Science - Climate Change Investigation

My Investigation on climate change

ACIDIFICATION!

ACIDIFICATION DEFINITION: 

Ocean Acidification (OA) is a term used to describe significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean. It occurs when carbon dioxide gas (or CO₂) is absorbed by the ocean and reacts with seawater to produce acid.

What is happening to the oceans? 

When carbon dioxide (CO₂) is absorbed by seawater, chemical reactions occur that reduce seawater pH, carbonate ion concentration, and saturation states of biologically important calcium carbonate minerals. These chemical reactions are termed "ocean acidification" or "OA" for short.

What does this do to Shellfish?

For oysters, scallops and other shellfish, lower pH means less carbonate, which they rely on to build their essential shells. As acidity increases, shells become thinner, growth slows down and death rates rise. ... They're using a form of calcium carbonate to build their shell that dissolves really easily.

DEFORESTATION!

Definition:

The action of clearing a wide range of trees. (Getting rid of trees).

What are trees used for?

Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses. In parts of the world, forests are shrinking as trees are cleared to increase the amount of land available for agriculture.

How does Deforestation affect the climate?

Burning or cutting down trees reverses the effects of carbon sequestration and releases greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere. Furthermore, deforestation changes the landscape and reflectivity of earth's surface. 

 

ICE CAP MELT!

Definition:

A polar ice cap is a region of land at the North or South Pole of a planet that is covered with ice. ... The melting of the polar ice caps is caused by the overall increase in global temperature, and this melting can have serious consequences for all organisms on Earth.

If all the ice melted what would happen?

If all the ice covering Antarctica , Greenland, and in mountain glaciers around the world were to melt, sea level would rise about 70 meters (230 feet). The ocean would cover all the coastal cities.

WATER VAPOUR!

Definition:

Water vapor is water that is in the form of a vapor, or gas. It is a part of the water cycle. When liquid water is heated to boiling temperature, 100 degrees Celsius, it all turns into vapor.

How does water vapour and Evaporation contribute to Climate Change?

Put simply, water evaporates from the land and sea, which eventually returns to Earth as rain and snow. Climate change intensifies this cycle because as air temperatures increase, more water evaporates into the air.

Science - Decomposition

Decomposition:

Aim: To learn about the rate that different materials decompose. 
                           
Hypothesis: I think that the banana would break down first, then the bread and the paper, then the styrofoam. 

MATERIALS:

1. Paper
2. Banana
3. Bread
4. Styrofoam
5. Test tube x4
6. Test tube rack
7. Water

STEPS:

1. Put the test tube in the test tube rack.
2. Put the Styrofoam in one of the test tube.
3. Put the paper in one of the test tube.
4. Put the bread in one of the test tube.
5. Put the banana in one of the test tube.
6. Put water in all of the test tubes.
7. Then leave it. 

           

Findings:

TODAY	Colour	Change	Observations
Banana	yellow/brown	nothing	banana is half of the Tube
Paper	brown	nothing	taking up most of the Tube
Styrofoam cup	white	nothing	taking up half of the Tube
Bread	beige	nothing	taking up most of the Tube

•  The banana is half of the Tube 
•  The Paper is taking up most of the Tube
•  The Styrofoam is taking up most of the Tube 
•  The bread is taking up most of the Tube 

3 weeks	Colour	Change	Observations
Banana	black brown cream	rotten	bottom of the tube
Paper	brown	nothing	bottom of the tube
Styrofoam cup	white	nothing	halfway of the tube
Bread	black white green	rotten	halfway of the tube

•  The banana is half of the Tube 
•  The Paper is taking up most of the Tube
•  The Styrofoam is taking up most of the Tube 
•  The bread is taking up most of the Tube 

5 weeks	Colour	Change	Observations
Banana	black brown cream	rotten	bottom of the tube
Paper	brown	nothing	bottom of the tube
Styrofoam cup	white	nothing	halfway of the tube
Bread	black white green	rotten	halfway of the tube

   

•  The banana is half of the Tube 
•  The Paper is taking up most of the Tube
•  The Styrofoam is taking up most of the Tube 
•  The bread is taking up most of the Tube 

CONCLUSION:

We found out that the Banana rotted first then the Bread but the Cup and Paper did not change.
We also found out that the things that we put in the Test Tube changed colours.

Science -Fossil Fuels

Aim: To learn about the impact of fossil fuels on our environment. 

