Month: November 2015

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Google Powered by Wind Energy

Vijayan, J. (2015, February 11). Wind Energy to Power Google’s California HQ. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.eweek.com/it-management/wind-energy-to-power-googles-california-hq.html

This article is about the technology company Google’s Headquarters in Mountain View, California. The article says that, “Google has entered into a long-term agreement with NextEra Energy Resources under which the Bay Area wind farm will supply enough wind energy to power Google’s North Bayshore headquarters on an annual basis.” This does not come as a large surprise, seeing as Google has always been very forward-thinking and tries to use as much clean energy as possible. Part of this agreement states that NextEra will install new wind turbines in California’s Altamont pass, in 2016.

This is very important for environmental science, because Google is one of the biggest companies in the world, and if they were not using renewable energy such as wind energy, then there would be much more pollution in the world. They also set a good example for other large companies that could follow Google’s steps to continue to decrease California’s carbon footprint.

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California’s First Offshore Wind Farm

Rogers, P. (2015, November 4). California’s first offshore wind farm proposed near Morro Bay. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.dailynews.com/environment-and-nature/20151108/californias-first-offshore-wind-farm-proposed-near-morro-bay

This article talks about a city on the coast of California, called Morro Bay. The article talks about the proposal by a company called Trident Winds, to build the state’s first offshore wind turbines. Offshore wind turbines are generally better than regular wind turbines, wind turbines offshore can pick up higher speed winds coming in from the ocean, and therefore generate more energy. They plan to install, “100 floating turbines — each up to 636 feet tall — about 15 miles off the San Luis Obispo County shoreline.” The article also mentions how this could generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity for California. That is enough energy to power 300,000 houses. This would be a great addition to California’s 1,883 wind turbines on land.

This article relates to environmental science, because it talks about the introduction of more wind turbines into California. But these new turbines will be in the water. I think that this is a great idea for California, it can help reach the state’s new goal of 50% of it’s energy coming from renewable sources by 2030.

 

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California Wind Energy for Half the State by 2030

UPDATE: California wants renewable energy for half its power by 2030. (2015, October 7). Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.signalscv.com/section/287/article/143310/

This article talks about how California wants to switch at least half of it’s energy to renewable energy such as wind energy, by 2030. This is up from a mandate in 2006 that stated that ⅓ of California’s energy must be renewable energy by 2020. This is very good news for the state which already uses large amounts of wind energy to keep its air clean.

A key part of environmental science, is keeping our air clean and trying to stop the effects of global warming. This new mandate in california will help to have more wind energy and help keep air clean of fossil fuels.

 

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Wind Energy and Batteries

Mooney, C. (2015, November 9). This could be the biggest sign yet that the battery revolution is here. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/11/09/this-could-be-the-biggest-sign-yet-that-the-battery-revolution-is-here/

This article is about how a company in California, called Advanced Microgrid Solutions is making “hybrid electric buildings.” These are buildings that use large batteries about the size of a parking space to store extra renewable energy. This is supposed to help change how we use renewable energy such as wind energy. This saves companies money by using this stored renewable energy, when energy prices are particularly high.

This article is very important to environmental science in the future. It can help to store more renewable energy and save companies money on their wind power. I think that this is a great new innovation that can help to power our companies in California and elsewhere with wind energy.

 

 

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Birds and Wind Turbines

Warrick, J. (2015, August 31). The surprising way that birds and wind turbines can coexist. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/08/31/the-surprising-way-that-birds-and-wind-turbines-can-coexist/

This article, is about the problem of birds, specifically Golden Eagles in California flying into Wind Turbines that create energy for California. The article says that, “At a single wind farm near Altamont, Calif., more than 75 golden eagles die each year from collisions with the farm’s thousands of spinning blades.” Wind energy in America is becoming increasingly popular. But depending on where the wind farms are built, they can cause thousands of bird species, some of which are endangered, to be killed. The article talks about how by mapping where popular bird nesting locations are, and by mapping where there is the most potential for wind energy, we can then find the “sweet spots” where there are no popular nesting areas, but also have high potential for wind energy.

This article is very important to environmental science, because it is trying to help to both protect birds, and to create more renewable energy. This is important because it can help prevent further harming of endangered species such as the Golden Eagle, in California and other places.

