Earth Science

The word “pelagic” comes from an ancient Greek word that means “open sea.” Pelagic sediments are those that have settled slowly through the waters of the open ocean to collect on the seafloor. These sediments mainly consist of fine-grained clay…
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The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is an invasive insect species that is threatening to wipe out all the ash trees of North America in the same way as the elm trees once fell victim to Dutch elm disease. Susceptible…
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Cycling of water through our world dynamically affects all aspects of life. Significantly, wetlands form an entire bridge within the hydrologic cycle. Because all portions of the natural sequence must flow uninterrupted for stability of thiscritical resource, wetland areas of…
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Although there is still a lot of confusion about organically grown produce as compared to conventionally grown, organic produce is now commonly found in mainstream supermarkets and I find it necessary to state my own opinions as to why organically…
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The ocean floor is made up of a combination of rock, sand, sediment and organic waste. Each of these is highly complex, made up of ever-increasing types. Sediment is one of these. Containing predominantly lithogenous, biogenous, cosmogenous and hydrogenous matter,…
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The complexities of extracting and moving oil over the waterways of the world are so profound that it may never be possible to eliminate them, except through eliminating dependency upon and transporting of oil. There are conditions of human error, rough seas,…
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What do we mean by sustainable agriculture? In its simplest form a sustainable system is one where output is equal to input, the system is in balance, and can continue in this manner indefinitely. In agriculture this means that you…
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A barrel of oil contains many components that interact with the atmosphere and with the water after an oil spill. Compounding the problems are the chemicals that are used to break down the oil, which then travel with the broken…
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Would-be vacationers around the globe groan as June 1st comes around yet again as the first official day of hurricane season.  Dreamers of tropical island getaways who prefer to travel during the summer months, however, do not need to despair. …
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If the oil remains fairly buoyant, it is inclined to travel with the tides until it reaches land and incorporates into the soil that is above and below water. The oil can travel farther inland, helped by narrow channels and by strong weather or…
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