Overview of the Last Glaciation

Overview of the Last Glaciation When did the last Ice Age occur? The worlds most recent glacial period began about 110,000 years ago and ended around 12,500 years ago. The maximum extent of this glacial period was the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and it occurred around 20,000 years ago. Although the Pleistocene Epoch experienced many cycles of glacials and interglacials (the warmer periods between the colder glacial climates), the last glacial period is the most heavily studied and best-known portion of the worlds current ice age, especially with regard to North America and northern Europe. The Geography of the Last Glacial Period At the time of the LGM (map of glaciation), approximately 10 million square miles (~ 26 million square kilometers) of the earth was covered by ice. During this time, Iceland was completely covered as was much of the area south of it as far as the British Isles. In addition, northern Europe was covered as far south as Germany and Poland. In North America, all of Canada and portions of the United States were covered by ice sheets as far south as the Missouri and Ohio Rivers. The Southern Hemisphere experienced the glaciation with the Patagonian Ice Sheet that covered Chile and much of Argentina and Africa and portions of the Middle East and Southeast Asia experienced significant mountain glaciation. Because the ice sheets and mountain glaciers covered so much of the world, local names have been given to the various glaciations around the  world. The Pinedale or Fraser in the North American Rocky Mountains, Greenland, the Devensian in the British Isles, the Weichsel in Northern Europe and Scandinavia, and the Antarctic glaciations are some of the names given to such areas. Wisconsin in North America is one of the more famous and well-studied, as is the Wà ¼rm glaciation of the European Alps. Glacial Climate and Sea Level The North American and European ice sheets of the last glaciation began forming after a prolonged cold stage with increased precipitation (mostly snow in this case) took place. Once the ice sheets began forming, the cold landscape altered typical weather patterns by creating their own air masses. The new weather patterns that developed reinforced the initial weather that created them, plunging the various areas into a cold glacial period. The warmer portions of the globe also experienced a change in climate due to glaciation in that most of them became cooler but drier. For example, rainforest cover in West Africa was reduced and replaced by tropical grasslands because of a lack of rain. At the same time, most of the worlds deserts expanded as they became drier. The American Southwest, Afghanistan, and Iran are exceptions to this rule however as they became wetter once a shift in their airflow patterns took place. Finally, as the last glacial period progressed leading up to the LGM, sea levels worldwide dropped as water became stored in the ice sheets covering the world’s continents. Sea levels went down about 164 feet (50 meters) in 1,000 years. These levels then stayed relatively constant until the ice sheets began to melt toward the end of the glacial period. Flora and Fauna During the last glaciation, shifts in climate altered the world’s vegetation patterns from what they had been prior to the formation of the ice sheets. However, the types of vegetation present during the glaciation are similar to those found today. Many such trees, mosses, flowering plants, insects, birds, shelled mollusks, and mammals are examples. Some mammals also went extinct around the world during this time but it is clear that they did live during the last glacial period. Mammoths, mastodons, long-horned bison, saber-toothed cats, and giant ground sloths are among these. Human history also began in the Pleistocene and we were heavily impacted by the last glaciation. Most importantly, the drop in sea level aided in our movement from Asia into North America as the landmass connecting the two areas in Alaskas Bering Strait (Beringia) surfaced to act as a bridge between the areas. Todays Remnants of the Last Glaciation Though the last glaciation ended about 12,500 years ago, remnants of this climatic episode are common around the world today. For example, increased precipitation in North Americas Great Basin area created enormous lakes (map of lakes) in a normally dry area. Lake Bonneville was one and once covered most of what is today Utah.​ The  Great Salt Lake is todays largest remaining portion of Lake Bonneville but the old shorelines of the lake can be seen on the mountains around Salt Lake City. Various landforms also exist around the world because of the enormous power of moving glaciers and ice sheets. In Canadas Manitoba for instance, numerous small lakes dot the landscape. These were formed as the moving ice sheet gouged out the land beneath it. Over time, the depressions formed filled with water creating kettle lakes. Finally, there are many glaciers still present around the world today and they are some of the most famous remnants of the last glaciation. Most ice today is located in Antarctica and Greenland but some ice is also found in Canada, Alaska, California, Asia, and New Zealand. Most impressively though are the glaciers still found in the equatorial regions like South Americas Andes Mountains and Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Most of the worlds glaciers are famous today however for their significant retreats in recent years. Such a retreat represents a new shift in the earth’s climate- something that has happened time and time again over the earths 4.6 billion year history and will no doubt continue to do in the future.

