Science

Coal Mining And The Environment

Conserving energy is a gift to future generations and an act of gratitude for God’s provision. Conserving energy is an important factor toward ending the coal extraction abuses in the southern Appalachian mountains.

Conservation International, which sponsored and led both the marine and terrestrial field research, is proposing additional field studies, and these are clearly justified. Today, Papua might well be considered a lost world for novel biodiversity, and the situation is such that a province-wide biological survey (both marine and terrestrial) is warranted.

Coal companies would rather keep opening up a mountain like taking the top off an egg. Coal dust settles like pollen over the playground. Nearly three billion gallons of coal slurry, which contains extremely high levels of mercury, cadmium, and nickel, are stored behind a 385-foot-high earthen dam right above the school.

Mountaintop removal mining is reshaping the economy, culture and landscape of much of Appalachia. Lauded by mining companies as a safer, more efficient way to produce coal, this ramped-up strip mining has stirred protests from environmentalists and residents.

Mountain fens are drying up, which means that sedge and grass vegetation is growing denser, new species are migrating in, and in some places glorious alpine meadows are appearing. At the highest elevations, formerly the domain of sterile gravel and boulders, fens are occurring.

Coal mining and industrial work can be very dangerous, as there are numerous occupational hazards that can cause catastrophic injury or death. If you have been injured in a coal mining or industrial accident, you have legal rights. Coal mining has a long and distinguished history in America.

The story of coal in this country is one of hardship and triumph. Coal mining activity has been verified in 32 localities within 18 coal mining areas/regions. The current tally of historical coal mine sites stands at 316.

Coal mining can cause a water pollution called Acid mine drainage (AMD); a metal-rich water formed from the chemical reaction between water and rocks containing sulfur-bearing minerals. While AMD usually forms in areas where coal mining has taken place, metal-rich drainage can also occur in mineralized areas that have not been mined.

Coal mining injures involving back injuries, brain injuries , head injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns , broken or crushed bones, silicosis, and a host of other injures, can prevent a miner from ever returning to work.

West Virginia coal mining lawyers are committed to ensuring that injured coal miners receive the compensation they deserve for their injuries. Coal mining is a dangerous business, but it has also produced great rewards. The United States is home to the most known coal reserves of any other nation, and this has made coal the nation’s primary source of energy.

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Meteor Showers In Late July

While Americans associate fireworks with the first weekend in July, with their July 4th Independence Day celebration, those of us into skywatching get our shows throughout the latter half of July, with several showers reaching their peaks in the last week of the month.

As long time readers already know, meteor showers are the specks of sand and bits of gravel left over from outgassings on comets. Some of those have been documented in modern history. Most, however, have been running for tens of thousands of years, and a handful may be nearly a hundred thousand years old.

There are a lot of meteor showers in July, and they go through building periods and waning periods. They’re named after the closest star in the sky the streams seem to be radiating from – in effect, the part of the sky where the tangent of their orbital velocity is directly perpendicular to the Earth.

We’re past just past the peak of the July Phoenicids. However, there are a number of meteor showers picking up that started earlier in the month such as the Alpha Pisces Australids (which tend to be few streaks, but a few bright ones) and the gem of the southern skies in July, the Southern Delta Aquarids, which hit their peak around July 28th to 30th, and first started sparking on the 14th. They taper off rapidly from their peak around August 3rd.

We are particularly fortunate in the timing of the Southern Delta Aquarids, because they’re very near the night of the new moon; this keeps moonlight from washing out your vision as you stare into the skies.

Starting roughly a week later, and lasting longer, are the Alpha Capricornids, about 30 degrees counterclockwise on the sky. They’re likely to hit their peak about August 2nd or 3rd, and when they peak, they tend to create a lot of streaks of color across the sky arcing out from their radiant. (One reason why the Alpha Capricornids tend to peak “off center” of their visibility is the angle that they intersect the earth’s orbit at; they sort of brush across the Earth’s orbit and “ride with us” for a bit through the densest part of the storm.

