Oil Tankers Accidents

The accidents involving oil tankers are one of the most devastating environmental damage at sea and the coast. The intense traffic of crude oil and their derivatives despite the vastness of the oceans and sea lanes well defined, not prevent disasters where the term "accident" has more than azares human causes of chance.

Every month, somewhere in the seas of our blue planet, there are accidents involving oil spills and extensive training affecting ecosystems shops, banks fishing, beaches and aquaculture. With greater or lesser gravity the scenarios of oil spills cause, in most cases significant effects on birds, fish and marine animals. Especially because about 90 percent of oil spills occur in port waters, where aquatic life is very abundant.

The physical contact with the oil causes the loss of birds and many drown or become trapped to death. In addition, the ingestion or inhalation of fumes of oil cause irreversible damage in the digestive system, nervous and respiratory and liver of much of the aquatic fauna, and it can be even register in individuals who survive, reproductive problems. Finally, no less important, are the negative impacts on food resources, both for its destruction, and of its contamination. Populations of sea birds have suffered, so the pollution of oil tankers that certain species or subspecies are at risk of extinction such as parrots from the sea, the penguins and divers on both coasts of the Atlantic.

In the midst of this evil world, Portugal is a country whose coast is the scene of frequent accidents involving tankers. Since the mid 70s there were in our back 22 major accidents of oil pollution damage.

Icebergs

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Tis pieces of ice floating in the ocean, are very dangerous for boats .

There are many accidents because icebergs; the most known is the accident with Titanic: ~

->built to make it "impossible to sink this ship, the ship does not hit the iceberg head on, a disaster that could have survived, but shaved sideways against him in a portion of their below the water line, which caused a leak that allowed that several compartments of the vessel were taken by the water.

Other accident occured by icebergs :

-->In 1977, a raft of transport of cars called William Carson collided with an iceberg and sank off the coast of Labrador. There were 109 people on board and all were rescued alive;

-->The Lady of the Lake stuck in the Grand Banks with 70 people aboard en route to Quebec in 1833;

-->The SS Hanshedtoft collided with an iceberg and sank off the coast of Cape Farewell, Greenland in 1959. It was the maiden voyage of the ship and no survivors: 95 people died.

As we can see, the icebergs probably makes a view very pretty bue they are prejudicial too.

Volcanoes

Volcano is a Geological structure created when the magma, hot gases and particles (such as ash) to escape the earth's surface. They eject high quantities of dust and gases in the atmosphere, causing climate cooling temporary. They are often considered natural causes of pollution because the gases emited in eruptions.

The economic effects of earthquakes and volcanoes can be tremendous. After witnessing the effects of an earthquake in Chile in the 19th century, the British Charles Darwin reported:

"An earthquake alone is sufficient to destroy the prosperity of any nation.(...) If an earthquake started in the middle of the night, the chaos could lead to Britain to ruin, how the consequences would be terrible! "

The earth is constantly subjected to volcanic activity that in most cases, by their violence, they caused harm to humanity. It is among the most famous volcanoes known for their activity: Vesuvius - Italy (year 79 AD),

--> Krakatoa - Indonesia (1883),

--> Monte naked - Martinique (1902),

--> St. Helena - USA (1980)

-->Pinatubo in the Philippines (1991). The Pinatubo eruption came in after 611 years of inactivity. At the time, 875 people died and 200 thousand were left homeless.

In Portugal the most known volcanos are Pico (Azores, Pico Island) and Furnas (Azores, S.Miguel)

I founded this informations in the next site: http://www.cprm.gov.br/Aparados/vulc_pag11.htm

Recycling

• Why?

Because recycling is, for the citizens of today, more than an attitude of citizenship and a good habit, it means that we are protecting the environment and thinking about the future with quality. It's important recycle because that simple act are also a responsible attitude that values the materials in order to protect and preserve the environment.

• Vantages

--> Saving raw materials (like wood, sand, oil, tin and aluminum)

--> Save energy

--> Reduce the amount of waste in landfills

• How recycle?

--> The first step is to separate the packaging used by type of material and prepare them for their placement in drop-off recycling location;

--> Then its necessary drip the packaging used, so that the remains of products that were inside it does not cause bad smells;

--> Then must hammer out the packaging to reduce the space they occupy at home and make transportation easier;

--> Finally, it is important to remove the corks and caps when they are made of other materials;

--> You could then place the packages in the appropriate places:

- The plastic and metal in drop-off recycling location yellow

- The role and the card in blue drop-off recycling location

- Glass in the green ecopoints.

