Daily Archives: April 1, 2019

The Shape of Water

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For my blog post, I decided to go to a meeting about hydrology in the Grand Canyon. The meeting took place on March 27th in the Francis Marion hotel. The reason I chose to do my blog post on this speech is that hydrology and geology are fairly similar, and both interest me. For those who don’t know what hydrology is, it’s the study of the movement and properties of water. The lecture was done by women named Laura J. Crossey who is a professor at the University of New Mexico. She works in the department of Earth and planetary sciences and teaches geosciences at the university.

The lecture started out by explaining the different unconformities and rock types found in the Grand Canyon. All 3 types of unconformities can be found and the main rocks the canyon are made out of are limestone, shale, and sandstone. She went onto to explain these rock types are what cause the rivers distinctive color. The little Colorado river has a system of springs that run into the Grand Canyon. When the water first surfaces, it’s clear green. The farther down it goes, the more it becomes brown.

She also talked about carbonic springs that flow into the river system. A lot of people (including me) didn’t know that there are actually young volcanos forming near the Grand Canyon. Volcanos are one of the main distributors for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. These springs absorb the co2 which makes the water more acidic. Professor Crossey said it didn’t necessarily make it harmful for humans to touch but definitely suggested not to drink it. She then referred back to the little Colorado Springs and how local towns drinking water usually came from those areas and not near the carbonic springs. Since this is a natural process, there’s nothing we can do to stop it at this time. If the co2 issue continued and spread in that area, there could soon be a problem of where they could get there drinking water from. A higher carbon presence within the water could also be very destructive to the microorganisms in it and possibly larger animals in the environment.

The Grand Canyon is a large tourist attraction year-round. It nearly brings in 5 million people per year and is not getting any less popular. Professor Crossey explained that this high amount of traffic coming through the Grand Canyon could have a negative effect on the area. She then talked about how the hotels in the local area are starting to hurt the groundwater and spring systems in the Grand Canyon. A water treatment plant is helping expand the possible usage of the Grand Canyon as an aquifer, but the rise in tourism in the future might call for further action in order to keep the canyon safe.

In recent years, companies have begun to mine the Grand Canyon for its uranium. This is a big deal because of the contamination it could cause to the river below. Some companies have been known to make promises to the surrounding local towns that all waste is properly disposed of. Unfortunately, these towns later find that the promise of safe and responsible waste disposal was not upheld on part of the company. This ultimately results in contamination and pollution of the surrounding area and detrimental health effects to the wildlife. There are also Indian reservations downstream from the mining site which could hurt their community if anything was to happen.

Where the Water Goes by David Owen

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I have recently been reading Where the Water Goes by David Owen, which is a start to finish journey of the Colorado River, explaining the complex history and human influence along the way. I grew up rafting on the Colorado River, making me appreciative and also protective of it. Being on the river is the time that I feel most like myself. Despite this connection, as I grew up and learned more about it I realized I had been taking it for granted. While enjoying the recreational benefits of the resource, the history of the river never even occurred to me. I selfishly used the river for my benefit without wondering about what impacts were necessary for taking a trip down the river. As I grew older I also specifically became curious about the dams we passed on the way to the put in.

Through some research, I found out that the river used to run all the way to the Gulf of California, but the overallocation of water supply has caused it to dry up before it makes it. After reading an eye-opening book by Pete Mcbride about the subject, I wanted to know more. I was recommended the book Where the Water Goes by my dad’s friend who is a raft guide. I am a few chapters away from the end and so far it is one of the most helpful explanations of the massive wicked problem of water scarcity. This most beneficial aspect is that David Owen taps into his personal experience of rivers to weave a seamless explanation of why it does not reach the sea anymore. The inclusion of personal anecdotes successfully breaks up the sometimes overwhelming information on the legalities or sciences that make up the core of typical water conversations.

