Waves, tides, and currents are all examples of underwater energy sources. As technology advances, scientists are looking more to the ocean as a renewable energy source in order to replace the harmful burning of fossil fuels. Ocean waves, tides, and currents can all produce insurmountable amounts of energy, but it has proven tricky to capture this energy.

One solution to harnessing energy from underwater is through the use of underwater turbines. They look somewhat like wind turbines, but they are a lot stronger, because they have to withstand the pressure and power of very rough currents. Many areas exist that are perfect locations for such turbines, an example of which is the northeast U.S. coast, just off the state of Maine. The ocean currents are very strong, and they can easily turn the turbines that are underwater. This generates electricity and other energy forms.

Another renewable energy source available from the ocean is called ocean thermal energy. The ocean surface water is warmed up by the sun, which creates a massive difference in temperature between the deeper water and the surface water. It is precisely this temperature difference that provides thermal energy. This energy source is dependable and renewable because the ocean comprises over 70 percent of the earth’s surface. So, utilizing ocean thermal energy could be yet another step to a cleaner environment.

Another type of energy available form the ocean is called mechanical energy. This energy entails using waves and tides. Tides are found under the surface of the water and are the result of the gravitational pull of the moon. Turbines can be used to harness tidal energy, much like in the case of currents. The turbine must be carefully placed though, in order to get the most use out of them. They are most effective where the tidal ranges are the largest.

Ocean energy is a very attractive source of energy in many ways, simply because of the vastness of the planet’s oceans. The costs of implementing underwater energy projects are projected to decrease drastically, and the payback period on investments will also decrease proportionately. Our oceans hold one of the keys to a more sustainable world and clean environment, and it is very possible that one day we will be able to access and capture a lot of the energy the oceans have to offer. This would be a tremendous breakthrough in the world of alternative energy. Where we stand today, it takes a lot of capital to implement an underwater energy project, and it could take years before all of the materials and specialists are gathered in order to build the equipment necessary to build the machinery. It is important for this machinery to be strong enough to withstand rough weather and water conditions. So, because of the high costs, it is not yet common to produce underwater turbines. However, it is a very sound concept, and it is only a matter of time before it is properly implemented.

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Ever since the famous 2005 tsunami wave that hit Thailand and its surrounding islands, tsunamis have been given great importance and rightly so. Tsunami waves are among the worst disasters that nature can throw at us in all its furious glory, and since the 2005 disaster special attention has been given to the science of the formation of tsunami waves, so as to form a fool proof warning system which all islands and coastal areas can implement. These warning systems provide a “heads-up” signal in case of a tsunami, although they can only give a warning a few minutes before the event, but sometimes a few minutes is all you need to save countless lives. So, let’s look into how tsunamis are formed.

Let’s start with a mental visual of a tub of water to better grasp the concept of tsunami formation: visualize the tub filled almost to the rim, now take a cup and submerge it into the water upside down such that the air is still trapped inside the cup when it is submerged. Now, slowly turn the cup right side up under the water. What happens? Water rushes into the cup to fill the vacancy and bubbles form and come to the surface making miniature waves (or big ripples). Now imagine that the cup is actually the sea bed, and the ocean is rushing into fill the vacant space.

In scientific terms, a tsunami is a seismic sea wave which is the result of any sudden change in the seabed. These sudden changes can be in the form of an earthquake, a landslide, a volcanic eruption or a meteorite impact. A tsunami caused by a meteorite impact is extremely rare. The most common is by an earthquake. Earthquake generated tsunamis occur at areas where the earth’s tectonic plates meet. In such tsunamis, the earthquake moves these tectonic plates which creates pressure and pushes the water above. Therefore, tsunami waves are then formed when the disturbed or displaced water, driven by the gravitational force, tries to find a stable position once more.

Tsunamis formed by landslides also follow the same pattern as the tsunamis caused by earthquakes. The only difference is the fact that under water landslides occur as a result of an earthquake. Therefore, even when a tsunami is created due to an underwater landslide, the culprit is an earthquake and hence, is going to be situated along the boundaries of earth a.k.a tectonic plates.

Tsunamis caused by volcanic eruptions can be explained through a simple example of a boiling a pot of water. When you boil water, what happens? Violent bubbles start to form which soon take the shape of violent waves. When an underwater volcano erupts, it displaces a column of water and overheats it. The result on the surface is a tsunami.

In essence, tsunamis are formed because of the water’s attempts to find a stable position (to settle) again, under the influence of gravity.

