Week 8 - Global Warming

We recently visited one of the most popular coastal places in the U.S., New Orleans, Louisiana. The multicultural and diverse environment in the town gave us a warm, rich, and enlightening experience. We visited many different restaurants, participated in the cultural parades on the streets, viewed the beautiful houses along the streets, and visited historical and new attractions. The city was not how I imagined it. I assumed that since the whole Hurricane Katrina disaster, the city would have been somewhat abandoned and possessed debris from damaged cars, buildings, and etc throughout the city. After learning so much about the effects of Hurricane Katrina, we could not help but wonder if the city would experience an equal or a worse hurricane disaster in the future. Was the hurricane the result of global warming? Did the locals disturb their surrounding natural environment that would, in turn, caused the rise of the hurricane?  Hurricane activities are naturally caused by intense climate changes due to global warming. Activities include higher wind speed and increased precipitation. As Earth gets warmer, the probability of a storm will likely evolve by intensively raising the body of water above sea level. Since the city sits on a natural basin and below sea level, it was already vulnerable to any future natural disasters. According to the article of Hurricane Katrina, over the course of the 20^th century, engineers have tried to fix the seawalls and levees to keep the city from flooding. However, New Orleans continued to remain a flooding zone for many years (History.com 2019; par.4,5). Humanity may not know how intense hurricanes or other disasters will evolve into, but we do contribute to the activities that increase global warming. Therefore, as long as we continue those activities, we will continue to see intense natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. As the visit came to an end, we all began to recognize how far New Orleans had come. Through many nights of sadness and communitive support, it was refreshing to see the locals happy and proud of their city as they did before the hurricane.

i

2005 satellite image of Hurricane Katrina before hitting New Orleans, Louisiana. Source: NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Source: History.com.

The beginning stage of the rebuilt of New Orleans, Louisiana (placement of solar panels). Source: Mario Tama/Getty/The Atlantic.

Volunteers participating in the rebuilt of New Orleans. Source: Mario Tama/Getty/The Atlantic.

References:

-History.com (2019). Article: Hurricane Katrina. Link: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/hurricane-katrina

-Taylor, Alan (2015). Article: New Orleans, 10 Years After Katrina. Link: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/08/new-orleans-10-years-after-katrina/402277/

Week 8 Global Warming

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/palazzo-dario



https://www.lifeinitaly.com/potpourri/venice-is-drowning

It is the year 7010 and most of the world is covered by water. I am currently in a boat floating atop what used to be Venice, Italy. All of the coastal cities are under water due to the glaciers melting. Glaciers melted due to the increase of the CO2 levels rising and in which the temperature rises due to their correlation with one another. Unfortunately, the CO2 levels created by men long ago were too high for the plants to subsidize it . Although most people have survived and now travel by boats it is important to protect ourselves from the heat. Traveling by boat is more beneficial than getting stuck in places such as Death valley due to the increase of plants that are likely to cause fires and drought in these areas.

Week 8 - Time Travel to Peruibe, Sao Paulo, Brazil

As I stepped out of my time travel submarine, I have just visited Peruibe, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. And boy, things changed!!!! When I was last here, in 2016, it was a summer vacation beach town with so many houses on the beach. I shouldn’t be surprised to see what has happened in the previous 5000 years because this beach was always out of control.  So many people visited during the end of the year holidays and disrespected the land by throwing out trash everywhere, using up the ground water and building larger summer homes with improper sewer and sanitation planning.  Since then, in the next  5000 years, Brazilians built exotic vacation resorts, extended the coastline with artificial islands and melted all the polar ice caps for fresh drinking water.

                I was amazed by the natural changes that I saw around me. I saw evidence of an earthquake that raised the land elevation 15 feet. Additionally, the Amazon river now enters the Atlantic ocean right next to the town. Apparently, this earthquake radically shifted the geography throughout all of Brazil.

                Since the polar ice was harvested, we have seen the sea level has raised up 10 feet. Now, I see the ocean as a wonderful green color, totally different from the picture shown above, taken in 2016.

This is probably due to the 5 chemical companies that are polluting the ocean, since environmental pollution laws were abolished 2000 years ago.  Apparently, humanity gave up on maintaining the oceans and turned them into a giant toilet. This pollution and man-made “improvements”  totally stink.

