Forest Soils on Acid Essay -- Ecology Nature Environmental Papers

Forest Soils on Acid Forest ecosystems are important both ecologically and economically. It is arguable that the most fundamental dynamic of the forest ecosystem is the forest soil. The acidity of forest soils can alter the chemistry, biota, and hydraulics of the soil, and thus, alter the soil formation characteristics and the soil composition. It follows that the acidification of forest soils demands a great deal of research and attention. Forest soils are commonly found to have pH readings of 4-6, even in areas of moderate to low acid deposition (Binkley et al, p. 4). In fact, an abundance of forest vegetation thrives on and stabilizes most forest soils at relatively low pH levels. It seems as though forest ecosystems generally thrive upon strongly acid soils. Though forest soils naturally are acidic, problems can occur when the acidity levels are raised artificially through processes such as acid rain. This paper will investigate the effects of higher than normal acidity and acid deposition in forest soils to gain a greater understanding of current and potential problems to forest soils and ecosystems. It is important to remember when discussing the implications of high acid in forest soils that there are several general factors that will alter acidic effects on soil chemistry, hydrology, biota, and weathering. These factors include soil type, soil sensitivity, and the quantity of precipitation. Texture, structure, grain size, and consistence are all crucial to defining the soil type or series and also to the amount of time soil is exposed to acid deposition. In a particular study on humus degradation based on simulated "acid rains" conducted by Greszta et al. (1991) revealed the extent to which soil type influenced ... ...556-563. Mulder, J., J.J. M. van Grinsven, and N. van Breemen. 1987. Impacts of acid atmospheric deposition on woodland soils in the Netherlands: III. aluminum chemistry. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51: pp. 1640-1646. Rampazzo, N., and W.E.H. Blum. 1992. Changes in chemistry and minerology of forest soils by acid rain. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 61: pp. 209-220. Sharpe, W.E., B.R. Swistock, and D.R. Dewalle. 1992. A greenhouse study of northern red oak seedling growth on two forest soils at different stages of acidification. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 66: pp. 121-133. Singer, M.J., and D.N. Munns. 1996. Soils: An Introduction. Prentice-Hall, Inc. New Jersey. Tamm, C.O., and L. Hallbacken. 1986. Changes in soil pH over a 50-year period under different forest canopies in SW Sweden. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 31: pp. 337 341.

