For this assignment, you will pick a topic to discuss about a biodiversity problem in the world and create a diagram that explains the reasons behind this issue.

Step 1: pick a topic that relates to biodiversity and explain why it is important to our environment.

The Amazon Rainforest is an example of a biodiversity issue occurring in the world today. This issue is serous because the rainforest is home to over 50% of global diversity. In addition, they help release oxygen to photosynthesis, which is helpful for many plant species. Many useful plants grow in these rainforests, and cutting them down will cause a decrease in these important plants. Clear-cutting and fragmentation are extremely destructive to our needs as humans because this causes us to lose beneficial plants that are useful to our everyday lives.

Step 2: create a diagram that explains the topic of choice

Step 3: explain the diagram you created

The diagram I created explains a few of the many benefits and losses that occur when the rainforests are destroyed. When these rainforests are not being cut down and destroyed, they are providing many benefits that are important to the future well being of humans and the environment. They provide resources and crops, as well as health benefits and medicinal uses. On the other hand, when the rainforest are being destroyed, we are losing all of these crops that grown there, along with fresh air and the benefits that come from many of the plant species that are growing in the forests. It is important to provide an understanding of why these rainforests are so important to humans and the environment and what will happen if they are no longer around to benefit our future.

In my hometown of Philadelphia, Pa does not face many natural hazards. There are no volcanoes or serious hazards that affect the area very much. The worst it gets is heavy rainfall and hurricanes, as well as occasional tornado warnings. I have lived here for all of my life before moving to state college and I have never felt that I was in danger while living in this area. The Nathan World Map of Natural Hazards does not do a precise job at showing specific points of the world. I think it is useful when researching hazards in broad parts of the world, but not in particular specific areas such as towns and cities.

After viewing the Hungarian National Association of Radio Distress Signaling and Infocommunications’ Emergency and Disaster Information Service website, the disaster I chose was the tornado that occurred in Alabama. Fortunately, there have not been any tornados in my hometown for a long time. However, this natural disaster could definitely happen in my hometown at some point. There have been tornado warnings in Philadelphia, but nothing has seriously affected the area very badly. In addition, there have been tornados in my hometown and not very much damage was caused, which is why I do not believe there would be a lot of damage if one were to occur again. I also do not believe that this would be extremely harmful to human population in the area, because there are many precautions that are well known and can be taken into consideration once there is a tornado warning.

There are not many natural disasters that occur in my hometown. However, in the past there have been severe rain and snowstorms that have caused many problems for the town. Hurricanes and heavy snowfall have affected the area numerous times in the past. The most common damage that has been caused is flooding, power outages and car accidents. When the roads become slippery from the snow and rain, it is common for car accidents to occur. In addition, flooding and power outages happen often because of the wind and the heavy snow or rainfall.

I believe the best way to reduce vulnerability is to be aware of the problems in advance, and take action in creating a plan for when the storm occurs. People can find the right resources that will help from any destruction these storms may cause. My family had our basement checked for possibility of flooding before the storm came, to make sure that it would not happen to our house. This is a good idea for people to take into consideration so their homes do not get destroyed during the storms. In addition, having a back up generator is also an important thing to consider, because it is not certain when the power will come back on once it’s lost, which is a common effect that is caused by heavy storms. One year, my family lost power for over a week, due to a strong hurricane that hit our hometown. We did have generator, but it was not very strong so it only worked throughout a few rooms in the house. This was helpful, but we decided that next time we would need a stronger generator if our power would be out for longer than a week. In addition, construction workers could be helpful by making sure buildings and homes are in safe conditions to prepare for the storm.

Part 1-A:

I am from State College, Pennsylvania. The town’s water supply comes from the State College Borough Water Authority. The water is stored in two well fields, Houserville and Big Hollow, which all together contain 9 wells and the system uses about 5.5 million gallons of water per day. The water is treated at a Roberts contact clarification filter plant and the water is treated with chlorine for disinfection. After the water is collected and has gone through the filtration system, the water is delivered to the distribution system, which stores 15 million gallons in 11 tanks. These tanks lead to pipes that distribute the water to the households in the area. Once the water has been used and has gone down the drain, it is sent to a water waste treatment plant.

1-b. Activity:

Brushing Teeth(x2): 2 gallons

Showering: 40 gallons

Washing hands and face: 10 gallons

Drinking water: (16.9 oz): .5 gallons

Flushing Toilet(x4): 10 gallons

Dishes: 20 gallons

Total: 82.5 gallons

Part C:

Considering that I use about 82.5 gallons of water everyday, I could not imagine only using 2 gallons per day. This would be an extremely difficult change to adjust to. I would definitely use my water to drink as much as I would need to in order to survive. In addition, it would be very difficult to only use about 1 gallon to shower, but I would try to keep myself as clean as possible. It would not be very difficult for me to give up water when it comes to cooking because I do not use water while cooking very often. I could also give up using water for dishes and start using paper plates instead. I would use my water mainly for hydration and cleanliness. Geography is an extremely important factor when it comes to water supply because in some areas in the world there is a limited amount of water and people cannot live their everyday lives without worrying about how much water they use. I am very thankful that I live in an area with enough water to supply for my everyday needs.