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Javan Rhino : One of The Rarest Animal Species in The World

December 6th, 2009. Published under Life Savers, The Earth. No Comments.

Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus) is one of the rarest animal species in the world with an estimated population of no more than 60 individuals in Ujung Kulon National Park (TNUK), in WEST Java Indonesia and approximately 8 individuals in Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam (2000). Javan rhinoceros species also are the most endangered among five species of rhino in the world and entered the Red List of IUCN’s world conservation council, namely the category of highly endangered or critically endangered.

Rhino is believed to have been there since the Tertiary Era, (65 million years ago). Like the extinction of Dinosaurs, rhinoceros at 60 million years ago have more than 30 species and most of them have extinct.  Currently, the species of rhino are only 5 remaining, of which 2 species found in Indonesia.

The Rhino species surviving are :

• Badak Sumatera (Sumatran rhino) two- horned or Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. There were at Sumatra Island (Indonesia) and Borneo (Indonesia and Malaysia).

• Javan rhino one-horned or Sondaicus rhinocerus. There were in Java (Indonesia) and Vietnam.

• Indian Rhinoceros (Indian rhino) one-horned or Rhinocerus unicornis. There were in India and Nepal.

•  Black African-horned rhinoceros (Black Rhino) or Diceros bicormis. There are in Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

• African White Rhinoceros-two horned (White Rhino) or Cerathoterium simum. There were in  Congo.

Physical characteristics of the Javan rhino (Rhinocerus sondaicus) :

Javan Rhino generally have body color gray blackish. Has one horn, with a length of about 25 cm but there is probably no or very little growth at all in females. Weight of a Javan rhino can reach 900 – 2300 kg with a body length of about 2 to 4 m. The height can reach almost 1.7 m.

The Javan Rhino Skin (Rhinocerus sondaicus) have some sort of folds that look like wearing a shield of steel. Having a way similar to the Indian rhino, but the body and head were smaller, with a number of folds which also more less. The upper lip of Javan rhino is more prominent, so it can be used to grab food and put it in his mouth. The Rhinoceros was the kind of shy and solitary animal.

thanks to alamendah.com for the info

CORAL TRIANGLE : Don’t let them destroyed

June 6th, 2009. Published under Life Savers, News, The Earth. No Comments.

I am very concern with the environment.  Unfortunately, I do not have a power to act directly in keeping flora and fauna in this world can still grow well.  All that I can do is spread the information, make a documents and invites the public to protect the environment around us well.  Although it is a small thing but if it is done by everyone, I believe the result is something big meaning.

Currently, the hot issue is about Segitiga Koral (in Indonesia) or Coral Triangle.

Many media said that Coral Triangle on endangered at this time.
Coral Triangle is the center of the world marine life that consists of: more than 76% types of coral as former the sea reefs and 35% types of coral reef fish.  The Regions within Coral Triangle itself is Indonesia, Timor Leste, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and the Solomon Islands. If it is measured, coral Triangle is only one percent of the earth’s surface, but the area is a home for 30 percent of the coral, 76 species of coral reef-hill, and also home for more than 35 percent of coral reef fish species. Not only that, it is also a vital area for commercial important fish, like tuna.

The newest research of World Wild Fund (WWF) said that whole the coral reefs-hill can be destroyed from Pacific Ocean Coral Triangle area at the end of this century.  That is also threatening the food stock and the live of about 100 million people in this earth.  Studies conducted by WWF are presented in the World Ocean Conference (WOC) in Manado, Indonesia. Meanwhile, Catherin Plum, director of the Coral Triangle Program from WWF U.S said that Coral Triangle is a planet’s crown jewel which made from a variety of coral reefs.

From some research can be concluded that factor which can be a threat a existents of Coral Triangle is :
1.    The increasing of : temperature of the sea water quickly, degree of acidity and sea surface
2.    The increasing of pollution in the surrounding area
3.     Excessive fishing
4.    The weakness of human management in protecting the environment objects under the sea.

World Wild Fund said that to avoid the worst case in Coral Triangle Area is by reducing significantly of gases emissions of greenhouse and International Investment to strengthen the regional natural environment. WWF urges the world leaders to take participate helping countries in Coral Triangle Area to strengthen management of marine resources, through international action against climate change.

Let’s save the sea wealth in this earth…!!

Stay Alive: Earthquake Emergency Preparation Tips

April 21st, 2009. Published under The Earth. No Comments.

Earthquakes are among the most devastating natural disasters. What makes it more annihilating is the fact that there is no precise way of predicting when an earthquake may occur. The most effective tactic to minimize the effects of earthquakes in human lives is to make adequate earthquake emergency preparations.

