Biodiversity and Environmental Issues

The amount of species of plants, animals, and micro organisms, the extensive variety of genes in these species, the diverse ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests and coral reefs are all part of a biologically divergent Earth. Biodiversity promotes ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an essential role to play. Maintaining species and their home grounds is important for ecosystems to self-sustain themselves. One type of ecosystem that maybe is overlooked to a greater extent than any other is perhaps also the richest in biodiversity is the coral reefs. Coral reefs are functional to the surroundings and to people in a number of ways. It is feared that very soon, many reefs could perish.

The climate is modifying. The earth is warming up, and there is now extreme scientific consensus that it is occurring, and man-evoked. With global warming on the increase and species and their home grounds diminishing, chances for ecosystems to adapt by nature are diminishing. Global Warming will lead to a frailer Ozone layer, because as the surface temperature grows, the stratosphere will get colder, causing the normal repairing of the Ozone to slow.

Anoxic waters are regions of sea water or fresh water that are depleted of dissolved oxygen. This condition is mostly found in regions that have confined water exchange. Anoxic waters are a natural phenomenon. When oxygen is depleted in a basin, bacteria first turn to the second-best electron acceptor, which in seawater is nitrate.

Over the path of millions of years, the motion of tectonic plates reconfigures global land and ocean areas and establishes topography. This can impact both worldwide and local patterns of climate and atmosphere-ocean circulation.

Fluctuations in solar action during the last several centuries established on observations of sunspots and beryllium isotopes. The cyclical nature of the sun's energy output is not yet amply understood; it differs from the very slow change that is happening inside the sun as it matures and develops. While most research suggests solar variability has brought on a small cooling result from 1750 to the present, a few studies aim toward solar radiation increments from circular sunspot activity affecting global warming.

The hominid population of the planet is estimated to now have passed 6 billion people. Existing consumption patterns as seen in Europe and North America can put stress on the surroundings and natural resources. Anthropogenic elements are human activities that change the environment. In some cases the chain of causality of human influence on the climate is direct and unambiguous, while in other cases it is less clear. Human action is very probably the cause for the fast increase in global average temperatures over the past several decades. Of most conce
in these anthropogenic factors is the increase in CO2 levels due to discharges from fossil fuel burning, followed by aerosols (particulate matter in the atmosphere) and cement manufacture. Other factors, including land use, ozone depletion, animal agriculture and deforestation, are also of concern.

In recent years there has been a movement towards the use of assorted renewable energy sources, and hopefully mankind can at least do its part in reducing our impact on our environment.