MSU Field Trip

5 things I learned at the planetarium yesterday were:

1. The North Star doesn't move in the sky over night while all the other ones do. The North Star's name is Polaris.
2. I learned Jupiter and Venus are both visible at some point in the night right now and by April, the two will appear right next to each other. Through a telescope, you can even see some of Jupiter's moons.
3. I learned where I can find many constellations such as Taurus, Aryan, and the Princess. A lot of constellations are from Greek Mythology.
4. The closest galaxy to the Milky Way is Andromeda. It is 2.5 million light years away from Earth.
5. Depending on how many light years away from Earth a star is, depends on how long its light takes to reach Earth. If a star is 40 million light years away from Earth, the light we see from that star at night is 40 years old. 

3 things I learned about the cyclotron:

1. Well, I learned what a cyclotron even is. It smashes atoms.
2. When the cyclotron is at work, it works 24 hours a day for usually 5 days with constant monitoring.
3. I learned that MSU is top 3 in the world for most powerful cyclotrons. However, by 2017 they expect to be number one. They are starting to build a new one this spring about 30 feet underground.

My 2 favorite things were:

1. Lunch. Villa Pizza has the best food ever. And checking out part of the international center.
2. Zach's lecture was really interesting to me too. I learned more in 40 minutes than I think I have in a whole trimester. I was really interested in MSU's great program and their ideas and plans on improvements. 

If I could change one thing it would be to attend an actual class. I know AP Chem got to but I think it would have been cool for us too. But I had A LOT of fun and I'd like to more trips like this one!

Climate Research: Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was a category 3 hurricane when it hit New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29th, 2005. The hurricane formed over the Bahamas, crossed over southern Florida as a category 1, and grew stronger when it crossed the Gulf of Mexico on its way to southeastern Louisiana. (source 1) Here is a map that shows the hurricane's path:



The key for a forming hurricane is warm ocean water. It provides energy for the hurricane and causes more evaporation causing humid air and clouds. With that, winds coming together force air upwards. Above the storm, winds flow outward allowing the air below to rise. The clouds of the storm are caused by rising, humid air. Light winds on the outside of the hurricane steer it and allow it to grow. (source 5)

An impact that hurricanes have on the environment is the dangerous floods they are known to cause. Hurricanes carry so much moisture that the clouds get full very fast causing long, powerful downpours of rain. Floods can lead to landslides as well. Not only does rain cause flooding, but the mound of water known as a storm surge that huron thricanes carry with them cause flooding along coastal lines. Another effect of hurricanes on the environment is on the bayous. High levels of bacteria get in the bayou and make the water unsafe to swim in. It’s bad for the fish and other animals in the bayou. Some fish even die from hurricanes because of the bacteria levels. It makes it hard for the fish and other animals to breathe. When people go fishing sometimes they get bad fish and when they eat them they can get very sick. (source 3)

Hurricane Katrina had a large impact on the economy. Insurance companies estimated $25 billion dollars in damage. And that is just the loss of property. While businesses are being rebuilt there is a large amount of lost revenue from not being able to prosper. Not to mention the loss of jobs from the companies that did not have insurance. According to "Financial Times" the total economic loss from Hurricane Katrina, was $100 billion. (source 2)

A hurricane watch is issued when hurricane conditions (sustained winds of 74mph or higher) are possible within a specified coastal area. A watch is issued 48 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds. A warning is issued 36 hours in advance of the anticipated onset of tropical-storm-force winds. A warning is given when hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within a specified coastal area. Watches and warnings are issued on all news channels. They are given out so early because hurricane preperation and preparedness is next to impossible to do while the conditions of a hurricane are present. (source 11)

Doppler Radars are used to look at a hurricane and predict its path. The radar sends beams of radiation. The shift not only in frequency, but also in carrier cycles, allows a scientist to determine the radial velocities. In order make this happen, the radar must be in a coherent state which allows for stabiltiy of the phases of the radiation pulses. (source 4)