So recycle. Together we can change the world!

Last but not least, my last post here is going to talk about the ever so comical animal, the Portuguese donkey.
Although Portugal is a country containing a myriad of different species of donkey, many unique to this country, most, if not all, are endangered of extinction.

Well, why has this so common beast vanished from our lands?

Well, some say it migrated from our lands and into our schools, our government, taken over our economy, and tried on multiple occasions to conquer our fair and just land.

Sarcasm apart, which that obviously was, the real reason for this poor creature’s destruction is one simple fact:
-Evolution.

We humans have evolved past the point of using animals for labour long ago, and even though that is generally a good thing, that was also the only thing keeping the donkey from being released on the wild, where it has no chance of surviving.

Machines have replaced this stubborn animal in most if not all its functions, and only the poorest and less advanced farmers still use it for agriculture.

With no use for it, farmers would not have kept it around their farms, halting their growth.
With an uncertain future, do you think it will manage to survive for long?

This one animal had evolved around the fact that we needed it and would raise it for our farming, forging somewhat of a relationship between our two species, and since the ancient times when men first found agriculture, to the Industrial revolution, we used it.

What is going to happen to this poor animal now?
Many donkeys were released in the wild, and lacking the wild instincts, don’t manage to survive.

Monsoons

The monsoon is a wind current in Southern Asia, blowing northeast during the summer and southwest during the winter. During the summer, the monsoon brings heavy rains to southern Asia and Africa, while in the winter it causes the drier seasons. The lives of many people in these areas have developed around these seasonal changes. While the wet monsoon brings much needed rain to many areas, it often also causes flooding, in addition to crop and infrastructure damage.

Tornadoes

A tornado is a destructive whirling wind accompanied by a funnel-shaped cloud extending down from a cumulonimbus cloud. Tornadoes can spin at speeds up to 500 miles per hour and annihilate anything in its path in a matter of seconds.

• Fort Worth, Texas - March 28, 2000:

"On the evening of March 28, 2000 at approximately 6:18 PM, a tornado formed during a severe thunderstorm approximately two miles west of downtown Fort Worth. It proceeded eastward through the town, tearing off roofs and obliterating buildings. This storm resulted in 5 death, over 100 injured, and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage."

• The "Great Cyclone of St. Louis" - May 27, 1896:

"On May 27, 1896, one of the worst tornadoes in the history of the United States ravenged through downtown St. Louis. It is estimated that over 300 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. A significant portion of the city was destroyed by both the tornado and resulting fires. At this point in time, there were no networks for warning people in the area of the impending danger, which accounts for the high death toll."

Floods

A flood is caused by excess water surpassing the limits of its confines. A flood can happen during a myriad of events, including heavy rainfall and overflowing river banks. Floods present a significant danger with enough force to sweet away massive objects such as cars and trees.

Effects of Floods:

• Saint Francis Dam - March 12, 1928:

" In 1928, the Saint Francis Dam in Los Angeles was filled with 12.5 billion gallons of water - enough water for one year for a population of 1.2 million people. However, on March 12, 1928, the dam broke, unleashing a 78 foot wall of water. It obliterated houses, ranches, automobiles, animals, and people. In roughly one hour, more than 500 people were killed and Santa Paula was overrun by water."

• Grand Forks Flood - April 18, 1997

" On Friday, April 18, 1997, the Red River flooded over the dikes into Grand Forks, North Dakota. At the end of Saturday, the19th, the flood waters had spread over a large area of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Roughly 60,000 people were forced from their homes and downtown Grand Forks was left in flames. The damage was so extensive that it was weeks before people could return and rebuild their homes - and their lives."

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are caused by complexes of thunderstorms that evolve into hurricane strength with the aid of the ocean and atmosphere. The water must be warm enough to provide energy for the hurricane. The warm water provides head moisture which, in turn, provides energy. This is why hurricanes quickly weaken when they travel over land or colder ocean waters, since they lack the warmth and the moisture.

The high humidity in the middle and lower troposphere assist in hurricane development, reducing the amount of evaporation in clouds and maximizing the latent heat released due to increased precipitation. The concentration of latent heat is essential to the system. Another important aspect of a tropical storm is the vertical wind shear, the amount of change in the wind.s direction or speed as the altitude increases.

When the wind shear is weak, the storms that are part of the cyclone grow vertically and the latent heat from condensation is released into the air above the storm, aiding in its development. The stronger the wind shear is, the more slanted the storm becomes and more latent heat is released and dispersed over a larger area.