I am getting back into my time machine submarine and going back to the 1000 A.D., way before any Europeans stepped foot on the continent. 

Week 8

The year of 7010 I was able to visit the city of San Diego in California. And Woah, what a difference there was literally 5,000 years from today 2019. I could barley recognize what had happened. Apparently, the human activity on earth had made all of San Diego covered in water. Due to all of the fossil fuels like oil and coal, it has increased the CO2 levels which increased temperatures roughly 3 degrees celsius. The burning process of this eventually cleared the land of its agriculture and increased the number of greenhouse gasses that are trapped in the lower atmosphere. Warmer conditions eventually lead to more and more evaporation and precipitation where San Diego became wetter. This particularly melted glacier which then, increased sea levels. Due to all this water that had infiltrated California, it created more fires and diseases. This then leads to something similar to the black plague, but its called the Marlin plague. The reasoning for this is because, specifically, the Marlin fish in SD all were dying back in the year of 5000 and at the moment, people didn’t know what the meaning of this was, but now as they discovered, while ocean water temperatures increased they were more prone to it and this fish group knew it first. Due to California's global warming conditions, the rest of the United States was furious because California, not only was carrying these diseases but they were creating even more trash. Because of all the water, basically, all of SD trash was going into the ocean. Eventually, the US created laws stating that California had to use products that were environmentally friendly. They also had to implement more things such as a clean water act. This then, they were able to utilize the bad water and it would go through a machine then, would create all clean water. 

Week 8 - NYC

Global Warming and Potential Ice Age

New York City year 7019,

The city is a frozen desolate wasteland covered in ice during the Earths next major ice age.  As humans failed to develop energy sources that help decrease carbon emission such as Solar, nuclear, and other non-fossil fuels until it was too late.  Fossil fuel consumption has created enough carbon dioxide emissions to continually raise the Earths temperature.  As temperatures continued to increase more and more glacial ice began to melt in return releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Rising sea levels flood coastal regions including NYC and migrations of humans begin to move inland.  Even as the Earth warmed we were unable to avoid the return of huge glaciers and another ice age.  In only a few hundred years all available fossil fuels will have been consumed and the Earth will continue its planetary motions and induce polar cooling.  The years of rising sea levels will eventually be frozen over and humans will migrate inland and South to warmer climates.

We as humans will be forced to endure rising sea levels, polluted air, and the following ice age.  Its imperative for our survival to rely on the development of renewable energy sources such as Solar or nuclear to reduce our carbon emissions and fend off cold when the time comes.

NYC with increased sea level and Ice Age. 

Gobal Warming W8

Before traveling to the future, I am reminded of a Futurama episode. In the episode it is explained that in the future giant ice cubes are dropped in the ocean to remedy global warming. Of course, this is silly and probably poking fun at politicians more than science. Some say that the year 2050 will be as far removed technologically from 2019 and 1850 is to 2019. Being almost 30 years old myself, I don't find that too hard to believe. When I was born cell phones barely existed, and the internet was yet to be adopted. Point being, our technology is exponentially growing, and solutions we don't even realize are at hand.

Stepping out of a time machine 5000 years in the future I am unsure of what I'll see. Unsurprising, I feel clean air fill my lungs, and witness a blue sky above. Many of the problems we face in the 21st century do not exist in the 7000's. We are now masters of our Earth. Batteries can store as much energy as we need, and nearly all of our energy consuming technology is 99% efficient. Someone, perhaps an AI from this time explains that humans eventually slowed the acceleration of climate change. Large efforts were made to convert energy to solar, wind, tidal, and nuclear. Despite the different world, the sky looks no different.

