National Data Buoy Blog Post

In science, we are currently studying about waves. By waves, I mean all types of waves, including light, sound, and water waves. This last class we were talking specifically about buoys. Buoys are big floating devices that record various things such as temperature, height, atmospheric pressure, and wind speed of the local area. We were given a link, http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/, to find out about specific buoys in specific areas.

Predictions/Hypothesis

I think that wave height is going to depend on two factors:

1) Distance from a landmass- I think that buoys that record areas that are close to shores/land areas will show less wave height. I think this because the farther you get from shores, the deeper the bodies of water will be. For example, a buoy near the coast of Africa will show small(er) waves. One that is a few miles of the coast of Africa will be significantly bigger.

2) Relative Location compared to ice masses- I think that waves might be bigger near large pieces of ice. I am thinking specifically the Arctic, because there has recently been a lot of melting of the ice caps, making the water level significantly higher. This may also work with the antarctic, but maybe not as much since the Antarctic has land under the ice, while the Arctic is 100% ice.


Results 


The 4 main buoys/stations I used-

1) Station 46006 (pacific ocean, off the coast of California)

Location: 40.754N 137.464W
Winds: S (190°) at 19.4 kt gusting to 23.3 kt

Significant Wave Height: 6.9 ft
Atmospheric Pressure: 29.81 in and falling
Water Temperature: 54.1 F 

2) Station 46213 ( near the coast of California)

Location: 40.294N 124.74W

Significant Wave Height: 2.6 ft

Water Temperature: 50.0 F 

3) Station 46041 (near the coast of Washington state)

Location: 47.353N 124.731W

Winds: SSE (150°) at 5.8 kt gusting to 7.8 kt

Significant Wave Height: 1.6 ft

Atmospheric Pressure: 29.99 in and falling

Air Temperature: 50.4 F

Water Temperature: 51.4 F

4) Station 46005 (pacific ocean, off the coast of Washington state)

Location: 46.100N 131.001W

Winds: at 13.6 kt gusting to 15.5 kt

Significant Wave Height: 3.6 ft

Atmospheric Pressure: 29.81 in and falling

Air Temperature: 51.6 F

Water Temperature: 51.4 F

Result for hypothesis/factor 1 (ocean/landmass)- This was the hypothesis that water height will be lower when closer to shore and higher when far away from coasts. I found out that my hypothesis was correct. If you look at Station 46006, which is farther away from shore, it had higher waves than Station 46213, which was closer to shore. This was also the same with Station 46041, which had smaller waves because it was near the shore, while Station 46005 was way off the coast and has larger waves. Even though this hypothesis is mostly correct, it is not always. For example, Station 41004 (near the coast of South Carolina)  has a wave height of 8.5 feet. Station 41002 (way off the coast of South Carolina) has 5.6 feet, which is smaller than the one near the shore. Even though this example show the opposite of my hypothesis, I checked many other buoys/stations and they showed my hypothesis is correct most of the time.

Result for hypothesis/factor 2 (ice masses)- This hypothesis was that wave height would be higher near ice masses. This hypothesis was inconclusive (I did not have enough information). There was only one buoy close enough to the arctic/antarctic to test. I was not able to get any information from it because it was near the coast of Iceland (the nation), conflicting with my test.

Waves Of Earth: Tsunamis

Tsunamis 

There are many type of destructive waves on earth such as earthquakes and hurricanes. I am going to talk to you about what has been recently been on the news a lot; Tsunamis. Tsunamis are giant waves that occur in the ocean. Many times we have Tsunamis occur in the middle of the ocean, and only cause small waves on the coast and cause minor damage. We also have the more destructive ones; ones that are known for wiping out coast side cities, completely. 

We have had many big tsunami disasters in the past 10 years. The two greatest was the Indonesia Tsunami of 2004 and the Japanese Tsunami of 2011. The Indonesian Tsunami of 2004 killed over 22,000 people. The Japanese Tsunami of 2011 killed over 15,000 people. The Indonesian Tsunami has been recognized as the biggest Tsunami of the 21st century and one of the biggest ever. Tsunamis can be caused by many things. But one thing Tsunamis are caused by is a disturbance in the ocean that causes waves with unimaginable heights. The two most major specific causes of Tsunamis are earthquakes and volcanic eruption/activity. There are also other things that can cause Tsunamis, but they are less likely, such as landslides, meteor impact, and underwater explosions(man-made). 