Materials: 

1. Cookie
2. Toothpick
3. Plate

Steps:

1. Draw a picture of the cookie
2. Draw a picture of a habitat
3. Start mining the chocolate chips off the cookie without breaking it
4. Count how many chocolate chips you have mined and then show it to the teacher.
5. Eat the cookie if you want to
6. Then answer the questions about your habitat

QUESTIONS:

1. What type of habitat is it? A forest with mountains
2. What plants and animals live there? Fox, snakes, Leopards, Tigers.
3. How does human use your habitat? They use my habitat for hiking, rock climbing, and killing animals for food.

AFTER MINING:

1. How has your habitat changed? There were no more animals and less trees. There were holes that have been not digged completely.
2. How can we avoid this in the future? Stop hiking and leave the animals alone. Start camping and just explore and make memories and take pictures and most of all HAVE FUN!

CONCLUSION:
Today in science, we have been focusing on fossil fuels. We did some mining on a cookie, drew some pictures of the cookie and a habitat and then answered some questions related to the habitat that we have chose. I have learnt that mining actually affects our environment and our surroundings.  

Science - Renewable Energy

Hurumanu - Renewable Energy

Aim: To make a solar powered oven.

Materials: 

1.   Sellotape
2. Scissors
3. Pizza Box
4. Straw
5. Marshmallows
6. Biscuit
7. Glad Wrap
8. Tinfoil
9. black plastic
10. Ruler
11. Vivid Marker

Steps:

1. Cut out the flap on the lid of the pizza box so that it is 5 cm around the edge. 
2. Sellotape some tinfoil on the inside of the flap
3. Sellotape some glad-wrap so that the hole you have cut on the pizza box lid is covered over with glad wrap
4. Put a piece of black plastic on the bottom of inside the pizza box on the bottom
5. Make a paper square that fits inside the pizza box and lays around the edge. 
6. Put a marshmallow on top of a chocolate biscuit, place it on a plastic plate and put it in the solar oven
7. Put it in the sun to cook. 

Time	Temperature
0	Haven't started
15	haven't started
30	haven't started
45	haven't started

Conclusion:

This term in week 2 in science, we have started a new experiment called Renewable energy. We got into groups of four. We had to make a solar powered oven by using the following materials on Mr Palmer's blog and also watch a video and write down the steps on how to make it. After that we got to make a s'more and put it in our solar oven that we made and leave it resting in the sun to cook.
Overall it was a great experiment and lesson and I enjoyed learning about renewable energy.    

Science Water cycle

Science Water Cycle

AIM: TO LEARN ABOUT WATER ON EARTH.

Scientific words:

• Evaporation. When water is heated by radiant energy it turns into water vapor.
• Transpiration. Evaporation from plants.
• Condensation. When water vapor cools, molecules join together and form clouds.
• Precipitation. When clouds get heavy the waters falls as rain, sleet, hail, or snow.
• Acidification: the action or process of making or becoming acidic.

THE WATER CYCLE EXPERIMENT

Bag 1: Normal Water cycle

Bag 2: Water cycle with CO2 added: like Oceans in climate change

Bag 3: Water cycle with ice added: like Antarctica in climate change

Material:

1.  Plastic bag
2.  vivid
3.  water
4.   food colouring
5. baking soda
6. litmus paper

Steps:

1. get your plastic bag and your vivid 
2.  then draw the water cycle on it (Like in my photos)
3.  put 1 cup of water in your bag
4. add 2 drops of food colouring
5.  add one tsp of baking soda
6. then put litmus paper at the top and see if it changes colour.

Findings:

	The Water Cycle: Bag 1	CO2 Water Cycle: Bag 2 Acid	Desert Water Cycle Bag 3
Does it cycle?	2	2
Amount of Water	2	2
Acidity	1	1

Key: Water and acidity amount: 

1 = none 

2 = small 

3 = large 

Conclusion: Normal water cycle: It was a small cycle and small amount of water.

Water cycle with acid: The bag with baking soda is the same, small amount of water and small cycle.

Art Hurumanu - Narrative Writing Blogpost

For Art Hurumanu, we have been working on Stop Motion movies along with narrative writing, Our narrative writing had to be based on Manaakitanga (Kindness).  Currently our group have been creating figures for our Stop Motion Movies using Clay, after we've created our figures we have to film our movie then we edit and add our voices in the background. Below is our narrative Writing. Hope you enjoy it! 

NARRATIVE WRITING! 

