Population Demographics

World Population Demographics

The purpose of this blog was to learn more about populations all over the world, compare and contrast different aspects of information, and make generalizations about countries based off of this information.

“In a sexually reproducing population, the population biologist needs to know the average number of births per female for each age class.  In practice, the ecologist counts the number of eggs produced by birds or reptiles, or the number of fawns produced by deer.  The number of offspring produced by parents of different ages are then tabulated.  The tabulation of birthrates for females of different ages in a population is called a fecundity schedule” (Molles, 236).

The book then goes on to talk about how with the information in a fecundity schedule and the information in a life table, several important characteristics of a population can be discovered.  One of the most important is whether or not the population is increasing or decreasing.  This goes along with the statistics we looked at while doing the activity. To figure out if a population is increasing or decreasing, you need to compare the birth rate with the death rate.  In the case of Israel, the birth rate is 20, while the death rate is only 5.  Clearly this population is increasing.

“Sweden has an age distribution that is approximately the same width near its base as it is higher up.  This indicates that the individuals in the population are producing jut enough offspring to approximately replace losses due to death.  Compare this distribution with that of Hungary.  The age distribution of Hungary’s population is much narrower at its base, which indicates a declining population.  In contrast, the very broad base of Rwanda’s population indicates a rapidly growing population” (Molles, 259).

It is very interesting that just by looking at a population pyramid, you can tell whether or not a population is growing or declining.  In the case of Israel, it’s population pyramid’s base is very wide, so you can tell that its population is increasing because more babies are being born before the older people die.  In Vietnam’s pyramid, its base is quite wide, but not as wide as the middle ages of the chart.  That shows that there are less younger people, and that the population is increasing, just at a slower rate.

Use the World Population Data Sheet for 2010 to answer the following questions:

1. China and India have the largest populations in the world. Which of these two countries adds more people to its population annually? [Calculate the numbers added by applying the rate of natural increase to the population of each country. Hint: the rate is a percent]

For this question, I took the total population in 2010 for each of the countries and multiplied that number by the rate of natural increase.  Then I subtracted the number I got from the total population, and that gave me the amount of people the population increases by each year.

Country	Number of people added annually
China	669,400
India	594,400

1. What proportion of the world’s people live the following continents/regions and what are the projected proportions by 2025 and 2050?

To find these numbers, I found the percent of each region by dividing the total population of the region by the population of the world to find 2010. Then I multiplied the projected populations in millions by the rate of natural increase to find the other years.

Continent	% living today	% by 2025	% by 2050
Asia	60.3%	59.6%	57.2%
North America	5.1%	5.0%	4.9%
Latin America	8.5%	8.4%	8.0%
Europe	10.6%	9.1%	7.6%
Oceania	.5%	.5%	.6%

 

What trends are reflected in the bar chart?

This bar graph shows the viewer the percentage of the world’s population in each continent.  It is clear from looking at the graph which regions of the world are home to the most people.  Asia currently and probably always will be called home by the largest percentage of people in the world, as you can see from the map.  North America, Latin America and Europe are pretty equal and will stay that way throughout the next 40 years, and probably forever, and Oceania will most likely always have the lowest population percentage unless there are drastic changes there that will allow more people to survive.

3.    What proportion of the world’s people live in less developed countries (LDCs) and in more developed countries (MDCs) today? What proportion is projected to live in LDCs  and MDCs in 2025 and in 2050?

For this question, I took the total population of the world in 2010 and multiplied that by the rate of natural increase.  Then for the other years, I did the same.

Countries	% of world’s population today	% of world’s population in 2025	% of world’s population in 2050
LDCs	82.1%	84.1%	86.02%
MDCs	17.9%	15.9%	13.9%

The economic implications of changing the proportions of the world’s people in the most and lesser-developed countries would have interesting, possibly dangerous side affects.  If 80% of the world’s population lived in the most developed countries rather than the lesser, way more resources would be necessary to support that massive population.  Instead, 80% of the world population lives in lesser-developed countries and those people do not require such high standards of living, money or resources (not saying that is a good thing, just saying that is how it is because of the fact that they live in underdeveloped countries.)  The social implications would be interesting as well.  Imagine having a bunch of tribal Africans or Polynesians who all speak their own dialect of a common language, or their own language all together, trying to get together in a UN type of conference, for example, to solve major world issues.  This outcome would only be if the roles of more developed and lesser-developed countries as a whole were switched completely.  Interesting.