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tsunami.noaa.gov

In a world finally waking up to the many horrors of global warming, countries are finally realizing the potentially lethal effects it may have on our very existence. Regional climates have already started changing, the ice caps are melting at an alarming rate; all in all our earth is quickly reaching its boiling point. However, through the efforts of a few well organized institutions, organizations and individuals, world leaders are finally realizing the dangers and implementing, perhaps grudgingly, climate protective policies.

Some nations are making great leaps towards a cleaner and healthier earth, by formulating environment friendly policies and ensuring their strict implementation. The cities of these nations are therefore, naturally, the cleaner and less polluted than any other city in the world. While there is a list of some of the cleanest and least polluted cities in the world – this list will change as more countries and cities step up to the plate to add their names.

6 – Calgary – the largest city in Alberta, Canada has time and again been declared one of the greenest cities in the world. The city is able to maintain such high levels of cleanliness due to its efficient transportation system and an extremely well planned traffic grid system, reducing the harmful emissions from automobiles. It has many factories, but it has been able to keep the pollution to a minimal due to its advantageous climate as well as effective administrative controls.
5 – Honolulu – it is an American city and the low levels of pollution in the city are mainly due to the lack of pollution generating industries. Its proximity to the ocean coupled with a well managed bus transit system has enabled it to keep its pollution levels very low.

4 – Helsinki – it is Europe’s least polluted city. Their light rail system is so efficient that the city’s the residents can keep the pollution emissions at a low level, and the use of automobiles is kept to a bare minimum.

3 – Ottawa – the 2nd Canadian city to make the list. Again, their efficient light commuter system coupled with the efforts of the population mean that the pollution levels remain low. Almost 60,000 citizens participate every year in the city’s “Spring Cleaning the Capital” campaign to clean the public parks, roads, streets etc.

2 – Minneapolis – the trademark of this American city is its administration’s environmentally friendly policies. Like other cities that made this list, this city also has an efficient light commuter system, while its people enjoy alternative means of transportations such as biking.

1 – Oslo – the government of Norway has made a serious commitment to a greener environment, which is why starting in 2010,  the government has decided to implement a bus transit system run on fuel generated from human waste. Other than this they have an integrated bicycle rental system which the citizens can rent from the 90 different stations in the city.

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1. Wind. This is probably the most promising of all sustainable energy sources. There is a lot of potential in wind energy. Currently wind power is responsible for producing about 20 percent of Denmark’s electricity, and about 7 percent of Germany’s electricity – the country that has the largest market in the world for wind power. However, there are some disadvantages to wind power as well. Of course, it is necessary to put the wind turbines in very windy places, otherwise they will not be effective. This means they would simply not work in certain areas of the world.

2. Geothermal Power. Under the earth’s crust there is a great amount of heat, and it is possible to generate electricity using this heat. This process is clean, and it requires the water to be heated into steam, which is then used for heat and electricity generation. Geothermal plants can work all day and night and they are environmentally friendly, so this is a source of sustainable power. However, geothermal energy is only available is some parts of the world, like the U.S., East Africa, Central America, and the Philippines.

3. Municipal Waste to Energy Programs. This is also very promising sustainable energy source. Waste to energy programs basically take household garbage that we discard and turn it into sustainable power, which comes back to us in the form of electricity for our homes and businesses. The best thing about them is that as we are cleaning up our overfilled landfills, we are creating electricity at the same time!

4. Tidal Power. This is another type of sustainable power, because the tides in the ocean are very powerful. Their energy can be captured and then converted to electricity. This renewable energy source is completely clean and it does not contribute to global warming.

5. Solar Power. This is one of the most powerful sustainable energy sources. If we were able to capture and use all of the sunlight we get in just one day, we could supply the entire earth with energy for one year! It is also completely clean, with no pollution or damage to the environment involved. Solar power can be generated through panels that can be installed on the roof of almost any structure. They can also be used for domestic purposes, like heating your home. It is also possible to use solar power as a solution for industrial heating or for cooling equipment.

6. Biomass. In this source of sustainable power, plants like corn are converted into ethanol. The ethanol is then burned by power plants and this generates power. Ethanol can be added to gasoline, which decreases foreign oil dependence. However, there have been some complaints from developing countries about using food crops that could be eaten for converting to ethanol, so this energy source is far from perfect.

7. Wave Power. There can be incredible amounts of energy derived from waves, especially when a storm hits. Of course, this is also the major drawback of this sustainable energy source, because the equipment used for this method has to be strong enough to survive the weather conditions necessary to generate wave power, and has to be able to withstand the corrosive forces of the sea.