This new article will feature a friendly animal, those who have seen them have most likely fell in love with the cute faces and playful personalities naturally displayed by the otter.

Many are those who are unaware that otters are naturally present inside our country’s borders; fewer are those who haven’t seen the couple that are almost Oceanario’s mascots, and even less fail to recall their spotlight on the news when the couple had a baby who unfortunately died.

The otter is common in Europe, Asia, seen in Northern America’s southern reaches and prevalent along all of southern America, such as Brazil and Argentina.

You might be wondering why is this animal near extinction if it is so commonly found on many continents.

Well, every animal species varies from habitat to habitat, and such a theory is relevant to this case. As Darwin once proved, a bird from one tropical island, even from the same species, can be different than the same species of bird but from an island, even if relatively close.



The same applies with our otter.
It can be a regular otter but this is different from other otters around the world, and nonetheless, we should always try to preserve what is ours.

There is one simple reason for this cute animal’s endangerment, which is the destruction of its specific habitats.
Like beavers, these animals need to live on particularly watery terrain, next to rivers or lakes being the most common habitat.
Damns, the use of pesticides on crops, climate changes, all of these contribute to the destruction and/or alteration of this creature’s habitat.
In Darwin’s example, one bird in one island had a beak better suited to eat the fruits of the island it was from, while the same species from a neighbour island had a less curvy and pointier beak, so it could eat the fruits with a harder shell and even hunt small rodents with more ease.

10 Tips To Protect The Environment

1. Establish Principles Environmentalists

2. Make an investigation of resources and processes

3. Establish an environmentally and ecologic purchases

4. Encouraging others

5. Preventing waste

6. Avoid polluting the environment

7. Preventing environmental risk of attacks

8. Register their environmental goals and the results that achieved

9. Take the initiative to inform people so that they can minimize the damage

10. Devote time to volunteer work

It's Consequence

• Public Health
• Effects on materials
• Acid rain
• Greenhouse effect
• Climate Changes
• Economic Costs

The main countries more polluted

• United States - 24.3 %
• China - 14.5%
• Russia - 5.9%
• India - 5.1%
• Japan - 5.0%
• Germany - 3.3%
• United Kingdom - 2.3%
• Canada - 2.1%
• South Corea - 1.8%
• Italy - 1.8%

What are Eatrhquakes?

Earthquakes are natural disasters caused by a movement deep underground in the Earth’s tectonic plates. This natural disaster can destroy even the best built structures with his powerful.
Earthquakes can also cause others natural disasters, like, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions. It is unpredictable, occurring with no method of prediction, and are capable of killing many people.

One of the most Earthquakes was on 1 November 1755, in Lisbon, Portugal. This city was in ruins and in flames.

The Lisbon earthquake struck in mid-morning during a high religious holiday, All Souls Day. Shortly afterward, three large tsunamis swept over the city's harbor and killed many thousands of refugees. A week later, after untamable fires and unremitting aftershocks, essentially the whole city of Lisbon was in ashes, its people scattered, and perhaps half of its population dead.

This time I will tell you about the Iberian Lynx, a former favourite animal of mine which faces a dire near extinction dilemma.

This big cat, reaching one meter in length, is a very distinctive marker of the lynx race. It is the rarest feline in existence, with very few documented animals being alive.
Its feeding habits consist of mostly rabbits, but can involve other rodents and birds.

Its longer and stronger hind legs give it tremendous impulsion power, while its shorter fore legs are used to capture prey.

This extremely rare animal has a very peculiar head, possessing oddly shaped sideburns protruding from the sides of its head.

It lives mostly near forests or woods, but can come out to hunt its most common prey in open plains.

Its main threats are the ever so common habitat destruction and hunting of their prey, both can be attributed to human causes.

The following site is to be thanked for supplying useful info:
http://carnivora.fc.ul.pt/lince.htm

More and more, Portugal’s and Spain’s animals have been crossing borders and forming new habitats on the other country. A good example of this is the Iberian wolf, a big favourite of mine.

Personal bias apart, this big canine has seen his population cut short over the years.
Its sightings report it living mostly in northern Spain, Galiza to be exact, but some report it living in northern Portugal.

This wolf is actually the biggest of the wild canines, it possesses incredible strength in its hind legs and abdominal muscles, although it possesses longer forefront legs.
It possesses a strong and big head and a wide snout.
Its tail is a trademark feature, it being furry and always being positioned downward, not wagging even if the animal is moving.