Week 8

This week I visited the city of Santa Monica in the year, 7010. It took me some time to realize that I was in Santa Monica after traveling 5000 years in the future because of how different it looked. What was once PCH, is know covered in water. Over 5000 years, global warming has caused the water levels to rise from the melting ice caps. These water levels were approaching the historic cliffs were the water used to reside in prehistoric times. The water also became so warm from increasing temperatures that Tuna and Dorado are the most common fish along the coast. The City had to alter its way of life after global warming almost made human being extinct. Cars no longer use gasoline but instead ran on a new type of energy, sourced from a perpetual motion engine. I later learned, after talking to Santa Monica residents, that there was a war in the year 6010. This war caused the West Coast to split from the rest of the United States because of global warming. The west coast was in conflict with the rest of the United States after the second industrial revolution. During the second industrial revolution, The East Coast and the South started to produce more and more goods, trying to compete with China. The Second Industrial revolution became so large that the environment was being ruined from waste. The West Coast thought more serious action need to happen in order to save the world, so they left the United States and made it their mission. A part of this mission involves laws that require civilians to perform a certain number of community service hours cleaning up trash in remote locations. Another law makes it mandatory for each home to have either a windmill or solar panels. The taxes are also being raised every year so "New West Coast" can continue to build and keep its green factory's running. One type of green factory uses a filtration device to take salt water and alter it into clean drinking water. Another factory periodically releases specialized chemicals to repair and protect the ozone layer. New West Coast is also on the cutting edge of innovation in producing new was to help the environment. There is a rumor going around about a new way to dispose of matter, such as trash, completely.

week 8

I am visiting the coastal city of Miami. Over the last 5,000 years so much has changed that the city is completely unrecognizable. What were once buses and cars are now submarines. The whole state of Florida is no longer visited by plane, rich millionaires frequently buzz around in beautiful self-driving underwater rockets making private planes look cheap. Global warming has created a whole new world, what was taken for granted is now gone. All produce and protein come from outside states, as it is too expensive and not feasible to grow these products underwater. The biggest issue I have encountered is all human emissions within the state are dumped into the ocean and no longer being pumped into the atmosphere. This has caused the fish population surrounding Miami’s coast to dwindle down to fewer than thirty species as human life calls their homes their own. The temperature in the water has risen ten degrees due to the emissions from mankind, scientists have counteracted this by introducing massive cooling generators throughout the town, and one could call them refrigerators. The one massive scientific advancement has been the ability to make the water surrounding the city drinkable by only introducing a harmless chemical that filters out the salt. This has created a massive initiative to give up plastic water bottles, stores no longer carry them. In the future, other cities on what is now called the mainland will have to adopt these same techniques as the water is rising a few inches a year. Miami is the most expensive city to live in in the entire USA, but people are attracted to the ability to seamlessly live with oceanic wildlife.

Week 8 -- Global Warming

Society took its time to adjust to rising sea level. Parts of Los Angeles were underwater due to sea levels rising but then receded. Society eventually started to switch to renewable energy sources. These new sources are solar, wind, geothermal, tidal, and ultimately fusion energy sources. Los Angeles will have had to adapt to turning seawater to potable water; the new energy sources make this possible. Natural contributions to global warming such as volcanic eruptions and solar activity have increased the global temperature at points. Anthropogenic effects were much more significant. As more advanced societies become more efficient in their resource usage, growing countries start to use much more resources offsetting the gains. Global warming occurred but eventually was brought under control. It took many years for society to realize they need to be better about using the limited resources of the earth. Society became better about how It generates and uses energy to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Farming practices were changed to hydroponics and less pollution generating techniques. One of the significant factors in controlling global warming was the expansion of the human race across the solar system. This allowed there to be a smaller population and to spread resource collection across the solar system.

Global Warming Kevin D

For this travel journal, I decided to travel to the coastal city of Orlando, Florida. Initially, this was puzzling to me, as Orlando is not coastal in 2019. However, the rising global temperatures over the last 5000 years have caused sea levels to rise greatly in a process called Thermosteric rise. Some of this rise can be contributed to natural causes, such as glaciers melting and sifting the oceans water. This is, however, largely a result of warming caused by humans. Humans cause this rise in temps by increasing the concentration of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. Burning large amounts of fossil fuels and eliminating tropical forests, like the Amazon, both contribute to the rise in temp, and the resulting higher sea levels. This can really only be caused by rising temperatures in the earth's atmosphere, so we know warming did occur. As to whether or not an effort was made to stop this warming, I would guess not. If so, it was too little too late. Overall, it really made me wish we had done more to stop said warming.

Kevin


https://www.npr.org/2019/02/14/694479180/after-16-months-of-dead-fish-manatees-and-dolphins-floridas-red-tide-ebbs

Week 8 - Global Warming

Like previous great time travelers such as Marty McFly, I’ve managed to step into the future year of 7010 and visit the coastal town of Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was a popular tourist attraction for family, so I figured it would’ve been great to see it in the future, but I was amiss to find it underwater. The more structurally intact areas of the East Coast built consistently higher dams and walls to avoid being taken over by the increasing sea levels. By the mid-2050s however, Charleston and the rest of the East Coast would not be able to battle the increasing water levels after the polar ice caps completely melted due to the lack of carbon control measures. 