4.    Examine the crude birth rate, crude death rate, and rate of natural increase of any three countries (one being your own country) listed on the World Population Data Sheet.

For this question, I just looked up the information given in the data sheet.

Country	Crude birth rate (%)	Crude death rate (%)	Rate of natural increase (%)
USA	1.4	.8	.6
Tanzania	4.2	1.2	3.0
Greece	1.1	1.0	.1

Discuss with your group partner the mathematical relationship among these      three rates.   Record your observations.

When you think about these numbers and then look at the population percentages of these places in comparison to the rest of the world, now and in 15 and 40 years, it makes perfect sense.  Africa as a whole, Tanzania included, has a much higher population percentage than North America and Europe.  So it fits into the big picture that the crude birth rate is so high, while the death rate is so low.  For Greece, it is about equal, and that is why Europe’s population is relatively stable for now.

1. Select 2 LDCs and 2 MDCs from the data sheet and compute the age-dependency ratios for each.

For this question, I just used the equation given and plugged in the numbers of the countries I picked and then did the math and got the age dependency ratio.

Country	Age-dependency ratio
LCD1 Madagascar	5.6
LCD2 Ethiopia	6.0
MDC1 USA	19.4
MCD2 Germany	30.9

Discuss with your partner the implications of your observations:

o      What factors do you think contribute to a high age-dependency ratio?

The main factor that contributes to a high age-dependency ratio is how developed a country is.  The more developed it is, the longer the population there is going to live, and visa versa. Also, how developed a country is has an impact on life expectancy because the more developed countries have more resources and technology to keep people alive longer.  That is why Germany’s age-dependency rate is so high, while the African countries are lower.

o      What are some economic and social consequences of a high age-dependency ratio?

o      Some economic consequences of a high age-dependency rate are that the non-dependent people need to support the dependent people.  This support comes from the non-dependent people usually.

 

1.    From the following table select one country from each column (two countries) from for your case.

Column A	Column B
United Kingdom	Bangladesh
France	Macedonia, FYROM
Germany	Egypt
Israel	Ethiopia
Japan	Albania
New Zealand	Thailand
Russia	Turkey
Greece	Vietnam

 

ISRAEL:

Demographic Indicators	Value
Total midyear population(in thousands)	7,354
Birth Rate (per 1,000)	20
Death Rate (per 1,000)	5
Natural Increase (%)	1.6
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births)	4
Total Fertility Rate	2.7
Total Fertility Rate	2.7
Life Expectancy at Birth for males	79
Life Expectancy at Birth for females	83
Population <15 yrs. (%) / >65 yrs. (%) (from World Population Data Sheet)	28%/10%
GNP/capita (US $)  (from World Population Data Sheet)	$27,450

Table 2. Demographic indicators for one of the countries selected.

The population pyramid for Israel.  This chart shows the breakdown of the countries population by age and gender.

VIETNAM

Demographic Indicators	Value
Total midyear population(in thousands)	89,571
Birth Rate (per 1,000)	1,549
Death Rate (per 1,000)	535
Natural Increase (%)	1.2
Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000 births)	22
Total Fertility Rate	1.9
Total Fertility Rate	1.9
Life Expectancy at Birth for males	72
Life Expectancy at Birth for females	76
Population <15 yrs. (%) / >65 yrs. (%) (from World Population Data Sheet)	25%/8%
GNP/capita (US $)  (from World Population Data Sheet)	2,700

Table 23. Demographic indicators for the second country selected.

Select “Population Pyramids” from the menu at the top of the web page.

You have constructed an age-sex pyramid. Copy and paste this pyramid below:

The population pyramid for Vietnam.  This chart shows the breakdown of the countries population by age and gender.