This animal is rarely sighted itself, being a very stealthy nocturnal animal, but traces of its presence are not rare at all. These include mostly droppings, sets of footprints resembling a dog’s, but due to its pack mentality it usually is accompanied by other wolves, meaning more tracks.

This beast is so rarely seen that Portuguese laws prohibit its hunting, capture, habitat destruction or even any kind of deteriorating behaviour towards the wolfs themselves and their ecosystem. This law is especially strict during their mating period.

The increase in the number of wild dogs, and the destruction of its habitats as well as the increased hunting of its prey are what has driven this animal to near extinction.

Some info was adapted from the following site, to which I thank for cooperation:
http://carnivora.fc.ul.pt/lobo.htm

It may not seem like, but Portugal is a country blessed with a very rich wildlife, much of which stays away from most cities. These animals vary from the abundant rabbit to the much rarer fox.

Their ecosystems, or in other worlds, the environment they live in varies due to Portugal's various landscapes. From the cold mountains to the warmer plains, we may find different animals living here.

However, many of these animals are threatened with extinction, and most have us to blame for it. Over the coming weeks, I will post a few somewhat elaborate examples of Portugal’s endangered species:

Águia real:

This rare eagle is not only found in Portugal, but also in Northern Africa, Northern America and even some parts of Asia.
It prefers rocky terrain to hunt, being most often seen in mountains and sometimes valleys roaming for prey.
Due to this habitat preference, it is usually found in the northern reaches of Portugal, but occasionally making its way to Alentejo and sometimes even Algarve!

If you’d like to see one for yourself, your best bet would be to visit Parque Natural do Douro Internacional, as there are a few colonies living there.

The reasons why this bird is endangered are most commonly given to ruthless poachers who hunt it and, in turn, use it to hunt other animals for them.
Some say that metallic towers and high voltage poles are the ones to blame.

http://bicharada.net
Thank you for this site for giving us the original info:

What Types Of Existing Pollution?

• Air Pollution
  
  Air pollution is the effect caused by different elements in the atmosphere, solid, liquid or gaseous, derived mainly from human activity.
  The most serious problems of air contamination occurs in cities and areas with a high level of industrialization, but is increasingly generalize across the globe, which deserves our concern.

• Water Pollution
  
  Water pollution is the effect caused by industrial waste water is released into the same industry, but the industry that contributes most to this is the dyeing.The most serious problems of water contamination can cause the destruction of certain aquatic ecosystems and threaten many animals to be extincted.

• Noise Pollution
  

Noise pollution is any change in the physical properties of the environment, caused by a combination of original sound or sounds, permissible or not, which directly or indirectly would be harmful to health, safety and well. The sound is a vital part of the activities of living beings and the elements of nature.

• Luminous Pollution

Of all the types of pollution, the least known is luminous pollution. i's caused by the bad use of light in the lighting of streets, squares and homes. The lamps used in most lighting are inefficient, literally sending much of the light into space, so we waste energy to illuminate the street badly and still pollute the environment.

Pollution

Nowadays there is more and more pollution in our planet and it is necessary for all humans to help for that it doesn’t happen with frequency in the future
There are a lot of pollution varieties' like air pollution, sound pollution, and many more.
Pollution is caused by human actions, such as putting garbage on the floor, congested traffic, sending waste into the waters that causes the death of marine ecosystems.
For that not to happen we must all take measures such as not putting garbage on the floor, adopt the policy of the 3 R's, filter all the waste we launched, have the sanitation in our homes, put filters in the chimneys of industries, among others more. It is essential that all compliance with our obligations, so we have a much better future.

Climate Changes

In our days we assisted to a radical changes in our planet. One of them is climate changes. As we can see everiday, the climate is changing all the time.

Climate change is caused by the emission of pollutants that increase the greenhouse effect, by which gases in the atmosphere create a protective cover or an effect of warming the Earth to prevent the heat absorved from the sun's rays escaping into space. The gases responsible for the greenhouse effect include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, between others. Some of these have been affected by human activity increased considerably.

This phenomenon has several consequences like storms, floods, drought and species losses predicted.

I find in Internet* some curiosities about this theme:

--> Global temperature increased by 0.6 ° C since the beginning of the twentieth century.

--> About 0.4 º C of this warming occurred since the 1970's.

--> 1998 was the warmest year in 142 years.

--> 2001 was the third warmest year on the same period.

--> The decade of 90 was the warmest in the last 100 years.

*site: http://www.britishcouncil.org/br/brasil-science-climate-change-how-serious-is-threat.htm