 

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Overfishing Phase: California

Mazza, Sandy. “Ocean Activists, Fishers and Scientists Differ on Heavy Anchovy Declines.” Ocean Activists, Fishers and Scientists Differ on Heavy Anchovy Declines. Daily Breeze, 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

 

This article considers the declining sardine population in regards to the rest of the ecosystem, specifically in Monterey. Through statistics, quotes, and real world examples, this article examines the drawbacks our extreme overfishing has.

 

The practices of overfishing in other countries are being felt all the way in California. The diminished sardine population is proving to be devastating to the ecosystem. Top predators are starving, and are putting the balance out of whack. Fishing quotas are also now much lower than usual, which makes food for us more scarce. It also is heartwarming to see grpups like Oceana doing the work that they are.

 

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Overfishing Phase: California

Ushkowitz, Jenna. “We Must Save Ocean Wildlife Before It Is Too Late.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Nov. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

 

This article examines the effects overfishing has on the food web. Beginning with an anecdote about a starving sea lion off the coast of Santa Barbara, the author explains how the decline of sardine populations from overfishing is causing a region-wide famine.

 

The once abundant sardine population, which sea mammals and fish alike eat almost exclusively, have dwindled to nearly gone in recent years. As detailed in the article, many of the regulations put in place by the government is either faulty or easily evaded. If fishery managers implement these changes and regulations better, sardine populations will recover. Recently, the sardine season was cut very short to accommodate the dropping populations. If we continue this course of action, we can help remedy these damages we have made to the ecosystem. But other countries need to comply, and the article blames China as the main culprit.

 

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Overfishing Phase: California

Khan, Rabab. “Fish Population Reduced by Half.” Fish Population Reduced by Half. GulfNews, 2 Nov. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

 

This article considers the effect that overfishing is having on the populations of top predators. The article states that 1 in 4 shark or ray species is threatened with extinction. It also talks about the declining populations of porpoises in the California Gulf and miscellaneous shark populations off California’s coasts.

 

This article shows the ecological impact of overfishing. If all the prey for these predators are diminished, predator populations will decline. As shown by the situation in Yellowstone with the elk and wolves, disruptions to predator and prey populations can have harrowing effects on things from tree growth to river flow. The article argues that overfishing isn’t the biggest cause of these extinctions and declining populations, but it is the only one the we have the power to control universally.

 

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Overfishing Phase: California

Isakowitz, Lucas. “What Are the Fish Telling Us.” What Are the Fish Telling Us. Fusion, Oct. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

This interactive webpage uses Pacific salmon, specifically in California, to convey to the readers that overfishing is as bad as it has ever been. The webpage includes videos, charts and graphs, interactive illustrations, and coherent analysis of those listed before. It’s main focus is to shine light on the amount of farmed salmon we eat.

Again, as an angler affected by shorter salmon seasons and regulations, this webpage applies to me. This page puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that we have really destroyed the lifestyle and populations of wild salmon everywhere except Alaska. Especially in California, as explained by the article, damming has made salmon spawning almost impossible. It also describes the effect overfishing has had on our diets. Farmed salmon, generally, is less healthy for humans and contains more fat than wild caught salmon. This is directly linked to the overfished populations of wild salmon quickly becoming less abundant. There is upside however, and it goes into thriving populations in Alaska, and the changes they have made that California could theoretically implement.

 

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Overfishing Phase: California

McClintock, James B. “Still Fishing for Solutions: ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ Approaches Fifty.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Nov. 2015. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

This article sums up the “Tragedy of the Commons” and its impact on the industrialized, commercial fishermen. The author describes personal experiences, examples of good and bad practices, and provides ideas about how to continue. Finally, he describes the current overfishing issue in California with relations to salmon, crab and sturgeon.

 

Connecting what we learned about the tragedy of the commons, McClintock compares the overfishing of a small pond in Santa Barbara to overgrazing cattle on public land. Although he uses some out of state examples, like cod fishing in Maine and crabbing in Florida, he refers to the overexploitation of sturgeon in California rivers. As a trophy fisherman, this example applies to me, as sturgeon fishing in California is almost impossible. He brings up some good points about our current systems and adequately explains many countries’ failure to accurately report catch reports to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Also, his reference to the Florida stone crab system offered insight as to what people are doing around the country, and what California could implement.