The Geosphere 05: Geologic Events

For my project, I decided to research the Chena Power project in Alaska, USA. This project started in 2006, and received world wide attention  for its on site generation and power engineering. It was given two awards, one of which being named the Renewable/Sustainable Energy Project of the Year. Chena Power is a renewable energy source in Alaska, hoping to offer unique solutions for lowing energy costs and ecological impacts world wide. It also serves as a hot spring. 

Like most things in life, there are both advantages and disadvantages to geothermal energy. To make sure it is known, geothermal energy is the thermal energy generated and stored in the earth.

Advantages
-Saves money by using renewable energy
-Provides jobs
-Doesn't cause pollution
-Limitless supply of heat
-Environmentally friendly

Disadvantages
-Expensive to build
-Has to be done without disturbing protected landmarks
-Heat is very deep underground and thus difficult to readily obtain
-If pipes arent drilled correctly, then pollutants may be released into the air
-Geothermal can only generate small amounts of electricity, and thus has to be done in large quantities.

Overall, geothermal energy is a great resource for electricity on smaller scales. Warming houses, hot springs, and other smaller projects allow us to use cleaner alternatives then burning fossil fuels to achieve our goals. Thus, if we use geothermal energy on small projects, then we will reduce the overall carbon footprint in the atmosphere and help cut back on global warming.

Works Cited

"Geohermal Energy Association Power Plant Details." Geohermal Energy Association Power Plant Details. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://geo-energy.org/plantdetails.aspx?id=161>.

News." Geothermal Energy Projects Popular in Japan - Hydrogen Fuel News | Hydrogen Fuel News. Hydrogen Fuel News, 23 May 2014. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://www.hydrogenfuelnews.com/small-geothermal-energy-projects-may-become-popular-japan/8517939/>.

"Power Plant Goes Quiet as Campus Moves to Geothermal Energy." Missouri ST News and Events. N.p., 28 May 2014. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://news.mst.edu/2014/05/power-plant-goes-quiet-as-campus-moves-to-geothermal-energy/>.

The Geosphere 01: Structure of the Earth

The earth works in spheres. These spheres coexist, and work together in different ways to help life on earth grow, prosper, and continue to be productive.

It is important to learn about all of these spheres, and know that the geosphere directly affects all of the other spheres on earth, which is why understanding it is vital.

To start, we must define geosphere for what it is: any of the almost spherical concentric regions of matter that make up the earth and its atmosphere, as the lithosphere and hydrosphere.

The atmosphere deals with all of the gases surrounding the earth. One way that the atmosphere and geosphere coincide is through the interaction of volcanoes. When volcanoes erupt, they release gas able to oxidize other elements it into the air, thus creating a relationship between the two spheres.

The biosphere deals with the surface regions of the atmosphere, and hydrosphere on earth occupied by living organisms. In this way, the soil on the ground provides nutrients to plants, and the tectonic plates determine circumstances on earth that can either be harmful or dismissable. The two, thus work together to keep us healthy and safe.

The hydrosphere is all the water found on earth. The geosphere and hydrosphere work together through tectonic plate activity (the presences of tsunami's), and through the overall shape of the earth. Because of earths shape, it is able to dictate where and how water travels throughout, creating a harmony between the two spheres. 

The last sphere to look at is the cryosphere, which deals with all of ice on the earth. The two work together in terms of terrain.


To continue our investigation of our earth's structure, we will look at layers of the earth.

The lithosphere is the crust and apart of the upper mantle, and the asthenospheric mantle is towards the bottom portion of the upper mantle, thus the two are apart of each other. In addition, there is the lower mantle, and the outer core of the earth, all varying in degrees and thickness.

Therefore, the geosphere affects all of the Earth and its layers. 

Works Cited

"Geosphere." Geosphere. Geosphere, n.d. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://geosphere.geoscienceworld.org/>.

"HYDROSPHERE - WHAT." HYDROSPHERE - WHAT. Hydrosphere, n.d. Web. 06 June 2014. <http://earth.rice.edu/mtpe/hydro/hydrosphere/hydrosphere_what.html>.

"Lithosphere." - National Geographic Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2014. 

Physical Properties of our Sun

satellite imagery of Earth

The first mission we will be taking a look at is the Solar & Heliospheric Observatory, otherwise known as SOHO. SOHO is an international project between the ESA and NASA, hoping to find more about the Sun's deep core, to the outer corona, and solar wind. SOHO was launched on Dec. 2nd, 1995, and was built by an industry team in Europe lead by ESA. SOHO has 12 instruments on board, and conducts regular operations and data analysis. Large radio dishes around the world help collect this data, and the control base for the mission is at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. 

