Global Climate Change

Medieval Global Temperature Optimum      The Medieval Global Temperature Optimum occurred during the Middle Ages in Europe, roughly from 900 - 1300. It is also referred to as the Medieval Warm Period or the Medieval Climatic Anomaly. This was a period of warmer climate that was present all over the world. However, it mainly occurred in the North Atlantic Region, including Greenland and Europe. 


Little Ice Age
      The Little Ice Age was a period that followed the Medieval Global Temperature Optimum. The actual time this period occurred is often disagreed on, however it may have occurred around 1350 - 1800. Unlike the Medieval Warm Period, it was a time of global cooling. It mainly affected the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, New Zealand, Alaska, and Southern Andes. Though it is referred to as a little ice age it was not actually an ice age. Some causes that have been proposed are increased volcanic activity and changes in the ocean currents. 



Graphs of Temperature Change:

Air Pollution

Riverside, California 
       
      A city in the United States that has very bad air pollution is Riverside, California. Riverside, California is known as the smog belt because of how poor the air quality is there. According to the City of Riverside's website "Smog is present in all modern cities, but it is more common in cities with sunny, warm, dry climates and a large number of motor vehicles." Riverside as of today has a air quality index of 830, which is considered hazardous. Different factors have accounted for this low quality of air. Some of those factors are factories, vehicles, and airports. Two common toxins emitted in Riverside are carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. 

Smog over Riverside, California

Air Quality Index 

Copper

      Copper has the symbol of Cu and its atomic number is 29. Copper is classified as a metal and is found in a solid state. It has an atomic weight of 63.546. Copper has a melting point of 1084.62 degrees celsius and a boiling point of 2560 degrees celsius. Copper is reddish orange in color and is a soft metal. It is a great conductor of electricity and heat, silver is the only other metal that has a higher conductivity. If copper is exposed to air it will turn to a dull brown (tarnish).

      Copper is one of the most important metals and is found in abundance in the earth's crust. Copper occurs naturally in the environment and is important in all plants and animals. Copper is used widely across the world and its production is still increasing. It is primarily used for wiring, motors, roofing, building, plumbing, and cookware. However, its most common use is for electrical equipment because it is such a great conductor of heat and electricity. Copper is ideal for wiring because it is a good conductor, but also because it can be drawn into fine wire. 

      Copper production and deposits are found all over the world. The top ten countries that produce copper are Chile, United States, Peru, China, Australia, Indonesia, Russia, Zambia, Canada, and Poland. Chile holds six of the ten largest copper mines in the world. Below there are three different maps of the world showing Copper deposits. Also there is the list of the top ten countries and there production level.

 

Rank	Country/Region	2006 Copper production (tonnes)	2013 Copper production (tonnes)
	World	15,100,000	17,900,000
1	Chile	5,360,800	5,700,000
2	United States	1,220,000	1,220,000
3	Peru	1,049,933	1,300,000
4	China	915,000	1,650,000
5	Australia	875,000	990,000
6	Indonesia	817,796	380,000
7	Russia	675,000	930,000
8	Zambia	502,998	830,000
9	Canada	606,958	630,000

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_copper_production
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/cu.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper
http://www.webelements.com/copper/
http://www.chemicool.com/elements/copper.html
http://metals.about.com/od/metalproperties/a/Material_Profile_-_Copper.htm

Traffic Study

Objective:
      The objective to this study was to establish a type of pattern and correlation between traffic and carpooling. By collecting data we wanted this study to prove or disprove that carpooling was present in specific areas near Mercer University. Another objective was to estimate on average which type of vehicles carpooled.

Methods:
      Specific methods were used during this traffic study. First, we decided to pick a specific area on Mercer University's campus. Our specific area was Margaritas Bar & Grill located in Mercer Village. We wanted to conduct this study within a certain amount of time and decided to collect data for twenty minutes (7:05 - 7:25). We collected data by watching the vehicles go by the restaurant. They data we were looking for was how many people were in each vehicle, and what type of vehicle it was. We sub-divided the types of vehicles into three groups; small cars, big cars, and trucks. Also, at the end of the twenty minutes we added up the total amount of vehicles that drove by. Also, we defined carpooling as having two or more people riding in the vehicle.

Results:
      After conducting our study we found that 107 vehicles drove by Margaritas in twenty minutes. Of the 107 total vehicles 66 were small cars, 30 were big cars, and 11 were trucks. Out of the 66 small cars only 18 (27%) were carpooling. Out of the 30 big cars 21 (70%) were carpooling. Out of the 11 trucks 5 (46%) were carpooling. Finally, out of the total 107 vehicles 44 (41%) were carpooling.

Conclusion:
      One conclusion we made from our study was that people who drive big cars often carpool more frequently then those that drive small cars. One can conclude that carpooling is evident near this area, however carpooling lacks amongst the owners of small cars. One can expect that near a University one would see more carpooling, because some students do not have cars, some students try to save money, and some students spend time with friends.