Math is EVERYWHERE!

Math is everywhere. We are doing a research project in school and were told to find write about how math is related to the research we did. My topic is Global Warming and it has a whole bunch of statistics. For example: the hot and humid temperatures that we are facing today have risen 1.8 degrees from 1880s (when Global Warming started) to 2006. The Arctic temperatures are soaring. The temperatures rose 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the last 50 years in the Arctic. This may seem not too much, but it is a lot of degrees in the average temperature rise. Because of Global Warming, people are dying and the number of deaths increase every year. The heat waves caused at least 20,000 European deaths in August 2003. Climate change is responsible for at least 150,000 extra deaths a year, and this number is going to double by 2030 according to the World Health Organization. Now since the climate has changed, there are more storms and natural disasters all around the world. During heavy rainstorms, in more that 700 U.S. cities the sewer systems over flow into the water supplies. Global Warming isn't only affecting humans. Animals and plants are getting the worst effects of Global Waring too. Scientists say that 15-37% of all plants and animals might be extinct by 2050. In addition, 21 kind of fishes have left the oceans that are too hot for them. Also, the glaciers and ice are melting in the Arctic which causes the polar bears and other animals that live in the cold weather to die. This has increased since 2000. One specific animal that has been disappearing very fast is the Pika. Pikas have left 1/3 of their habitats because the habitats are getting too warm. Lastly, Global Warming is affecting Earth's protective layer, the Ozone Layer. This Ozone layer is depleting very fast and without it life on Earth is impossible. The Ozone layer is depleting .5% every year. Less than 10% of Ozone is left over Antarctica. 3% to 7% reduction of the Ozone layer in the atmosphere has already happened. Global Warming needs to be prevented before it gets out of hand and impossible to prevent. If this doesn't happen total destruction of the Earth is what lays ahead.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200309/r9763_382063.jpg (Picture)

Water on the Moon!

It is now official that there is water on the moon. Scientists have now confirmed that there is water on the moon and not only a little bit but a significant amount. When the LCROSS probe impacted that moon at the southern pole in order to find any signs of water, this discovery was made.

"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit, we found a
significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete.

When LCROSS probe impacted the moon looking for signs of water, it collected a sample so the scientists could test it for any signs of ice water. When tested the sample contained ice water. This was confirmed by two of scientific instruments. Based on the measurements, there is about 100 kilograms of water on that particular spot the moon. This is about a dozen 2-gallon buckets. Even though this might not be very much water, it was a good amount in a 20-meter crater. Scientists also predict that there might be more water on the moon in different spots. For example: The permanently shadowed craters at the southern pole of the moon. These craters might contain frozen water. The excitement doesn't stop here. Water was also detected by a NASA-built instrument on board India's Chandrayaan-1 probe and other spacecraft. Furthermore, scientists think there there might be other compounds where the LCROSS probe impacted the moon, besides water. Scientists aren't really sure of what these compounds are yet.

Even though water was found on the moon, there many more questions to be answered about this topic. For example: What state is the water in? The water might be filled with dirt molecules from the moon. Another questions is: How did the water get there and how long has it been on the moon? Scientists predict that the water has been on the moon for billions of years. Also, the scientists don't know how the water got there, they have a couple of different hypothesis about the subject. Finding water on the moon changed the scientists view of the moon completely. They are saying that the moon isn't just a dead planetary body anymore.

Scientists are planning to send astronauts to the moon again in 2020 for extended missions on the lunar surface. They say that the water discovered could be water that is drinkable and used for other causes. Even though they now know there is water on the moon, this wasn't discovered until a week after the impact made by LCROSS probe. NASA plans to launch LCROSS and its sister, LRO, in June.

http://www.livescience.com/space/091113-lcross-moon-crash-water-discovery.html

Picture from: http://moonpark.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/moon32.jpg