Another successful characteristic of the book is that Owen starts the story at the headwaters, which was a clever way to break down the complex problem. As the reader made their way downstream, they became familiar with the natural beauty and also the unnatural interruptions along the river. By doing this, the situation is more attainable and easier to keep track of. Overall, Where the Water Goes serves as a successful urge to protect this river, whether you are a well-informed hydrologist or a sunburnt river bum. Upstream human tendencies have caused the Colorado River to dry up, yet this is not a well-known dilemma. David Owen familiarizes the reader with the river in an extensive way, creating true empathy for the water. He manages all this while also making the message clear that, “water issues are never only about water,” (p. 105). It could have easily been a simplistic overview of the dams along the river; however, Owen investigated further by recognizing the many socioeconomic factors that are intrinsically included. Overall, this book is hard to describe in just a few paragraphs and I recommend it to anyone even slightly interesting in rivers. The holistic picture of the Colorado River allows Where the Water Goes to be applicable to countless water conversations, whether it is about hydrology or raft guiding.

Here is a link to the book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317824/where-the-water-goes-by-david-owen/9780735216099/

What the Health Documentary

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https://www.netflix.com/browse/my-list?jbv=80174177&jbp=1&jbr=5

What The Health is a documentary on Netflix. It focuses on how the food we eat affects our health and environment. It also focuses on how businesses, industry, and public policy also affect what we eat. In the film it argues that meat and diary products are the main reason for cancer, diabetes, obesity, ad heart disease. This documentary promotes and discusses how a vegan diet is beneficial. In the film they believe that disease and our diets are related. I found it really interesting that they believed that having a plant-based diet could reverse chronic diseases. Throughout the film they interviewed people that many different problems, like diabetes and asthma. We can see that these individuals are overweight and they are taking a lot of different kinds of medications. They are in pain due to being overweight. I really do like the meaning behind this film but I think there are some example of personal bias. The film shows us how filmmaker Kip Anderson uncovers the secret to preventing and even reversing chronic diseases. It investigates why the nation’s leading health organizations don’t want us to know about it. With heart disease and cancer being the leading cause of death in America, and diabetes at an all-time high, the film helps reveal the major health issues. Processed meat causes cancer and diabetes. Sugar does not cause diabetes: it’s actually caused by the buildup of fat in the blood, which is causing insulin resistance, preventing the sugar from getting into your cells, where it belongs. The focus on sugar has taken all the focus off of meat, dairy, eggs, turkey, pork, and chicken. One serving of processed meat per day increased the risk of developing diabetes by 51 %. Filmmaker, Kip Anderson, asked a cancer information specialist at the American Cancer Society why they recommended processed meats, the expert said, “Let me put you on a brief hold and get back with you.” He came back and said someone would get back with him later. In the United States, 1 out of every 4 deaths is related to cancer. When Kip Anderson got a confirmation for a meeting with an American Cancer Society representative, he found out it was cancelled at the last minute when the representative found out the meeting was going to be about the correlation between diet and cancer. She said she could no longer do the interview. After repeated emails asking why, she eventually stopped responding all together. Dr. Alan Goldhamer said,  “Two-thirds of adults are now overweight or obese, and we have an epidemic cascade of debilitating disease that is overcoming the country. There is no way we can sustain the current style of care with the epidemic that we’re creating with our diet and lifestyle choices.”. Kip Anderson said, then it all came together when he realized whom these large health organizations were taking money from: The American Diabetes Association was taking money from Dannon, one of the world’s largest dairy yogurt producers; Kraft Foods, makers of Velveeta processed cheese; Oscar Mayer which markets Lunchables processed kids’ meals; and Bumble Bee Foods, makers of processed canned meats. The American Cancer Society was taking money from Tyson, one of the world’s largest meat producers; and Yum brand, owner of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell. Susan G. Komen, which was supposed to be fighting breast cancer was corporate partnering with KFC, Dietz & Watson processed meats, and Yoplait Yogurt. Every single one of these organizations was taking money from the meat and dairy companies that are associated with the causes of these diseases.