Environmentalists insist on declaring the Gulf of Mexico "dead zone".

The oil industry is not the only culprit of slow destruction of the ecosystem in the Gulf of Mexico. According to environmental organizations in its latest statement, the area of ​​the Gulf of Mexico the size of Massachusetts to declare a "dead zone". The reason is the severe pollution of the Mississippi River. As environmentalists say, the level of oxygen in the water in the area just sufficient to maintain the normal life of marine animals and plants.

Therefore, recently a number of environmental organizations, including the Council for the Protection of Natural Resources, has been sued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its failure to tighten the regulation of wastewater and the conformity of the river water quality standards. In particular, the defenders called on EPA to test the water in the Gulf of Mexico to the level of nitrogen and phosphorus that stimulate excessive growth of algae that consume precious oxygen in the water. According to the Gulf Restoration Network Organization (GRN), in the Mississippi River reaches 41 percent of sewage from all American businesses, and with them - a huge amount of fertilizers and other chemicals from farms and cities across the country. Every summer, as soon as the water warms up in the Gulf, the volume of these microscopic organisms increases, thereby suppressing the development of the marine ecosystem.


At the same time, environmentalists say, and about poor water quality upstream. Thus, in the season, and Raccoon rivers in Des Moines found extremely high levels of nitrates. In order to keep the water of these rivers was suitable for drinking, requires special handling.
Matthew Roth, Director of Water Policy in the GRN, said that the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico for decades been the "national collectors," but now they need to be cleaned.The time has come when the EPA should take appropriate action.
It is worth noting that in 2008, environmentalists have appealed to the Office for Environmental Protection, calling for greater involvement in the control of pollution of the Mississippi River. However, if their application was dismissed with the statement that international water quality standards "are not an effective solution of significant water issues facing the American nation."

Wind farms can cause a localized greenhouse effect .

The results of the study, which was recently conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Albany, New York, raised fears that wind farms can lead to a significant increase in the temperature of the earth. According to researchers, it may even become a serious obstacle to further development of wind energy. Researchers examined data from meteorological satellites, Nolan and Taylor received on the territory of West Texas, which are four largest U.S. wind power. They found that over the past 10 years the temperature of the earth at night has increased by 0.72 degrees Celsius, compared with areas where there are no wind turbines. (For the record, the growth rate of global warming associated with excessive fuel combustion accounts for only around 0.2 degrees Celsius over the same period).

However, the researchers say, and that before coming to any conclusions, further research is needed. In particular, the same data from weather satellites to be collected in other parts of the United States and around the world, where the installed wind power, and carefully analyzed. In addition, scientists warn that the data on such localized "greenhouse effect" should not be compared with data on global warming.
Raising the temperature of the earth in a particular area may be due to two reasons. One is the heat dissipated by the wind turbines and associated electrical transformers and switches. Another factor may be a localized warming of the warm air, which is due to operation of wind turbines is moved from the upper to the lower layers of the atmosphere.
What kind of threat is a "greenhouse effect" in a particular area? First, it is worth noting that the land on which wind turbines are installed and actively used by farmers to grow crops. Therefore, if the findings are confirmed, and the growth temperature of the earth affect the decline in yields, farmers will no longer use the land for agricultural purposes.This in turn could lead to a decrease in the production of cereals and other crops and as a consequence, the emergence of an unfavorable situation with the provision of food.

Storm clouds contribute to global warming: study.

According to Pacific National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, storms can make a significant contribution to global warming, due to their ability to capture and retain warm air. So maybe in the future, environmental scientists have to radically adjust their climate models in the light of recent research.
As explained in a recent report from the representative of the Department of Energy Jiva fan, warm air helps to seal storm clouds, causing them to "peak" to climb into the upper atmosphere and capture more heat, especially at night. According to him, global climate models do not account for this effect, since in them the process of formation of storm clouds presented enough detail.

The storm clouds, which are also known as deep convective clouds, are an important part of the climatic cycle. Due to their size, they represent a large portion of solar radiation back into space. However, a recent study showed that with the warm air and the storm clouds are sucking dirt particles in it. These particles inhibit the formation of large raindrops in the cloud, and as a consequence, the "return" of water on the ground as rain.This in turn leads to a further increase in the storm clouds that absorb more water vapor, which is, as scientists believe, a major factor in regional weather systems.


The researchers looked at two different types of storm systems - the warm summer thunderstorms in the southeast of China and the cool windy frontal systems on the Great Plains of Oklahoma. Simulated on a computer, "the storm", scientists have studied in detail how to develop cloud conditions change, such as wind speed and air pollution.They found that air pollution leads to increased summer thunderstorms until a severe storm, which is evidence of a warming effect. The researchers also noted that air pollution causes increased absorption of heat by storm clouds.
According to Fan, the research findings are very important for modeling global warming, but they are calculated only on a particular day - when there are thunderstorms.