Tsunamis occur in many places. But, 80% of all tsunamis occur in the pacific ocean. This is because of the Ring of Fire. The Ring of Fire is a large ring or chain of volcanoes in the Pacific Ocean.These volcanoes erupting cause earthquakes. All of these volcanoes erupting cause waves to increase in height, therefore creating tsunamis.The two biggest tsunamis of the 21st century occured in or near the Pacific Ocean.  Tsunamis can have many effects, most of the time minor, but sometimes disastrous. When big tsunamis hit cities, they will most likely knock down many buildings that are small in height or do not have stable architecture. But many other completely random effects can happen as well. As we have witnessed in Japan in 2011, they can flood nuclear plants, rendering them completely vulnerable for a malfunction. In Japan, the cooling system failed because of the flood and leaked toxic, radioactive gases. Overall, tsunamis can cause many things that are unexpected. 

One major contribution into saving many people's lives, is to spot a tsunami before it hits a city. The question is:  how do we predict tsunamis? Well, the most precise way is by satellite imagery. With satellites we can take pictures of oceans and see if there is wave height. Also, buoys can help us. Buoys measure many things such as wave height. If several buoys in an area change their reading from 6 feet wave height to suddenly 35 feet wave height, we can predict that there is a tsunami occuring.  

When detecting tsunamis, they use something called TWS. This stands for Tsunami Warning System. The TWS has many sensors to detect increase in wave height. When TWS does detect a Tsunami, it sends a warning. Then, authorities can start an evacuation of all inhabited areas that could be in the path of the Tsunami. This is very useful and can save people. When a warning is issued out to people of a tsunami it is called a tsunami warning. 

Many wealthy countries that have higher chances of Tsunamis, such as Japan, have  many features of their city to guarantee minimal damage to their cities. Some of theses features include architecture. A lot of the buildings  built in Tokyo have are specially built to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis, to a limit. A lot of times earthquakes that are high on the Richter scale, cause giant tsunamis, that are sadly, unpreventable. 

We can contribute to helping the victims of Tsunamis. We can send money, food, and supplies, We can also make banners and organize teams to aid the victims of Tsunamis.

This is a clip of some of the effects Tsunamis can have on Cities. This is actual footage from the Japan 2011 tsunami.

This is a picture of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The picture above is before the tsunami and the one below is the effects of the terrible tsunami. 

Waves Experiment Reflection

In science class, we did a very intriguing lab/experiment about waves. We would drop water from certain heights and see how it causes waves in the water below. We would also place barriers and other objects to see if the waves would bounce off. These are some materials we needed:

1) 1 Pan
2) 1 Eyedropper
3) Water supply
4) 2 Clay Bars
5) Various Objects such as-
-> Toilet Paper
-> Cork

Procedure:

1) Gather All Materials
2) Put some water in the pan
3) Put some water in the eyedropper
4) Hold the eyedropper
5) Release a drop of water
6) Place various barricades and objects and then repeat steps 1-5
7) Record Results

Results:
I had various results that depended on height and any barriers/obstacles. I think the barriers and obstacles made a bug difference on how the wave ripples looked. Once they hit the barriers/obstacles, they bounce right back. While doing this lab I learned many things. I learned what frequency, wavelength, and amplitude mean. Frequency is how often the waves occur. Amplitude is the height of a certain wave that you are analyzing. Wavelength is the distance from one wave crest to another

In this image I made above, blue represent water, black is wave direction, and red is the water drop.

Science Essay

Science Essay 

Do you think that Space Travel is worth the cost? Space travel can be very useful. Even though we have several vital issues on Earth, I think space travel is a very meaningful matter as well. Space travel can be important for several different reasons. Space travel is very vital because we can find other habitable planets, find cures for diseases such as AIDS, and further improve our technology. In this essay I will be talking about the benefits of space travel, some costs of space travel, and some approaches we could take toward space travel.

First, space exploration has many benefits. Space exploration helps us with many things. It helps us find new life. Life can benefit us through new cures to diseases and discovery of new technology. If we find new bacteria, it may help us to recover from diseases that we have on Earth such as AIDS, Malaria, and Diabetes. We could also use new cures to completely “exterminate” diseases. Space exploration also might become useful if we find a civilization with advanced technology. We can then use this technology for our purposes. Space exploration can also be useful to find new planets. If our planet ever runs out of resources or dies out, we can use another habitable planet to escape too. One other benefit of space exploration that we can use in the present is that when we go out in space we can use special equipment to locate incoming meteors and other hazards. Space travel research also supplies us with telecommunications, such as radio waves, internet and cable. Satellites that we launch into space stay up there and supply us with telecommunications. We can also predict weather from space. When we are up above the earth we can get a “bigger picture” of earth’s weather. One last benefit is that we can get new medical supplies and drugs. From the new technology we experiment and test with to improve space travel, we also discover that some of the materials and technology can also be well used in the medical world.

