Polders

The Netherlands has over 3000 polders! The country has been creating polders for many years. Are you interested in how they create the polders? Check out this animation that shows the steps to filling in the land and keeping water out of the polders.

http://static.nai.nl/polders/e/hoe_e.html

Mount Everest

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world. At 29,035 feet it is actually growing about 1/2 inch per year as the Earth's plates continue to push against each other. The Himalya Mountain Range is located on the border of Nepal and China.

The first people to successfully climb Mount Everest were Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. They did it in 1953. Over 1200 other climbers have done it since then. Unfortunately, many climbers have also attempted to climb the mountain, but have died trying. The weather is very cold, with harsh winds and blizzards. Climbers also have to be careful of thick ice and avalanches. And what makes climbing 29,035 very difficult is that the atmospheric pressure is much different at that elevation. Humans only breathe in about 30% of the oxygen that they do at sea level. This makes it hard to get enough air and can make people tired and confused.

Use these links to find out more about Mount Everest:
National Geographic photo gallery
Read a story about a 13 year old who is trying to climb Mt. Everest right now!
A fact sheet about Mt. Everest

One interesting fact about Mt. Everest is that there are over 120 dead bodies still up on the mountain. It is difficult and dangerous to remove them. Check out this article about sherpas who will be removing garbage and dead bodies from Mt. Everest.

The Gift of the Nile

We have talked about floods as natural disasters, but flooding is not always a bad thing. In Egypt the Nile River has flooded every year for thousands of years. Egyptians call this flood the "Gift of the Nile" because it leaves behind soil that is very fertile and good for farming.

Other rivers around the world also flood each year. These floods can be good or bad for farming depending on how big the flood is.

Check out this website from PBS that explains flooding and its effects on the people who live close to rivers all over the world.

Urban Sprawl

Urban sprawl is a term that simply means the growth of cities. Especially in the past 50 years, cities have grown very quickly. But, they don't grow up, they grow out, taking over land that used to be farmland and forests.

In the United States today, 8 out of 10 people live in an urban area. Here in Arlington we are part of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The DC metro area has experienced significant urban sprawl over the past 20 years as people have moved further out into what used to be rural areas.

Although urban sprawl creates more places for people to live, there are some concerns about what will happen if houses and other developments are built too quickly. What will be the effects of cutting down so many trees? Will there be enough water and other resources to support all the new people? Will commuting from the suburbs cause too much pollution?

The photograph in the upper right corner was taken by Sarah Leen and can be found on the National Geographic website. It is of a suburban development in Loudoun County, which is in the DC metro area. Rural farmers are unhappy with this type of development so close to their farms.

Check out these websites to learn more:
1. From NASA, you can see images of how Baltimore, Maryland has grown over the last 300 years.
2. The Sierra Club is an environmental organization that encourages smart growth instead of urban sprawl.
3. National Geographic compares the American Dream of owning a home with a yard to the negative consequences of too much growth.

Deforestation

Yesterday we talked about the rainforests and why they are important. Environmental groups want to protect the rainforests because they are home to millions of species of plants and animals. The trees in the Amazon Forets alone also provide 25% of the world's oxygen.

We also discussed why some groups of people believe it is okay to cut down the trees in the rainforest. Groups like logging companies and cattle ranchers believe that cutting down trees to get timber (wood) and to create farmland helps the economy and creates jobs. Some poor families also support cutting down trees so they can have land to support themselves.

Remember that the definition for deforestation is the permanent destruction of indigenous forests. Once these rainforests are cut down, they may never grow back again. See a photo slide show about deforestation on the National Geographic website. You can also explore that website for more information about the deforestation debate.

The "Working Poor" in Mexico

In class yesterday we talked about the "haves" and the "have nots" in Mexico City. The "working poor" are "have nots". They are people who have a job (sometimes more than one job), but still struggle to support themselves and their families. There was an article in the Washington Post today about a pawn shop in Mexico City. A pawn shop is a place where you can bring your possessions to exchange for a loan. You can get your possessions back when you repay the loan. This is a way for people to get money they need to pay bills and buy food. This pawn shop is called the National Mountain of Pity, or the Nacional Monte de Piedad. Some people call it Aunt Pity. Read more about the pawn shop and Mexico's economy in the article: When Families Seek Help, Aunt Pity is There. The photo is by William Booth for the Washington Post.

Snow, Snow, Snow

By the end of the day we might have up to 30 inches of snow in Arlington! Check out the records for biggest snowfalls of all time from Factmonster.com: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001381.html.

We know we live in a seasonal climate zone, so we have snow in the winter and it is hot in the summers. Part of our climate is determined by us living the middle latitudes, but climate is also affected by closeness to the water, elevation, and air currents.

Today might be a cold day for us, but at the South Pole the same temperature would be considered warm. The record high temperature at the South Pole is only 7.5 degrees Fahrenheit! Check out other record high and low temperatures here: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0001382.html.