Questions asked from the managers Essay

The following questions are those asked from the managers of the IT corporations. Each and everyone of them were also asked to give a brief company profile before the questions about blogging were asked. Company Profile 1. Name of Company: 2. Year Company Started: 3. Brief History of Company 4. Nature of Company’s work 5. Number of company employees: 6. Target market of the company: Questions on Corporate Blog 1. What does the company offer? a. Services – (what services and for whom? ) b. Products – (what products and for whom? ) 2. Since when did your company start engaging in corporate blog? 3. How much does your company spend for the operation of your corporate blog? 4. What was the effect of corporate blog to your corporation 5. Is blogging effective in making your customers understand more about your company? 6. Does blogging make understanding your services easier? 7. Communication with Customers a. Did you receive more client feedback when you engaged in corporate blog? b. Are your customers more informed about your products when you engaged in corporate blog? 8. Communication with Employees a. How many of your employees engage in blogging? b. What are your rules regarding employees blogging? 9. Did you integrate your missions, visions, and goals into corporate blogging? 10. Did you consider the risks involved when your corporation or company started adopting corporate blog? If yes, why does your company still continue engaging in corporate blog? 11. Are the solutions which your company pursued, effective in reducing the risks of corporate blog? If not, what other solutions do you think should be done? 12. What have been the advantages of corporate blog for your company? 13. What have been the perceived disadvantages of corporate blog for your company? 14. What were the problems faced in engaging corporate blog? 15. Is corporate blogging better than written media into bringing your services closer to the customers? 4. 3 Analyzing obtained data The data obtained from the interviews have been tabulated and themes and trends from such qualitative data would then be identified, and analyses would then be formulated. The data obtained from the questionnaires will be analyzed using the Likert scale. The primary tool used to examine Likert Scale is by the use of graphical analysis. Since the frequency distribution can visually be seen in the graph, it is easier to explain the results. The trend represents certain patterns that match with the frequency distribution. The Likert scale is a unidimensional scaling method. Unidimensional concepts are generally easier to understand. Its either something has more of it or less (Trochim 2006, http://www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/scalgen. php ). Since the aim of the research is to identify whether the receptiveness of corporate blog to employees, executives and the corporation as a whole is better or worse, then a unidimensional scaling would be a good measurement for the research. 4. 4 Other Resources Secondary resources are also critically used in this project, which mainly include news, journal articles and books. Internet and Email will be as the communication and research tools for this project. The collected data will be coded and analyzed under the theoretical framework and prior reviewed literature. According to Coffey and Atkinson (1996), coding is the process of condensing the bulk of data sets into analyzable units. Coding and analyzing data based theoretical concepts has the important role of enabling rigours review on our data. Therefore, the collected data will be coded and analysed under the theoretical framework and prior reviewed literature. 5 Discussion 5. 1 Research expectation and risk The author will discuss the outputs from the case study, interviews and questionnaires. Each case study will be discussed here in full detail. Blog contents from the corporate blogs of each company will be evaluated and discussed. The research study is able to seek: why did the company considered blogging? What are the advantages and disadvantages from setting up a corporate blog? The expectation data obtained from the questionnaires will also be presented and discussed. Results obtained through the Likert scale will be interpreted. Results are also related to previous researches and theoretical issues discussed in the introduction and literature review. The author will give a brief introduction to the uses of blogs, corporate blogs, its advantages and limitations, and the issues surrounding corporate blogs, which includes privacy or information leakage of the corporation because of the freedom, entailed in corporate blogging. To which we can now generate our prediction of corporate blogging with the analysis of its strategic management implementation (rules and regulations), the perception of employees and employers, and our own analysis as to how corporate blogging can elevate the communication process among a business organization. The author expects challenging the blogging system as an entity of information and as a communication medium to delimit its disadvantages and provide better means of communication for the business sector. Assuming that results are as predicted, we can now generalize the discussion. Note, however, that different companies have different cultures and strategies in corporate blogging; thus different results would be yield, and themes would have to be established in order for data to be qualitatively analyzed. Having the prediction of the future of corporate blogging may be a challenging step but I think it is feasible in this case since we can generate information regarding how the corporate blogging system can improve and be able to overcome the challenges of advanced technology. 5. 2 The limitations of the study On major limitation of the study is that only IT companies are to be considered in data gathering. It is possible that other companies may have a different culture and perception on corporate blogging. Future research may focus on determining the perceptions of companies other than IT and compare its results with the results obtained from this study. Also, the study only analyzed the perceptions of bloggers on corporate blogging. Studies on the perception of nonbloggers (or those who have blogs but do not post regularly) may be carried out to give a more generalized rate of acceptance of blogging as a new kind of innovation. There is also a restraint in Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovation Theory. It may be the most widely used theory in both individual and organizational IT adoption researches but none of the five predictors (relative advantage, compatibility with existing values and practices, simplicity and ease of use, trialability and observable results) made Jeyaraj et al. ’s (2006) list of best predictors for the aggregate IT adoption construct. Another limitation of this research is that blogging can result in legal problems because of the lack of blogging management. The integrity rules for protection and management are expected to established immediately.

