Breathe in, Breathe out. A Guide to Our Atmosphere

So! Let me tell you why we know exactly why the world is flat! Okay okay… it’s not quite as hot a topic and as debated and contentious as that, but, as of the last five years or so it has kicked up a decent bit of a stir. The topic is the link between volcanoes and climate. But maybe not in the way you would think. We know that v olcanic eruptions cause global cooling by shooting particles into the air but what if there was a likelihood that global warming and climate change increase volcanic activity? Volcanoes The first question is: How possibly does climate change and global warming affect volcanic activity? The answer is relatively simple, fewer ice sheets means less pressure on the crust leading to more active movements and, hence more volcanic activity. The main movement occurs in the upper mantle and the crust, this increased movement means more magma production leading to more eruptions. One of the first ideas that came to be with this conclusion was the increase of volcanic...

How do we know how old the last ice age was? How do we know how old our oldest ancestors are? How do we know how old the Earth is? Isotopes is how and this is my guide to understanding them and how they are used in dating.  What is an isotope? An element is defined by its protons, neutrons and electrons. Isotopes are elements that have differing number of neutrons to protons, affecting elemental mass but keeping chemical properties similar. Physical properties do change isotope to isotope affecting mass, melting, boiling and freezing points as well as density. These changes in physical properties are what scientists use to track and determine age and environment such as the decay of Carbon-14  or the ratio between Oxygen-16 and Oxygen-18 used in climate reconstruction.   How are oxygen isotopes used to reconstruct climate? So now that we understand what isotopes are and why they matter to scientists, I can now further elaborate on the methodological approach as to why ...

It has been about 4.6 billion years since the formation of the atmosphere and earth.  Around 500 million years ago did the air become inhabitable for life as we know it. Only about 6 million years ago did our earliest ancestors walk the earth  and most importantly, there is only 104 days of summer vacation and school comes along just to end it.  My name is Nicholas and I am by no means a professional on the history of time but I am sure you are wondering: why the comparison between the timeline of life as we know it, and Phineas and Ferb? Let's talk about it.  Phineas and Ferb were able to create around 180 inventions during their  104 days of summer vacation . A staggering rate of creation, destruction and recreation during a small time that they had. All while still managing to evade Candace, their sister, exposing the creations to their parents. I compare this to Earth. Take the start of summer vacation as the birth of Earth, and the end of vacation as today...