Dendrochronology Lab

For this lab the objective was to count the rings of two freshly cut trees and match up several important events to the rings.

To do this I had to take the pictures of the two trees and put them into paint to measure the approximate thickness of each ring. When this was completed the Georgia Pine was about 52 years old and the California Elm was about 29 years old.

The next part of the lab was to determine the historical precipitation levels for both Macon and Palm Springs. In order to do this I used a combination of data from the weather centers in Macon and Palm Springs as well as some data from a friend(Thank you Abby you rock!). Next I had to find the averages for the growing season and so I chose the summer months and averaged the temperatures to get the average temperature for each year.

Geology Lab

Igneous 

Igneous Rocks are created when magma or lava hardens.


Granite:

Granite is one of the most notable and widely used igneous rocks due to its widespread use in buildings and monuments. One great example of a notable igneous rock is that of Stone Mountain which is the largest piece of exposed granite in the world.



Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks are created when heat, pressure, and chemical processes combine to act upon rocks underneath the Earth's surface.


The most notable metamorphic rock would be marble because of its widespread use in building statues and other monuments. It is formed when limestone is subjected to heat and pressure and it can even be crushd into a very fine powder.




Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks are formed via the gradual accumulation of sediments over many years.

A notable example of a sedimentary rock would be Coal which is used as fuel source by various nations. Coal is formed via fossilized ferns and plant matter which are slowly compacted before forming the rock.

For the Windrose plots I used data from the Flint Airport station dating from 2001. I created these plots through the use of Lakes software and from there I exported them to Google Earth and took snapshots of them.

February

April

June

November

• I am sorry for the long wait Dr. rood but I had a great deal of trouble getting these graphs posted to blogspot and eventually I just decided to post it here.

FEB

11

Solar Trajectory Lab

For the solar trajectory lab, I actually had lot of trouble without and I had to borrow data from a friend of mine. For the graph I input the data and then plotted it.

From the data I plotted the points on the graph as you can see below. 

* I would also wish to thank Jessica and Abby for helping by letting me use their data and graph.

Progress of Sunflower Growth( I.E Sunny's progress) [Reupload]

First Week Feb 24

The plant has not yet sprouted despite my watering of it and exposure to sunlight. I will cut back on the watering and start exposing it to more sunlight.

Second Week

The plant to my amazement has sprouted in spite of a lack of water. It is amazingly hardy for such a seemingly delicate organism. I will continue to observe the plant's progress.

Update: As of today I have decided to call the plant Sunny. Sunny continues to amaze me with his rapid growth despite the limited amount of sunlight on my windowsill. As for his height I would estimate him to be around two inches.

New computer/ new problems

Still getting the hang of this... 

The objective of this lab was to determine  the amount of rain that fell during a two inch rain storm in the WSC parking lot. Below are pictures of my attempts at creating a satellite photo of the parking lot.

Edit: It is important to be able to measure the total volume of water because it allows us to design drainage systems to combat flooding. Through this the school can avert potential damage and financial loss.

Rachel Carson

Rachel Carson was a famous marine biologist best known for her controversial book Silent Spring. This book outlined how the use of the supposedly innocuous pesticide DDT was actually responsible for heavily damaging  to the environments it was used in.  Through the evidence presented in Silent Spring Carson was able to prove that DDT was a major factor in multiple cases of birth defects across the country as well as establishing a link between the pesticide and cancer.These revelations shattered the myth of DDT being a harmless chemical and led to the banning of its use by the American governmemt. Carson and her book played a key role in the early environmentalist movement as well. Until her death in 1964 Carson would use her book to help increase awareness of the damage being done to the environment by chemicals and large corporations which ultimately lead to the creation of the EPA. In addition to her wor on as marine biologist and conservationist Carson was a major figure in the formation of the early environmentalist movement and led to the rise of the modern feminist movement.

Greetings

Testing