Green World

Hi everyone, So today we're talking about a model that was introduced in 2009 and has offered a new perspective to thinking about environmental issues. The planetary boundary model has 9 boundaries, each has a safe zone. Once the safe zone is exceeded, the stable conditions on our planet are considered at risk, and there can be severe and possibly irreversible changes. The nine boundaries are considered separate however, they greatly affect each other. Novel Entities describes the introduction and accumulation of man-made novel chemical compounds. These include pesticides, nuclear waste and microplastics. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion refers to the depletion of the ozone layer which was a major problem in the 90s. Atmospheric Aerosol Loading is air particle pollution.  Ocean Acidification is self-explanatory. The boundary Biochemical Flows is composed of two separate boundaries; nitrogen and phosphorus. Both of the ele...

Hello, Today, we're talking about the rarest marine mammal. The vaquita is a member of the porpoise family that lives only in the northernmost part of the Gulf of California which is the smallest range of any marine mammal. Vaquita are easily distinguishable, with small bodies tall triangular dorsal fins and dark patches around each eye and on their lips. They are dark grey with paler, sometimes even white undersides. The females generally have larger heads, wider flippers and are longer than the males. Vaquita prefer to stay with 25 km of the shoreline and in waters of less than 150m depth, as these contain more prey. They eat a wide variety of different fish species especially floor dwelling ones. They are shy and very secretive, spending their time alone, in pairs or in groups of up to seven individuals. Vaquita do not migrate. They live in warmer waters and can deal with large fluctuations in water temperature which is uncommon among ...

Hi everyone, So today we're talking about marine heatwaves. We all know about normal heatwaves, they come almost every summer and are either a blessing or a curse depending on where you live. But today we're talking about marine heatwaves. They are increasing rapidly and have become a commonly mentioned topic. There are multiple definitions of marine heatwaves. Generally, they are considered a period of time with unusually high temperatures. Exactly how high and for how long changes depending on which definition you choose. The most common one definition is when the temperature is over the 90th percentile of the area's average seasonal temperature for at least 5 days in a row. For anyone who doesn't know what a percentile is, if you take a test and are at the 90th percentile then it means you are better than 90% of the people who took that test. So in our context, the temperature has to be higher than 90% of the seasonal temperatu...

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another monthly quiz! Today we are so excited to share some quiz questions on marine animals. Let us know how you did in the comments! Questions 1) Which of these came first: sharks, dinosaurs or jellyfish? 2) How many electric bulbs could an electric eel light up? 3) True of False: dolphins sleep with only half their brain. 4) True or False: an octopus has purple blood. 5) What is the loudest sound made by a marine animal (and indeed any animal on the planet!)? 6) True or False: oysters are all female. 7) In which animal species do the males and not the females give birth and care for their young? 8) True or False: a shrimp's heart is in its head. 9) True or False: sea sponges have no head, brain, mouth, eyes, feelers, bones, heart, or lungs. 10) How many continents do turtles live in? Answers: 1) Jellyfish! They've been around for more than 650 million years. 2) 10 3) True! They also...

Hi everyone, We always talk about endangered species and how we really need to help them. But we never really say how we can help them. I mean of course, stop climate change , remove the plastic pollution from the ocean, ban hunting, but those are massive tasks and not easy or quick to do. So how do scientists stop species from going extinct? With nearly 40 000 species threatened, there is no one solution for all species. Habitat conservation and official protection One of the most basic and yet often really effective form of conserving and restoring populations is to protect and conserve their habitats. This often includes legal bodies forbidding deforestation or mining. Many habitats have been made into national parks or other protected areas and in some places, visitors are strictly prohibated. In other places, voluteers are working day and night to clear plastic on beachs and in rivers. Bans on hunting and poaching have been effect...

Hello everyone, Welcome back to another energy comparison post. Today we're talking about hydroelectricity. This is basically just using the power of moving water for our own uses. This idea has been around for thousands of years. The ancient Greeks and Romans used watermills to grind grains for making bread. Watermills were used up until the Industrial Revolution. What is hydroelectricity? There are three types of hydroelectric power plants. Impoundment facilities are the most common. The water is stored in a pool or reservoir normally located at a higher elevation. The dam uses gates or valves to control the water flow. When there is demand for electricity, the water is released. It falls downwards and turns turbines that turn the kinetic energy of the water (movement energy) into electric energy. Diversion facilities don't have a dam. They channel the water towards the turbines using a system of canals. Pumped-storage facilities are...

Hello everyone, and welcome to this week's post! Today we thought we would talk to you on the benefits of being in nature for your mental health. This has been a much talked about subject recently, so it felt fitting that we would do a post about it. Fresh air and exercise have long been used as ways to make you feel better, whether you are suffering from a physical ailment or issues with your mental health. Just spending time outside is known to generate many positive emotions, including happiness and feeling calmer just to name a few. Over longer periods of time, it is shown to help with anxiety and depression. Although it obviously can't solve the underlying problems, it can definitely help us. However, it is less known how vital it is that the nature is 'high quality' in order to gain these effects to their full extent. This 'high quality' nature is often litter-free and clean, both of which are important if y...