African Dust and Microbial Pathogens Essay example

There are three types of environments in which cells are located which include isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic. In an isotonic environment, the amount of water and solute are the same both inside and outside of the cell. As water drifts into the a cell, the same amount flows out creating a balanced environment both inside and outside of the cell. When there is a high level of water on the outside of the cell and a high amount of solute inside the cell, water will be drawn inside of the cell creating a hypotonic solution. The increase in water inside the cell causes the cell to become engorged and erupt. In a

Coral bleaching is normally characterized by the expulsion of the zooxanthellae algae, loss of algal pigmentation, or both. Coral bleaching events have had serious effects on corals and reefs worldwide. What is crucial to the understanding of zooxanthellae expulsion and bleaching is how the density of zooxanthellae within the coral is changing, if at all, under the prevailing range of environmental conditions (Gates and Edmunds, 1999). Over the last twenty years, there has been a dramatic increase in both the frequency and intensity of coral bleaching events. Sixty major bleaching events have been reported between 1960 and 1979, whereas only nine were reported prior to 1979 (Huppert and Stone, 1998). Given the dependence of the coral on this symbiotic algae, it is important to determine the cause of these bleaching events. According to Helvarg (2000, p.12):

Consisting of less than 1% of the world oceans, the coral reefs are ancient animals comprising of thin calcium carbonate deposits within the photic layer. Aside from its biologically diverse ecosystems, coral reefs are major source of food for millions and provides habitats and nursery areas for many marine organisms. Coral reefs also act as a physical buffer to protect the coastlines from tropical storms and erosion. In addition, many local communities rely on coral reefs to generate an income through activities such as fishing and diving. However, 75% of the coral reefs are under threat from induced impacts of humans and climate change (Burke, et al., 2011). This essay looks at the human impacts constantly being inflicted on coral reefs.

    Coral reef destruction is a big deal. There are many environmental threats on coral reefs which means they are slowly dying. Coral reefs play a very important part in marine ecosystems. Sea creatures depend on them for protection, camouflage, as a home, and also for food. Scientists believe this could be from natural causes like erosion, and global warming as reasons that coral reefs die off but one of the main reasons is pollution. There are many different ways pollution can affect coral reefs. There is a chemical in sunscreen called oxybenzone that may be contributing to the destruction of coral reefs as swimmers are trying to protect their skin. This chemical has toxic effects on young coral that can damage their DNA,

Natural Disasters have always been a major part of history. Disasters have helped shape history and expand mankind’s knowledge of atmospheric sciences. The influence of these disasters also can’t be ignored. One such disaster that left its mark on history is the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a period in the 30s in which severe dust storms swept across Southern plains of the United States (Dust Bowl). The Dust Bowl got its name when it first appeared in a newspaper article on April 15, 1935 (Shum). The Dust Bowl occurred due to widespread drought in the region and severe erosion (Long 1). Drought and violent winds caused widespread crop failure and the discouraged farmers did not practice proper erosion prevention measures (Long 1). Consequently,

Located in tropical ocean waters, coral reefs provide priceless resources to both human and marine life. The leading natural cause of destruction among the coral reefs is global warming. Other natural causes are earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons. The destruction to the coral reefs from these natural disasters is minimal compared to the dangers caused by man. Man-made destruction has a much wider impact on the health of the coral reefs. This destruction includes over-fishing, damage from anchors, aquarium industry, overgrowth of seaweed, and being smothered by sediments.

