The Mount Pinatubo Eruption

The Mount Pinatubo Eruption In June 1991, the second-largest volcanic eruption of the twentieth century* took place on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, a mere 90 kilometers (55 miles) northwest of the capital city Manila. Up to 800 people were killed and 100,000 became homeless following the Mount Pinatubo eruption, which climaxed with nine hours of the  eruption on June 15, 1991. On June 15, millions of tons of sulfur dioxide were discharged into the atmosphere, resulting in a decrease in the temperature worldwide over the next few years. The Luzon Arc Mount Pinatubo is part of a chain of composite volcanoes along the Luzon arc on the west coast of the island (area map). The arc of volcanoes is due to the subduction of the Manila trench to the west. The volcano experienced major eruptions approximately 500, 3000, and 5500 years ago. The events of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption began in July 1990, when a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred 100 kilometers (62 miles) northeast of the Pinatubo region, determined to be a result of the reawakening of Mount Pinatubo. Before the Eruption In mid-March 1991, villagers around Mount Pinatubo began feeling earthquakes and vulcanologists began to study the mountain. (Approximately 30,000 people lived on the flanks of the volcano prior to the disaster.) On April 2, small explosions from vents dusted local villages with ash. The first evacuations of 5,000 people were ordered later that month. Earthquakes and explosions continued. On June 5, a Level 3 alert was issued for two weeks due to the possibility of a major eruption. The extrusion of a lava dome on June 7 led to the issuance of a Level 5 alert on June 9, indicating an eruption in progress. An evacuation area 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) away from the volcano was established and 25,000 people were evacuated. The following day (June 10), Clark Air Base, a U.S. military installation near the volcano, was evacuated. The 18,000 personnel and their families were transported to Subic Bay Naval Station and most were returned to the United States. On June 12, the danger radius was extended to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the volcano resulting in the total evacuation of 58,000 people. The Eruption On June 15, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo began at 1:42 p.m. local time. The eruption lasted for nine hours and caused numerous large earthquakes due to the collapse of the summit of Mount Pinatubo and the creation of a caldera. The caldera reduced the peak from 1745 meters (5725 feet) to 1485 meters (4872 feet) high is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) in diameter. Unfortunately, at the time of the eruption Tropical Storm Yunya was passing 75 km (47 miles) to the northeast of Mount Pinatubo, causing a large amount of rainfall in the region. The ash that was ejected from the volcano mixed with the water vapor in the air to cause a rainfall of tephra that fell across almost the entire island of Luzon. The greatest thickness of ash deposited 33 centimeters (13 inches) approximately 10.5 km (6.5 mi) southwest of the volcano. There was 10 cm of ash covering an area of 2000 square kilometers (772 square miles). Most of the 200 to 800 people (accounts vary) who died during the eruption died due to the weight of the ash collapsing roofs and killing two occupants. Had Tropical Storm Yunya not been nearby, the death toll from the volcano would have been much lower. In addition to the ash, Mount Pinatubo ejected between 15 and 30 million tons of sulfur dioxide gas. Sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere mixes with water and oxygen in the atmosphere to become sulfuric acid, which in turn triggers ozone depletion. Over 90% of the material released from the volcano was ejected during the nine-hour eruption of June 15. The eruption plume of Mount Pinatubos various gasses and ash reached high into the atmosphere within two hours of the eruption, attaining an altitude of 34 km (21 miles) high and over 400 km (250 miles) wide. This eruption was the largest disturbance of the stratosphere since the eruption of Krakatau in 1883 (but ten times larger than Mount St. Helens in 1980). The aerosol cloud spread around the earth in two weeks and covered the planet within a year. During 1992 and 1993, the Ozone hole over Antarctica reached an unprecedented size. The cloud over the earth reduced global temperatures. In 1992 and 1993, the average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was reduced 0.5 to 0.6 °C and the entire planet was cooled 0.4 to 0.5 °C. The maximum reduction in global temperature occurred in August 1992 with a reduction of 0.73 °C. The eruption is believed to have influenced such events as 1993 floods along the Mississippi River and the drought in the Sahel region of Africa. The United States experienced its third coldest and third wettest summer in 77 years during 1992. The Aftermath Overall, the cooling effects of the Mount Pinatubo eruption were greater than those of the El Nià ±o that was taking place at the time or of the greenhouse gas warming of the planet. Remarkable sunrises and sunsets were visible around the globe in the years following the Mount Pinatubo eruption. The human impacts of the disaster are staggering. In addition to the up to 800 people who lost their lives, there was almost one-half of a billion dollars in property and economic damage. The economy of central Luzon was horribly disrupted. In 1991, the volcano destroyed 4,979 homes and damaged another 70,257. The following year 3,281 homes were destroyed and 3,137 were damaged. Damage following the Mount Pinatubo eruption was usually caused by lahars - rain-induced torrents of volcanic debris that killed people and animals and buried homes in the months after the eruption. Additionally, another Mount Pinatubo eruption in August 1992 killed 72 people. The United States military never returned to Clark Air Base, turning over the damaged base to the Philippine government on November 26, 1991. Today, the region continues to rebuild and recover from the disaster.

Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his quest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a â€Å"Renaissance child† because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. ... Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his quest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a â€Å"Renaissance child† because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked ther... Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Background Leonardo was born in the town of Vinci in the Tuscan hills, on April 15, 1452. This is known from his grandfather, Antonio, who wrote down the details of the baptism: A grandson of mine was born, son of Ser Piero, my son, on April 15, Saturday at three in the night (11 pm). He was baptized by the priest Piero di Bartolomeo, Papino di Nanni Banti, Meo di Tenino, Piero di Malvolto, Nanni di Venzo, Arrigo di Giovanni the German, Monna Lisa di Domenico di Brettone, Monna Antonia di Giulliano, Monna Nicolosa del Barna, Monna Maria, daughter of Nanni di Venzo, Monna Pippa di Previcone. The names following that of the priest were of the witnesses, five men and five women as tradition demanded. Noticeably, the boy's mother is not present at the time of baptism. Leonardo's father was Piero Da Vinci, and of his mother only her name "Caterina" in known. Caterina is understood to have been a peasant girl, or perhaps a barmaid. When the young boy was born, he lived with his mother for the first few years of his life. It is intriguing that in all of his writings, Leonardo never mentioned his mother, even though there is evidence that later on his life he was aware of who she was. The Da Vinci's were a family that had been established in Vinci since the 13th Century. Many generations of notaries had given the family a status, and the title of Ser which was passed down to Leonardo's father. Although it is very difficult to find information about Leonardo's ancestors, this is a brief genealogical table: Ser Piero di Ser Guido (d. 1412) | Ser Antonio di Ser Piero di Ser Guido (1372-1464) | Ser Piero da Vinci (1426-1504) | Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Ser Piero, Leonardo's father was a man of great virility, who lived... Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci Leonard Da Vinci once said, â€Å"There can be no greater or lesser mastery over oneself.† Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the greatest inventors and scientists of recorded history. His genius was unbounded by time and technology. His ways were driven by his appetite for curiosity and intuitive sense of the natural wonders around him. Leonardo Da Vinci was dedicated to the discovery of truth and his contributions to science and art were legendary. There are many people who are considered geniuses in their own field of expertise, but Leonardo Da Vinci stands out as a true genius of many fields of expertise. He not only created masterpieces of art, but also contributed heavily to the fields of engineering and architecture. He also designed and sketched machines and inventions that were clearly ahead of his time. He did not limit his creativeness with accepted means of his time, and had the courage to experiment with new and untried ideas, even if it meant failure on his part. Leonardo was born on April 15, 1452, in Vinci, which is now a part of Italy. He was the illegitimate son of a notary public and a peasant girl. Leonardo’s father noticed his potential artistic talent and took him to Florence to start his education. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a Renaissance child because of his multitude of talents. He had keen powers of observation and imagination and had the ability to detach himself from the world around him. Leonardo showed an early interest in subjects such as botany, geology, animals, and natural elements, he was also very intrigued by shadows. When he reached the age of seventeen, Leonardo became an apprentice to one of Florence’s leading painters and sculptors, Andrea del Verrochio. At the age of twenty, Leonardo was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and stayed for six years to learn and work with Verrochio on paintings like, â€Å"The Baptism of Christ†. On this painting, there ... Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his quest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a â€Å"Renaissance child† because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. ... Free Essays on Leonardo Da Vinci Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the greatest and most ingenious men that history has produced. His contributions in the areas of art, science, and humanity are still among the most important that a single man has put forth, definitely making his a life worth knowing. Da Vinci, born on April 15, 1452, is credited with being a master painter, sculptor, architect, musician, engineer, and scientist. He was born an illegitimate child to Catherina, a peasant girl. His father was Ser Piero da Vinci, a public notary for the city of Florence, Italy. For the first four years of his life he lived with his mother in the small village of Vinci, directly outside of the great center of the Renaissance, Florence. Catherina was a poor woman, with possible artistic talent, the genetic basis of Leonardo’s talents. Upon the realization of Leonardo’s potential, his father took the boy to live with him and his wife in Florence (Why did). This was the start of the boy’s education and his quest for knowledge. Leonardo was recognized by many to be a â€Å"Renaissance child† because of his many talents. As a boy, Leonardo was described as being handsome, strong, and agile. He had keen powers of observation, an imagination, and the ability to detach himself from the world around him. At an early age Leonardo became interested in subjects such as botany, geology, animals (specifically birds), the motion of water, and shadows (About Leonardo). At the age of 17, in about 1469, Leonardo was apprenticed as a garzone (studio boy) to Andrea del Verrocchio, the leading Florentine painter and sculptor of his day. In Verrocchio’s workshop Leonardo was introduced to many techniques, from the painting of altarpieces and panel pictures to the creation of large sculptural projects in marble and bronze. In 1472 he was accepted in the painter’s guild of Florence, and worked there for about six years. ...

Does US Seek Hegemony over Asia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Does US Seek Hegemony over Asia - Article Example It is evident from the official statement that the US continues to play a great role to ensure a stable balance in Asia. America’s political, economic and diplomatic leadership enhances global freedom, peace, and prosperity. The US has acknowledged the fact that maintaining order in Asia will be a complex task given the great distances (Glaser, 2011). Â  United States concerns about Asian stability are guaranteed. In using the history of the 20th-century guide, Washington will continue dealing with Asian-Pacific. The US has an issue dealing with China as it has become a rising power. However, United States is seeking to face China has a rising economic and military power in Asia-Pacific. The United States president has promised to make their missions and presence in Asia-Pacific the topmost priority. After the president announcement, approximately 500 US troops were said to be deployed to Australia. The US is foreseeing a growing threat of its hegemony from China. America’s tactical moves to Asia are aimed at pinning down China as well as counterbalancing its development (Glaser, 2011). The US economic and hegemony in Asia-Pacific has triggered concerns about national security. The United States has established a key military base in Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Guam, Singapore and now Australia. The former D efense Secretary of United States spoke at the International Institute of Strategic Studies conference and said that US is aiming at maintaining a robust US military in Asia. The US is taking measures that help them overcome the area denial scenarios and anti-access that the US faces in Asia, which restricts America’s from accessing strategic resources and markets. The United States believes that its hegemony in Asia will deter and defeat the potential rivals. Â