Mining

Part A

Strip Mining

What is it? How is it done?
Strip mining is mining in an open pit after removal of overburden.It is done by removing the overburden of soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit. It is also known as open pit mining.

Pros:
-Strip mining is safer than shaft mining
-Strip mining is cheaper than shaft mining
-Strip mining is much faster

Cons:
-Destroys landscape
-Destroys the natural habitat
-Creates a large mess
-Affects the physical environment negatively more than shaft mining

Shaft Mining

What is it? How is it done?

Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of and is also done by excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. Also known as underground mining.

Pros:
-It allows different types of minerals to be extracted from the deep underground
-Doesn't create a mess like strip mining
-Doesn't affect physical environments as much as strip mining

Cons:
-Very dangerous, and not safe
-Lots of fatalities, more than strip mining
-Is more expensive than strip mining
-Has a slower process than strip mining

Part B

Stakeholders:

1) Spouse of a miner: As a spouse of a miner, I would prefer strip mining because it is known to be safer than shaft mining and I would want my spouse to work in a safe environment.

2) Owner of a mining company: As the owner of a mining company, I would prefer strip mining since it is a cheaper and most efficient option for my company.

3) Environmentalist: As an environmentalist, I would prefer shaft mining due to the fact it does not damage the environment to the extent which strip mining does. Shaft mining doesn't destroy the physical environment, landscape, and the natural habitat as much as strip does.

4) Owner of a nearby ski resort: As an owner of a nearby ski resort, I would prefer shaft mining because it would cause less damage to the environment and surroundings. It wouldn't create a large mess like strip mining.

5) Politician: As a politician, I would prefer strip mining because it would be most efficient (faster process) and it would suit my budget as it is cheaper than shaft mining.

Part C
Hawaii has a mining industry which is very vital to the state's economy. It produces 16 % of the total U.S. nonfuel mineral production. It also ranked forty-sixth nationally in total nonfuel mineral production value in 2004. The value of nonfuel minerals was $71.2 million. Hawaii's combined direct and indirect economic output gain from the mining industry was $300 million. Crushed stone, sand,&gravel were the states leading nonfuel minerals which is what is mostly mined for. The most common mining in Hawaii is strip mining aka open pit mining.

Waste Management

1) Research the different ways that your country disposes of waste. Do they use landfills? Incinerators? Something different? 

Hawaii has several types of ways in which they dispose of waste. Most waste goes to landfills, just like it would on the mainland. However, Hawaii has a strong recycling program for "opala" (the Hawaiian word for garbage). To reduce the need for landfill, there is also a program called H power that converts garbage into electrical power. The picture shown below is of a factory where waste is broken down to make electrical energy for locals uses. By disposing waste like this, there is no harm done to our environment.

  

2) What are some of the challenges that your country faces in terms of waste disposal? 

Hawaii faces some challenges in terms of waste disposal. The capital city of Honolulu, has over 1.6 million tonnes of garbage annually. This has been a huge problem because there is not enough land for all this garbage. Due to size constraints, the garbage keeps piling up resulting in Hawaii to face this enormous problem. Hawaii is a growing state which attracts new people each year. It is also a popular hot spot for vacations. The population is always growing because of the beautiful beaches, unique culture,good weather, the history, the people or the exotic foods. It's a breathtaking  place to live in or visit but because of the increase in population it makes it a challenge for the state to dispose of all the incoming and higher amounts of waste. 

 

3)Describe some ways that you think your country could improve their waste management strategies. If you think they are perfect (hint: no one is) then explain why you think this. This section will require you to think on your own and create your own argument

No state is perfect and so it is possible for Hawaii to improve it's waste management strategies. They can do this by creating more programs like H power which converts waste to electrical power (this is beneficial as this can help the locals). If stores sold more eco-friendly items such as reusable plates rather than paper plates, this will cause the amount of waste which builds up in landfills to be reduced. By creating more recycling programs in schools and public places and by encouraging recycling by the placement of more recycling bins, this will improve their waste management strategies. Many tourists come to visit year long so it would be good to have recycling bins and environmental posters around and about in public places. Children in elementary schools, should be taught at a young age what recycling is and what the benefits of it are. By being proactive and showing initiative in the community like picking up some garbage like a plastic water bottle from the ground and recycling it, is an enormous but very important step of prevention.  People living in Hawaii could use their green or yard waste as compost. A very important waste management strategy is by using the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Hawaii can efficiently and effectively manage its waste by reducing (or minimizing) the amount of waste we accumulate, by reusing most of the things one throws away and by using the environmentally friendly option of recycling.

 

Impact of Climate Change

                

As the only state in the United States that is an island, Hawaii is undoubtedly quite vulnerable to changes in climate. Scientific evidence suggests such impacts of climate change (lists shown below) are likely to continue into the future.

These following impacts are specifically for the state Hawaii:

1)Biosphere- This list includes the possible impacts from climate change on living things.

• Coral reef bleaching
• The death of coral reefs
• Negative impacts on human health (possible heat related illnesses in people like dengue fever or cholera )
• Negative impact on the lives of humans, death is possible
• Destruction of plants
• Destruction of crops
• Loss of fish
• Loss of animals
• Marine migration
• Human migration
• Will cause stress to the native Pacific Island plants and animals
• The open ocean fisheries will decline
• There will be an increase risk of extinctions
• Destruction of forests and trees (less oxygen for humans)

Destruction of Crops

Coral reef bleaching

Marine Migration

2)Atmosphere-This list includes the effects of climate change on the atmosphere.