The negative impact of modern ecology to wildlife.

It is not for whom no secret that the world is now a terrible environment. Poor environment is harmful to all - people, animals, and in general throughout the animal world. With the harmful emissions are no longer cope or the Amazon forest, or taiga, Siberia.To date, the environment and wildlife adversely affected by the three countries - the U.S., China and India. These countries have not signed contracts, which refers to the preservation of nature. In Russia today, too, a lot of cities where the company pollutes the air. But here at least there is a project of greening of nature.Because of the bad environment begins the mutation of animals. Along the coast of Japan found a 50-pound squid. In Mexico, there was a mutation of a kangaroo. They have to have a dog's head, and large fangs. And in the Northern Urals began to die cattle. All these mutations have a negative impact not only on animals but on humans.Air pollution causes fluorosis in animals. This is a chronic poisoning caused by air pollution fluoride. Fluoride has also been detected in water and in food animals. Among the animals fluorosis affects sheep and cattle.Pasture contamination such compounds are a few factors. This is a natural soil dust, which is observed in some areas. This gaseous and dust waste companies, as well as the burning of coal. Today's enterprises, which produce enamel, cement, aluminum and phosphoric acid, contain fluorine compounds, including hydrogen fluoride.Animals in general are experiencing stress, when the parameters of the environment is changing dramatically. Even at a low level of pollution there comes the backlash against pollution. The reaction affects the molecular genetic basis of the body, showing features of ethology and the ontogeny of the animals, as well as changes characteristic of interspecific interactions.Radiation is also a negative impact on wildlife. During the testing of nuclear weapons into the air out the fallout. Radiation affects animals just like people. Fallout fall into the food. First, precipitation fall from the soil into plants and then accumulate and are consumed in food animals. At present, little is pollution, but information about the food consumed by the radioactive elements are not enough. Modern Further research is vital.Industrial and domestic waste water are subjected to mechanical, biological and physical treatment. Substances that are contained in the wastewater, is also negatively affect wildlife.The current environment, more and more has a detrimental effect on human and animal life. It is therefore necessary to preserve nature and animals. The organization promotes the preservation of nature reserves wildlife. Rare and endangered species are protected securely. In addition, reserves tame wild animals with valuable properties.Reserves are also involved in the separation of extinct animals, thereby enrich the local fauna

Problem atmosphere.

Even kids in kindergarten know that clean air is vital to us. But the modern state of the atmosphere, especially in large cities leaves much to be much better. Gas emissions of large enterprises now and then contribute to the spread is absolutely unfit for healthy living air that we breathe and our children. Save the deplorable state of the atmosphere can only greenery, but not everyone is interested to create, as they are taken away valuable space that could bring more profit.Expansion of green parks in the atmosphere will more than pure oxygen. And people will have even more space for recreation in the open. In addition to planting a variety of green plants and trees, you must also monitor the activities of all the chemical plants.Only strict control and the set limit the emission of harmful waste gas can prevent global air pollution and a sharp decline in the level of oxygen in the air.Many believe that the problem is not with respect to their environment the right way. But numerous diseases and pathology at the newly born children every day prove just the opposite.

Ways of solving environmental problems.

There are three main areas in which we break the ecosystem of the planet. Burning petroleum products while working a large number of internal combustion engines and power stations, we throw in an atmosphere of combustion gases, primarily carbon dioxide. Huge piles of unprocessed waste, which itself does not decompose, take a lot of space, pollute soil and water, some of it gets into the seas and oceans. Finally, in the mining open pit, quarry, we give a lifeless state of the vast territory.These major problems, respectively, and identified those areas in which is a struggle for the preservation of the environment. First of all, hope to solve the problems associated with the development of energy efficient technologies and bringing up the level of industrial capacity environmentally friendly sources of energy. Development of electric vehicles, expansion of public electric will gradually clear the air of cities. For its part, car companies are working to reduce fuel consumption. We are actively developing electronic systems to control movement, which can minimize the waste of fuel. Solar panels and wind turbines should be reduced, and eventually even reduced to zero, the burning of fuel in thermal power plants that now produce the lion's share of Energy in the world. Moreover, these energy sources are good because they can - in theory - be used everywhere, so with time to drop out the need to build power transmission lines and trunk pipelines. Using these sources in the industry until the question of the future, but it is the first development of residential complexes with a fully self-contained, environmentally sound manner.Any attempt to re-use waste or waste-free processing it is very valuable. Especially considering the fact that much of the garbage, these things are quite useful, discarded simply because they are replaced by new ones. All that can be recycled, recycled to do - this is now the main slogan. First, we further reduce consumption of resources, and secondly, rid the planet of junk. Therefore, there is a whole design direction for the creation of interior items, household items - a light bulb, teapots, furniture, and even entire houses. The aim - to bring to people's minds the idea: do not rush to throw the old thing, showing the share of imagination, you can give it a second life.Of course, the trash is only a small part of the problem. To give more waste industry.Waste treatment plants in special garbage collector can be obtained from an analogue of natural gas, which can be used instead of fuel.All of these areas, despite notable successes in recent years, solve only part of the problem. There is still an unresolved issue remains pereabotka plastic and rubber. A huge number of whole tires creates garbage mountains around the major European capitals. A proportion of legikh plastics packages, bottles and packaging by weight up to 30% of all waste. Great hopes are pinned on biotechnology, which would like to believe they will either recycle the debris, or somehow integrate them into the environment.

