Enviromental Science Annotations

Causes of Deforestation: Direct Causes

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/Deforestation/deforestation_update3.php

The biggest cause of deforestation is the conversion top cropland and pasture. Deforestation follows a chain effect starting with the production of roads to areas that were not accessible earlier. These roads allow loggers to clear areas. Once the loggers clear these areas, they move on and farmers and ranchers, slash and burn the remaining trees to make room for their crops. The FAO(Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, is the most widely used tool for measuring global forest resources. From 1990-2005, Brazil has deforested over 42 million hectares(Size of CA) of forest. Brazil is followed by Indonesia, Sudan, Myanmar, and Congo. The country with the greatest amount of forest lost was Comoros, Which has destroyed almost 60% of all it's forests.

Scientists replicate a key process in photosynthesis

http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=6785.php

A group of scientists at Monash University have been able to replicate a key process in Photosynthesis.

They used a manganese cluster, which is a key part in a plants system to use H2O, CO2, and sunlight to create energy and Oxygen. By replacing the use of electricity with sunlight, they were able to create a power source that can create Hydrogen that can used as a green fuel.

Scientists Developing “Artificial” Plants

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001127224712.htm

A group of scientists at CSIRO's Telecommunications and Industrial Physics are developing artificial Photosynthesis that could one day be used to produce Energy, Oxygen. If these process could be replicated through nanotechnology, we could grow fields of these little artificial organisms. They “COULD” even replace trees.

Reflection:

Deforestation, is a huge threat to our forests and the biodiversity of our planet. Many of the tropical Rain forests are being destroyed for ranchers and farmers. With the increasing population of the Earth, we are gonna need a better source of food. If for some reason all the trees on our planet disappear, we will have to find an alternative source of Photosynthesis. Once we successfully create artificial photosynthesis, we will be able to reduce our impact on the climate while also creating a energy source and possibly a form of carbohydrates.

Once we learn how to replicate photosynthesis, we would also have to learn how to replicate nature's self-assembly process. Self-assembly builds from the bottom up, atom by atom, molecule by molecule, choosing the right components to drive the assembly of the final intricate and complex material, device, or system such as the eye or photosynthesis. By using Nanotechnology, we could possibly create this system by using common atoms or molecules to create artificial photosynthesis.