Compare the demographic indicators from the two countries. What generalizations can be made concerning demographic indicators and level of development? [for example, if the birth rate is high, then the level of development is…]. Form at least two generalizations that are supported by the pyramids and data charts.

One major population factor I noticed was the birth rate.  For Israel, it is just 20, while for Vietnam, it is 1,549.  That is clearly why Vietnam’s population is so much larger than Israel, and that paired with much lower death rates is the reason their populations are the size they are, and the reason Vietnam’s is so large.  These statistics can be used to look into how developed the country is.  For example, Israel is a much more developed country and has a lot less people, while Vietnam is much less developed and has a much higher population.  Another statistic in the pyramid that is important in determining whether or not a country is highly developed or not is the GDP per capita.  Without knowing any background on the countries, a person would be able to make a general statement about each.  Israel’s GDP per capita is $27,450, while Vietnam’s is only $2,700.

Molles, M.C. (2010). Ecology. Concepts and Applications. 5th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.

Introduction to Climate Change and Global Warming

Climate Change and Global Warming

The purpose of this project is to further educate my classmates about the causes of global warming and what we can do to help put an end to it.

The topic of my presentation is going to be climate change and global warming.  I will talk about how what humans are or aren’t doing is affecting the environment and causing rapid climate change, which then leads to global warming.  I will tie in renewable energy and explain how much of a difference it could potentially make in terms of global warming.

This topic relates to what we have talked about in class because climate change and global warming are both huge parts of our world, and since on page 7, Molles (2010) defines ecology as ‘the study of the relationships between organisms and the environment”, it is clear that whatever organisms, and in this case, mostly humans, are doing is harming the environment, changing the climate to the point of no return. We have talked about climate change and how what we do is affecting plants and animals in some way within every single biome in the entire world.  With sea levels and water temperatures rising, everything is affected; ice caps melt, forcing arctic animals such as polar bears and penguins to adapt and change their living habits.

Global warming and climate change are extremely important, controversial topics brought up constantly in society today.  I am sure that when asked what global warming is, most people would answer, “Oh yeah, isn’t that what makes the earth warmer?”  Most people know a little bit about it, but my goal is to further educate my classmates about global warming and what we can realistically do to help slow it down and change the outlook for the future.  I will talk about the history of global warming and climate change, and all the different sources of renewable energy how important it is for the future of the climate and how we can all use them and make a difference.

Windmills are a great form of renewable energy.

Part B

http://na.oceana.org/en/our-work/climate-energy/climate-change/overview

The website I found is a  .org website, making it automatically a pretty credible source.  It was created by an organization called Oceana, whose focus is “protecting the world’s oceans”.  The website explains how more carbon dioxide is in oceans, thanks to the burning of fossile fuels, and this is causing their composition to change, therefore harming and jeopardizing the future of organisms all over.  Some of the causes for rising temperatures of oceans and increasing acidity are offshore drilling or oil, emissions from cargo ships and barges, and just greenhouse gases being released into the air from factories, buildings, and cars etc.  The website also talks about renewable energy sources that we can use to help cut down on the greenhouse gases and negative factors that are jeopardizing the future of life on earth.

Schreiner, Camilla. “How are People Changing the Climate?” Environmental Science

Published for Everybody Round the Earth. Espere, 8 Sept. 2003. Web. 11 June

2009. <http://www.atmosphere.mpg.de/enid/basics/

1__Man-made_climate_change__1w4.html>.

Exploring Into my Ecological Footprint

Purpose: I believe the purpose of this blog was to first learn more about our ecological footprints, and then take our new knowledge and apply it to more everyday topics, such as our diets in this case.

What is Ecological Footprint?

Ecological Footprint (EF) is the measure of pressure humans put on Earth’s ecosystems.  “It measures how much land and water area a human population requires to produce the resource it consumes and to absorb its wastes, using prevailing technology (Global Footprint Network, 21/10/10).”   Basically, your EF is the number of Earths it would take to support the world if everyone lived the same way I do.  The higher it is, the worse it is for the environment.