To prepare for watching meteor showers, we recommend taking a nap in the afternoon. Besides, it’s a great justification for the missus. “I’m not being lazy – this is for science!”. Once you’re up, dim the lights – and make a red filtered flashlight to find your way outside. It will take a good 20-30 minutes for your eyes to fully dark adapt.

Then sit back, get comfortable and enjoy the show, taking plenty of time to see the meteors as they become visible in bursts of activity.

Ian Maclean – Author, Presenter, Astronomer and Science Show host.
You can discover the hidden secrets of the night sky
the fun and easy way for yourself at http://www.nightskysecrets.com, plus pick up a fr*ee subscription to the RSS podcasts of my weekly radio show
The Science Hour or simply listen to them online at
http://www.askthescienceguru.com

The Importance Of The Conductivity Meter To The Agricultural Industry

Electrical conductivity is extensively used and measured in many different sciences and industries. None more so than in the agricultural industry where the conductivity meter is regularly used to measure the components of water, soils and fertilisers. Meters are normally handheld although for more exacting purposes, desk top varieties are often used for in-depth analysis. Measuring conductivity gives operatives an idea of the salt content of any water or soil sample as salt is conductive, meaning that the higher the conductivity the higher the salt content of a particular sample will be.

By knowing the salt content of the soil, water and fertilisers it is possible for agricultural investigators to discover why their crops are failing, or give an idea of ways to improve productivity. While physical indicators such as burnt edges of the leaves gives an idea that the salt content may be too high, only a conductivity meter will be able to give exact results of the amount of salt in a sample.

Conductivity meters do however have limitations for this purpose; while it is possible to find the overall salt content, it is difficult to find the precise salts which are causing the problems. This is where handheld meters are usually abandoned for the more precise desk top models. This type of meter allows for detailed laboratory testing of samples and gives a far more precise read out containing information on the different salts in a sample. Most who work in agriculture agree that by taking as many samples from all over the growing area gives the best idea of what may be causing problems to plants.

In terms of units of measurement conductivity is normally measured in Deci-Siemens (dS/m). At times though, for more precise measurement micro and multi siemens are used, all are combined with a unit of length giving conductivity a physical property. Ohms are used in the electrical industry to measure resistance, conductivity is simply the resistance combined with the length of an object and is sometimes referred to as resistivity.

Temperature can affect the read outs on a meter however. Resistance relies upon the movement of ions in a substance for measurement and if these are agitated by heat naturally the results will be affected. Most estimates place the effects of temperature on conductivity at around two or three percent per degree in Celsius. Understandably it is vital when taking readings to note the temperature so it can be accounted for when compiling results. Ideally a temperature of around twenty five degrees is the temperature to take the readings.

It is always important to calibrate a conductivity meter before each use. If this is not done results can be skewed. To calibrate a device the operator must take a sample of known salinity (salt content) and to take readings from this sample. By adjusting the device so it is reading this sample accurately you know that the meter will give you accurate readings once you are out in the field. Most meters have a screw at the back that can be turned in order to calibrate the device making the process simple and effective.

As previously stated the importance of the conductivity meter to the agricultural industry is immense. Without it, finding the qualities of soil would be more guess work than science resulting in poorer crops. The device has revolutionised the way farming is conducted making it a far more logical and scientific process, bringing it into the modern age with a bang.

Industry expert Thomas Pretty looks into the importance of the conductivity meter in science and agriculture.

Squids Attract Bacteria By Their Slime

If you have ever been inquisitive about the vast variety of creatures living in the depths of the blue sea, you must have discovered a plethora of creatures living underwater. The salmon on your plate, great white sharks, octopuses and squids are among the thousands of organisms that live under the sea. Unlike terrestrial animals, aquatic life is very colorful and vibrant. This can be seen in the coral reefs, where a huge variety of creatures and plants of different sizes and features live. To experience this wonder, one can go to a clear water coral reef and do scuba diving and snorkeling there.