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Biomass energy production is considered as one of the greatest prospects for the green low carbon future. Many researchers are currently focused on the generation of energy using biomass, and on the economic challenges involved. The origin of the biomass, the logistics, as well as storage and handling make up an entire energy supply chain with a large number of variables.

The biomass conversation supply chain is not yet developed. Many of the transportation, storage and handling systems that are required still need to be set up. For biomass conversation to be cost efficient, existing infrastructure and technology needs to be leveraged in the meantime.

Power plants need to be located near sources of biomass. The huge amount of product needed to run a large scale power plants means that this would significantly effect the overall cost of the energy generation.

An important issue that biomass power plants face is that a continuous supply of fuel is not guaranteed. For this reason the facility needs to be able to process a variety of biomass fuel types. Enormous quantities of biomass are required, and transportation, storage and handling costs are high. For instance, it costs nearly 3 times the amount to transport wet wood chips for biomass fuel than coal, and 5 times the amount if the chips are dry. Densifying biomass for transportation is an option. This in itself is an additional expense, but worth considering if the biomass needs to be transported a long distance. Densification reduces moisture and significantly increases the density of the material.

In the Pacific Northwest the estimated cost to generate electricity from biomass conversion (biomass feedstock energy) is around 6 cents per KWh. This is quite high when you consider that a gas-fired power plant produces energy for less than 3 cents per KWh. However, many factors such as those described above can heavily influence the cost of biomass energy production. In addition, new gasification technologies are likely to reduce the cost of biomass power generation in the future. Biomass feedstock energy can become more cost effective by developing particularly cheap to produce sources of biomass such as rapeseed oil The design of the facilities and the location of the station is of great importance too. All this can bring the cost of biomass energy production down to a level which is competitive with current methods of energy production.

When talking about “costs,” the environmental cost is at least as important as the economic cost. The world is taking the first tangible steps to moving away from a carbon based economy, and the development of biomass energy production is one important step in this direction. Coal power stations emit vast amounts of carbon and pollutants Gas power stations also pump large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Nuclear power stations produce hazardous radioactive components. Biomass power plants are much cleaner and emit much less carbon. In time they may become the predominant method of energy production.

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bioenergy.ornl.gov,
en.wikipedia.org

Fossil fuels: oil, gas and coal, are being consumed at an exponentially higher rate than they are forming, and so sometime down the line there just isn’t going to be anything left, or at least anything that is economically feasible to extract. Fossil fuels have formed over millions of years, and are the fossilized remains of plants and animals. The influence of heat and pressure on these remains ever so gradually turned them into the fuels that we extract and use today. Click to read more about fossil fuels formation.

Although the stats differ, something like 90 percent of the greenhouse gases that are released each day in the world come from the burning of oil, gas and coal. In addition, fossil fuels pollution occurs as a result of the release of a large number of toxins, such as sulfur dioxide and heavy metals. These pollutants are eating away at the lungs of every person who lives in a car-filled city. Fossil fuels pollution is truly one of the greatest issues facing this generation.

So what can be done to reduce the pollution from fossil fuels?

1 – Demand reduction: Despite the fact that the population of the world is rising, we need to reduce the consumptions of fossil fuels globally, by using less energy as an individual. Applications such as the Google Energy Tool can help you do this. Many people have the mindset that what they do as an individual will not make a difference to the world, but they forget that all great things that have happened in this world have been a result of the actions of individuals. With the world in the state that it is now, there can be no excuse for people to waste energy anymore.

2 – Transfer to a low-carbon economy: Enlightened governments around the globe are now shifting their economy to one that has been based on fossil fuel consumption, to one that is based on the minimal release of carbon. These countries know that sooner or later the whole world will need to move away from fossil fuels, and they are investing big in order to get ahead of the competition and secure their economic future.

3 – The dawn of alternative energy sources: There is a feeling in Europe and the US that the time has come for a rapid and unprecedented growth of alternative energy, such as wind power, tidal power and solar power. Costs are coming down, and incentives are going up. Members of the Kyoto treaty are now bound by law to reduce their carbon emissions, and in many of these countries alternative energy is becoming mainstream. If things carry on as they are, in just a couple of generations we will have significantly reduced the pollution from fossil fuels, and this world will then be a healthier and more secure place to live in.

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fossil.energy.gov

Over the past 20 years global warming has been a hot topic and it is becoming an increasingly controversial issue. The negative effects of global warming are all very real, and the need for renewable energy to replace fossil fuels is increasing exponentially. However, not all of the effects on the climate would be so terrible. In fact, there may actually be some benefits of global warming.