During an earthquake, you will feel the ground shaking or rolling. If the movement of the Earth’s crust is really violent, you might even hear the ground rumbling or roaring. These earthquake characteristics may cause you to panic and eventually jeopardize your chance of survival. While strong and devastating earthquakes seldom happen, even in places located in the Earth’s ring of fire, it is imperative that you have an emergency plan so that you and your family can stay safe. Here are a few pointers to remember to keep you prepared for an earthquake.

Practice Makes Safety

The key to being safe during an earthquake is having quick reaction. As soon as the ground shakes violently, you should know what to do as if by instincts. To be able to react fast during earthquakes, you must regularly conduct earthquake drills. This will keep you on your feet when the real thing comes.

Plan Your Home Structure

If you are living in a place that is frequented by earthquakes, you must plan your home in such a way that it will not become your deathbed. Use light materials for your home and provide ample exit ways to run to during emergencies. Collapsing home and building materials commonly cause injuries and deaths during earthquakes; and to avoid this, you must make sure that most of your home structure and appliances are not heavy enough to crush you.

Make sure also that your place has strong doorways or doorframes; as statistically these places are the most likely places that can withstand earthquakes. Fasten tall and heavy fixtures to the wall. And ensure that your cabinets have latches so that whatever they contain will not fall out during an earthquake.

Plan For Everybody

Everybody in your office or home should know your emergency plan for an earthquake. Make sure that everybody understands the procedures to perform whenever the big shaker happens. Coordination is an important survival aspect particularly after the earthquake.

Know Your Place

Knowing where to run and hide for cover during an earthquake may save your life and limbs. Learn the safe spots of your home or office. And practice going to these safe spots so that you can immediately react by going into these places during an actual earthquake.

Also plan a meeting place for your officemates or family where all of you can gather yourselves up after an earthquake.

Delegate Responsibilities

In your office or within your family, assign duties that everybody must perform during earthquakes. Earthquake preparation should never be a one-man job. Your officemates and family members should be made to understand of what to do, especially if you are not with them during an earthquake.

Have Emergency Kits On Standby

Finally, you must have a number of emergency kits ready in the office or at home. These kits must have the bare essentials that can help preserve life during emergencies. From drinking water, food, to first aid materials, your emergency kits will be your lifelines. Make sure that everybody knows where these emergency kits are kept.

Pollution along the coast of Argentina

March 17th, 2009. Published under Life Savers, The Earth. 1 Comment.

The habitat of Punta Tombo Penguin has already damage at this time, causes the climate change and pollution exposure. The number of them was getting lowest and in each year they must to work hard to be able to survive.  Punta Tombo colony population shrink 22 percent since 1987, when the first census carried out. Excessive fishing and the loss of sea ice force the birds to swim 40 miles more far from their nest then 10 years ago only to find some food.

The oil pollution from offshore and oil spillage from ships also threaten them.  The difficulties faced penguin from the Punta Tombo is also experienced by penguin in around the world. On going development in the beach area is not impossible to make this extinct bird.

Tsunami

March 5th, 2009. Published under The Earth. No Comments.

Tsunamis , also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called “tidal waves”), are a series of enormous waves created by an underwater disturbance such as an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or meteorite. A tsunami can move hundreds of miles per hour in the open ocean and smash into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more.

From the area where the tsunami originates, waves travel outward in all directions. Once the wave approaches the shore, it builds in height. The topography of the coastline and the ocean floor will influence the size of the wave. There may be more than one wave and the succeeding one may be larger than the one before. That is why a small tsunami at one beach can be a giant wave a few miles away.

All tsunamis are potentially dangerous, even though they may not damage every coastline they strike. A tsunami can strike anywhere along most of the U.S. coastline. The most destructive tsunamis have occurred along the coasts of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Earthquake-induced movement of the ocean floor most often generates tsunamis. If a major earthquake or landslide occurs close to shore, the first wave in a series could reach the beach in a few minutes, even before a warning is issued. Areas are at greater risk if they are less than 25 feet above sea level and within a mile of the shoreline. Drowning is the most common cause of death associated with a tsunami. Tsunami waves and the receding water are very destructive to structures in the run-up zone. Other hazards include flooding, contamination of drinking water, and fires from gas lines or ruptured tanks.

Thunderstorm

March 5th, 2009. Published under The Earth. No Comments.