Environment and Energy.

In today's world people to achieve the necessary degree of comfort to him, spends more and more energy. We can not imagine my life without refrigerators, electric heaters (kettles, microwave ovens), dishwashers and washing machines, computers, and in the summer - without air conditioning. Now, instead of Power is a seasonal peak energy consumption, as it did 20 years ago - two: winter and summer. And, in conversations at the state level on the transition to energy-saving technologies in the home there is little change. None of us are not ready to abandon the now familiar things, which really must be confessed, make our lives easier, safer and more comfortable.However, due to the fact that technology is constantly evolving, manufacturers of energy-consuming products offer new and enhanced instruments, the number of people enjoying the benefits of civilization, has been steadily growing. As energy consumption increases and, above all, energy.Recent developments in Japan's nuclear power has once again made the world think about the safest ways to generate electricity. Thus, in Bavaria, where about 60% of the electricity produced at nuclear power plants, it was decided to gradually phase-out of electricity produced at nuclear power plants, so that by 2020 fully switch to alternative sources.Therefore, energy, especially engineers and designers say something like this: We do our best to ensure that our plants were the most environmentally friendly. We do so in accordance with the current development of science and technology in this field. But the needs of humanity's energy is growing faster than the development of environmentally sound technologies generate electricity.It is clear that the production of energy through the power of wind, sunlight and heat the earth more environmentally friendly than the energy produced from thermal and nuclear power plants. However, it is more expensive, but at the same time, the less stable. If we consider the same Bavaria, there is hard to find places with a strong constant winds, such as in Holland, sunny days a year, far less than in Cyprus, and on the surface does not leave any geothermal sources. Thus, in parallel with the transition to alternative energy, humanity must find ways to meet their needs through energy efficiency. Thus, simple replacement of fluorescent lighting to LED saves 50 to 90% of the electricity consumed for lighting. Plus go full cost of disposal of mercury-containing fluorescent lamps. But high-quality LED lighting is now so expensive that at the current price for electricity the payback period in Russia amounts to about two years.Of course, replacing a light bulb, ordinary citizens do not save much. But the competent government policy, including in the formation of economic incentive for implementing energy-saving technologies at home and at work will reduce the demand for electricity in our society and, therefore, move at least a step towards a cleaner environment.

Ecology - a comprehensive science!

Ecology - a complex science. Speaking in a nutshell, it examines the relationship between the animate and inanimate nature. Wildlife - are living organisms (plants, animals, fungi, viruses) and their community. Inanimate nature - it is the habitat in which all living things (including people) there. Two Greek word "oikos" (house) and "logos" (the science) are the name of science "ecology" - means the science of the house. For a man - a residential building, for animals - forest, field, mountain, for the fish - sea, lakes and rivers. For all together - a whole planet. Shared accommodation is sometimes like a fight for survival in space and time in natural and artificially modified human conditions. Ecology is designed to explore all the intricacies of the process of co-existence of individual residents of our great "utility" of the apartment and the impact on each other.Life on Earth is in full swing everywhere. Flora and fauna exists not for itself, it depends on its environment (climate, soil, water and air temperatures). In the long process of historical development of plants and animals have learned to adapt to existing environmental conditions.Many people mistakenly believe that ecology studies the issues related only to the environment. This occurred because of an incorrect interpretation of the implications of thoughtless human influence on the environment.In fact, the environment affects a much larger range of issues. So what matters is studying ecology?A. By nature environment in which organisms live. Highlights - is the climate and natural resources. Natural disasters (earthquakes, hurricanes, the collapse) often lead to a breach of customary life, turning everything around.Two. Mutual existence of living organisms and their communities in the world among themselves. Violation of the settled nature of the equilibrium between the different living organisms (plants and herbivores feeding on them, herbivores and predators).Three. Man's relation to nature is also the subject of study. Occurring in the nature of the changes due to human intervention (deforestation, construction of dams, construction of industrial plants ...). This violates the nature of nature, pollute the surrounding world, which has a negative effect on all life, including in humans.The main target of scientific research ecologists - nature itself. Environmentalists are watching what is happening not only in the field, leaving the expedition, but also in the stationary (laboratory) conditions. Long-term observations are accompanied by conducting laboratory experiments, followed by the extension of scientific theories to explain the phenomena occurring.Only by studying all the issues in the complex, you can get a full picture of what is happening, to be able to predict the course of further development.Only in recent time, mankind has been thinking about the importance of environmental issues. Due to the results produced by research, you can try to anticipate and learn how to prevent a devastating impact of negative factors. Environmental literacy is relevant to modern people.