The Current Status of Literacy in Mathematics Research Paper

The Current Status of Literacy in Mathematics - Research Paper Example Despite the application of the important factor in education, knowledge remains to be a fundamental part as it provides the foundation for people to practice their own calling or profession. It means that a significant portion of profession gives importance to literacy. People can only function to the extent of what they know. It also shows that research on education is very important. Research is done to improve the literacy and education globally. It has also recognized the recent developments in technology that allows the information to be disseminated in a wider scope using the internet. It has bloomed the concept of interconnectedness which has significantly improved the business, work and overall living of people worldwide. In short, it can also be used to improve the education system. The same interconnectedness has also been known across fields of specializations and body of knowledge. Science can be used in music which means systematic ways of doing things in making songs ma y entail the use of both science and music. Some may even use music in learning the subject matter like in language. Singing can be used to easily remember the important concepts like a song on nouns for a language class.Literacy has been connected with learning and education although its roots can be traced back to the concept of language. In the present, it has been synonymous with the level of understanding in certain subject areas like science, math and much more.  Since literacy has been connected to language, it can be applied to the content of mathematics. For example, a branch of mathematics called geometry may need the language and literacy to improve its standards. Its content may deal with the geometrical terms. Having the shapes and concepts in geometry may be hard to deal with for some students. To improve it, the use of songs may be used to understand the terms and connect them with their respective elements. Some literacy games may also be done to connect the right terms to the right elements. Another goal would be the analysis of the characteristics of shapes in two dimensions and three dimensions which can be done through the use of technology-based applications or software. The same goes with the content of the shapes when they are needed to be compared like understanding how two shape are the same or different. They can also be classified with the aid of the software like computer games and shape-modeling software (Brozo 160). It shows how important to improve the content through literacy like words and terms and even use the technology for learning. Content plays the key role in learning certain subject matter so it is very important to focus on it. It contributes greatly in comprehension of the learners about particular subject matter (Conley 5). Learning is really affected by the quality of the content and how it is delivered. It is really applicable to mathematics. For instance,

American Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

American Revolution - Essay Example The revolution took place as a result of accumulated grievances which the American people had had enough of. They were also protesting against the various acts that had been established by England and which were to their disadvantage. An example was the Stamp Act of 1765 which imposed that every American was to pay taxes to England in order to offset the costs of running the British Military Organization. There was the currency act of 1764 that prohibited issuance of legal tender money and this threated to destabilize the industrial economy. The quartering act of 1765 also contributed to the revolution as it required colonialists to house troops from Britain and even supply them with their hard earned food. The conflict that occurred between England and the colonies was basically brought about by the colonies disagreements with the rules introduced to them by their British leaders. These rules undermined them further and prevented them from being independent and they were tired and angry about this. They therefore started with revolts in some of the colonies which were ultimately copied and repeated in the rest of the colonies and this in turn led to the revolution which took place over a number of years. They were totally opposed to these policies and they started uniting against the British colonialists as they knew that once unite, they could easily get their independence. The colonies also stopped providing money to the British government. The British government had used up most of its resources and even accumulated debt from the war and they needed money from the colonies to recover which was not forthcoming (Morton 41). They started rioting and mass protests to refuse the new policies England was imparting on them hence giving a hard time to the colonialists. The point of no return was reached in 1763 after the seven year’s war. At this juncture, enough was enough with the oppression and the numerous Acts and

Cultural evolution Essay Example for Free

Cultural evolution Essay In his article â€Å"Where Do Social Relations Come From? †, Michael Grossetti discusses the ways that human relationships are studied by sociologists, citing that often the methodology begins by starting with the relationship ad working backward to define it (Grossetti,p. 289). The most lasting relationships are the ones that come from organizations, he concludes, especially those related to family and friends. When we related this conclusion back to cultural evolution theory, we can argue that the lasting relationships of this generation because at this point in time most relationships are forged out of organizations or via our families. However, we can clearly argue that once this may not have been true as people had longer term relationships with people in their neighborhoods and those with whom they had a physical proximity. Grossetti argues that neighborhoods do not provide a basis for lasting relationships as they do not necessarily share life values or interests which draw people together (p. 292). When discussing this assertion in relation to cultural evolution, we can argue that in the recent past, neighborhoods did share a commonality that is now missing – immigrants would tend to settle in neighborhoods, neighborhoods would be divided by racial or religious lines, or at the most tangential neighborhoods would be reflective of a certain socio-economic status. Now, according to Grossetti’s study, relationships have evolved to the point that people develop relationships based primarily on organizations which they belong to –church groups, work groups, or interest organizations. When this is combined with the use of social networks, it can be observed that people are then creating a new means to segregate themselves via their interests. People have developed a new means to identify people with like interests and create new association groups. The interesting aspect of this evolving form of meeting may be that it creates relationships among people who in previous generations may never even have met. Because social networking allows people with common interests to meet without the traditional introduction of a mutual friend, they may completely change the way relationship develop in the future, dovetailing nicely with the theory of cultural evolution.