Energy and nutrients flow through ecosystems with the help of producers and consumers.  Producers are the plants, who receive their energy from sunlight, in most cases, making them autotrophs.  Some plants can also be heterotrophs, meaning they receive energy from other living things, such as the venus fly trap.  They catch bugs and small predators to get energy.  Then the consumers, the animals, eat the producers and gain a portion of their energy, and so on, all throughout the ecosystem.  Each animal receives just 10% of the energy from the animal or plant it ate- 90% is lost in the form of heat and during respiration.

This is a simple image showing the flow of energy through a certain ecosystem. Each level only receives 1/10 of the energy from the level above, losing most of it in the form of heat.

Diet	Source of Calories	Number of Calories	Ecologically Equivalent Calories	Total Ecologically Equivalent Calories
100% Plant 0% Animal	Plant:	2,000	2,000	2,000
	Animal:	0	0
90% Plant  10% Animal	Plant:	1,800	1,800	3,800
	Animal:	200	2,000
50% Plant  50% Animal	Plant:	1,000	1,000	11,000
	Animal:	1,000	10,000
0% Plant   100% Animal	Plant:	0	0	20,000
	Animal:	2,000	20,000

Ever wondered approximately how many calories you eat in a year?

Diet 1: 730,000 calories

Diet 2: 1,387,000 calories

Diet 3: 4,015,000 calories

Diet 4: 7,300,000 calories

Vegan diet vs….everything else.  What is the impact on your EF?

The ecological impact of a strictly vegetarian diet will be higher than that of a diet consisting strictly of animal products.  The vegetarian diet would require 6,507,000 more calories.

Calories from animals vs. calories from plants…

I eat a very balanced diet.  I’m not vegetarian, and I do not rely only on animal products, so my diet is pretty much 50/50.   Therefore I would assume that probably about 75% of my calories come from “animals” and about 25% from “plants”, just because more calories come from animals than plants.

If only the entire world ate like Americans…….we would be dead.

This could be a huge challenge because as more countries demand an “American diet rich in animal protein and fat”, the more resources are used up.  Since the total amount of resources in the world is not going to increase as demand increases, that could cause a major problem and harm the environment, throwing off ecosystems and the food chain.  Each animal that could be used for food plays a role in each ecosystem.  Taking that animal out of its natural habitats can potentially an ecosystem.

This video is not only very informative about Earth Day and talks about what we can all be doing to “save” Earth, but it talks about how much of a difference being a vegetarian makes.  It affects your ecological footprint, therefore saving earth one STEP at a time.

http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/science/sciber00/8th/energy/sciber/ecosys.htm

“Footprint Basics- Overview.” Global Footprint Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/ footprint_basics_overview/&gt;.  “Energy Flow in Ecosystems.” Energy. N.p., 7 Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/science/sciber00/8th/energy/sciber/ ecosys.htm>. EARTH DAY (Environment + Go Vegetarian Really Go Green) Global Warming . YouTube. AnimalRightsRightNow, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8v9Kgve3h8&gt;.

Emperor Penguins; How They Survive Antarctica

Purpose: The purpose of this blog post is to research the Emperor Penguin using the textbook and internet sources to understand more about this species and how they thermoregulate to survive harsh artic temperatures.

Home of the Emperor Penguin

Background: The animal I chose to research is the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri). The scientific name comes from the Ancient Greek word, aptenodytes (ἀ-πτηνο-δύτης), which in English means “without-wings-diver” (Emperor Penguin, Wikipedia). The Emperor Penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all species of penguins, standing at an average of 45 inches (115 cm) and weighing 45-99 lbs.  Emperor Penguins call Antarctica home year round, which is interesting because they are one of the only species to stay on the continent through the cold winters. Antarctica is part of the tundra biome, where winter beings in March, and temperatures usually drip as low as -76°F (-60°C).  Precipitation in this biome varies from about 200 mm to 600 mm a year, but as Molles (2010) states, “because average annual temperatures are so low, precipitation exceeds evaporation” (p. 36), meaning in warmer months, it is soggy, and in colder months, it is very icy and there is not much available water supply.  Emperor Penguins live in colonies in the tundra out on open ice all day every day, and because of this, they need to find ways to thermoregulate and survive.