Finding alternative sources for carbon seemed to be muddled too deeply in politics and lobbying efforts in most governments, therefore many societies worked towards building safe zones and damming efforts. A few nations even turned to the space race which enabled a newer lower orbit society to live above the ground, but the population appeared to be minimal due to the infrastructure costs.

In the end, humanity had avoided nuclear catastrophe by attempting to solve desertification and finding alternative supplies for potable water.  Additionally, humanity developed better ways to survive in a warmer climate and a carbon-rich environment. So in 7010, of the 5 million cubic miles of ice on Earth, there was barely any signs of it left. Most cities now had climate-controlled habitats where the outside weather now hovers at roughly 80 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Week 7 - Death Valley

The area I chose to visit was the salt flats in Badwater Basin, which is an area that “covers nearly 200 square miles and is one of the largest protected salt flats in the World” (NPS, 2015). According to my guide during the tour, there are three basic components needed for the formation of salt flats which are source of salts, an enclosed basin, and arid climate. The composition of much of the salt flats include sodium chloride, or table salt, with silt, fine sand, and clay. Other minerals include calcite, gypsum, and borax. The colors range from white to light grays to brownish grays.

The basin boundaries must be mapped along with any additional deposits which help protect or stabilize the surrounding areas. The informational packet at the basin also suggested that much of the area was restricted, so I’d certainly be curious to find out how often surveys are conducted and what methods researchers use to work in such a restrictive area.


References

Fridrich, C.J., Thompson, R.A., Slate, J.L., Berry, M.E., and Machette, M.N., 2012, Geologic map of the southern Funeral Mountains including nearby groundwater discharge sites in Death Valley National Park, California and Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3151, 20 p. pamphlet, 1 sheet, scale 1:50,000.

National Park Service (2015, February 28). Salt Flats. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/salt-flats.htm

Week 8 - Global Warming

New York City

New York City, year 7019, 5000 years in the future. Visiting this beautiful city is an eye opening experience and looks so very different than the year 2019. Scientists long talked about global warming and the effect it would have on coastal cities like New York City. They predicted, if things didn’t change, New York City would suffer consequences such as being completely buried under water. Years of global warming anthropogenic effects; continuous greenhouse gases, carbon emissions, landfill release of methane, etc. along with natural effects, such as wildfires, natural disasters, and volcanic activity, would cause waters to rise , animal/wildlife become extinct and farmlands are compromised. 

New York City underwater. Credit: dailymail.co.uk

These natural and anthropogenic global warming effects forced the people and city to modify and adapt to a possibility of living in a city of water. New York City took measures to ensure the future of the city. The 7019 New York City is one that adapted to the consequences of global warming and created an amazing city and environment where water became a natural part of the city. Flood walls, water resistant building materials, solar power, and deployable flood barriers are just some of the ways the city adapted to the future.

Futuristic New York City. Credit: businessinsider.com

Week 8 - New York - Vicente Cabrera

Photo retrieved from the nymag(http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/09/new-york-future-flooding-climate-change.html)

The year is 7019, and New York has never looked any worse than it ever has. The skyscrapers that once stood tall and proud have long been toppled due to the moving sea currents. Central Park is now 10 meters underwater, with no easy access to the bottom. Aquatic animals now live in the ruins of buildings of the area.
The cause of all of this was caused mostly by human error in dealing with greenhouse gasses. The excess use of fossil fuels in cars, airplanes and boats caused an increase in carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. The ever increasing carbon dioxide caused a severe temperature spike in the entirety of the world. The Arctic ice pack and the Antarctic began melting, causing a rise in sea level by several meters, and resulting in New York being submerged in water.
Global warming occurred with prolonged, necessary use of fossil fuels. The fossil fuels contributed by just being a semi-cheap method of creating many many things. Society tried to ban the use fossil fuels, including government raids to take away fossil fuels, however it was too little too late. Banning fossil fuels created a black market for them, resulting in more dangerous mining and sped up the process of heating up the planet.