Bibliography:
1) http://www.katrina.noaa.gov/. NOAA. Hurricane Katrina. NOAA Public Affairs. February 7th, 2007.
2) http://www.hurricanekatrina.com/suicide.org. HurricaneKatrina.com. Hurricane Katrina. Kevin Caruso. 2007.
3) http://www.nola.com/katrina/. NOLA. Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans Net LCC. 2011.
4) http://www.srh.noaa.gov/radar/radinfo/radinfo.html. National Weather Service Radar. WSR-88D, Radar. NOAA. March 3, 2005.
5) http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/hurricanes/. Hurricanes. NASA Official:  Ruth Netting. May 5, 2011.
6) http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/gallery/Remembering-Hurricane-Katrina/3711/
7) http://www.google.com/imgresq=Hurricane+Katrina&hl=en&safe=strict&sa=G&gbv=2&biw=1024&trauma
8) http://www.katrinadestruction.com/images/v/houston.astrodome/14443-afterw.jpg.html
9) http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/recoverydata/katrina/katrina_about.shtm
10) http://www.ultimatechase.com/chase_accounts/hurricane_katrina.htm
11) http://mediamythalert.wordpress.com/category/hurricane-katrina/
12) http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/forecast/warnings.shtml. NOAA. Severe Weather Watches and Warnings. NOAA Public Affairs. January 4, 2004.

Pictures/Maps:

(source 6)

(source 7)

(source 11)

(source 1)

(source 8)

(source 9)

(source 10)

Great Lakes in the Regional Context/River Lab Conclusion

River Lab Conclusion:

We learned that our section of the river has good water quality and is one of the cleanest parts of the Grand River. We did our lab on fecal coliform. Sick, right? of course Payton and I would get stuck with this one. It was gross, but interesting. After letting our water sample in the petri dish sit for 2 days, there were colonies of pink. According to the charts, pink indicates a low, relatively healthy level of fecal coliform. Our Q-value was 70 with 20 colonies present. The over all Q-value was  11.2. These results were pretty predictable. Grade wise, we are rated around a C in this category. I didn't think we would be lower, but being higher would be great! Our action project being awareness can easily relate to this. We can inform the community about where we stand and ways they can contribute to raising our Q-value.

Great Lakes in the Regional Context:

1) The biggest lake in terms of volume is Lake Superior and the smallest is Lake Erie.
2) The most urban of the lakes is Lake Erie and the most rural is Lake Superior.
3) Lake Huron has the longest shore line.
4) We can best manage the ecosystem by cutting back on pollution. Humans are the number one contributors to pollution and we can make small changes to make a huge difference. Putting waste into the water that drains into the Great Lakes is an awful idea. Not only does it effect the area around where it entered, but also everything down stream all the way to the lakes. Finding more sanitary ways to dispose of our waste would save our ecosystems.
5) Pesticides have to do with our action project because there a lot of farms around Eaton Rapids. Informing the farmers about what they are doing to damage our Earth can influence them to make a difference on the way they are managing their farms. Same with herbicides. We can make sure the farmers that use pesticides and herbicides know the harm they are causing and we can try to encourage them to change their ways.
6) Preliminary Questions:
        ~The water from my house goes to into the ground.
       ~Runoff water is extra water that the Earth will not absorb. In Eaton Rapids, it drains into the Grand     River or other ponds and rivers around the area.
       ~Runoff water and sewer water go to the same place in the city. I look at this as a good thing     because most likely the runoff in the city is contaminated with pollutants. But if it was perfectly clean water, we could use it instead of contaminating it when mixing it with the waste.
        ~Farms (pesticides, herbicides, fertalizers) are sources that pollute the runoff.
       ~Point source pollution is pollution coming from a specific place. Such as a single factory, you can trace it back to exactly where it came from. Non-point source pollution is not trackable.  It is small things that add to pollution. Like leaks from spilling something in your yard that seep into the ground water.
       ~A watershed is an area of land where all the water is drained to a certain place.