Emperor Penguins huddling together.

Need for Emperor Penguins to Thermoregulate: It is necessary for Emperor Penguins and all animals living in the arctic tundra to thermoregulate because if they didn’t, survival would be impossible.  Thermoregulation, according to Molles, helps organisms to regulate body temperature in order to survive, especially in the harsh climate of the Tundra (p. 110).  Because the Emperor Penguin colonies stay in the open air on the ice all year round, they have had to adapt to the freezing cold temperatures.

How Emperor Penguins Regulate Their Body Temperatures

Emperor Penguins have adapted to the freezing cold temperatures of Antarctica over the years and found ways to help preserve heat and regulate their body temperatures.  Based on Schmidt-Nielson’s equation created to show the components of heat, Heat stored = H_m +/- H_cd +/- H_cv +/- H_r -H_e, Emperor Penguins mainly rely on conduction (H_cd) to regulate their body temperatures.  They huddle in large groups, keeping the penguins on the inside protected form the harsh winds, and after a certain period of time, the inner penguins rotate to the outside to give others time to warm up.  The other component Emperor Penguins use, though do not rely that heavily on) is radiation (H_r).  The use the heat from the sun to warm themselves up.

Emperor Penguins use a couple different strategies to thermoregulate and survive through the harsh arctic winters.  Emperor Penguins rely heavily on conduction to gather heat in order to regulate their body temperatures.  “They huddle together to escape wind and conserve warmth. Individuals take turns moving to the group’s protected and relatively toasty interior. Once a penguin has warmed a bit it will move to the perimeter of the group so that others can enjoy protection from the icy elements” (National Geographic, 2010). This is a perfect example of conduction; the penguins huddle together to create “body heat” as people call it when organisms come so close to other organisms so that the heat transfers between them. It is a cycle that relies on the heat coming off of each other’s bodies to stay warm.  Another way these penguins regulate body temperature is through radiation.  According to Molles, radiation, or infrared light is responsible for most of the heat “you feel radiating from the sunny side of a building on a winter’s day” (p. 110).  Though it may not seem like the sun does anything to warm them up in the middle of the winter in the Arctic Circle, the radiation from the sun does reflect off of the penguins bodies and off the ice to help warm things up even a tiny bit.  It is very important that these penguins regulate their body temperatures because this is Antarctica we are talking about; temperatures in the winter drop as low as -76°F.  If they did not have conduction and radiation, it would be nearly impossible to keep heat in their bodies and they would most likely die off trying to find a new adaptation.

March of the Penguins is a movie that came out in 2005 all about mating and survival habits of the Emperor Penguin specifically.  I saw the movie at the movie theater and immediately fell in love with these animals.  They way they search for mates for so long, through such harsh weather where it becomes survival of the fittest, like we talked about in class, and the weak ones die off, while  the others have found ways to try to stay warm.

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/emperor-penguin.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Penguin#Adaptations_to_cold

Molles, M.C. (2010). Ecology. Concepts and Applications. 5th Ed. NY: McGraw-Hill.

Coral Reefs/Water Scarcity

Part A.

Global Warming will affect the proportion of the earth’s water that resides in the oceans because as the temperature of earth rises, more glaciers and ice caps are melting, and with more frequent, extreme storms, freshwater sources are running into oceans, raising water levels.  According to a study done back in 2006, earth’s average temperature is rising at approximately .36°F (.2°C) a decade over the past 30 years, allegedly making the temperature the highest it has been in 12000 years. An increase in the temperature, as mentioned before, can cause many changes to earth as we know it. “The study (Hansen et al., 2006) also provides evidence that global warming of another 1°C could result in more significant climate change impacts, including rapid sea level rise, wide-spread biodiversity loss, and an increased intensity of El Niño events. (Global Temperature Rising Quickly)” http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/83.

