Author Archives: alyshamorden

Could Climate Change Be Killing Fish?

Environmental issues are rising more than ever, it seems. From development of pipelines to salmon farming, we have to make sure that the environment is not getting pushed to the backburner.

The climate is warming, this is a fact. What we don’t know for a fact is how this warming of the climate is going to affect the earth and the organisms on it. For example, one thing people probably don’t think about is fish and how climate change could be affecting them. The climate is warming and therefore the ocean temperatures are rising. This could potentially decrease fish populations which also cause problems for fisheries around the world.

One way that fisheries can deal with this is by implementing harvest control rules, and by using flexible-date rather than fixed-date seasonal openings. Harvest control rules are a network of guidelines that protect certain species to some degree, based on their relative abundance during certain years or seasons. When these rules are adjusted to changing climates, fisheries can be more effective in protecting fish species. Flexible-date openings mean that fisheries adjust what time of the year they open and close, also based on changing climates. Therefore they can be more proactive in allowing fishing during the right water temperatures; for example, they can time fishing around spawning seasons more accurately.

In terms of fishery management B.C is doing well, but there is still room for improvement.  Michael C. Melnychuk, a visiting scientist at UBC who is a researcher in fisheries science at the University of Washington, talks to a group of UBC students about the current state of fisheries worldwide and what they can do to be improving. His research involves collecting data on fisheries around the world and comparing their management systems, and how effective they are in terms of working with climate change and unpredictabilities associated with fish stocks.

Here is what happened when a UBC student went to investigate:

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video credit to Diane Mutabaruka, Shaun Ong, Chloe Bocker, Alysha Morden

Everyone is affected by the fishing industry, directly or not. Sam, a fisherman at Steveston in Richmond, was interviewed on popular radio show “Life at Work” from the Science 300 studio. He acknowledges that fishermen are, understandably, motivated by personal interest, which is why extra precautions need to be taken by the government and fisheries alike in monitoring and protecting fish populations. After all, Sam’s just trying to make a living. Here is what Sam said:

Life at Work

So, UBC students want to save the fish population so they can continue to eat their sushi and Sam the fisherman just wants to be able to fish where he wants when he wants. Unlike Sam, we want to save the fish! Climate change is happening and we are not entirely sure how to control it. Management strategies however are something we can control. This is why we believe that management strategies are the way to go in helping to save the fish populations.

-B.C. Environmental Activists

Life as a Fish

Look at the poor little fish flopping around! They must be in pain right? Actually no,  they might not be!

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via youtube user nclspttr

Are you one of those people that feel sad for those little fish when you see them squirming in pain? If yes, then you will be happy to know that these fish may not actually be in pain at all. Research has been done that says that fish are  physically incapable of feeling pain.

On the other hand, there has been some research done that claims fish do feel pain; however, the science in this research is not always accurate. Most of this research fails to differentiate between nociception and actual pain. Nociception is basically a pain-free response to remove an unpleasant sensation. This response comes from the nociceptors. Researchers see this response and assume that it is pain when really it isn’t.

There has also been research done that says fish do not feel pain; and here is the main reason why. Fish have quite a few A-delta fibers which are responsible for the first reaction one has to avoid pain. For example, pulling your hand away from a hot object before you get burnt. They have a very small amount of C-type fibers which provide intense and lasting pain.

A photo of nerve fibers via flickr user akay

So next time you feel bad for that little fishy flopping around, maybe you should think again. That fish may be one of the luckiest organisms out there. Imagine a life where you don’t need to feel pain. Could be pretty great right? I beat you are wishing you were a fish right now. Just like this happy guy!

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A happy fish via wiki media user bramfab

How to stay warm through the long winter months

Do you sit in your house every night wrapped in blankets because it’s so cold? I know I do. Especially with the cost of heating these days, who has the money to heat a whole house ? Also, there is the problem that heating a house in the most common ways, such as gas and electric, can not be very sustainable. There is good news though! There is a way you can be saved from the long winter months without breaking the bank or killing the environment. It’s called geothermal energy.

A Geothermal energy facility in Iceland.
via Wikkimedia Commons

Geothermal energy is thermal energy that is stored inside the earth. This energy is partially from the formation of the earth and partially from radioactive decay inside the earth. This form of energy is important to us because we can actually pull it out of the earth and use it to heat our homes. Here is a simple video that explains how this happens:

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via youtube user newgroundwork

This is helpful to us in today’s world because it is renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly. It is said to be renewable because there is an unbelievable amount of thermal energy inside the earth which is already cooling slowly. Therefore, the amount that we extract is so small in comparison that is doesn’t have much effect on the earth. It also has very low emissions which is why it is said to be environmentally friendly. This could help the serious problem of global warming.

In addition, Geothermal energy use is also cost efficient. Pumps are used to get the energy; therefore, no fuel is necessary. This helps the cost because you do not need to worry about the rise or fluctuations in the price of fuel.

Upon the review of the evidence shown, it is seen that all hope is not lost. Geothermal energy can be an excellent way to keep you and your family warm this winter.

 

 

Levitation by Superconducting Materials

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Here is a photo of a magnet levitating above a super conductor.
via Wikimedia user Judobroff

Above you see a photo of a magnet that is “magically” floating. This photo raises many questions. How is this magnet floating? Could this lead to floating objects in real life? Could we float cars? Well here are your answers:

The magnet floats because of the surface composition. The surface is made of sapphire crystals, an aluminum oxide compound, which are poor conductors. Then it is coated with yttrium copper oxide which is a super conductor. Super conductors are compounds that will conduct electricity without resistance below a certain temperature.

More over, Super conductors hate magnetic fields due to the Meissner Effect. They allow electric current to flow easily. When this surface is put near a magnetic field currents are created to expel the field inside. Then the magnet doesn’t move because the surface doesn’t want to change it’s magnetic field. The magnet is held above the surface because of tiny gaps in the surface that the magnetic field seeps into.

Here is an example of what happens when the super conductor is made into a disc and is placed above magnets.

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via youtube user newscientistvideo

In this video you see that the disc is suspended about the magnets just as the magnet is suspended in the photo above. This happens for all the reasons are listed above.

So the questions remains, is this going to be the new technology that leads to hovering objects or even hovering cars? Well firstly, the superconducting surface only works because it is cooled with liquid nitrogen. Therefore we would have to have our roads covered in liquid nitrogen which is not quite possible yet. In addition, these cars would have to be completely made of magnets. So unfortunately, no. I don’t think this is going to lead to hovering cars anytime soon.

This is unfortunate because hovering cars could be useful to us in life. If the magnets were powerful enough and the technology was advanced enough we could have more freedom on the roads. Cars would no longer have to stick to the road and stay behind each other. We would have the freedom to float anywhere and maybe even fly under or above other cars. For now though, we are going to need to stick to the same old technology of wheels rolling along the pavement.