• Rising air temperatures will cause the atmosphere to be warmer
• Debris will cause the atmosphere to become polluted
• Decrease in trade winds
• Too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Warm air, hot atmosphere

                                                        

Polluted Atmosphere

3)Lithosphere-This list includes the different types of results from climate change on the lithosphere

• Coastal erosion
• Possibility of droughts
• Destruction of beaches
• Loss of land
• Destruction of the soil, mountains and roads



Destruction of beaches

Coastal Erosion

                                                               
                                                                 
4)Hydrosphere-This list includes the circumstances that can happen to bodies of water because of climate change.

• Warmer oceans
• Sea level rising
• Coastal flooding.
• Ocean acidification
• Saltwater intrusion causing contamination of drinking water
• Decreasing streams or other bodies of water
• Loss of fresh water for human purposes
• Water bodies becoming polluted

Ocean Acidification (from CO2 in atmosphere)

Coastal Flooding

                                                       

Climates and Climate Control

1)Different climate controls impact on Hawaii

a)Latitude: Hawaii has a low latitude of 21 degrees which makes it near the equator.  This causes there to be a large amount of sunlight on Hawaii making the area very warm and the low latitude also influences precipitation by causing it to rain moderately.

b)Land vs. Water: The state of Hawaii is in proximity to large moisture sources because of the ocean surrounding it. The ocean supplies moisture to the air which cause higher temperatures and some rain. 

c)Geographic position: Hawaii is near the middle of the pacific ocean therefore it is in proximity to bodies of water and hence also has prevailing winds which cause the winter months (October-April) to have a higher precipitation and cause the summer months (May-September) to have a higher temperatures. 

d)Mountains: The impact of mountains in Hawaii cause those specific areas to be colder than the places with less altitude. Higher the altitude, the colder it is and there is also a higher amount of precipitation.

e)Oceans: They cause the air to have moisture which results in humidity in the summer and also rainfall in winter months.

f)Pressure: The pressure of winds can also impact the climate. The Hawaiian islands receive the most rainfall from trade winds on their north and east flanks (the windward side) because of orographic precipitation. In general, most coastal areas and especially the west side or leeward sides are drier since they have higher temperatures.

2)The dominant climate of Hawaii is definitely tropical as it is a low latitude climate. Hawaii experiences many different types of tropical climates depending on the altitude and weather. For some parts of Hawaii, the dominant climate would be wet-dry tropical climate. This kind of climate is like a savanna. It is a seasonal change occurring between wet tropical air mass and dry tropical air mass which results in wet seasons and dry seasons. Trade winds dominate during the dry season causing it to be cooler. The temperature range is 16 degrees Celsius and the annual precipitation is 0.25 cm for wet-dry tropical climate for specific parts in Hawaii.

                                                    

3)This is a climograph for Honolulu, Hawaii

Hurricane Iselle

Hurricane Iselle was the strongest tropical cyclone recorded in history on the big island of Hawaii. This was quite rare because hurricanes and tropical cyclones rarely make landfall in Hawaii. It affected the area of Hawaii and it lasted from July 31,2014 to August 9, 2014. The highest winds were 220 km/h and the lowest pressure was 947 mb. One gust from Hurricane Iselle was measured at 65mph on the Big Island. Hurricane Iselle is in the category 4 hurricane (SSHS) and tropical storm (SSHS). Hurricane Iselle formed from rain falling on the Big Island and then strong winds coming in.

There were some social, economic, and physical impacts from this hurricane. For social impacts, it affected everyone since many people were forced to move away from the hurricane, schools in Hawaii and Maui were closed, and there was also one direct fatality. Also, some people reported health impacts from a nearby geothermal plant releasing hydrogen sulfide gas since it has lost its power sources. Water supplies were limited for people because power had shut down. Hurricane Iselle made a damage cost of 66 million dollars. Economically the government had a huge hand in paying for the damage done and residents across Hawaii donated over 80,000 dollars to assist victims and fund charities. Physically, there was also a lot of damage done for instance the east coast of the island was completely destroyed. Many trees and crops were destroyed during Hurricane Iselle.

This is a picture of Hurricane Iselle

Air Masses, Global Winds and Types of Rain

1) Dominant Air Mass that impacts your country. Think about the different seasons. 

In Hawaii, the dominant air mass is maritime polar due to it occurring at low latitudes which makes it warmer and therefore tropical. Maritime tropical air masses originate over the warm waters of the tropics where heat and moisture are transferred to the overlying air from the waters below.  This air mass is usually warm, unstable and  moist. In the winter months, there are sunny skies with some precipitation. Whereas in the summer months, there can be stormy conditions. 

2)The Global Wind that mainly impacts your country.

The global wind which mainly impacts Hawaii is the northeasterly wind which comes from the  north and east, and it moves toward the west. They are also known as trade winds. They blow through the island for a majority of the year and are most common in the summer and less common in the winter.

3)Type of rain most commonly found in your country. Be sure to explain why this is a common rain. Give specific examples from your country.

Orograpahic precipitation is most commonly found in Hawaii. This is caused by winds carrying moist air forced to go up over a mountain barrier. As the air rises and cools, orographic clouds form and act as rain which falls upwind of the mountain ridge.

 Orographic precipitation is the most common rain in Hawaii because the Hawaiian Islands have many mountainous regions and also, lie in the tropics where there is moist air and many mountain ranges and peaks where the air rises up to, cools and eventually acts as rain through the orographic clouds. 

For instance the island O'ahu on Hawaii consists of two parallel mountain ranges which creates an interesting distribution for orographic rain since they are perpendicular to each other. There are a maximum of three orogrpahic rainfalls on O'ahu.

A video of Orographic precipitation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbLSpX1mbKs