The topic I am choosing to expand upon is coral reefs, and specifically those in Zanzibar, an island off the coast Tanzania.  While most people would probably choose something more well known, like the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, I chose something that captured my attention because I have been to Zanzibar and SCUBA dived in these reefs.  It was probably the coolest thing I have ever done.  Though the visibility (which has to do with the amount of sediments in the water and the water currents kicking up sand), being 50 feet or so under the water, hearing nothing but your own breaths was the most relaxing, interesting thing I have done, so it really saddens me that the coral reefs of the world are in such danger, as I will talk about.  One of the biggest issues occurring within coral reefs all around the world, including those in Zanzibar, is coral bleaching.  This occurs when zooxanthellae algae, the part of coral that gives it it’s color.  During the day, the zooxanthellae go through photosynthesis and benefits greatly from the products (nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon dioxide), causing growth.  However, if the rate of photosynthesis is too high, the reefs monitor it and balance out by getting rid of some of the zooxanthellae.  This is coral bleaching, a normal process and something that happens frequently.  It only becomes harmful and life-threatening to the reefs if they are “immoderately stressed”, which according to About.com, this causes them to “expel more zooxanthellae than necessary, and therefore lose of color results from the expulsion of too much zooxanthellae, and/or the concentration of photosynthetic pigments in these organisms are diminished.”  In other words, the loss of zooxanthellae causes the coral reefs to lose their color and die.  In many cases, the “stress” can be too much for the reef and it will permanently die.  However, in some cases, if the stressor is stopped and conditions changed, it is possible for the reef to come back to life and regrow.

 

Healthy coral reef in Zanzibar

 

This relates to global warming because scientists believe that the major stressors causing coral bleaching and the reef’s destruction are the effects of el Niño/la Niña.  The effects are just getting worse and worse as global warming continues to impact the earth more and more- these storms become more frequent and more severe each time, therefore having a greater, more negative impact on coral reefs.  Other events that have an impact on coral reefs are tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis and many other natural disasters whose destruction is heightened due to global warming  (http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aboutcoraldiseases/a/aacoralbleach.htm).

 

Results of global warming; coral bleaching

 

Part B.

In my area, we have never had a real drought or water scarcity.  This is because my town gets all of its water from the Quabbin Reservior.  It is just a massive reservoir so we have never had to worry about it running low or the amount of water we use.  However, sometimes, during very dry periods in the summer where it does not rain very much, water bans go into effect in the surrounding towns.  The residents of these areas pretty much just have to cut back on watering their lawns, which we did as well just to save water.  Who cares about a dry lawn in the middle of July?  These water bans have never gotten severe enough to really change the lives of people in those towns, concerning showering and cooking and how much they could drink, but if it got to that point, I suppose it would be very tough and many people would have to make a lot of lifestyle changes.

 

Quabbin Reservior

 

Some places, however, aren’t as “lucky” as my town and the surrounding areas are.  Many places around the world are currently dealing with water scarcity, whether it be physical or economic.  Based off of a map I found on the BBC News website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5269296.stm#graphic) , much of Africa is dealing with economic scarcity, meaning they have usable water based off of the amount needed, but they do not have the economic resources to get the water.  I am sure that if these people could choose, just based off of water scarcity, they would choose to live in an area where there is little to no water or an area with abundant water resources, they would choose the later.  However, their lives are most likely based around the fact that they do not have access “unlimited” water, and it makes their culture the way it is.  Again, I am sure that if given the choice, everyone would settle in areas characterized by abundant water supplies, but based on technology, other resources and many other determining factors, it must not have always been easy for large groups of people to go to those places; sometimes they had to settle in not the most ideal areas, but what was easier.

Between 1950 and 2050, the world population is predicted to go from about 3 billion to a little over 9 billion.  That is 3 billion people in just 100 years…that is incredible.  As if that seems like it would become a problem, in 100 years from 1950 to 2050, the water availability per capita is predicted to go from a little over 15000 m3 to just 5000 m3 per capita.  At that rate, earth will be out of water at a rapid pace compared to the history of earth, with far too many people to survive.

