Archive for date: February 22nd, 2015
Website updated
Update to resume, and capstone done.
Surveying Quemada Creek
Our investigation of changes in stream channel morphology has provided a unique opportunity to study hydrologic, geologic, and vegetative changes in an unaltered system over time. By reexamining a stream that had been severely degraded by a century of heavy grazing, a canyon seen barren just a decade ago is observed returning back to its natural form.
Surveying with the Nikon Total Station allows our team to collect data with precision while repeating a study previously conducted in 1999 and 2002
As a researcher studying within an island locale one must quickly find balance between a primitive, low impact existence with technological and scientific need. Preparation becomes a key element of the project when your study site is a half-day’s boat ride off the mainland.
Man-Made Islands
Man-made islands have long been a topic of debate for environmentalists, the uber wealthy, and nations at odds. In addition to fetching a high price tag, nations like China are now exploring the use of man-made islands to claim rights to exclusive economic zones that extend for 200 miles of the island’s shorelines. This has raised international pushback and reexamination of the laws that define islands and manmade structures in the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea.
Additionally, the construction and habitation of these islands take an enormous input of money and raw materials, and impact to the aquatic ecosystems in the reefs and rocks they’re built upon. Once constructed, the islands require extensive maintenance to combat shoreline loss, creating a perpetual problem. This issue is visually demonstrated by examining the island communities, The World and The Palms, off the coast of Dubai. As photos in the article document, the upkeep has had a rapid and destructive impact on local resource with no long term solution.
With global sea level rise and replenishment of sand resources declining at a faster rate then their extraction, the construction of man-made islands appear to be a fool’s errand. However, with major political, economic, and environmental ramifications, it is imperative that a system of rules and regulations be defined and implemented to protect these valuable resources.
http://na.unep.net/geas/getUNEPPageWithArticleIDScript.php?article_id=110
