Article Summary

The article I found is called "Rain Forests" from the National Geographic's. The article discussed where rain forests are found, why they are so important, and how its estimated that two-thirds of the worlds plant specie grow there. The article also talks about transpiration and the affects of deforestation on climate. Overall, this article was full of great facts and was easily readable (perfect for a classroom!).

Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rain-forests/

As water and weather are present in the environment they eat away at the land. they chisel away at earths rock formation. it shapes what rock and land formations that you see in the world.

This article describes how companies are going away from using coal and natural gas is now the number 1 way for the power source. Therefore fracking has become explosive because of this. It also explains how technology is working on fossil fuel plants to make it easier.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/energy-environment/natural-gas-power.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FGas%20(Fuel)&action=click&contentCollection=energy-environment&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=collection

In The water cycle, written by writers of Khan Academy we see a fairly in depth review of the water cycle. It shows us that much of our water on earth is salt water, when humans need freshwater. On the surface water cycles fast, but as you go underground it slows and takes a lot longer to cycle. They state that the "water cycle is complex and involves state changes in water as well as the physical movement of water through and between ecosystems". This is a key component that needs to be understood about the cycle. The water cycle is also driven by the suns energy. This is when the cycles starts, from evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. It is way more complex then this but this is a great article that overviews the importance of the water cycle. 

I read an article on National Geographic about the current extinction rates and what we can do to slow them down. According to the article, extinction rates are 1000 times higher than they would be if humans weren't on the earth. But, the article also said that as technology continues to advance, we are able to slow and or even stop, extinction for species.

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140529-conservation-science-animals-species-endangered-extinction/?_ga=2.190518575.521907635.1525641988-1319336034.1525641988

When the water cycle is happening, the water is either a solid, liquid, or a gas. First a cloud is form by many droplets and then the cloud will either rain or it will snow. Which this is a way that we continue to have water. The water that falls from the clouds, will either go into the ocean or it will sink in the ground. And the cycle goes on and and on. 

In Robin Meadow's article "Living in California’s San Joaquin Valley May Harm Your Health", she bring to light issues of water and air quality in the valley. It may not seem likely, but over 1 million people in the valley are being exposed to bad air quality due to asbestos and other chemicals used in the fields. This is causing the increase of health risks in people who are exposed to these areas. Those health risks are mostly respiratory problems, such as asthma, that get worse as the exposure increases. 
The water quality in the valley is also being affected by this. Chemicals used in the fields can penetrate the ground-water supplies of surrounding towns. Nitrates and asbestos can make the water unsafe to drink, but not many are able to afford to purify the water basins to provide safer drinking water. Those chemicals have bigger heath risks in children, so people are worried about the long-term effects this can have on them. 
This issue in the San Joaquin Valley is barely coming to the attention of the state of California, so precautions or solutions are still on the way, meaning people need to manage how to keep their water clean on their own until assistance is offered. 

My article was from ScienceDaily and it explained what environmental pollution is and how it can have adverse affects on our health and our environment. Environmental pollution is the release of environmental contaminants, generally resulting from human activity. Pollutants can cause disease, including cancer, lupus, immune diseases, allergies, and asthma. Bad air quality can kill many organisms including humans. Motor vehicle emissions are one of the leading causes of air pollution. I learned that ozone pollution can cause respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, throat inflammation, chest pain, and congestion. Also, water pollution causes nearly 14,000 deaths everyday,due to contamination of drinking water by untreated sewage in our developing countries. In addition, oil spills can cause skin irritations and rashes and noise pollution can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, stress, and sleep disturbance. What I take from this article is that pollution is a very scary thing and we need do we can as individuals to help reduce pollution in our environment. 

As the technology develops, renewable energy to become a more dominant source of reliable energy. According to the BioScience, website where the scholarly article was found, the U.S has reached its peak in non-renewable energy and the need for new sources increases yearly. Renewable energy could provide up to 50% of the U.S. energy needs once implemented and only requiring 17% of resources.

This article was published by Environment.Yale.Edu and was written by Mark Schrope. This article discusses how scientist do not yet understand the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing, also known as, fracking. It describes the hydraulic fracturing process and its potential consequences. It discusses it’s possible environmental effects, public health concerns, and greenhouse gas emissions. The article discusses research on the topic. It argues both sides of the issue by showcasing the various opinions on fracking. It describes how science has yet to validate fears or relieve them because there is simply not enough research. It’s a detailed/descriptive article that not only explains fracking and it’s potential impact, but also includeds professional opinions/debates on the topic. 

Th article, Global Warming Science, discusses the effects of increasing temperatures on earth and what causes this increase. The rising temperatures on earth are in part do to less heat escaping the atmosphere. The article explains that in the last 40 years, each year has been hotter than the last. It also says how the 12 warmest years on record have been since 1998. The article mentions that increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the is one of the leading contributors to global warming. Humans are one of the leading contributors to this through the burning of coal, oil and natural gasses. The article states that the carbon dioxide levels are the highest they have been in over 800,000 years and have increased by 25% since 1957, and are continually rising. Some of the consequences the article mentions are severe heat waves, droughts, and rising sea levels at an accelerated rate. This article shows how humans are actively creating a rise in earth's temperature and how global warming is a very serious matter as it can lead to many devastating effects.

Link: https://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/global-warming/science-and-impacts/global-warming-science#.Wu6RZiJlCaN ;