Few creatures on Earth are as interesting and unusual as fish. They have survived in an environment completely different from ours – in water that is often very dark and very deep, where sea life is sometimes a flashing, glowing, flickering show of lights. One of the phenomena commonly associated with aquatic life is bioluminescence. Most fish that live in the deepest depths are able to give off their own glow, a process called bioluminescence, and are known as the “glow in the dark fish.” In fact in the sea, bioluminescence is everywhere – in fish, sea slugs, squid, jellyfish, and many other deep-sea dwellers.

It’s the same process that causes a firefly to light up in the summer night. Almost all of marine bioluminescence are blue in color. There are two reasons for this: first, blue-green light travels furthest in the water; and second, most organisms are sensitive only to blue light – they lack visual ability to absorb longer red or shorter ultraviolet light. Bioluminescence is present in squids as well.

Young bobtail squids secrete the goo to attract light-emitting bacteria, which swim inside the squid and take up residence, helping it hide from predators. The bacteria make their own mucus made of polysaccharides. According to the scientists, the slimy goo is made by the bacteria by utilizing a particular gene called syp present in the bacteria. Baby bobtail squids are born without their bacterial partners, and must attract them from the surrounding seawater. Once inside the squid, the light-emitting bacteria enter narrow cavities.

During the daytime, squids lay in the sand, but at night they go out hunting in shallow coral reefs. When a squid is hunting in the moonlight, its dark silhouette would be visible to predators and prey from below, but the creature is camouflaged by its light-emitting partners. The amount of light emitted by the squid-dwelling bacteria usually matches the intensity of the moonlight. This helps camouflage the squid from hungry predatory fish.

Interestingly, a squid expels about 90 percent of its bacteria at dawn before burrowing into the sand! The remaining bacteria multiply during the day, and by the time the sun sets, the squid go hunting again with their luminescent partners.

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Where Does Solar Energy Come From?

Solar energy is making a big impact today. In the world we live, we have put major strain on natural resources. But, there is a renewable energy source, which is becoming a viable source to meet the needs of humanity, it is called solar energy. But, where does solar energy come from?

Imagine a home that is powered by a residential solar energy system. This home has electric 24 hours a day. You could watch TV all day, keep all the lights on, and not have to worry about an electric bill! So, how does this work? Where does solar energy come from?

In discovering where does solar energy come from, let us consider that we are in that solar powered home. Imagine for a moment that you want to watch TV. You press the televisions power button. Instantly like magic the TV comes to life. It comes on exactly as it would in a home powered by conventionally produced energy.

This energy is in the form of electric. It doesn’t matter whether it is from solar power, fossil fuels or even nuclear power. It is all the same – electric. The electric in residential solar energy systems doesn’t come from an external power station situated on Earth though. It gets more interesting!

The electric had to come from somewhere, and as we trace back, we find that the electric in the TV came from batteries. These are loads of batteries that hold onto this solar power, which we will come to in a moment.

A battery is like a cupboard. It holds things; most importantly it holds energy in the form of electric. This is important as we will see in a moment, as this source is not a 24 hour power, so we need a way to store it. Batteries make this possible, but where did this solar energy come from?

As we travel further, perhaps to the roof of the residential solar energy powered home or even somewhere else on the property, we will find solar panels. Solar panels are amazing gadgets, as they do something amazing.

Solar panels have a big area. They convert something into electric. But, how did they do this? Light is needed. And solar panels ingeniously convert light into electric. This light comes from a very big power station. In the case of Earth, this power is from our very own Sun.

The Sun is like a humongous power station that constantly does a reaction that lets out light. This light beams to Earth, and a solar powered home can make use of this to create electric around the home. It is truly marvelous, and is going to the basics that most of life on Earth uses – that is to utilize the power of the Sun. As plants do.

One day all homes will utilize alternative energy such as solar power in one form or another. Take a sneak peak, and see how residential solar energy systems can even make you money by visiting.