1980 African American Education :: essays research papers

1980s African American Education Amount of Blacks in college 1980: Impressive 718,000 1987: Growing more slowly, 855,000 *1988: Sliding back down to 785,000 *In 1988, the enrollment of black men declined, while it increased for women. There were 179,000 black women in college, then black men. Percentage of highs school graduates going to college 1960-1970: Males exceeded women 1980’s: women overtake men and never lost the lead Popular concentration in education in the 1980’s 1981: business and management were the most popular of all black bachelor’s degree recipients. 13,325 blacks earned a bachelor’s degree in business and management (40% earned in historically black colleges). The Black and White Gap "The average scores of black students have remained well below those of whites, and at age 17, the reading achievement of black students was lower last year than it was in 1988—a depressing reversal of the gains made over the previous two decades," Michael T. Nettles, the vice chairman of the National Assessment Governing Board, said at a press conference held here late last month to release the results. The independent panel oversees National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) In just about every age group and in every subject, the test-score gap between white and African-American students has grown since 1986, reversing a trend in which the discrepancies decreased from the time the exams were first given in 1969, 1971, and 1973. Since the mid-1980s, gaps in several subjects and age groups have grown by statistically significant amounts. Resegregation occurring again â€Å"Studies finds the causes for resegregation stemming from a number of social and political factors: a series of court rulings beginning in the late 1980s that reversed many of the desegregation orders, the growing isolation of whites in suburban schools, and the increasing segregation of blacks and Hispanics in suburban schools.

Hero’s in Greek Literature Essay

In modern times the word hero can be used to describe many different people. For example, a scientist that develops a cure for AIDs would be thought of to be heroic. Or perhaps one might deem teachers heroic for shaping the youth of tomorrow. Although these jobs are noble, they would not be deemed heroic by the Greeks. Today’s definition of a hero is comparatively broad to that of which the Greek’s would have considered the term of hero to describe. More accurately, a hero is someone who puts themselves in a position of death in order to obtain a morally just cause. This idea of self sacrifice is what makes a hero. In Greek literature, especially in poetry, there are several examples of heroes and heroines. I will specifically discuss Achilles of Homer’s Iliad, as well as Antigone in Sophocles Antigone, and why their character is of heroic stature. In early Greek literature, such as Homer’s Iliad, a hero was more parallel to the concept of a warrior. In book I of The Iliad, Achilles is not just portrayed as a warrior, but is in fact introduced as â€Å"godlike† (Homer, 107). Achilles is an exemplum of one of the defining characteristics of epic poems in that he possesses godlike qualities, such as superhuman strength. In epic poems, the intervention and presence of the Greek gods is a persisting trait. Achilles is born of both mortal and immortal persons, his father a militant mortal Peleus and his mother the sea nymph Thetis. Due to these qualities and over the course of the poem, Achilles proves himself to be the most capable warrior of all. Moreover, Achilles also proves himself a hero by surmising to the idea of self sacrifice. It has always been known that if Achilles kills Hector during the Greek and Trojan War, he will at some point be put to death by the gods. As described in book IX, â€Å"My mother Thetis, a moving silver grace, tells me two fates sweep me on my death. If I stay here and fight, I’ll never return home, but my glory will be undying forever. If I return home†¦ my glory is lost but my life will be long,† (Homer, 141). Therefore Achilles does have the option of going home and living a long life. However, it is the death of Patroclus, Achilles best friend, that sways him to fight even though a sure death will come. This choice is namely why Achilles is a hero. Another central theme to a Greek hero is that he is unable to be destroyed by any other man and therefore a central theme of self- destructiveness exists (Whitman).

Guy De Maupassant Is Known As One Of The Most Famous Short...