Even though space travel has many advantages, it also has some disadvantages. Space travel can be very expensive. It costs millions of dollars just to build one space craft. It also costs a lot of money to build the launch station and buy the fuel necessary for the rocket. One other disadvantage is that space travel is time consuming. It takes years to build one spacecraft and it takes weeks just to reach Mars. One last disadvantage is that it harms the environment. When a rocket launches off it releases a lot of smoke on the ground and into the air. Animals inhale and get sick from the smoke. It can also be catastrophic when an accident occurs, to humans and animals. Even though Space travel has several disadvantages, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Last, I will talk about some approaches to research that demonstrate how important space travel is. There are three different approaches we could have to space exploration. We could use our technology to send more humans to the moon or other planets. I think this approach is most important. If we find another planet, we could possibly also find new life. Also if we invest our majority of resources into finding new planets, we could use those planets as a “second earth”. A second approach we could take is only using earth-based research. This is less useful because we know already so much about our own planet. Although if we do follow this approach, we probably could survive longer on our own planet. A third approach is that we could concentrate on learning more about our solar system. This means that we might be able to do experiments on these planets and also it will not take as long to fly there. One disadvantage is that it is less likely we will find other life. If I were a congressman I would list these subjects from most to least important. In my opinion the most important of them all is Public Health. Then comes Education. Third, Military. After that comes Medical research and Public Utilities. Sixth would be Public transportation. Seventh Space exploration. And finally Social Studies. I think Space Exploration is important but not the most important. Things like Public Health and Utilities are more important. Space exploration is still very important though.

Space travel has many advantages and some disadvantages. Overall that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Space travel is important because we can find new resources, habitable planets, life, and technology. Space travel will further decrease our risk of extinction. We also can find new cures as well. Sadly, many countries such as U.S.A. and Russia have been starting to put less and less money into space travel. Other countries such as China are now becoming world leaders in space travel. It is very clear, space travel is vital for our future.

Current Events 3/14/12

New "Super Earth" Found at Right Distance for Life 

By Rachel Kaufman  

On National Geographic news.  

Scientists now say that they found a planet called GJ 667Cc that might be a possible planet for life. This planet is roughly 4.5 times the mass of Earth, meaning it's bigger. The planet orbits a red dwarf. Astronomers think that the planet's surface is probably rocky. The planet is very dim, but still recieves infrared rays, meaning it absorbs more energy than Earth does. These conditions make it perfect for there to be liquids on it. This might mean there is microscopic life in it. 

These conditions might even make it possible for non-microscopic life, some scientists think. Many universitites and institutes are doing further research into this investigation. 

 

I found this article because the title caught my attention. The title fascinated me because I always find it interesting when scientists and researchers think they might have discovered other life. Even though this was a very interesting and fascinating article, I think it was too short. It might have been good if they added more description about the planet. I love articles like this because I find space very unique and fascinating. I hope they do further research into this planet.

 

 

Current Events 2/28/12

Life on Earth Began on Land, Not in Sea? 

Article by Dave Mosher

On National Geographic 

 

This was a very fascinating article about how even though many scientists think that life on earth started in the ocean. This article is about how recent research shows that maybe life first started on land. Some scientists think that the first life might of started in giant holes of slimy mud, which was heated by volcanoes. According to scientists this is the perfect conditions from primitive bacteria to grow. Many scientists thought that life started in the ocean. They thought this because the ocean floor has a large amount of life forms. There is also data that argues against the theory that life started in the ocean. Cells have a fluid that they need to survive. Researchers found out that the ocean is very unlikely to contain much of this fluid. They think that these giant boiling mud hole has a good amount of this cellular fluid that is vital for survival. Their are two reasons that scientists think that life started in these mud holes. The first reason is that bacteria can easily grow in warm areas like this. The second reason is that these mud holes contain unbelievable amounts of minerals and nutrients. 