As the world’s population increases, the average water availability per capita is going to decrease.  This is because as the population increases, the amount of available water in the world is not going to change- it is only going to decrease as the people use up more an more of it.

If these predictions are accurate and humans continue to go through water at the same rate as they do now, at one point in the future, there will not be enough water to support earth’s population, and that creates just a few issues…so hopefully people change their habits now, sooner than later, and we can change the outlook on this situation for the future.

Part B: Ecological Footprint

Country	Ecological Footprint (EF) (hectares per person)	Proportion relative to world average	Proportion relative to world area available	Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita –  (in PPP dollar) (obtain these data from Globalis)
Bangladesh	0.5	.22	.28	1,700
Colombia	1.3	.58	0.73  (1.3/1.78)	6,370
Mexico	2.6	1.16	1.46	8,970
Sweden	6.1	2.73	3.43	26,050
United Arab Emirates	9.9	4.44	5.56	12,650
Thailand	1.4	.63	.78	7,010
United States	9.5	4.26	5.34	35,750
World Average	2.23	1.0  (2.23/2.23)	1.25  (2.23/1.78)	leave this cell empty
Israel	5.3	2.37	2.9	19,530
Costa Rica	2.1	.94	1.1	8,840
Tanzania	0.9	.40	.5	580
Greece	5.4	2.4	3.03	18,720
Your personal footprint				leave this cell empty

From Table 1, we can easily tell that the United Arab Emirates has the largest ecological footprint (9.9), while Bangladesh has the smallest (0.5).  An obvious pattern forms as you go down the list from greatest EF to smallest; the more developed, industrialized countries are at the top (UAE, United States, Sweden, Israel, Greece).  The ecological footprint average of the first group is 7.4, while most of the countries are in the 5-6 range.  The lesser developed ones (Bangladesh, Columbia, Thailand, Costa Rica, Tanzania) are more towards bottom.  Their EF average is 1.76.  This just goes to show how extreme the damage is from countries that have more than enough of the resources, technology, money and people to enhance the damage.  Between Bangladesh and the United States, it is obvious why the United States ecological footprint is so high and Bangladesh so low; The United States quite frankly has the technology, money and resources to support the economy that we live in; one that never stops spending, using, throwing away, and spending some more.  While Bangladesh may be rich in culture and natural resources, it does not have the money Americans do to afford the things that cause the US to have such a high EF.

It is clear that the average GDP per capita and ecological footprint positively correlate with each other – as the ecological footprint of one of the given countries increases, the GDP does as well.  This is because the countries with the higher ecological footprints are the countries with the resources and technology to support a large economy, creating high paying jobs, etc., therefore increasing the average GDP.

According to this survey (some of the information I gave may be wrong because I just don’t know…who counts the number of miles they drive in a car a year?  I’m a little embarrassed to say my ecological footprint…I swear I recycle and I don’t go on road trips every day! But it is higher than the average Americans- it is a little less than double.  Compared to that of Bangladesh, it is much, much higher, and compared to the rest of the countries I chose, such as Israel (almost 3 times higher) and to Mexico (8 times higher), it is also much higher.

I honestly do not think I live the lifestyle of a person whose ecological footprint is almost double that of the average American.  My parents and I recycle everything.  We buy organic food.  We don’t fly across the country every weekend- maybe once a year, but not excessively.  Ask anyone I know, and they will tell you that I am huge on unplugging everything when it’s not being used.  I unplug phone chargers, lamps, toasters, the mixing bowl…everything.  I can’t change the size of my house (although now that I am in college, my parents may downsize), and I can’t help the fact that I got stuck with a beast of a car, a Ford Explorer! I guess the biggest thing I can start to do is really monitor is the length of my showers and keep recycling.

Thessaloniki and Southborough From the Air

A. The landmark I chose to zoom in on on Google Earth was the statue of Alexander the Great.  Originally I figured I would just find a picture of the White Tower and call it a day, but when I clicked on a picture of Alexander the Great, I changed my mind.  On one of our first days here in Thessaloniki, we had a “scavenger hunt’ around downtown, which mainly turned into finding and taking pictures of these landmarks.  Alexander the Great was one of our favorites.  The coordinates of this statue are (40°37’ N, 22°57’ E).

