I planned for science.

We learned that forces that cause tectonic plates to move come from deep within Earth. Earth’s mantle is hot, and it flows in a plastic way caused by convection. As the mantle moves, it moves the tectonic plates. We learned how volcanoes are beneficial to Earth’s environment by creating new crust. In a few years the new volcanic rock weathers to form fertile soils such as those found in California, Hawaii, and Italy. Most gold, silver, copper, and zinc are mined from volcanic rock. In Iceland homes are heated by geothermal energy from water piped from volcanic hot springs.

Complete reading the final chapter of Silent Spring which examines and explains the use of biological predators to keep the harmful aphids, moths, worms and fungi in check.

Read partly into the last chapter of Silent Spring. This deals with biological pesticides, their origins and efficiency.

Is global warming irreversible? This is the topic of a report presented on video. Watch the first half which deals with the oceans, the climate, and the hidden heat in the oceans. Discussion revolves around how this affects the climate and the weather.

Review the difference between weather and climate.
List the functions which determine CLIMATE as latitude, atmospheric circulation, oceanic circulation, local geography, solar activity, and volcanic activity.
Using maps and images, discuss the effects of latitude and how solar energy is distributed differently in each latitude measure.
Examine atmospheric circulation using a map, explain how cold air sinks, compresses and warms. Examine how warm air rises, expands and cools. Warm air can hold more water vapor than cold air can. Explain how as warm air rises and cools, the excess water vapor condenses into rain. Areas around the equator have greater rainfall due to rising and cooling humid air masses.

Outline is same as Monday's this week

Describe the path from biosphere to biome to ecosystem. Define biome as a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animals. Plant life which grows in a specific region are characteristic of that region and have adapted to life there. They must adapt to a climate which is hot or cold, wet or dry, high altitude or low altitude , high latitude or low latitude. The adaptions include linear size and plant size, shape and color. Outline how the biome can change as the altitude increases, from grasses and shrubs, to deciduous trees, to conifers, and eventually snow caps.

In depth study of the theory of demographic transition. Populations grow exponentially, can quadruple in 100 years, then suddenly stop growing. Why? Demographic transition is a theory which attempts to answer that question. It is based on observation of the history of developed countries. The 4 stages of the theory are examined from a graph of the population growth, the birth rate, and the death rate. Factors which contribute to the birth and death rate are considered, and their effect on the population growth rate.

Continue with the discussion of food pyramids and energy transfer. Discuss the fragility of the energy pyramid by inverting one and having it stand on its apex instead of its base. Elicit what would occur if a small part of one trophic level were removed. Show how fragile the energy transfer system becomes when this occurs. Continue reading from Silent Spring, and analyze the conclusions.