 I chose this article because I was looking through different articles and the title of this one really caught my attention. I think the author explained this article very well and made it very clear. I know this article is valid because it was also on escience news. This is a trusted publishing company that has good scientific current events. I found it very interesting how many people believed how life started on sea, but this article says it might have started in land.

 

A "Moonth" of Phases

A "Moonth" of Phases 

Question- 

What causes the phases of the moon? 

Answer- The position in which the moon is that, so it is lit by the sun, and/or darkened by earth.

Summary- 

In this experiment we observed what the phases of the moon would look like from two different points. We observed what the moon would look like from earth and what they would look like from space. We did this by using a flashlight and taking a small and large styrofoam ball. The smaller one represented the moon while the large one represented earth. There are 8 moon phases: Full moon, New moon, Waxing gibbous, First quarter, Last quarter, Waxing crescent, Waning crescent, and Waning gibbous. 

Full- A completely lit up moon

New-  A completely dark moon

Waxing Gibbous- A moon with a small dark part on the left 

First- A half lit moon, lit part on right

Last- A half lit moon, lit part on left

Waxing Crescent- A mostly dark moon, with a small lit part on right

Waning Crescent- A mostly dark moon, with a small lit part on left

Waning Gibbous- A moon with a small dark part on the right

Materials- 

1 large styrofoam ball- represents earth

1 small styrofoam ball- represents moon  

1 flashlight- represents sun 

2 toothpicks one to hold and other to hold moon 

A dark room 

Procedure- 

1. Go into a room with the lights off 

2. Attach one toothpick to the big styrofoam ball and the other to the small styrofoam ball 

3. Turn on the flashlight 

4. Use the small ball as the moon and the big one as earth 

5. Record Data 

The moon phases if viewed from space- 

 

The moon phases if viewed from a point on earth- 

In your model what represents Earth?Sun?Moon?
The sun was the flashlight. The moon was the smaller styrofoam ball and the earth was the bigger ball. 
How much of the lightened part of the ball did you see when facing the ball?
The half that was facing the light/sun. 
Which drawing represents a full moon? A new moon? Waxing Crescent? A waning crescent?
The full moon is the one completely lit. Waxing crescent is the moon with the crescent on the right. The waning crescent is the crescent on the left side. 
How much of the lightened part of the ball did you see after each turn?
After each part you saw more and more but after a few turns you started to see less. 
How much of the ball's surface was always lit?
There was no amount because at one point the ball was completely dark  
How well did making a model help you understand the phases of the moon?
It helped me a lot because I could physically see how much was lit or in darkness 
What are some disadvantages?
The lighting or darkness could be a bit off because the models are not scale or proportional.

Reasons for The Seasons Lab

Reasons for The Seasons Lab  

In science class we did a lab in which we examined the shadow and sunlight difference from season to season. We made a model earth and shone a light on it to examine. Here is what we had to do: 

1. Take a foam sphere and put a stick right through the middle of it 

2. Take a protractor and position the stick so it has a tilt of 23.5 degrees 

3. For simplicity, tape the stick to the protractor at the 23.5 angle 

4. Shine a flashlight and place the protractor-attached sphere so the protractor's bottom is flat 

5. To show summer, place it so the earth is closer to the flashlight 

6. To show winter, place it so the earth is farther from the flashlight 

7. Place a toothpick between the equator and the north pole 

8. Shine the light and examine the shadow 

9. Record Data 

Here is my recorded data:

Summer

• ·       During the summer there is more light shining
• ·       During the summer there is more of a shadow, probably because there is more light shining on the surface during the summer
• ·       On the surface the grid is stretched in the north pole area because it is in a different position and is partially blocked by other parts of the surface but it gets more sun in the summer than in the winter
• ·       The south pole is the opposite of north pole more sun in winter and less than summer

Winter  

• ·       During the winter there is less light because the planet is farther away from the sun
• ·       During the winter there is less of a shadow, the sun light does not hit as much as it does in the summer, creating a smaller shadow
• ·       The north pole is colder during winter because the surface is partially blocking the north pole   
•  The south pole gets more sun during winter because it is angled toward the sun 

I learned many things from this lab. I learned that the north pole is colder in the winter and hotter in the summer while the south pole is the exact opposite. From what I observed the shadow of the sticking out toothpick was bigger during the summer. This means that buildings and other objects might have a slightly bigger shadow during the summer. After the lab I looked up further info and found out that the regions in the arctic circle have a day that is very dark in the winter and one that is very bright in the summer.