8+Science+4+Group+5+Public+Service+Announcement

//** SWITCH POWER SOURCES. SAVE EARTH... **//

//**  Nuclear Energy   Written by Henry and Adelle **// 

 The Issue and Action:  The human inhabitants of Earth are producing too many greenhouse gases! The gases get released into the atmosphere and trap heat near the Earth's surface. This process is known as Global Warming. If humans continue to release carbon dioxide then the earth will overheat, the climate will change, sea levels will continue to rise, ice will keep melting, and there will be a change in weather patterns. In order to slow down Global Warming we need to use Nuclear Energy. In a nuclear power plant the atom of uranium is used as fuel. The process of Nuclear Energy involves the nuclei of uranium to collide with neutrons. The nuclei splits into the process called Nuclear Fission. The process is a chain reaction that escalates quickly. A Nuclear Power Plant contains a turbine, steam, a generator, and three circuits. Nuclear Energy does not release any greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, and it also does not release any pollution. If operated properly a nuclear power plant can release less radioactivity than coal fired plants. Actions need to be taken quickly to begin the building of Nuclear Power plants! These actions will lead to a more cleaner earth, and less urban smog. There are also some risks or cons to relying solely on nuclear energy. Some cons to nuclear energy are: The costs of the nuclear power plants are very expensive, it is difficult to find a safe place to store nuclear waste because of its radioactivity, and if there is a poorly designed power plant then the fission process can potentially get out of control.  Over the past 50 years there have been several things hapenning proving global warming as a factor. There has been a rise in sea levels and melting ice. A graph conveying this information is the Keeling Graph. Charles Keeling measured the amount of carbon dioxide levels on Mauna Loa, a volcano in the secluded island of Hawaii. The reason Keeling measured the carbon dioxide levels on Mauna Loa was because it is far away from urban areas. As you can see from the graph below the Carbon dioxide levels have a major increase from 1958, and the temperature is rising at a similar rate to the amounts of carbon dioxide each year. The solution needed to stop the carbon dioxide increases is using the alternative energy source, Nuclear Power. 17% of the worlds electricity already comes from nuclear energy. If we were able to increase the number of nuclear powerplants, we would be able to slow global warming and reduce the amount of green house gases being released into the air. Nuclear Energy is a much safer way to produce energy!  ** How the Power-plants Work: ** First nuclear atoms react and release energy. That energy is then pressurized at a very high temperature. Next the hot water is pumped into a heat exchanger, which moves the heat from the first circuit to the second circuit. Water in the second circuit is pushed into high-pressure steam. Next the steam comes in contact with the turbine, setting it in motion, creating electricity. Lastly the third circuit cools the hot steam from the turbine and releases the heat waste out of the cooling tower in the form of steam.  
 * Evidence: **

__** Bibliography **__ Image of Nuclear Power Plant: Mooradian, Steve. "Negative 99" 2 Dec. 2009 <[]

Keeling Graph Image Exploratorium, 2009. 3 Dec. 2009 []<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal;">

Orange Image of Nuclear Power Plant <span style="color: #262a2c; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Tahoma,sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Holton, Conard. "Power Surge: Renewed Interest In Nuclear Energy." //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Environmental Health Perspective //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">. Web. 03 Dec. 2009. <http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/113-11/focus.html>.

Book Source: Arms, Karen. __Environmental Science__. Austin: Holt, 2008.

Electronic Source 1 "Key Issues: Protecting the Environment". __Nuclear Energy Institute.__ 2 Dec. 2009. <[]

Electronic Source 2 Gavrilas, Mirela. "Nuclear Energy". //World Book Student.// World Book, 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2009

Picture on Power Plants: E Books, 2008. 2 Oct. 2009 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_2bc78qjWZc8/R1jMCOcFzeI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/QOegASvxwXY/s400/nuclear%2Bpower%2Bplants.GIF>