Acid Rain Article

 1.) List a few of the gases which lead to acid rain.
-sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides
2.) What is the source of much of the acid rain producing gases in Pennsylvania? 
-high-sulfur coal burned in power plants.
 3.) Briefly explain how acid rain forms.
when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere combine with water to form sulfuric acid and nitric acid. These acids, mixed with rainwater, fall to Earth as acid rain, snow, or fog.

Current Event: Tornado

     On Sunday, a tornado hit in Joplin Missouri. The tornado hit around 6:00PM and destroyed a hospital in it's path. The tornado also resulted in many people losing phone connection and electricity. 30 people were killed and about 11 bodies were recovered from one location. The hospital that was affected had caught on fire, causing the patients to temporarily relocate across the street. The tornado was said to be an 8-9 on a scale of 1-10. It also damaged churches, grocery stores, schools, and other buildings.
     I think that people should be more prepared for disasters like these because you never know when they'll happen, how fast they'll happen, or how severe they'll be. I also think people should be warned sooner, which might help them brace get themselves together before it hits; They'll be more ready.
     

Article Questions

• What are some natural factors causing mudslides in Guatemala
  earthquakes, hurricanes, heavy rains
  
  What are some human factors causing mudslides in Guatemala?
  People cutting down too many trees. This leaves big openings for the mud to pass through.
  
  What is being done to help reduce mudslides and mudslide damage?
  People are being educated about the dangers of cutting down the trees and learning how keeping them would help the chances of mudslides happening. People are also going to stop cutting the trees down.

Mass Movement

Mudslide:

'the rapid downward movement of a large quantity of saturated earth' Mudslides are often caused by volcanic activity, earthquakes, fires, and even humans mismanaging land.

1/14/11 Blog

1) What do you think the global average temperature is?
-I think it would probably be around 40-50 degrees because there aren't may hot places besides the equator. Plus you have to consider all of the seasons in each place.

2) How much do you think the average global temperature has increased over the past 100 years?
-I think it has risen a few degrees, about 10 at the most. I doubt it's really that much.

3) How hot/cold do you think the earth has ever been?
- I think the earth has reached 80, I'm not really sure why though. Just a wild guess. And maybe about, 20-30 for coldest.

4) I am not concerned about global warming, if nothing has happened by now then it most likely won't.

Fossil Fuel

Coal is formed when plants die and decompose into swampy areas. Eventually there is many layers forming a material called peat. Seas and great rivers cause deposits of sand, clay and other mineral matter to accumulate, which covers the peat. Sedimentary rocks were formed, and the pressure caused by their weight squeezed water from the peat. The heat associated with it gradually changed the material to coal.

Dante's Peak

-Dante's Peak is not real
-They drove over fire, and their tires didn't melt
-They outran lava, and a pyroclastic flow
-The boat wouldn't have lasted that long in the acid

-The fact it was dark in the day time
-It's correct grandmother would have died if she went in the acid
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