Chernobyl/Pompeii

This headline and photo would be a great prompt for senior students:

Why the Chernobyl Nuclear Ruins Are a 20th-Century Pompeii

PHOTOGRAPH BY ROBERT MAXWELL

Read full article here

Home Furnishings Affect Tigers

 

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2YQb8S/vermontwoodsstudios.com/content/tiger-conservation

"Did you know...
...there are only about 3200 tigers left in the wild? This tiger subspecies, the Siberian Tiger-- the world's largest cat is literally on the brink of extinction with only about 400 individuals remaining in their natural habitat. If you can't stand the idea of letting these magnificent creatures disappear forever, there's something you can do about it. Consider where you and your friends, family and neighbors shop and what you buy. Avoid purchasing imported forest products that result in destroying the tigers' habitat. Here's why:

Siberian tigers live mainly in Russian forests which are now under assault by global timber conglomerates. Tiger habitat is beingsystematically decimated to provide illegal timber that's used to make cheap furniture, flooring and other forest products which are marketed mainly in the USA. In fact, up to 90% of the furniture you see for sale in our country is made of illegally harvested wood that is clear cut from ecologically sensitive habitats like this tiger's habitat."

Trophic Cascade at Yellowstone National Park

One of the most exciting scientific findings of the last 50 years is called a trophic cascade.

A trophic cascade starts at the top of the food chain and tumbles to the bottom. One of the best examples of this happened in Yellowstone National Park in 1995 when wolves were reintroduced.

Watch the video to see how everything changed - even the river!

source

Kawah Ijen Volcano's Molten Sulphur

The Kawah Ijen volcano in East Indonesia produces molten sulphur from vents in its sides, which appear bright red during the day but glow blue by night.

Photograph by Oliver Grunewald.

See more about this incredible phenomenon here: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/01/140130-kawah-ijen-blue-flame-volcanoes-sulfur-indonesia-pictures/