Finding Water on Mars

Ever since we began the exploration of Mars with spacecraft (back in the 1960s), scientists have been on the lookout for evidence of water on the Red Planet. Each mission gathers more evidence for the existence of water in the past and present, and each time definitive proof is found, scientists share that information with the public. Now, with the popularity of Mars missions on the rise and the amazing story of survival that moviegoers have seen in The Martian, with Matt Damon, the search for water on Mars takes on additional meaning.   On Earth, definitive proof of water is easy to find — in as rain and snow, in lakes, ponds, rivers, and the oceans. Since we havent visited Mars in person yet, scientists work with observations made by orbiting spacecraft and lander/rovers on the surface. Future explorers WILL be able to find that water and study it and use it, so its important to know NOW about how much there is and where it exists on the Red Planet.   Streaks on Mars Over the past few years, scientists noticed curious-looking dark streaks that appear on the surface on steep slopes. They seem to come and go with the change of seasons, as temperatures change. They darken and appear to flow down the slopes during periods when the temperatures are warmer, and then fade out as things cool down. These streaks appear in several locations on Mars and have been called recurring slope linae (or RSLs for short). Scientists strongly suspect theyre related to liquid water that deposits hydrated salts (salts that have been in contact with water) on those slopes.   Salts Point the Way Observers took a look at the RSLs using an instrument onboard NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter called the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM). It looked at sunlight after it had been reflected from the surface, and analyzed it to figure out what chemical elements and minerals were there. The observations showed the chemical signature of hydrated salts in several locations, but only when the dark features were wider than usual.   A second look at the same places, but when the swaths were not very wide didnt turn up any hydrated salt. What this means is that if theres water there, its wetting the salt and causing it to show up in the observations.What are these salts? Observers determined that they are hydrated minerals called perchlorates, which are known to exist on Mars. Both the Mars Phoenix Lander and the Curiosity rover have found them in the soil samples theyve studied. The discovery of these perchlorates is the first time these salts have been spotte d from orbit over several years. Their existence is a huge clue in the search for water. Why Worry about Water on Mars?   If it seems that Mars scientists have announced water discoveries before, remember this: the discovery of water on Mars has not been one single discovery. It is the result of many observations over the past 50 years, each one giving more solid evidence that water exists. More studies will pinpoint more water, and eventually give planetary scientists a much better handle on how much water the Red Planet has and its sources underground.   Ultimately, people will travel to Mars, perhaps sometime in the next 20 years. When they do, those first Mars explorers will need all the information they can get about conditions on the Red Planet. Water, of course, is important. Its essential to life, and it can be used as a raw ingredient for many things (including fuel). Mars explorers and inhabitants will need to rely on the resources around them, just as explorers on Earth had to do as they explored our planet.   Just as important, however, is to understand Mars in its own right. Its similar to Earth in many ways, and formed in roughly the same region of the solar system some 4.6 billion years ago. Even if we never send people to the Red Planet, knowing its history and composition help fill in our knowledge of the solar systems many worlds. In particular, knowing its water history helps fill in the gaps of our understanding about what this planet may have been in the past: warm, wet, and much more habitable for life than it is now.

Argumentative Essay on Whether Anger Is Ever Beneficial

Argumentative Essay on Whether Anger Is Ever Beneficial Is Anger Ever Beneficial? Anger is one of the most controversial emotions in people’s life and psychology. So many discussions are held on its drawbacks and the way it harms both people who experience it and their surrounding, on the ways of controlling or suppressing it, and so on. But why? And can anger be beneficial? This emotion can be defined in many different ways, but all of them have common ground – it is an emotional response to a perceived provocation. It is one of the strongest feelings people can ever feel and it can drive them to the most different actions, of which people often regret after calming down. People can even resort to some illegal and irretrievable actions in a fit of rage. Due to this reason, psychologists work on different ways to control this feeling, or eliminate it completely. But to my mind, to eliminate or suppress it completely is not a reasonable option, as anger has also positive benefits that cannot be undermined. People feel well when they are able to realize their potential and don’t limit themselves with something they find unnecessary. If they suppress anger for some time, they can simply explode with this emotion in any unexpected moment that can be the most inappropriate one, which can even put an end to their career or family life, for instance. Thus, anger is necessary for our life to be complete. Another question is finding the moment to express it that will not harm neither you, nor the people around you. To my mind, the best way to get rid of this emotion is beat a pillow, for instance, or go in for sports. On balance, there are so many ways in which people can express and control anger in a way that is beneficial for them. The only thing left is to master the most wide-spread techniques and implement them into your life. The result will be really rewarding.

Descriptive Essay The Chicago - 1003 Words

Walking up to the door, we took in the scenery of a family of four sitting at a dark, brown circular table, hanging out as if this was the place to be. As soon as we walked in the door, the mouth watering smell of sweet, burning, crispy bacon and pepperoni enticed me. We hadn’t eaten all day and this was our first time in this particular place. I knew this experience would be great when I saw just how many people it attracted. It attracted people of many backgrounds and of many ages. I realized we stood out when Dennis (the pizzaiolo) saw that it must’ve been our first time. He informed us of how things worked; how the pizzas were individually crafted and made from the interpretation of various cities, how you could make your own pizza†¦show more content†¦Every table appeared free of crumbs and sauce stains as they sat shining under the fluorescent lights. Opening the box of pizza we saw that it was unbelievably thin. When I picked up my slice, the cheese was gooey and hot. I like that the food was fire cooked right in front of our faces so we didn’t have to worry about where our food has been when we finally got it. The toppings started to spill off as I took my first bite. The pizza was mind-blowing. I had never tasted anything so savory. When we were full we still didn’t want to stop eating (it was that good). One box just wasn’t enough, we needed more. When we got down to our last slices of pizza we realized that we were, in fact, full. As we sat in the booth, more people walked into the doors looking as if they’ve been there a thousand times before, so eager; knowing exactly what they would be ordering. Then there was the people like Darell and I, who supposedly looked like lost puppies; unaware of what they were going to get off of the menu; unaware of the delicious pizza they were about to receive. Seeing all of the people from different walks of life, so excited to eat this pizza was great. Although the slices were only big enough to feed a five year old, it was oddly satisfying and just enough to fill us up. The pizza looked exactly as it did on the menu. The employees’ customer service was way over the top. They made sure that we were contented with our choice and always had a smileShow MoreRelatedPrescriptivism v. Descriptivism1552 Words   |  7 Pagesare staunch believers in their position, but are more than willing to concede points to the other sides’ favour. In Bryan A. Garner’s essay, â€Å"Making Peace in the Language Wars†, he describes himself as a ‘descriptive prescriber’ (Garner, Making Peace in the Language Wars 2008, 270), and offers a truce that fulfils both sides of the argument as the crux of his essay. 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Impression de Voyage Free Essays