The term “global warming” to begin with is a bit misleading, because it implies that the entire globe is heating up. This is not so. Only some areas of the world are experiencing increasing temperatures, while others will not experience any changes for many years, perhaps even centuries. Moreover, areas that normally experience extremely cold temperatures could actually see some positive effects of global warming. The number of deaths caused by frigid temperatures would drop substantially, which would result in reduced health care costs. Higher temperatures in those areas would also mean that less energy would be necessary for heating homes.

Amongst the supposed other benefits of global warming are safer winters. Since there would be less ice and snow on the roads, it would lead to less winter related accidents during the colder months. Once again, this will save the health care system a lot of money.

Other possible positive effects of global warming include advantages for farming. With colder areas warming up, it will be possible to use that land for living and agriculture. Thus, more crops will be able to grow in colder areas and the seasons for growing them would become longer. So, one of the benefits of global warming is that it could help increase the global food supply by cultivating previously unused land.

Having said all that, by no means is global warming a good thing in general. We should not try to find excuses to not conserve energy. The opposite is actually true. Energy conservation and the use of renewable energy sources is what will stop the negative effects of global warming. Our world will keep on experiencing this phenomenon in the future, even after we decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Energy conservation and the replacement of fossil fuels are key steps to ensure that our planet continues to be livable for our children and grandchildren. Whilst there may be some benefits of global warming, as we have discussed, they will be nothing compared to the multitude of problems the world would experience if it keeps on heating up at the rate that it is.

The issue of global warming is a serious one, and as the Earth’s inhabitants it is our responsibility to eliminate its negative effects, so that we continue on living as we are. The use of alternative energy like solar, wind, and biomass energy, as well as various others will minimize the downside of global warming as much as possible. Conservation of energy also allows us to make the most of the energy that we now possess without needing more, until the complete elimination of fossil fuel use.

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globalwarming.org

The great pacific garbage patch actually consists of two large areas – the eastern and the western patches. The eastern patch is between California and Hawaii and it is over twice the size of Texas alone. The western patch is located between Hawaii and Japan. These Pacific Ocean garbage patches collect currents that carry debris and waste from all over the globe. When the currents reach the great pacific garbage patch, they deposit the garbage they have accumulated. Because neither fishers nor tourists ever visit the area due to the lack of marine life, most people are not even aware of the existence of the pacific ocean garbage patches.

Some people have called it “the plastic island”, and according to them, it poses an enormous threat to the environment of the whole planet. However, others claim that it actually has great potential for alternative energy generation. There are waste to energy programs, which may turn the great pacific garbage patch into electricity and heat for homes and offices. Waste to energy power plants convert solid waste (even plastics) into energy. These waste to energy programs create a win-win situation in the case of the pacific ocean garbage patches. The trash would be taken out of the ocean, leaving the marine life and the birds unaffected by toxins, and energy can be generated by non-polluting methods.

These Pacific Ocean garbage patches have created an amazing opportunity for green energy. There are shortages of energy all over the world and fossil fuels are damaging the environment more and more, so something has to be done. Using the great pacific garbage patch for a plant under a waste to energy project could turn an environmental threat into an alternative energy source.

Waste to energy programs are a great way to turn pollution into energy. Such technology can prevent 40 million metric tons of emissions of greenhouse gas (in carbon dioxide equivalent form) from being released into the atmosphere every year. Waste to energy programs also prevent nearly 2.6 million tons of volatile organic compounds and 24,000 tons of nitrogen oxides from being released into the atmosphere.

The current way to get rid of garbage is land disposal, which causes the release of methane, which is a powerful greenhouse gas, as this garbage decomposes. Waste to energy facilities are a clean alternative to this and can also produce electricity. Their main benefit, of course, is decreasing reliance on power plants that result in carbon dioxide emissions when oil and coal are burned, which result in one of the worst kinds of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Waste to energy plants do not release methane into the atmosphere, which would otherwise occur when the trash decomposes. They also avoid the release of CO2, which is usually released when generating electricity using fossil fuels.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Pacific_Gyre

Global warming in Antarctica is a topic which has serious reprecussions for the world as a whole. The effects of global warming on Antarctica are stronger than its effects on any other part of the world. As most people are aware, the great problem is that the melting of huge ice sheets could lead to a huge increase in global sea levels, which means that it is vital to monitor the effects of global warming in Antarctica, as this then subsequently effects the whole world. So, how does global warming affect Antarctica?