(Cool things I found along the web)
Information on Arctic Sea Ice Extent. https://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
How Climate Change will effect New York. http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/09/new-york-future-flooding-climate-change.html

Week 8 - Global Warming

Orange County, California
By: Kevin Kapka

The year is 7100 and I am living in Orange County California. The weather here is extreme, so extreme there is nothing like it. There are basically 2 seasons of the year. In no particular order there is a heavy rain and really wet season. The rain participation has increased by more than 50% from the year 2019. Due to the fact that carbon dioxide is so high the plants and vegetation has made an extreme halt in progress and the whole area is a desert. With that being said, The temperature is  extremely hot here and when it is not raining the heat takes over. With all the levels of carbon dioxide so high the heat is deadly and that forces many livestock not to grow. Overall, the the future of California in general is a bad one and it will continue to do worse but at this point there is not much our people can do to save this world. It is officially too far gone now I fear the cycle will have to repeat itself to get their environment balance back.

Rausch-Week 8:Global Warming

It is the year 7010, and I, a time-traveler from the distant past, have been sent on a scientific expedition to document the effects of global warming on coastal cities located in the United States.  I have decided to explore what was once known as the coastal city of Miami in Florida.  Many organizations have warned of the effects of global warming affecting the rise of sea levels, and Miami was among the cities that were identified as being most at risk.  Miami has been identified as being at risk of becoming a future Atlantis for many reasons, one of them being that the limestone that makes up much of the coastline in Miami-Dade county and Palm Beach is incredibly porous.  The rise of sea levels makes the submergence of Miami an unavoidable and tragic certainty.  Indeed, when I arrive by boat to where Miami once stood as a coastal metropolis, I can see submerged buildings underneath the ocean water.

Artist Rendition of Miami in 2100 A.D.

Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFFRK0qv_4I

How did the sea levels rise so substantially to be able to swallow a once great city?  The process has started rapidly ever since the Industrial Revolution, when humans began burning fossil-fuels and decimating many of Earth's forests, which in turn released copious amounts of carbon dioxide into the Earth's atmosphere.  This deposit of carbon dioxide is responsible for raising the Earth's surface by 1°F over the past 2 centuries.  However, much of this carbon dioxide isn't retained in the Earth's atmosphere, instead it is trapped in Earth's many oceans.  The temperature increase over the past century has only raised the average temperature of the Earth's oceans by 1°F but it is rapidly speeding up.  It is also important to note that when the oceans are subjugated to increased temperatures, they expand(which explains the rise of sea levels).  As I continue to observe my surroundings in the ocean, I notice that most of the coral in the area is phosphorous instead of the vibrant orange and reddish hues that I come to expect.  This is yet another effect of global warming.  The rising temperatures of the ocean has caused the coral in the area to expel the algae that lives within its tissues, which in turn causes it to "bleach" or become white.  While this bleaching process doesn't guarantee death, much of the coral population has succumbed to disease due to being more highly susceptible as a result of a lack of nourishment.  

Bleached Coral

Retrieved from https://phys.org/news/2016-04-large-barrier-reef-dead-years.html

While the natural geology of Miami(such as the Miami Limestone) has played a part in Miami's submergence, it is tragic to think that this could have been avoided if we as a society could have avoided our over-reliance on fossil fuels.  Thankfully , society has undergone huge changes in energy consumption in an effort to avoid further catastrophe.   Those who have retreated further inland can be seen being more conscious in regards to relying more heavily on renewable energies; such as wind and solar.  Other efforts taken to reduce our carbon footprint include forest reclamation and being more efficient in regards to water waste(shorter showers, installation of WaterSense fixtures).  Viewing a resurgence of vast forests fills me with the hope that humanity is capable of great change, even if it comes as a reactionary measure due to horrible consequences.

References

Borunda, A. (2019). Ocean warming, explained. Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/oceans/critical-issues-sea-temperature-rise/?beta=true#close

Denchak, M. (2017). How to Stop Global Warming. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming

O'Brien, M. (2018). Will climate change turn Miami into a 'future Atlantis'?. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/will-climate-change-turn-miami-into-a-future-atlantis

Stager, C. (2012). What Happens AFTER Global Warming?. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/scitable/knowledge/library/what-happens-after-global-warming-25887608/