This poem â€Å"Impression De Voyage† by Oscar Wilde is in the sonnet form ABBA-ACCA-DEFFED. All in all though it really is just about the voyage, the poet took everything into account. The 14 lines stanza of the poem is composed in iambic pentameter and with a complex rhyme scheme. We will write a custom essay sample on Impression de Voyage or any similar topic only for you Order Now The Poet uses sounds in the sestet at the end. The imagery is nice (sapphire/opal/red sun upon the sea). There is the imagery of nature, sea and ship. Wilde presents ship imagery through various images like; steep prow, hoisted sail, the mast, creek and the stern. All these images symbolize a voyage or a journey perhaps a journey from life to death. Ship actually symbolizes refuge and sea is the symbol of danger. The color of the sun is red and it is going to set in the west. This image of â€Å"red sun upon the seas to ride† symbolize life’s journey towards death. â€Å"Lycaon’s snowy peak† is also symbolizing death and sterility. At the same instance the poet is mentioning the images ; flower strewn hills, blowing fair wind, blue lands, and olive grove, they all symbolize life. The use of auditory images; â€Å"flapping of the sail, the wind was blowing, ripple of the water, ripple of girl’s laughter†, these create aural impressions, symbolizing life, activity and energy. Thus life has juxtaposed with death by using contrasting images. The poet has used different colors to describe the beauty of nature. â€Å"Nature† meant many things to the Romantics. This poem is as true of Romantic landscape painting as of Romantic nature poetry. Romantic nature poetry is essentially poetry of meditation. Oscar Wilde has romanticized the nature in this poem. The landscape of the sea and the sky/ burned like a heated opal through the air†, establishes temporal and spatial distance between the enthusiastic visitor and the â€Å"fabled† Greece of myth and romance. The sapphire/ blue color of the sea is juxtaposed with heated opal/red sky. Blue color is the color of heaven. It is the color of equilibrium and impartiality (being the color devoid of all â€Å"heat†). It is the color that symbolizes; Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, cleanliness, order. While red is the color of fire. It symbolizes the extreme of activity, Excitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, and all things intense and passionate. The colors symbolizing peace and tranquility have juxtaposed with colors symbolizing aggression, passion and danger. According to Empidocles’ theory of plurality â€Å"psyche is the mixture of opposites. Good and bad both exist together in the world† Thus Wilde has brought the contrasting images together in order to show plurality in life. The repetition of the words† The flapping of† in the lines 10 and 11 shows the balance between opposites which exist in nature side by side. The tone of the poet is tender and mood is of excitement and enthusiasm. This poem could have been written by Lord Byron, because it is his style that Wilde copies. In this poem we have got the topic of Greece as a fabulous place. It seems that in â€Å"Impression De Voyage†, the French Impressionism term in the title appears misplaced, for in establishing a mythological setting (by mentioning Zakynthos, Olive grove, Ithaca’s cliff, Lycaon’s snowy peak and hills of Arcady†), Wilde abandons any attempt at depicting ‘impressions’; instead he describes a voyage to Greece, a return to the world of the flower-strewn hills of Arcady. It can also be considered that the title of this poem misleads, for a description of the voyage (including the’ ripple of girls’ laughter at the stern’) supersedes the effect of briefly experienced fleeting images. In the final line â€Å"I stood upon the soil of Greece at last† the speaker perhaps experiences an imaginative voyage into the mythological past. How to cite Impression de Voyage, Papers

