Florida is a state with many environmental problems that need to be addressed. These issues range from fossil fuel use and tourism, to population growth, water pollution, mining and waste disposal. Understanding these issues in the context of national and global problems can help us better understand the scope of Florida’s environmental challenges. Fossil fuel use is one of the main sources of air pollution […]

Spills occur as a result of accidents, improper storage or transportation, or natural disasters. Spill response and cleanup problems vary depending on the type of material spilled. In this essay, we will discuss the spill response and cleanup problems associated with water-soluble liquids, water-soluble solids, and water-insoluble liquids. Water-Soluble LiquidsWater-soluble liquids are materials that can be dissolved in water. Examples include sugar, salt, ethanol (alcohol), […]

The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan was one of the most recent and significant natural disasters to ever occur. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck offshore from Fukushima prefecture, Japan on March 11th, 2011 at 2:46pm local time. It was the largest recorded earthquake to ever hit Japan and the fourth most powerful in the world since modern record keeping began. At its epicenter just off […]

E-waste is defined as any item of electrical or electronic equipment that has been discarded by its owner. It includes anything from computers, televisions, and microwaves to cell phones and other digital devices. E-waste can contain a variety of hazardous substances, ranging from radioactive materials to lead, mercury and cadmium. While e-waste comprises only about 2 percent of all municipal solid waste in the United […]

Primary net productivity is a measure of how much energy an ecosystem produces per unit area over a given period of time. It is typically measured in terms of the amount of carbon assimilated by plants as they photosynthesize and grow. This value can be used to calculate the gross primary production (GPP) and net primary production (NPP). Gross Primary Production is the rate at […]