1) In the last 30 years, global warming in Antarctica has sped up, and no less than seven gigantic ice shelves have reduced in area by 14,500 square kilometers.
2) The global warming effects on Antarctica is five times as strong as anywhere else. In the last fifty years, the continent hasexperienced a warming of around 4.5F, or 2.5C.
3) The Southern Ocean is warming fast. Measurements from the Southern Ocean waters around Antarctica showed an increase of 0.3F, or 0.17C in the average ocean temperature between the 50s and the 80s.
4) The global warming effect on Antarctica is rapidly decreasing its ice-thickness. For example, on one of the islands of Antarctica, called Signey, the permanent ice cover of its lakes has decreased by more than 45% in the last 60 years.
5) The famous Larsen B ice shelf has lost 3,250 square kilometers in the last 50 years. In 1995, 1995 km squared disintegrated suddenly, and in January to February 2002, the northern section of the shelf disintegrated. Nothing like this had been observed since scientists started studying Antarctica.
6) A large number of Antarctic penguins have suffered due to these changes. The population of the ubiquitous Antarctic penguin, the Adelie Penguin, has reduced by more than 33% in the last 25 years.
7) Scientists are very concerned about the fate of the massive West Antarctic ice sheet. If it collapses, it could raise sea levels by as much as an incredible 5.8 meters, which would be catastrophic for many islands and coastal areas around the world.

Antarctica remains the best guide scientists have to the impact of global warming. Many predictions that they make regarding the rest of the world comes from what they witness in Antarctica. For a variety of complex reasons, this part of the world is abnormally effected by global warming, and whilst the globe as a whole has not heated up that severly in recent decades, this region has got a lot hotter.

One of the most worrying aspects of global warming is rising sea levels, especially as most of the world’s great cities are located on the coast. Antarctica is the main reason that sea levels are rising, as that is where the majority of the worlds water is locked up in ice (thousands times more than, say, the north pole). Hundreds of scientists are stationed on Antarctica as you read this article, systematically recoding the breakup of ice sheets and reduction of ice cover.

In this article I have given some information on how does global warming affect Antarctica. On thing is clear, and that is this will eventually touch all of our lives. Let’s hope that society can move towards a sustainable future as quickly as possible in order to mitigate the effects of global warming in Antarctica and the world, and to keep the impacts of climate change to a minimum. The worst case scenarios projected by scientists (computer models) are unthinkable, but with rapid action we could still stay with the limits of the best case scenario (2 degree global increase in 100 years).

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globalwarming.org

There are two types of sources of energy in the world: renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources. Renewable energy sources include solar energy, biomass energy, wind energy, tidal energy, hydro energy, and geothermal energy. Non-renewable energy sources include oil, coal, natural gas, and nuclear energy.

Renewable energy sources are generated directly from nature, like the sun, rain, wind, tides, and it is possible to generate it over and over whenever it is needed. Renewable energy sources are abundant and are definitely the cleanest energy sources in Earth. For instance, it is possible to utilize the energy we get from the sun in order to generate electricity. Geothermal, wind, tides,and biomass energy from plants can also be used in different forms.

Most energy that is used in the world today is generated from non-renewable energy sources. These energy sources can be re-generated over a short period of time. Natural gas and oil are derived from anicent plant or animal remains or fossils. These remains are what we have been left with after millions of years of fluctuation in pressure and temperature.

There are pros and cons to using both renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy sources. First let’s look at renewable energy. The obvious advantages of it is that wind, sun, ocean, and geothermal energy is in abundance and completely free of charge. Secondly, renewable energy sources have very low or zero carbon emissions, so they are environmentally friendly. Thridly, it isn’t necessary to rely on any country to supply renewable energy sources, unlike its non-renewable counterparts.

However, things are not all so rosy with renewable energy sources. First of all, it is quite difficult set-up to get any of these sources to generate energy, and the starting costs can be astronomical. As in the case of solar energy, it can only be generated during the day, which completely excludes night-time and the rainy season. And to utilize wind energy, you have to depend on strong winds, so choosing the right place for the set-up can be challenging.

The obvious advantage of non-renewable energy sources is that they are ready, cheap, and easy to use. It is also cheap to convert one non-renewable energy type to another. However, a major disadvantage of non-renewable energy sources is that they are finite and will expire some time in the future. This will make the prices of these energy sources increase dramatically. They also cause severe environmental changes and are in a large way responsible for climate change and global warming. Non-renewable energy sources can have a serious impact on human health, as they are certainly not environmentally friendly.

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-renewable_resource