Joe Seminara 11/6/15
Earth Science Current Event
“Climate Change Is Moving Mountains.” Science Daily. Science Daily, 5 Nov. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.
In the article titled Climate Change is Moving Mountains, published by the University of Cincinnati, research shows how climate change that has happened over millions of years has affected mountain ranges and their structure and movement but also can change the local climate of the mountain. Researchers were never able to see this until now. The lead researcher from the University of Cincinnati, geologist Eva Enkelmann, studied the St. Elias Mountain Range along North America’s Pacific Coast. What her group found was if a mountain range moves this can change the climate when the wind and precipitation are redirected because of the movement of the mountains. These changes can speed up the erosion and tectonic movement. Tectonic forces are when internal plates move toward each other. The researchers looked at two processes that end up building up and eroding mountains. Enkelmann explains, “To understand how mountain structures evolve through geologic times is no quick task because we are talking millions of years.” She discusses how dry the northern part of the mountain range is and how the southern area has high precipitation which causes more erosion in the south. Some of this was proven in models but never shown in the real world. Enkelmann showed that climate changes changed the way the material behaved. Compared to millions of years ago when glaciers were frozen solid, today they are wet and moving. Studying the St. Elias Mountain range was ideal because the area is very active. There were two large earthquakes in the area which also contributed to major shifts and movement. These earthquakes caused the shore to lift and it is still like that today. A big concern of the researchers is the potential for earthquakes because they cause tsunamis.
This article has an impact on society because of the important information it provides regarding the movement and shifts of mountain ranges and how it can affect the climate in that area. First, this information is helpful because normally it can take millions of years for movement and can be difficult to study. This area was fast moving and the researchers were able to see the processes at work. Also, this data can help them analyze the changes and watch for potential earthquakes which can result in a tsunami. Lastly, to have this data recorded will help researchers in the future learn about how climate is affected by mountain range movement.
I thought the article was well written. The information was thoroughly explained and easy to understand. The article flowed nicely and didn’t jump around from one topic to another making it easier to read. I thought it was interesting to read because I would’ve thought it was hard to collect this kind of data but the area was ideal for this type of data collection.
I read Joe Seminara’s current event on the movement of mountains, which is causing climate change. One thing I think Joe did well while writing this current event was having a flow to his writing, he stated a fact and backed it up with examples from the text. Another aspect of the article Joe did well on was explaining all the parts of the process. He gave specific definitions, for example, tectonic forces, in case the reader needed to learn the material or refresh their memory. One other aspect I think Joe presented particularly well was giving background information on the person and exact place so we know this was a trustworthy source coming from a knowledgeable person as well as having accurate context. One piece of the article I found particularly interesting was when he stated, in general, if a mountain range shifts position, it can change winds and precipitation causing tectonic movement which eventually cause earthquakes and later tsunamis. It shows how over time, one event leads to the next and there is a cycle. Another fact I though was interesting was that it takes millions of years for mountain structures to evolve. This was the only quote from the current event but it the process and time in perspective for the reader. A suggestion I have to make the review better would be to include more quotes so we get information directly from the experts. This helps the reader gain more knowledge of scientific terms and the way information is conveyed from the scientist. Overall, this current event by Joe was extremely well written providing facts as well as details from the article.
ReplyDeleteJoe Seminara did a current event on the idea that when mountains erode or shift, there is a change in the climate of the area. I think Joe did a great job in getting to the point of the article right away, By doing this, the readers were able to easily understand what was happening to cause this climate change instead of going into a lengthy explanation that would've been hard to follow. Joe also did a great job in explaining the relevancy this topic has to do with science today, He even explained what scientists are doing now in order to act on this idea and even have the ability to predict mountains and earthquakes because of it. One thing Joe should work on is his critique of the article. It was a very general analysis of the way the article was written, and I believe he could've been more specific in the ways in which the article did not flow properly. Overall, I was very interested in this topic because of Joe's review of this article. I never would predict that mountains moving would have such and impact on our climate, and I want to investigate more on if there is a way we can stop or slow this shifting down.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy many aspects of Joe’s review of his article, “Climate Change is Moving Mountains”. Firstly, I like how Joe relates two seemingly different topics. For example, Joe includes that climate change can affect not only the movement of mountains, but the local climate surrounding the mountain. Secondly, Joe successfully incorporates quotes directly from the article, which I personally think is a vital part in any current event review. Lastly, Joe does well to explain how the movement of the mountains causes local climate change, saying that if a mountain range moves, it will cause a redirection of precipitation, causing a shift in climate. I did not know that mountain shift can cause a change in climate, and that their are other variable that affect the weather. I also didn’t know that mountain shifts were so massive, they could cause a tsunami or a an earthquake. The only critique I could find in this review of the article is for Joe to add more quantitative data to his review to have a balance between quantitative and qualitative data.
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