Imagine living in the United Southwest in an arid climate. You drive through a field kicking up dust in a long cloud, a cloud that contains microscopic spores ready to be inhaled. Once inhaled, these spores can cause night sweats, weakness, labored or difficult breathing, and in extreme cases chronic lung problems such as pneumonia. Coccidioidomycosis, sometimes referred to as Valley Fever, is a respiratory disease that affects the respiratory system while having the ability to disseminate to other parts of the body. 60% of the population affected by this fungal parasitic infection does not receive any ill effects after inhaling and hosting the spores.1 This paper will inform you about Coccidioidomycosis and its causes, signs and symptoms,

The timeline of the coral reef abundant park formation starts as early as the Mesozoic Era. Following the break-up of Pangea, continental rifting of South American and Africa from North America began to take place. Due to this separation, the Atlantic Ocean basin was formed, primarily due to extrusion of volcanic rocks accompanied by the mantle plume upwelling due to crustal tension (Heatherington and Mueller, 1991). Towards the middle of the Mesozoic Era, while the Atlantic Ocean was still forming, shallow marine sediments were being deposited as they were transported from land areas to the ocean by the wind, ice, and or rivers. As marine transgression, the sea level rising due to the ocean basins filling with water continued on into the late Mesozoic Era, global warming established a marine accumulation of carbonates over the entire Florida Peninsula (Thornberry,

Coral reef ecosystems around the globe are threatened by human interferences and climate change. This has led to many scientists conducting studies on global coral reef ecosystems to gain a better understanding of the cause and effects of coral reef damage. In both Hodgson’s (1999) and Carpenter et al.’s (2008) studies, they are aware of the continuous degradation of global coral reef ecosystems. Hodgson's study involved conducting a survey on global coral reef ecosystems to see whether human actions were affecting the health of supposed pristine Coral reefs. Carpenter et al. incorporated Hodgson’s study into a compiled study about the possible extinction of reef building corals due to climate change and anthropogenic effects. Carpenter’s

Coral reefs around the world are in danger. One of the causes is global warming, which has been increasing the temperature of the ocean water resulting in coral bleaching. This essay will focus on damage occurring to the Great Barrier Reef.

The article discussed the many elements that come together and harshly affect the coral reefs’ health including: overfishing, algae, pollution from fertilizers, diseases, and increase in ocean temperature. The studies controlled reefs showed many factors that come into their widespread death and what can be done to manage it. The findings focused on the impacts of algae and pathogens in the water. Algae and increasing temperatures reduces

A small amount of research has been conducted on air as a habitat compared to other environments such as soil, water, and sediments (1). Air makes up the atmosphere and is composed of approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, .93 % argon, and .038% carbon dioxide (http://www.space.com/17683-earth-atmosphere.html). In addition, air carries dust particles, pollutants and plant grains. Air presents a hostile environment for the sustaining of metabolically active and reproducing microbes. The air is composed of UV radiation, which results in the development of UV light protection in the microbial populations that reside in this environment (1). Due to the conditions of air, microbes that inhabit air are capable of adapting to wider pH ranges. They are also capable of living in a wide range of temperatures due to varying altitudes (1). A majority of microbes that inhabit the air are in the Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria phylum. These microbes include, Pseudomonas syringae, Pantoea agglomerans, Propionibacterium acnes, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Sphingomonas echnoides (2).

The deterioration of coral reefs is mainly linked to human activities – 88% of coral reefs are threatened through various reasons as

Perhaps more disturbing than the ecologic consequences to space are the potential bacterial organisms that could be introduced to the Earth's atmosphere as a result of “backward contamination” (Source F). This is of special concern, because the pathogens and microbes that are in space are foreign to humans, so there is no developed immunity. Potentially, an “infectious extraterrestrial germ” could be introduced to the Earth's environment on a return trip and spread rapidly before a cure could be found (Source F). The threat of infectious disease is a serious one; the potential for the introduction of potent microbes needs to be recognized, and comprehensive measures put in place to prevent a catastrophic epidemic of an alien disease.

There are many causes that contribute to the ghostly image of bleached corals, pollutants in the water, natural events - hurricanes, waves, and human activities - commercial scuba diving, heavy tourism in highly biodiversed aquatic areas. Yet the one major factor that causes this bleaching is the increase in the sea surface temperatures. The warmer temperatures are results of global warming, the rising concentrations of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide.