"Wisdom begins in wonder" – Socrates
Category: Earth/Climate science
Water-Bearing Formations
09/18/26
“How can we describe geological structures that contain water?”
The world beneath our feet, the geological realm, is large and diverse. Geological structures may hold water in all sorts of conditions. If a geological structure holds water, it’s labelled a Water-Bearing Formation. Aquifers are a famous example of water-bearing fomations.
Vascular Tissue
09/17/26
“How do vascular plants transport water and minerals throughout their body?”
Vascular plants can transport water and minerals over long distances within their bodies through Vascular Tissue. Vascular tissue is a group of cells in a plant dedicated to nutrient transport. Vascular tissues are the reason why vascular plants can grow so large. The skinny vertical gaps in a celery stalk is an example of vascular tissue.
The Mississippi River Basin
09/16/26
“What is the largest river basin in the United States?”
The United States (occupied Turtle Island) is one of the world’s largest countries. It spans from the Atlantic to the Pacific, encased by the Appalachians in the former and the Rockies in the latter. Between these two mountain ranges lies the Mississippi River, which drains The Mississippi River Basin. The Mississippi River Basin, stretching from New Orleans to Alberta and from Denver to Pittsburgh, is the largest water basin in the so-called U.S., and the third largest worldwide behind the Nile and Congo River Basins. Any water that falls in the Mississippi River Basin will eventually flow out to the Gulf of Mexico by New Orleans.
Wellpoints
09/14/26
“How can we hook up a series of pipes to a pump to drain groundwater?”
Groundwater dewatering is a major problem at construction sites. So how can we use our engineering mindsets to solve this? Well, what if we were to take a series of pipes with holes so small it can let water in without destabilizing an aquifer, place them in the groundwater, and connect them all to a common pipe that’s hooked up to a pump that drains the water? This is the idea behind Wellpoints, a brilliant way to dewater a construction site.
Image credit: https://crewell.it/
Vascular Plants
09/12/26
“How do we classify plants that can move water and minerals through their bodies using specialized tissues?”
Plants work in all sorts of ways. Some plants have tissues dedicated to moving water and minerals through their bodies. These Vascular Plants can grow to sizes much larger than non-vascular plants because of their quicker intra-body resource transport. Examples of vascular plants include conifer trees and flower-bearing plants.
The Las Vegas Wash
09/11/26
“How does Las Vegas use a 12-mile swampy stream to recycle its wastewater?”
Las Vegas sits in a difficult place for water. The metropolis sits in one of the driest and hottest parts of the U.S., and climate change is expected to bring even less rainfall. But it turns out Vegas has a secret card up its sleeve. The Las Vegas Valley channels its wastewater into a 12-mile swampy stream called The Las Vegas Wash for purification. The plants in the Las Vegas Wash remove contaminants from the (post-treatment plant) wastewater, and the end of the stream ends at Lake Mead to connect back into the water supply system. This advanced water-recycling technique will only become more important as the climate-change-driven drought intensifies.
Image credit: https://www.lvwash.org/
Alluvium
09/10/26
“What is loose sediment deposited by flowing water?”
Flowing water erodes sediment and turns it loose. The water will then deposit the sediment as Alluvium. Alluvium soil is typically mixed from a wide range of different grain sizes.
Rock Outlet Protection
09/08/26
“How can we prevent water from culverts from eroding nearby earth using rocks?”
Water streams through culverts are channelized and pick up speed. This extra speed can erode nearby earth soils. People can prevent this by installing collections of rocks outside of the culvert exit to dampen the flow. This Rock Outlet Protection is a simple but effective way to implement erosion and sediment control for culverts.
Image credit: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/
Conifer Trees
09/07/26
“What makes trees that hold their seeds in cones so special?”
Trees are commonly thought to hold their seeds in fruits and flowers. However, some trees hold them in cones. These Conifer Trees are typically (but not always) evergreen and tend to dominate colder-temperature climates. Conifer trees are also a vital food source for many species. Christmas trees and California Redwoods are conifer trees.