Guy de Maupassant is known as one of the most famous short story writers of France whose works were known for their hard truths about life. His realistic point of view and objective technique were inserted into a majority of his writing, especially those of the horror genre. Maupassant used these, plus his deteriorating mental health later in life to produce raw, uncut stories that were shocking in nature. The commonalities in all of his stories relate back to these ideas and techniques. The commonalities are found in the character traits, the type of narration, and the setting in which these stories take place. Maupassant considered himself to be a realist, constantly criticizing the romantic writers for what he described as â€Å"their deliberate attempt to give a false presentation of observable reality, depicting life not as it is, but as they would like to see it.† (Sullivan, Pg. 17) Maupassant whole-heartedly agreed that in order to be a good writer, one needed to write the facts, not about utopian societies. His definition of being a realist was that they must show life in its truest form. To be a great writer, one must be â€Å"sincere but without illusions,† and must â€Å"take hold of the reader and drag him out of his illusory tranquility and make him face life as it is.† (Sullivan, Pgs. 20-21) His other writing style was in how he portrayed his characters. To Maupassant, the character’s inner self was shown through their actions on the outside, rather than explicitly statingShow MoreRelatedGuy De Maupassant s Life1179 Words   |  5 PagesGuy De Maupassant was born August 5, 1850, in Chà ¢teau de Miromesnil, France (The Famous People, Guy de Maupassant), when he was young his parents got divorced and after that, his father left, denying him a chance to develop a relationship with his son. He started school with a religious education but, after getting expelled on purpose he pursued a bachelor s degree at Lycà ©e at Le Havre (World History: The Modern Era, Guy de Maupassant). One of his most well known stories is The Necklace. In thisRead More`` The Jewelry `` By Guy De Maupassant892 Words   |  4 Pagesdoubtful.† (Guy de Maupassant). Guy de Maupassant, also known as Henri Renà © Albert Guy de Maupassant, was one of the most famed French novelists in the world. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story and a writer who was successful in his own time, immensely popular, prosperous and feted by society. He left an immerse impact on literature, including six novels and three hundred short stories. Guy de Maupassant lived a short but highly productive life and his short stories and novels areRead MoreA Wasteful Fashion in The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant1149 Words   |  5 Pagesit worth it? Guy de Maupassant was a popular French writer who is known as one of the fathers of modern short stories. Many of Maupassant’s stories are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870’s. Maupassant ended up writing about three hundred short stories, six novels, three travel books, and one volume of verse. In his short story, ‘The Necklace’, the main character, Mathilde Loisel, feels as if s he should have been born rich but instead was born into a life of poverty. One day her husbandRead MoreEssay about Biography and Work of Guy de Maupassant4591 Words   |  19 PagesWork of Guy de Maupassant Guy de Maupassant is acknowledged through the world as one of the masters of the short story; Guy de Maupassant was also the author of a collection of poetry, a volume of plays, three travel journals, six novels, and many chronicles. He produced some three hundred short stories in the single decade from 1880 to 1890; a period during which he produced most of his other works. Five of his six novels were published during the second half of the decade. â€Å"His short fictionRead Moreâ€Å"Irony in Guy de Maupassant’s â€Å"The Jewelry†Ã¢â‚¬ 3124 Words   |  13 PagesJewelry† by Guy de Maupassant ii.i Plot summary ii.ii Analysis of the story ii.iii Irony in â€Å"The Jewelry† Conclusion to Chapter II Conclusion Bibliography Introduction â€Å"Expect the unexpected,† is something that I heard many times. We should follow this rule while reading different genres of writing, because writers use irony to keep readers’ attention, and make their works more interesting. This research paper deals with one of Guy de Maupassant’s short story â€Å"The Jewelry†Read MoreEssay on The Necklace1342 Words   |  6 Pagestheir parents, but as they grow up they will understand that the well known adage holds true to its meaning. Almost everybody has experienced this feeling, whether it is as young children or as wise adults. Examples of this noted proverb is evident both in print and on screen. Now, since this is the case with most people around the world, it is not difficult to see how this byword applies to Guy de Maupassants short story The Necklace. Its protagonist, Mathilde Loisel, longing for a lavishRead More The Necklace1898 Words   |  8 Pagesbeen dominant in World Literature from ancient times to the present. One such theme greed and generosity, which is explored in the French short story â€Å"The Necklace† by Guy de Maupassant. On August 5, 1850, Maupassant was born near Normandy, France, where he lived for the majority of his childhood. He was the first son of Laure Le Poittevin and Gustave de Maupassant, who were both from prestigious bourgeois families. When Maupassant was eleven years old, his parents were legally divorced and both heRead MoreAnalysis Of Guy De Maupassant s `` The Necklace `` Essay1463 Words   |  6 Pages Guy de Maupassant, a French writer, was born in August 1850 and died in July 1893, during which the Franco-Prussian war took place. Subsequently, many of his narrations were set during this war to describe its meaningless and disastrous aftermath to countless innocent people whose experiences were changed forever. He was known as a master of short stories and belonged to naturalist school of writers, in which he described human lives, along with society, in disillusioned and often pessimistic termsRead MoreEssay about Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism2493 Words   |  10 Pagespro gram on television will make their own assumptions. I know I do. Most of us will ask, â€Å"Why did the main character make that decision?† Or â€Å"What were they thinking?† Could it be that the author of the story is protruding their own subconscious thoughts and beliefs through their characters? Absolutely, most critics have adapted psychoanalytic literary criticism theory based upon the works of psychoanalysis by famous psychologists Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Jacques Lacan to literaryRead MoreFiction in Henry James Paste2797 Words   |  12 PagesHenry James and his short story Paste. Firstly, I will focus on the time he wrote the story and than I will describe his life and his three major writing phrases. Next, I will go on with giving the most important of the story touching the most important point of its sources and who influenced James to such a work. The next section in the term paper is one of the most important ones because it touches all the most important things connected with fiction in James`s short story which will be a guide