Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environment - Essay Example This hole and our thinning ozone are impacting negatively on living things in the planet, including man. The international conventions which were agreed upon have helped minimize the impact and the progression of ozone damage. Similar arrangements are bound to produce favorable results. The Antarctic hole is not really a hole, but it is more a thinning of the ozone layer of our stratosphere. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described that this hole reached an area of about 26 million square km or about three times the size of Australia. This hole usually developed with each Antarctic spring since the late 1970s, and in 1998, it lasted up to December. This hole has grown in size; however, some reports have revealed that the thinning of the ozone layer is also starting to slow. The hole is in the Antarctic because the strong winds which circle the Antarctic trap the atmosphere near the pole during the winter months. The high-altitude clouds of ice crystals then ga ther in the extreme cold of the polar winter. During the summer months, the solar power sets off chemical actions on the surfaces of the ice crystals through the CFCs and halons which then break down the ozone into oxygen. Towards the start of the Antarctic summer months, the ice clouds melt and break down the ozone. The strong winds then weaken and warmer ozone-rich air mix with Antarctic air. The North Pole ozone also thins but the Arctic winds are not as strong as the Antarctic winds. Everglades Restoration The restoration of the everglades has been proposed as a solid effort towards restoring the ecosystem, atleast in the Everglades of South Florida. The US Army Corps of Engineers proposed this plan in order to restore the wetlands into its original and natural hydrological patterns. It is a costly enterprise which many skeptics do not trust to succeed. The Everglades were historically a slow-flowing river of grass which started at the Lake Okechobe. The winter rains often flood ed the region and the summer heat dried it. It was home to fishes, herons, and other Everglade birds. The fluctuations in its water levels frustrated south Florida’s human population because the flowing threatened cities and farms. As a result, the waters of the Everglades were redirected towards the ocean and levees were built to protect the cities and roads. The natural Everglades then sank to half its original size. It also became susceptible to wild fires during the summer months and about 90% of its wading bird population disappeared. Plans to restore it to its original water system were set forth. It is bound to face difficulties because of the large human population which has already settled in the area. Skeptics are wary of the plans set forth in the restoration of the everglades because they suggest that it may be impossible to restore it to its original state. They suggest that more studies have to be undertaken in order to ensure that the restorations plans would b e successful. The Everglades are being restored to their natural state in a bid to preserve the Everglades and restore ecological balance in south Florida. Not doing it now would make efforts to restore it later, more difficult. The US Army Corps of Engineers asked for $8 billion dollars to restore the Everglades and they estimated that the restoration process would span 20 years. The actual restoration may take longer, but for now, the efforts to restore the areas into its original