Thunderstorm, rain cloud or clouds that produce thunder and lightning. Thunderstorms are very tall clouds that extend from near the ground up to, and often slightly above, the top of the troposphere, the bottom layer of the atmosphere. A thunderstorm has a characteristic cylindrical or slight hour-glass shape with a puffy, cauliflower texture. Clouds with this texture are called cumulus, and clouds that produce rain are called nimbus. Because thunderstorms are a combination of these two, they are called cumulonimbus clouds. Many thunderstorms develop an anvil-shaped top as the top is sheared by high-altitude wind. Severe thunderstorms can produce hail, strong winds, and tornadoes. Weak thunderstorms are called thundershowers. Some thundershowers are so weak that they produce virga, which is rain falling from the cloud that evaporates before reaching the ground. (more…)

Formation of Tropical Storms

March 4th, 2009. Published under The Earth. No Comments.

Most tropical storms form over warm tropical oceans from preexisting regions of low pressure called tropical depressions. In these regions, air is moistened and warmed. The hot air rises, creating an area of low pressure. The rising air forms thunderstorms. Air moving in toward the low-pressure area travels across the warm ocean waters, and is moistened. This air provides more water vapor to fuel a storm.

As the hot, humid air rises, the water vapor in the air condenses to form clouds and rain. When water vapor condenses, it releases energy. This energy is called latent heat, or heat of condensation. It represents the amount of heat that is absorbed or released by a substance when the substance undergoes a change of phase—in this case, a change from water vapor to liquid water. A storm is a type of heat engine. Latent heat powers a storm and intensifies it. A storm will intensify as long as warm, humid air flows toward the center of low pressure that, in turn, continues to attract air. In addition, the change of wind speed and direction with altitude (called wind shear) must be small (change of wind speed of less than 27 km/h, or 17 mph) so that the heat from the thunderstorm remains within the storm’s center.
The rotation of Earth also affects the movement of air. In the northern hemisphere, Earth’s rotation deflects air from left to right, while in the southern hemisphere, it deflects air from right to left. This deflection is called the Coriolis effect . As air moves toward a low-pressure center, the deflection causes the air to spiral around the center rather than travel straight into the center. The inward spiraling of air causes the formation of circular bands of thunderstorms, which are a distinctive feature of tropical storms and hurricanes, along with spiraling winds. The spiraling winds rotate faster as they approach the center. Centrifugal force flings the rotating air outward, making it increasingly difficult for air to reach the center
As a storm intensifies and its winds gain strength, the winds reach a speed at which the air can no longer reach the center. The region corresponding to the maximum penetration of the spiraling air is called the eye wall. The eye wall contains the strongest winds. Inside this ring of strong winds, a calm area develops, known as an eye. A major distinction between a tropical storm and a hurricane is the presence of an eye in a hurricane. An eye forms when the winds near the center reach about 119 km/h (74 mph).

Within 5° of latitude north or south of the equator, tropical storms and hurricanes do not occur, despite frequent thunderstorms. The reason for this absence is the weakness of the Coriolis effect within 5° of the equator. In this equatorial region the winds can travel straight into the center of a low-pressure system and eliminate it. This process halts a cluster of thunderstorms before it can intensify into a tropical storm. Tropical storms and hurricanes also are very rare anywhere in the south Atlantic Ocean or in the eastern part of the south Pacific Ocean. This near absence is the result of relatively cold ocean temperatures and persistent large wind shear.

Tropical Storm

March 4th, 2009. Published under The Earth. No Comments.

Tropical Storm, weather system composed of a cluster of thunderstorms and of wind speeds near the surface of between 63 and 119 km/h (39 and 74 mph). Tropical storms develop out of storms called tropical depressions, in which wind speeds are less than 63 km/h (39 mph). If a tropical storm intensifies so that its wind speed reaches 119 km/h (74 mph), the storm becomes a hurricane. In contrast to a hurricane, a tropical storm typically does not have an eye, or calm area, at its center. Tropical storms form over large expanses of warm tropical ocean water. However, they do not form on the equator, and are very rare south of the equator in both the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern part of the south Pacific Ocean.

Tropical storms cause torrential rainfall and flooding, and can spawn tornadoes. Such storms can pose major threats to populated areas. For example, in 1994, tropical storms Alberto, Beryl, and Gordon caused nearly $1 billion worth of damage in the United States. The flooding caused by Alberto killed 30 people in Alabama and Georgia. In June 1972 tropical storm Agnes killed more than 100 people along the East Coast of the United States and caused catastrophic flooding in the northeastern part of the country. Tropical storms have been even more deadly and damaging in other parts of the world.