Water quality!

Temperature in water is very important.  It regulates living conditions for animals and plants living in water.  Example: a body of water with a cold temperature will have a lower amount of aquatic life, compared to a body of water with warmer temperatures all year round.  Warmer water is the potential living condition for animals, because most animals spawn in warmer temperatures/warmer weather seasons.  Temperature also helps scientists measure other things.


pH is the measure of how acidic the water is. The scale is (0.0 - 14.0) And 7.0 is the neutral state of pH in water where a creature could live in it.
Like the pH balance of a pool!



Dissolved oxygen measures the amount of molecular oxygen in water.  It does not measure the amount of oxygen in water, but only dissolved water.  Basically, this is to tell how much oxygen is in water to determine if plant and animal life can live there. If the levels are low, animals can die.


Nitrates are the most important form of nitrogen in water because it promotes growth and reproduction of many pants and algae.  It's pretty limited, considering plants use most of them for growth. 

Conductivity measures the water's ability for an electrical current.  It measures by a total of dissolved solids.
Pure water is a poor conductor.   Phosphates are a major source of eutrophication, and is used in fertilizers and detergents. 
Turbidity is the measure of how clear water is. Large amounts of sediment suspended in the water causes an increase in turbidity, creating a foggy water atmosphere.
E coli is an indicator species in water, found in intestines of warm blooded organisms.  E coli is generally not good for humans and animals. E coli is poop.

Against Mountaintop Removal!

Mountaintop Removal is slowly destroying homes, habitats, and health.

• Mountaintop Removal destroys natural habitats. The tops of mountains are cut completely off, leaving a big whole in something that was naturally made!
• It can cause sludge or coal slurry. That can destroy houses and neighborhoods.
• Rocks and dirt and dust go everywhere after/while this is being done. It can make the surrounding areas dirty and gross. 
• The excess rocks can kill animals around it and even people if they're too close.
• It makes streams of water or surrounding rivers disgusting and harmful to fish and other sea creatures!

IT'S ALL AROUND BAD! MOSTLY EVERYONE AGREES.






:(



http://mountainjustice.org/kentucky/water.php

Favoring Mountaintop Removal Mining

There are some reasons that mountain top removal isn't exactly 100% terrible.

Safety wise, removing coal this way can prevent many injuries around the area, and it is a lot safer than doing it underground.


There is pretty much no chance of gas or roof falls that would kill any miners.


It is a LOT cheaper than doing it the traditional way.


It's easier for everyone all around




http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/rand-paul-mountain-top-removal-mining-enhances-the-land.php

3 methods of surface mining (5th six weeks)

Open-pit mining, strip mining, and mountaintop removal mining

Open-pit mining is when coal miners extract rock from the earth by an open pit or burrow.


Strip mining is something that involves removing a thin layer of material known as overburden to access buried coal.


Mountaintop removal is when miners literally chop off the top of a mountain to gain access to the coal inside

Bishop, WV (Coal camp 5th six weeks)

Bishop Coal camp was one of the last coal camps to be built in Pocahontas Coalfield in 1930. Half of the camp is in McDowell, WV and the other half is in Tazwell County, VA. They mined a seven-foot of Pocahontas area.


You could tell this was a huge mining camp


This is the remains of the coal camp



You can find out a little more information here : http://www.coalcampusa.com/sowv/flattop/bishop/bishop.htm

Underground Coal (5th six weeks)

Underground mining is when you go underground to mine for coal. (Whoa!)

Underground mining can be denied when companies try to get permission to do so. People always have to ask permission.

Drift mining is used when coal seams intersect the surface. They have to go into the mountain sideways to get the coal


Shaft mining is a vertical passageway made in the earth for dinging ore.


Room and Pillar mining is a mining system where the mined material is extracted across a horizontal plane.

Continuous mining is done by a machine. It's basically a machine that makes it easier to mine coal a lot faster

Longwall mining is when an entire long wall of coal is mined in a single slice. Pretty cool.

Coal Formation (5th six weeks)

Coal is called a fossil fuel because it was formed from the remains of vegetation that grew as long as 400 million years ago. The plants which formed coal captured energy from the sun through photosynthesis to create the compounds that make up plant tissues.The plant material is made out of carbon. Most of our coal was made 300 million years ago.  Coal is also made out of peat, which is dried up mucky plants that sat on top of the water's surface in swamps.


http://www.ket.org/trips/coal/agsmm/agsmmhow.html