Week 0: Introduction

Hi my name is Krish and this is my first blog for my senior project. Every year as a kid, I’d visit my favorite viewing spots for tidepools at Monterey. The various life present in such shallow bodies of water so close to me was intriguing, but I slowly noticed the decline of really interesting but important organisms, such as starfish, barnacles, and mussels. The water during tides would be creeping closer to the shore, approaching further inland and affecting various features of my most memorable locations. Many beach areas would be closed off because of the higher level tides and the interesting sights I could see as a kid were no longer present. 

Global warming poses an increasing threat, reaching an irreversible stage with our current methods and awareness levels. 

The purpose of this project is to highlight and emphasize the major impact rising ocean levels will have on our community, as we live in a very coastal region, but also because it will impact our and the planet’s future. As the next generation, it is our duty to alleviate or make an effort to better our situation. The persisting changes in the physical and biological functions and systems in many areas of the world can be attributed to regional changes in climate. These issues, such as the, “melting of glaciers, thawing of permafrost, changes in rainfall frequency/intensity, shifts in growing seasons, early flowering of trees and emergence of insects, and shifts in the distribution ranges of plants and animals,” are all responses to changes in climatic conditions. Rising sea levels, especially near coastal regions like San Francisco, Central and Southern california, would be detrimental to society and more specifically us. 

I have always been interested in global warming, as it has become a heated topic. Featured in various debates, political decisions, and even our classrooms, the phenomenon is something that will impact all of us. Regardless of our social status, culture, or race, it is something we must all work towards solving or at least reducing, so we still have something to look forward to in our futures. 

 I wanted to counteract these issues, so I want to devote my time to report my findings through this project. At the center of it, many of us go through our lives without ever thinking about the harmful effects of our consumption, whether it be certain foods, fuel, or materials like plastic. The average middle income household will not suffer immediate effects from the scenario listed in the proposal, but those at the lower end and bottom will. Only by bringing attention to this issue and its effects on everyone will we be able to enact proper change and steps to hopefully solve this dilemma.

The carbon neutral goal is one of the solutions that may help in bettering our situation, but the sooner we do this, the sooner we may be able to avoid the devastating effects already taking place. Increased intensity of surges, flooding, and major damage to coastal areas will become even more rampant than they are now.

Along with my project of a virtual model and paper predicting rising ocean change in San Francisco, I will also be meeting with an agent from PG&E sometime in the future to gain further inquiries on future dilemmas and conduct a survey.

This week I will meet with Mrs. Covert, my internal advisor, on Tuesday, February 13, in order to further gain instructions and continue researching my project through videos and data articles on how global warming has changed from the pre-industrial area to our present. Stay tuned for any updates.