After a long boring day at School Ana was walking home she was just around the corner from the crazy woman's house, She turned her mobile phone on - She checked the answering machine for new messages, she found a least expected message, it was from her mother’s divorce lawyer. Even though she was aware of what was happening between her parents, she was still surprised. Things were bad between her parents, and her mum had already threatened to divorce with her father one that year. They started going out on dates again afterwards, though, and Ana thought they were fine after that. Before things turned sour Ana though her family was normal. Even Suzie her best friend once commented that her family was perfect, It turns out not so much. 

Unfortunately her parents officially divorced that September, Soon Ana and her mother moved to a completely different place. For Ana it was a nightmare.. One day she was living among the piles of boxes at their house, and the next she was sleeping on a mattress on the ground in a foreign house, going to a completely different bus stop in a different neighbourhood. Ana’s 17th Birthday was only a matter of months after the divorce, and it was a nightmare. Both of her parents were there, along with most of her mum’s family. Everyone tried to pretend that everything was normal, but it wasn’t. Some of Ana’s relatives didn’t even want to attend her birthday. 

A year later after the divorce,
it was very stressful for Ana, although she settled into a routine after six months,
she still wouldn’t stand everything that has happened in the past. Ana’s was juggling
both of her own problems and her family’s problems, along with a whole advance of
school overdue work. She almost broke under the pressure. The fact that she didn’t
talk to anyone about the divorce at first, and then moving to a completely
different place and not being able to see her friends. On the other hand, Ana's
mother was facing
some financial problems, such as no income, trying to pay the same bills, and no
way to afford groceries. 

Then One day Ana was  strolling the boring street around from her house.
Coming home she found a box with heaps of food inside, she was filled with tears of
joy and she remembered one of the days that her father had got her a box of toys
when she was young but now it was a box of food. This went on for months;
coming home
finding a grey box of food in front of their door. When her mother finally got a job
their
angel stopped providing food. Ana and her mother never did find out who it was
who left the box of food for them, but that kind-hearted person truly saved their
lives. 

Wildlife of Aotearoa : Manaia Seahorse

Here is a poster of my research based on Manaia Seahorse.

Science Hurumanu: Measuring Weather

Wind power|Conservation|Sustainability
              
         Extreme weather|Measuring weather

Definitions:

1. Anemometer: Is an instrument which measures the wind.
2.  Beaufort Wind Scale:  It is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observe conditions at sea or on land. 

Materials:

1.  Sellotape
2.  Pencil
3.   2 Pencils
4.   4 cups
5.  Pin

Steps:

1. Sellotape the sticks to the cups
2. Sellotape the sticks together to make a cross
3. Pin the cross to the rubber on the pencil   

Group Investigation:

 Group Sizes: 5

Roles:

• Timekeeper
• Counter
• Recorder
• Anemometer Manager
• Wind Manager

1. Mount the anemometer in a place that has full access to the wind from all directions.
2. When the time keeper says "Go", the counter in each group will count how many times the marked cup passes them in one minute and write it down. 
3. Repeat the above step four (4) times and record the number of spins on the chart.

FINDINGS

• Record how many times it spins and record it in the table below.

• You will need to time them and count the number of spins.

	Place name on school grounds	Number of Spins in 15 seconds
1.	Field	20
2.	Old J Block site	15
3.	Grass hill in squad	10
4.	Tennis court gate	3

       

WHICH IS THE WINDiEST AREA AND WHY?

 WHICH IS THE CALMEST AREA AND WHY?

WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE ON LAND TO BUILD A WINDMILL?

Conclusion:

On the old J Block site, the Anemometer spun 60 spins per minute. It had a wind speed of 13-20 kph. This speed is 3 on the Beaufort Scale.

On the Grass Hill in the squad, the Anemometer spun 40 spins per minute. It had a wind speed of 2-5 kph. This speed is 1 on the Beaufort Scale. (Shown by direction of wind smoke drift, but not by wind vanes.)

On the Tennis Court gate, the Anemometer spun 12 spins per minute. It had a wind speed of 2-5 kph. This speed is 1 on the Beaufort Scale.

According to the data, the most spins on the Anemometer is on the field, with 80 spins per minute and it had a wind speed of 13-20 kph. The least spins on the Anemometer was by the Tennis Court gate, it spun only 12 spins per minute. It had a wind speed of 2-5 kph. 

Based on your findings what was the Wind Speed and the Beaufort Wind Force for each area.

	Spins per minute	Wind speed ( kph)	Beaufort Scale
Field	80	13-20 kph	3
Old J Block site	60	13-20 kph	3
Grass hill	40	2-5 kph	1
Tennis Court Gate	12	2-5 kph	1