Homework

[sniksoh 0]

in my english class we need to find a subject to research on...i want to find an environmental issue of some sort. my techer said we couldnt do global warming because its already talked about to much...

 

(i find that hard to believe seeing that we have weather into the 30s here in iowa at the end of april...)

 

anyways,

 

could you guys just maybe make a list of "environmental issues" that are going on...than i could just choose one from that list...

 

if you could it would help me out a ton.

 

thanks,

sniksoh

:flex:

[Sean Juan 0]

I'd do a paper on "invasive species" there is a lot of research and you can go with a few different angles in your thesis. The best scientific paper would be one that focuses on a single stream, but since this is an English class you could also expand it to include stuff like Caine toads in the Outback or something. The issue is complex in that generally invasive species are bad, but not always, and more often than not the environment changes to accept them. Brown Trout in USA are an invasive species for instance.

 

You also get to expand on the role of human stewardship of the environment which is a nice touch.

 

 

[Mickalo 0]

Ha ... slightly off topic, but you mentioned the weather here in IA, they're talking the possibility of snow this weekend .... the first weekend of may!!

 

Good luck on your homework tho

 

Mike

[DrVette 0]

I wish that some-one would start blowing the whistle on human population explosion causing 99% of all the environmental,economic and social problems, and show that it is really the underlying root to all environmental issues. Do a paper on creating a higher tax on couples having more than one child and eliminating credits and breaks for them to force their responsibility for excess waste and resource depletion. Point out that in just 70-80 years we could have a complete reversal of environmental impacts and fix many of the economic problems to boot if there were sane measures to create a 1 child per couple state. The only problem is that China tried a radical set of laws to force this there and found it impossible to enforce...even given their disregard toward human rights while forcing it. This is an issue that needs to be taught early to children and enforced by taxing, new education and humane penalties untill it becomes a social norm.

Do a paper along those line and you will definitely be in untouched realms and maybe pick-up points for thinking completely out-side the box. It could be interesting to create the controversy as well if you like to stir the pot in class.

But then again i am just nuts. :devil:

[Fred H. 0]

There is a ton of research being done on coastal erosion.not really relevant to your area but you would probably have the topic all to yourself.

[Seadog 0]

I agree with Sean Jaun. Invasive species sounds like a great topic and I am sure you will find tons of research. I know here in my state we have had problems with the Emerald Ash Borer, Eurasian Milfoil, and the Round Goby in the Great Lakes.

[TxEngr 0]

How about the conversion of food crops to fuel and the implications this has on agriculture, conversion of marginal lands and the implications it has on wildlife, and cost of food in economically poor countries. This is certainly a current topic with quite a bit of info available on it.

 

TxEngr

[letumgo 0]

Here are a couple other invasive species and environmental issues to add to the list:

 

Asian Carp (causing injuries to boaters when the jump from the water unexpectedly - No Kidding. Look them up on YouTube and you can see what a problem they can be.)

 

Northern Snakehead fish

 

Zebra Mussels in the Great Lakes (causing all kinds of issues with hydroelectric plants and water intake facilities).

 

Invasive plants (clogging waterways)

 

people introducing non-native species (i.e. - Lake Trout were dumped in Yellowstone National Park and they are killing off the native cut-throat trout)

 

Snails

 

Whirling disease

 

Pollution Run-Off/Unexpected consequences of severe flooding to different waterways

 

Here is a link that may help with your research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_invas...s#North_America

 

Good Luck with the paper.

[purolohi kalastaja 0]

How about the conversion of food crops to fuel and the implications this has on agriculture, conversion of marginal lands and the implications it has on wildlife, and cost of food in economically poor countries. This is certainly a current topic with quite a bit of info available on it.

 

TxEngr

 

Specifically the problem with "row" crops like corn and soybeans increasing run-off, as opposed to field crops like wheat, of which the cellulose could still be converted to ethanol, with the benefit of less agricultural run-off into the watershed, and better habitat for ducks, thus increasing the duck population, thus increasing the ducks available to hunt, thus increasing the feathers available for fly-tying! :yahoo:

 

Seriously, though, check out DU's website for some background if this interests you at all.

[cutthroat.trout 0]

How about a presentation on how acid rain was overblown to the max and is now almost unheard of publicly?

 

Sort of a cry wolf type of paper that uses data from the government's National Acid Rain Precipitation Assessment Program controlled studies that showed that forests did not die as a result of acidic precipitation even in amounts as much as 10X the acid quantity as typical acid rain as it was so commonly stated...

 

 

Or how about a paper establishing the possibility of negative effects of tidal, wind, and solar cell generators on the environment? I don't have an expertise here but like any type of energy, when used to do something non-natural, like spin a blade or heat a cell, this energy doesn't continue on to do it's former natural thing like heat the ground and air, biodegradation, cause wind to blow, perform photosynthesis, tidal energy that is captured no longer affects the underwater environment it used to work on, what organisms are there that can no longer survive near these types of energy scavenging?

 

 

[Joe Hard 0]

How about fur and feathers/endangered species, may even help you with your knowledge of materials.

[flytire 0]

how about the effects of garbage and discarded monofilament and lead on birds etc etc etc

[sniksoh 0]

i think ill give invasive species a try. that one really interested me, beacause im planning on double majoring in biology and animal ecology when i get to college. im think about being a fisheries biologist. so this paper will probly help me in the long run, unlike the everything else in school...(oh how i hate geometry!!!)

 

thanks, to everyone that gave me a topic

sniksoh

:flex:

[TxEngr 0]

Bad news, Snik -

 

You're going to use all of that math when you get to college in your biology and ecology courses. And to add insult to injury, you're going to have to take even more math like Statistics as part of your cirriculum. So study hard, you'll need it later.

 

TxEngr (w/ a B.S. in Biology & Chem as well as engineering)

[Bud Guidry 0]

how about the environmental impack of lost and discarded bikinis from women 18 to 25 have caused on our beaches during spring break period.

 

you could figure out a way to get the designers to make them biodigradable

 

Bud