The Barn free essay sample

When my grandparents introduced the idea of giving me a horse of my own, I tried to work out a negotiation. My Papa had just informed me of the fact that if I had a horse, I would be responsible for feeding it, exercising it, mucking its stall, and all of the other chores that mark the life of an equestrian. â€Å"Well, Papa,† I began in my best grown-up voice, â€Å"I was thinking that I would be the trainer, you know? So I’d get to work and train the horses, and you’d get to do the feeding and mucking stalls and stuff.† As amused as my Nana and Papa were by this proposition, they didn’t give it too much consideration. For the last fourteen years of my life, I have been a proud and happy stall-mucker. It didn’t take long for me to get into the routine of rising before the sun every morning, throwing on a pair of boots and a jacket, and making my way groggily out to the barn. We will write a custom essay sample on The Barn or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The barn has been standing in our backyard for so long that I can’t even remember what the property looked like without it. It was built by my Papa and some of his friends when I was just a baby, and though it’s needed a few touch-ups and repairs over the years, it is still the same familiar, welcoming place in which I spent so much of my childhood. In much the same way as the rest of my home, little remnants of my Papa’s life are everywhere in the barn. Though he passed away nine years ago, I can almost see his face every time I go up and down the stairs to the hayloft. The stairs are a result of his handiwork, and the cause of many twisted ankles and â€Å"close calls† of falling down the stairs. They begin with four steps, then a little landing, then a longer set of steps perpendicular to the first set. The problem is that the first set of steps are awkwardly close together, like they were built for a small child or perhaps a midget. The second set of stairs is quite the opposite, with so much space between each stair that you have to lift your knees up to your chest to ascend them. â€Å"Gives ‘em character,† my Papa used to say when Nana or I would complain about his carpentry. Of course, whenever he had to use the stairs himself, each step was accompanied by a colorful slew of curses. I learned a new variety of vocabulary during my time spent at the barn- a hearty mix of â€Å"horse lingo† and swears. Of course, this wasn’t the only thing that I learned, growing up as a â€Å"horse kid.† I was actually intimidated by horses when I was younger. The sheer size of them made me a little uneasy. Now I’m the type of person who looks at the largest of draft horses and proclaims, â€Å"Well aren’t you just adorable!† When I began my responsibilities as a â€Å"horse owner,† I thought that horse manure was disgusting, and 5am seemed like an absurd time for any creature to need food, horse or not. However, it wasn’t long before hungry horse whinnies became my favorite kind of good-mornings, and I discovered that nothing could cheer me up like a fuzzy pony kiss. Cleaning several stalls wasn’t nearly such a chore as cleaning my own bedroom, and tiny hooves against the concrete barn floor produced a more beautiful sound than any music I had ever heard. The only thing that’s changed about my barn since then are the horses who reside in it. The barn currently houses four horses, one of which is mine. However, we have had as many as seven horses at one time. My Nana has been known to convert the tack room to a horse stall to accommodate her collection of horses (â€Å"A tack room is a luxury; it’s just as easy to keep the tack on the porch and put a horse in there!†). By my count, we have had somewhere between fifteen and twenty horses over the years, each of whom has contributed to the barn in some way. Back when we had our first pregnant mare, we decided that we needed a foaling stall and some sort of a system to monitor it. To this day, one of our stalls remains noticeably larger than the rest of them, and there is a video camera that looks into the stall and hooks up to our TV. We had a stallion who liked to rear up and show off for the mares in the barn, and we were afraid that he would get himself stuck ove r the door. Though we haven’t had a stallion in several years now, there remains a set of bars that can be put into place above the stall door, just as a precaution. Even more than each horse has made an impact on the barn, the barn has made an impact on me. I value things differently because of the time that I’ve spent at the barn, and have learned to appreciate the small things in life. Being an equestrian has taught me to think on my feet, be adaptable, have patience, and go after what I want in life. I have gained a sense of leadership, confidence, and good old-fashioned common sense that I don’t think I could have achieved anywhere else. The barn has stood strong against wind, rain, sun, and snow for as long as I can remember. Within those walls, it houses not just four horses, but my life story. Bits of my history are scattered about like dandelion seeds in the wind. Pieces of who I am can be found lying in the bottom of the brush bucket, nestled between bales of hay, entwined into a horse’s mane. The barn represents my past, encompasses my present, and is something that I hope will remain forever in my future.