Year 11 Climate Change Homework

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Congratulations! You have just been elected as the Minister for the Environment. There are a series of pressing matters that need your attention. Your first priority is to reduce number of greenhouse gases produced by your country.

As Minister for the Environment you must come up with a plan to reduce your countries CO2 emissions.

Consider the folowing things:

What are you going to do?

–How will it work?
What other effects might your plan have? (environmental, economic, social)

We will review this after half term.

What's erupting?!

Did you know that across the globe there are currently 35 volcanoes erupting?! With nearly double that number showing signs of 'unrest'.

A regularly updated list and map can be found here:
What's erupting?

What do you notice about the pattern of volcano locations?
Are the most active volcanoes clustered together? Why?

New Theory Emerges for Where Some Fish Became Four-Limbed Creatures

I know, I know, you've spent the Christmas break pondering high-brow questions such as what is the core of the earth really made of, did dinosaurs have feathers, how did fish begin to walk on the land.
Well, you may realx, at least partly, I can now offer some explanation for one of these issues. An eminent Geologist from the University of Oregon has come up with an alternative theory.
For years we have accepted that plucky fish crawled on stumpy fin-like legs from one shrinking desert pond to another in amazing feats of derring-do. But new research has called this into question and offered an alternative theory.

More information here;
Fish become Amphibians

Heat spike in 2010 lead to rebound of Greenland land mass

Scientists have used GPS data to demonstrate that a global spike in temperature in 2010 has lead to exceesive melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet. This in turn has lead to isostatic uplift of the crust in response to the changed equilibrium as the ice was removed through melting.

More information here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111209123214.htm

Toads predict earthquakes?!

Although it has been known for sometime that animals become agitated immediately prior to an earthquake, it would appear that toads become aware of the impending danger sometime before an earthquake strikes!

Toads predict earthquakes!

Canada to renege on its pledges over climate change

Critics have been asking if it is fair that Canada is allowed to withdraw from its promises over reducing emissions.
More here:
Canada withdraws from pledges over climate change

The UK has also come under attack for its support to Canada over the Tar Sands.

The tar sands of Northern Alberta, Canada – also called oil sands – are one of the largest remaining deposits of oil in the world. Developing the tar sands has created the biggest industrial development project, the biggest capital investment project, and the biggest energy project in the world. It has also created a literal hell on earth.
Tar Sands - Greenpeace opinion
Tar Sands - wikipedia

In a time when Oil reserves are getting limited and expensive to extract is the impact of extracting bitumen from the Tar Sands of Canada and Venezuela worth the environmental cost. Or does there need to be stricter controls over the exploitation of this resource?
How is the land being regenerated after extraction?

Year 10 Rock Cycle Homework

This week I'd like you to follow a rock through the rock cycle.

Start with Granite as an Intrusive Igneous rock and then follow it through the rock cycle. Create a flow chart to show what happens at each stage. Consider the component minerals of granite (Orthoclase, Plagioclase, Quartz and Mica), you could follow just one of these through the rock cycle (Quartz might be the easiest?).

How does Granite break down? What Sedimentary rocks forms from the mineral/minerals? What happens to this rock when heat and pressure are applied?

Geology through the Rock Cycle
rock cycle animation