B.

Coordinates: (42°16’ N, 71°30’W)

This is a picture of my house.  Mine is the one in the middle.  As you can tell, I pretty much live in the woods, with the exception of several neighborhoods that were built not too long ago.  Mostly all of Massachusetts is considered to be included in the temperate forest biome, and that is definitely where I live.  The textbook says temperate forests can usually be found between 40° and 50° and my house fits that perfectly.  The trees around me are mostly deciduous and turn the most beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow in the fall (right about now!), but there are also many coniferous trees, like evergreens, as well.

The textbook is right on when it says that “in deciduous forests, winters last from 3-4 months”, but my area definitely does not have mild winters (McGraw-Hill, 31).

This is a picture taken at a cow farm two minutes away from my house.  They have “oreo cows”, as we call them, and chickens, too.  It used to be an apple orchard.  It is beautiful up there, and my dog loves it running around there!

We probably have about the same amount of conifers and deciduous trees, but we have EXTREMELY severe winters. Typical New England, so it will definitely be very nice to be in Thessaloniki for more than half of December!  Another topic the book talked about was the soil.  The soil near my house is very fertile- from the picture, you can tell that grass grows plentifully, the trees are full and green, and our garden (my favorite part) is rich and full of pretty flowers and bushes (McGraw-Hill, 32).

Ecologists and Environmentalists

I believe that ecologists and environmentalists are two similar types of scientists, but different at the same time.  When I think of an ecologist, I think of someone who studies all forms of life.  They study all forms of the living, and all forms of the non-living, and how they interact with each other.  They care about life and how organisms build relationships with other organisms.  I cannot speak for all humans, but I know that when I hear that someone is an ecologist, I think of them as being very earthy, knowledgeable people who care about all forms of life and how everything lives together.

When I hear the word environmentalist, I think the first thing that pops into my head is going green.  Environmentalists are typically perceived as hippies or granola, and are people who will pretty much do anything to save the planet.  While some of those may be true to some extent, I think environmentalists are very knowledgeable, innovative people who are constantly thinking of ways to keep Earth healthy, alive and clean.  Not only do they think of these ways, because many people do, but environmentalists are the people who actually act on these thoughts and theories about how to keep our planet green.

I believe that ecologists and environmentalists are similar in some ways, and because of that they have to work together sometimes.  Ecologists figure out how everything works together and what is damaging what, and environmentalists find ways to fix that.  While the general population usually thinks environmentalists only promote alternate forms of energy, recycling and hybrid cars, there are a lot of things they do that involve things such as saving rainforests, which includes all of the populations and different species that live within it, which is also what ecologists study.  I would not mind to be labeled as either an ecologist or an environmentalist.  I care very much about the environment and it worries me that so many people out there do not.

Introduction

I will be going into Northeastern in the spring as a freshman.  My major is undecided as of now, mostly because I have some ideas of what I want to do with my life, but none are concrete enough to commit to so early in my college education.  I live in Southborough, Massachusetts, a very small suburb about 30 minutes outside of Boston.  The only major topography in my town and the surrounding towns are hills.  There are, however, a lot of reservoirs and lakes.  I do like where I live.  Although it is sometimes quite calm and flat in Southborough, it is nice to know that with a short drive you can end up at the beach or a mountain. I chose to take ecology because science that deals with the way different species interact with each other and basically how every form of life survives with one another interests me.  Plus, I took biology in high school so I have some previous knowledge of some of the subjects we will be studying.  One significant event that occurred near me was high amounts of e coli in the water in a lot of beaches on Cape Cod.  The air temperatures in mid August were so high for so long that the water temperatures rose as well, and never cooled down.  The water in my cove near where I have a house was 81 degrees for a week straight.  Once the weather started to cool down, however, the temperatures did too and the e coli disappeared.