The earth is in a constant state of flux. Things are constantly moving into and out of an environment affecting the enthalpy of the system. In general though, this change equation is balanced, creating an equilibrium in life. This is shown over the full spectrum of our planetary systems such as the earth energy balance and the food chain and similar to this, everything in an ecosystem and the planet as a whole is connected shown by cyclic movements of water, carbon, nitrogen, nutrients, phosphorous and numerous other biogeochemical products between the water, land, organisms and atmosphere.
Alterations in the environment change the course of evolution while conversely living things shape their environment. All organisms are dependent on their surroundings and the environment they live in, forming the scope and basis for ecological sciences. An ecosystem survives on a delicate line of give and take and if this equilibrium is thrown out of balance the ecosystem will then shift affecting all organisms that depend on it. A major problem related to this is the massive effect of deforestation on the biodiversity of tropical rainforests. As the rainforests are being cut down through slash and burn and other processes to clear the land for agriculture, the habitats and ecosystems of the forests are being destroyed as the organisms that have adapted to the area are forced to move or are eliminated in the process. Another example, acid rain and eutrophication are additional components of the human destruction of environments. As pollution and toxins are released into the atmosphere they buildup over time and precipitates out of clouds wrecking havoc on plant and animal life and the acid concentration of the soil which then snowballs, affecting an entire range of ecosystem elements.
Another example of the interconnected ecosystems we live in is with the current climate crises occurring now. Since the industrial revolution, the concentration of Co2 and anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been increasing as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels and other industrial and agricultural efforts. With this change in the atmospheric gas levels the natural flux of the planet has been amplified already proving damaging on a global scale with the increase in number and severity of tropical storms and melting of glacial ice, foreshadowing the problems our planet will face in the coming years.
I am currently an Environmental Science and Policy major in the Geography centered concentration of Global Environmental Change. In relation to the fact that all life is connected and you cant just change one aspect of the environment I hope to use remote sensing to track the changes in systems of the Earth and with this educate the population on the repercussions of our actions and degradation we are currently inflicting on the Planet.
Remote Sensing combined with land-based research allows humans to view the important change over time of our planet and the consequences of our actions on the rate of change. This tool has become even more important as our generation faces the problem of climate change and the repercussions from this. Ice sat gives us a view of the retreating glaciers and MODIS can map out the changes in wildfires across the planet. The Earths natural processes of growth and decay are changing and the only way to understand the larger picture that comes with this is through this technology.
Two summers ago I participated in a field study in Western Arnhem Land, Northern Territory Australia. Burning was used by the aboriginal people of the area as a means of landscape management- burning in the early dry season so as to lessen the extent and intensity of burns in the late dry season. Aboriginal burning practices shaped and controlled the landscape. With removal of the indigenous peoples with European exclusion the landscape was abandoned and wildfires ravaged the landscape. The field study was used to collect material to support the theory that burning in the early dry season advantageous not only to the continuation of aboriginal cultural practices but as a localized solution to climate change being that burning in the early dry season decreases greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from CO2 combustion, reducing the impact on the environment from these intense wild-land fires. This is an example of the delicate relationship the different factors and the role of humans have in an environment that can be beneficial. By working with the environment and understanding its processes, it is possible to find a balance of give and take between people and nature forming a mutualistic symbiotic relationship.
The Earths environment is a delicate balance of give and take which is being thrown of by human actions. I hope to be able to use my knowledge that I gain from the University of Maryland over the next four years to start the reversal of this imbalance. Over the next four years I plan to develop my skills in GIS and analyzing remote sensing and satellite data to better quantify these changes. My course schedule in the coming years includes ENSP requirements including ENSP 101 and 102 where I plan to develop my understanding of the environmental sciences an the role policy plays with its implementation in our current government centered world.
Current studies are being made into developing a carbon accounting system for different woodland types, and from here be able to see the changes in CO2 sequestration in forests caused by deforestation and its impact on ecosystems and the environment. I have always been interested in forest systems and hope in the coming years to be able to get involved in the ground breaking studies going on in this field.