The next mission we will be looking at is the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO). STEREO is NASA's third mission in the Solar Terrestrial Probes program (STP). The mission was launched in 2006, and provided us with 3D pictures of the structure of coronal mass ejections, as well as the violent eruptions of matter from the sun that can cause a disruption between satellites and power grids. In addition, STEREO helps us provide accurate alerts for the arrival times of Earth directed solar ejections. 

Moving along, we find ourselves at the Advanced Composition Explorer mission, otherwise known as ACE. ACE worked to observes particles of solar, interplanetary, interstellar, and galactic origins, spanning from solar wind ions to galactic cosmic ray nuclei in terms of energy range. Launched on August 25th, 1997, ACE was able to provide a near-real-time solar wind collection of information over a short period of time, reporting space weather and information regarding geomagnetic storms which can disrupt communications on earth and present hazards to traveling astronauts. 

Overall, these missions have helped us on Earth tremendously in collecting information and data about our solar system in order to gain a better idea of the intricacies behind the space we live in. 

Works Cited

"Missions - ACE - NASA Science." Missions - ACE - NASA Science. NASA, n.d. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://science.nasa.gov/missions/ace/>.

"SOHO-About." SOHO-About. NASA, n.d. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/about/about.html>.

"STEREO." NASA. NASA, n.d. Web. 07 June 2014. <http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/stereo/main/#.U5Hof_ldWSA>.

Our Solar System: The Earth In Space

There are many misconceptions about how seasons occur, believing that because the Earth is closer to the Sun in the summer, thats why it is hotter (the same going for winter). However, that is not the case! Seasons happen because of the earth's movement around its orbit. When the vernal equinox is occuring, the sun is overhead of the equator, which is why the days are longer, as the earth is tilted more towards the sun in the Northern Hemisphere.

In the summer solstice, the sun moves overhead the Tropic of Cancer. In the autumnal equinox, the sun is directly overhead of the equator, making the days shorter since the sun is tilted further away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. 

In the winter solstice, the sun is located above the Tropic of Capricorn.
The vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice all make up the season marks which dictates the seasons that we experience on earth. 

Although it seems like the moon and earth are close together, the average distance between the two is approximately 30 times Earth's diameter, and getting farther and farther! 

The differences in day and night lays in the hands of the earths tilt. Earth, spinning the fastest out of all of the inner planets in our solar system, creates the phenomenon that is day and night. When the sun appears across the sky, the Earth is revolving around it on a 24 hour cycle that allows the suns heat to each us (or not reach us). This is essential, because if the earth was on an upright axis, the length of day and night would be entirely the same, but because it is tilted, the days and nights vary throughout the year. The changes axis also helps us dictate the cause in seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, if it is tilted away from the sun, then we experience winter combined with short days and longer nights. When it is tilted towards the sun, we experience summer, with long dangs, short nights. (The reverse affect of this occurs in the Southern Hemisphere, which is why other countries experience winter at different times then the US does) 

The sun, moon, and earth are a great deal apart, but their motions and ability to work together is what allows us to have the harmony of the atmosphere we experience here on earth. By studying and creating models, scientists are able to determine and see the affects of these forces working together.





Your Turn!For this assignment, the students must form a group and pick to represent either Earth, the Sun, or the Moon.

Once they pick their rightful planet/star, they will complete the research to discover how it influences seasons, day/night cycles, and the moon motions.

After the research is gathered, the team can chose present their material in a few different ways
1) Create a presentation using poster board and other materials
2) Create a video podcast, as if they are scientists reporting the information
3) Act out the interactions between the planets while presenting their information
4) Create a lab report with the data found, explaining how each object helps the other to achieve its goal.

Conclusion
This learning activity , I created because I thought it would be fun and interactive. Especially when you're homeschooling, sometimes it can get boring starring at a computer screen all day, but by making a video or acting out the presentation, it allows the project to become more fun and creative, without it being too time consuming or difficult.

Works Cited

"Tilted Earth." - Science Updates. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 June 2014.

"Understanding the Summer Solstice." Summer Solstice for Kids. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 June 2014.

"What Causes the Seasons?" :: NASA's The Space Place. NASA, n.d. Web. 04 June 2014. <http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/seasons/en/>.