Urban environmental problems.

Today's mega-cities - a center of trade and industry. Increasingly, citizens criticized large companies for polluting the environment, but in fact they harm - this is only part of the chain of the environmental problems that have long been settled in large cities.Initially, large industrial enterprises were built on the periphery of cities, but the expansion of residential areas has led to what people have to live side by side with the often injurious productions. Emissions of chemicals in the urban sky citizens make life unbearable. At best, people feel an unpleasant smell, and at worst - feel unwell due to poisoning of the body. Even if the company is not located in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, it's still poison the environment for several kilometers around. Emissions from the huge pipes of factories picked up by wind and rain cover in the form of the next areas. Wastewater, which often have a poisonous yellow, rushing small streams to large rivers, into the soil.Another environmental problem in cities are the exhaust gases of millions of cars that are daily in the many kilometers of traffic jams. Environmentally friendly cars who travel on an environmentally friendly fuel - now rather distant prospect, despite the high level of science in modern society. Change to bicycles and public transport cities residents do not want, and, hence, this problem does not lose its relevance for a long time. Exhaust gases in the degree of harmful impact on the environment ahead of the mills and factories. Harmful volatile substances in their composition have an adverse impact not only on the human body, but also to plants and animals, the city band. Affects the respiratory tract, reduced the required level of oxygen in the blood. Hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas can cause headaches, which have become familiar to urban dwellers.Considerable damage to the cities causing landfills. Tons of waste instead of processed, are delivered to the overcrowded landfills, or people have to breathe the smell of garbage piles, from the comfort of their own households. A terrible smell and crowds of rats - it's not the most terrible consequences uncollected garbage. Quite often, discarded wastes which contain toxic substances and therefore require special disposal.Build refineries are too expensive, easier to allocate new space for landfills and "enjoy" the new garbage mountain peaks that grow in the short term. The trees are cut down, giving way to high-rise buildings and large shopping centers, reducing the flow of air into the lungs of citizens.The modern city is being blackened lungs with patients with a dense cap of smog over the heads of its inhabitants. Key environmental issues are added washing machines in urban ponds, picnics in the parks, which make the already sparse green areas in the smaller versions of urban landfills.Mindless consumerism and the environment leads to a slow self-destruction of urban residents, which will last you as long as people do not realize the importance of solving existing environmental problems.

Spring show who, where garbage !

That's the first rays of the sun delight citizens, is becoming warmer, the snow begins to melt, but at the same time opening up unflattering pictures, such as piles of garbageaccumulating all winter.
The snow hid incivility of some townspeople hid discarded cigarette butts and packs of cigarettes, could not see thousands of empty bottles of beer, almost could not see and the motley pack, the fact that the sale of plastic bags by itself may not ill, but that thatmost of these packages is happening in the future, how much extra waste is produced, I've written previously about possible solutions in this area, I think, is once again raise the subject.
Need packaging, which can be easily processed by Mother Nature

The use of fertilizers has led to mass deaths of flamingos!

Active use of fertilizers in agriculture on the banks of lakes in Tanzania has led to the fact that the water began to multiply rapidly cyanobacteria. Poisonous substance, which they emit, caused a massive loss of even a flamingo.
Hezron Nong Emmanuel (Hezron Emmanuel Nonga) from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Research decided to find out the cause of mass deaths of flamingos dwarf (Phoeniconaias minor Geoffroy), which takes place the last few years in the lakes of Tanzania, the agency says Kazakh-Grain. Researchers conducted a study of Lake Victoria in the north-west of the country and several small lakes in the north, including Lake Manyara. They found an excessive amount of water in the cyanobacteria that produce Microcystin - a toxic substance, deleterious effect on fish and other inhabitants of the lake. Researchers concluded that the abundance of cyanobacteria caused by runoff into the lake a large number of nitrogen fertilizers - on the shores of these lakes are settlements and agricultural land. Moreover, according to Nong, the economic activity in these areas no one was watching, and the amount of fertilizer that is used in the fields, not limited.
To find out why flamingos are dying, the researchers conducted an analysis of their organs and tissues. They found elevated levels of microcystin (a substance that is isolated cyanobacteria in the course of their life) in the liver of these birds. According to Nong probably the food chain Microcystin ingested flamingos, causing their death.Microcystin in large quantities is toxic to many animals, including fish. This substance causes liver necrosis, which leads to death, the IA-Kazakh grain.