wrong and ultimately left a huge terrible impact on a city or town. One example being the 2014 Mount Polley Disaster. Peter Moskowitz said, “The dam collapse occurred at the Imperial Metals Mount Polley gold and copper mine near the town of Likely, in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. The dam’s failure was catastrophic, allowing nearly the entire contents of the mine’s tailings pond – an area the size of New York’s Central Park holding years’ worth of mining waste – to flow out into Hazeltine Creek, Polley Lake and Quesnel lake.” This kind of catastrophe can happen anywhere and many people believe that more jobs and resources are not worth such a high cost.

This debate also affects many people’s political perspectives. The miners and pro-mining residents of Ely were pro-Trump simply because Hillary Clinton said, “We’re going to put a lot of coal miners and coal companies out of business.” This caused even more argument in the town of Ely; however, the majority of Minnesota did agree with Clinton. Many people believe that air pollution and water contamination is not worth the minerals and jobs produced by mining. I am in the middle on this issue and believe that mining definitely has a big impact on the town of Ely and it is a part of what keeps it going. However, I do not think mining should be done anywhere where it will pose such a huge risk as it does with the mining project near Boundary Waters.

Works Cited:

Forgrave, R.(2017, October 17). “In Northern Minnesota, Two Economies Square Off: Mining vs. Wilderness.” The New York Times,  Retrieved October 26, 2017 from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/12/magazine/in-northern-minnesota-two-economies-square-off-mining-vs-wilderness.html

Moskowitz, P.(2014, August 13). “Mount Polley Mine Spill: a hazard of Canada’s industry-friendly attitude.” The Guardian, Retrieved October 26, 20017 from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/aug/13/mount-polley-mine-spill-british-columbia-canada

Fausset, R. and Fernandez, M. (2017, August 30). A Storm forces Houston, the limitless city, to consider its limits. Retrieved October 20, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/30/us/houston-flooding-growth-regulation.html

This article discusses the future of Houston and its flooding issue. The entire future of a city is ultimately dependent on what kind of material is underneath it. Houston, the most populous city in Texas, was founded on inactive bayous (a marshy outlet of a lake or river) and built on a vast floodplain (an area of low-lying ground that is adjacent to a river and formed of river sediments). Despite Houston’s structural flaw, the city prospered and grew by providing affordable housing and encroaching buildings into green areas which, in the past, served as lands that absorbed floodwater and prevented flooding. Houston’s development happened extremely fast and without much thought as to where the water would go in case of a disaster. In addition to being built on floodplains and bayous, Houston is also very flat and because of its relatively zero slope, the ground does not allow the flood water to move anywhere. Due to all of these factors, Houston kept flooding throughout the years and the government finally created the Harris County Flood Control District in order to make the city flood-controlled. In this project, the engineers channelized (converted into concrete tunnels) 2 bayous. A third bayou was not channelized but it was widened. The engineers believed that this change would move the storm water out of neighborhoods and into the sea. This was the ultimate goal and it did work with storms; however, this plan might have done more harm than good. This change in Houston’s structure made residents believe that their city was flood-controlled and gave them a sense of false security. People started building buildings everywhere, including right next to the bayous and channels. Whatever green space was left in Houston was constructed over to form parking lots and houses because people believed that the new channels would take care of the storm runoff.

Everything was going smoothly for Houston up until Tropical Storm Allison hit in 2001, causing more than $5 billion in damages. After that, scientists began warning people that even though they might be prepared for minor storms, climate change is rising and starting to turn minor storms into major disasters. Houston, although prepared for regular to maybe even moderate storms, was not prepared for anything major. According to Erin Kinney, a research scientist with the nonprofit Houston Advanced Research Center, “65 square miles of freshwater wetlands have been lost in the Houston-Galveston Bay region, largely because of development and sinking land, and that 30 percent of Harris County was covered with impervious surfaces like roads, parking lots and roofs.” Subsidence, or the sinking of the ground because of underground material movement, has caused parts of Houston to become more vulnerable to flooding.

As seen by the disasters of Hurricane Harvey, Houston is not anywhere near flood-controlled and needs to improve their drainage systems. However, with that will come an immense cost and a great rise in taxes for Texans. Governments have considered buying out the houses of homeowners who live in flooded areas in order to restore these areas back into wetlands that can absorb water and help with drainage. However, many homeowners are reluctant to give up their homes despite the major setbacks they constantly have to go through. Although the cost will be immense to construct a flood-proof city, it will be worthwhile. All of the past and current damage costs would have been enough to fully flood proof Houston rather than rebuild structures that were already there. Houston has always recovered from floods and will recover from Hurricane Harvey; however, due to Houston’s structural development and floodplains, flooding will always be an issue unless the government takes initiative and makes a change to better the city’s future.