Global Warming Take Two

I know I already wrote a blog about Global Warming when I wrote my Global Warming paper. However, I read an article called "Search for Solutions" and it really shows how we all have to make changes in our lives if we really do want to stop Global Warming and make our world a better place.

Right now, we all need we all need to make small changes in our lives in order to make a big difference in the world. Things like recycling more and eating more organic and locally grown foods to reduce gas emissions can really help turn Global Warming around. I know everyone says we need to change, but it's true. Why does it have to take Global Warming for us to really make a change. We should always conserve and we should have been doing it for a long time already.

We are in the middle of a crisis, and it does not matter if it is naturally occurring or not. If it is, fine, that can be acceptable, but then for sure we are speeding the process. If it's not and we are really at fault for this, then we need to still make a change. In the end, since we started all of this, we need to make changes to try to restore things and clean up our air and our earth. Again, by making these small changes, like changing a light bulb, we can really make a big difference, but everyone needs to help to see results.

Coastal Retreat

This week we learned about something that I found very interesting and important for everyone to know, coastal retreat. I first learned about this in my Geology class two years ago. My professor told me that at the time, San Francisco's cliff area was losing one whole street every 10 years or so. This is very important to know when you want to buy a house, especially one that overlooks the bay).

This information is very valuable for me because now I know the processes that are involved when cliffs collapse. Much of California's coast is some kind of cliff and these cliffs are eroding due to the weather changes, rising in the sea level and tectonic activity.

If people do not pay attention to where we are building, we are going to be putting ourselves in danger. It is not nature's fault because these are natural processes that have been going on for years. But we choose to build because cliffs offer a wonderful view. But sooner or later, these buildings are going to be put in danger as the land from under them gets eroded. This is why we all need to know about coastal retreat, not just college students, because this, like everything else, affects everyone.

Field Trip to the Guadalupe River

Today we took our field trip to the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose. I have to say that even though it was freezing, I had a really good time and it was a really educational experience for me.

Actually going out to the field to look at what we study in the classroom is really rewarding because I am more of a visual learner and physically being there helps me understand what we are learning. By looking at the way the water runs over the rocks wrapped in chicken wire and the cottonwood trees settled at the edge of the river, we were able to understand why these things were there and if they were naturally placed there or placed there by humans.

Not only did I love walking the "nature trail" or downtown San Jose, but I also liked looking at how people try to plant trees in urban areas where they should not be grown, like palm trees. I never realized that palm trees could not live in a Mediterranean-like climate and I was very surprised to know that most of them have to be treated very carefully. This makes me realize that it is very important when planning where to put "picturesque" things in a city environment because it is currently costing San Jose thousands of dollars just to keep a couple hundred trees alive!

Anyway, I am glad I got up so early in the morning to go on this field trip and it makes me excited to take the field trip course next semester.

Indian Cyclone

I have been reading lately about the cyclones in India. They are actually very devastating, ruining many peoples homes and land. Recently, Indian officers banned the exporting of rice and other crops so that the government can help it's people recover. Since the cyclone hit, thousands of people have been injured and died. However, with the help of the government and other Indian cities, places like Bangladesh, where the cyclone had very disastrous effects, can rebuild themselves.

I had mentioned in a previous blog about the ENSO effects in India more than a century ago. In that case, the natural disaster caused drought and crop failure, however the government's incapacity to help is what caused the famine.

Now, cyclones are not uncommon in India, they actually can happen a couple of times a year. Yet, the government is now helping to make sure that it's people are ok. this is a major difference that I have seen and I'm glad that it is happening.

Oil Spill in the Bay

There was an oil spill earlier this month and I thought it was about time I wrote about it. A barge hit the Bay Bridge and gallons of oil spilled into the bay. This has caused major problems environmentally.

I remember looking at the news and seeing all these birds being completely covered in oil and I pretty much figured that many other marine animals looked the same. This is harmful for birds because the oil can never be fully cleaned naturally and this can affect their ability to fly. People could not even go in the water because of the thick oil in the water and the sand.

This oil spill got me really upset because I feel like we all need to be very careful with our waters and not take advantage of them. This oil spill was a serious problem and it really caused damage to the bay. Even by doing other activities such us jet skiing can cause small amounts of oil to leak into our waters and that affects the wildlife as well. Therefore, there should be severe consequences for anyone who causes oil spills or damages our wildlife.

El Nino

I am reading this book called Late Victorian Holocausts in my other Geography class. It talks about how El Nino caused severe drought in some places at certain times, but then flooding at other times. The way I understood it (and I hope this is right) drought occurred where there should have been heavy moonsoon rains.

I remember talking about the El Nino Southern Oscillation in class and did not realize how disastrous it could be.

This caused massive starvation to many Indians in India (which is mainly what the book focuses on) and much of it was due to El Nino and the drought that it caused. Of course, since India was under imperial rule from Britain, the distribution of food was not very good, which also contributed to the famine.

This is an example where one could see how terrible it can be to have hazardous weather in a place that is both geographically and politically not ready for it. Many people died as a result of this famine, as these people were waiting for monsoons to come.

While I was reading this book I just found it interesting and helpful, knowing that I have background information about ENSO that I would otherwise not have had!

The Movie

The movie we watched after the midterm was very interesting! I liked learning about the different rocks in different areas of the world. I especially liked how they did a special segment about the bay area and the Hayward Fault. Being from Union City, which is the next city south of Hayward, the Hayward fault is probably the most hazardous thing around us. When the fault lets out an earthquake, it will cause a lot of destruction the area and it is important to be aware of that and plan accordingly.

This was also fitting because I think the next day was when we had the earthquake in San Jose. When I first felt it, I thought it was the big Hayward Fault earthquake!! I was really scared, especially because I was still on campus, away from my family. However, when I got home I heard it was the Calaveras Fault that emitted the earthquake and that the fault was shaking southbound instead of northbound. This was scary because if the fault hit northbound, it could have caused the Hayward Fault to shake too!

All I know is that we all need to be very prepared when this quake hits because it will probably be more than a 5.6 which is what the San Jose earthquake was. I personally am going to make an emergency kit to have incase of any problems.

I guess this quake was a wake up call for a lot of people!