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Environmental Science Projects

Cassidy Vanden Hoek 

Is littering unsafe?


    To answer that question is yes littering is unsafe. Let's say you are driving down the road and the car in front of you throws something out his vehicle. That litter could hit your car which could be harmful to our car, or it would simply distract you leading to you having an accident where someone or yourself could end up hurt. We all know littering is illegal in South Dakota there is still so much trash around in ditches and even on sidewalks. Although it doesn’t seem like a big problem it is because it is polluting the area. If you see someone littering you should nicely ask them to pick it up and throw it away in a trash can. Also, if they refuse to pick it up be the better person and pick it up for them and throw it away. So that is what to do if the person is walking down the street but what if some litter as they are driving down the road. You are to get their license number and report it to the police because the person can get a fine. Also, if you are picking up ditches and find someone's mail you can also report that to the police. Now understand the consequences of litter try to prevent litter as much as you can to make this world a cleaner place. 

Written by Cassidy Vanden Hoek, Dakota Christian School Environmental Science Class 


https://www.kotatv.com/content/news/Consequences-from-throwing-trash-out-your-car-window

Cassidy Vanden Hoek 

Could South Dakota Rivers be in Danger? 


    Yes, South Dakota Rivers are indeed in danger. They are being used as dumping grounds for humans, industrial, and ag wastes. Pollution experts say that 49.2 million of polluted water is dumped into state rivers. Most of this polluted water is coming from larger cities because the chemicals that are used in a city can get in the water and can run to the river therefore polluting the river. Although the cities are not just to blame but agriculture chemicals are being found in rivers also. Those chemicals are to be getting to the river by it being put in fields and the rain washing it to the river. So most of the pollution in the river is not there because people are actually dumping stuff into the river but is because people are making careless decisions about what chemicals they are using and not knowing how they might affect the environment. 

Written by Cassidy Vanden Hoek, Dakota Christian School Environmental Science Class 


https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/south-dakota-waterways
 

Cassidy Vanden Hoek 

Air Pollution in South Dakota


    Air is something that a lot of us take for granted because it is just always there, and it is clean. Although it is not as clean as you think, air pollution is everywhere, even South Dakota. Air pollution does matter because it can cause heart and lung problems. It also affects people who have heart problems and respiratory conditions may have severe side effects from pollution. This pollution may only harm someone, but it could lead to the death of someone. So we need to do your best to make sure that we are not polluting the air. We can help the spread of air pollution by reducing the use of cars and burning leaves, trash, and other materials because that leaves smoke which pollutes the air. Instead of driving by yourself you can carpool and try not to limit the amount of trash that we have, so we don’t have to burn it. By doing those simile things we will be on the way to a healthier life and a safer world. 

Written by Cassidy Vanden Hoek, Dakota Christian School Environmental Science Class


https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/annual/measure/air/state/SD
 

Cassidy VandenHoek 

Do Not Forget About Coral Reefs?

Global warming is something that we as humans are aware of. We know that the glaciers are melting and arctic animals are dying but has anyone ever thought of the coral reefs? Coral reefs even though they are tropical, global warming can affect them too.  Although we know what global warming is, what is causing global warming and how can we slow it down? 

If you don’t know or forgot what global warming is, it is the gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere that is generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants. Ok. Now we are all on the same paper about what global warming is we can now talk about what causes global warming. One thing that causes global warming is burning fossil fuels for heat and energy added carbon dioxide to the atmosphere which adds to the greenhouse effect aka adding to global warming. The next thing is producing some industrial products. This is saying like some factories that make products produce smoke which contains carbon dioxide which is also adding to global warming. So we understand a little bit what and how global warming is happening but how is global warming affecting the coral reefs. 

Global warming is harming coral reefs. Global warming leads to ocean warming which thermally stresses that coral reefs. When the coral reef is stressed is blaches and becomes weaker which causes infectious diseases to spread. One other thing that happens the storm patterns change which can lead to stronger and more frequent storms. With more storms the coral reef will have more destruction. On the other hand ocean acidification can happen. Ocean acidification is a result of increased carbon dioxide in the ocean. Which reduces the pH levels in the water. Leaving coral with no food which will decrease growth rates and structural integrity. There are many other things that can harm coral reefs due to global warming. 

We can slow global warming which would help the coral reefs. We can slow global warming by walking more places or riding bikes instead of driving. Although that does not work well in rural South Dakota but that does not mean that we can’t carpool so not so many cars are being used. Something we can do in rural areas is purchase energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs, so we don’t have to burn fossil fuels for energy. Something that human civilization does not push hard enough is reduce, reuse or recycle. We would be living in a better place if we just remembered that, and the coral reefs would be healthier too. 

Writing by Cassidy Vanden Hoek, Dakota Christian Environmental Science Class 

https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/coralreef-climate.html