Friday, December 15. 2023

Today's schedule is BADC

B Block Human Geography - Today we'll look at the key question "Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups"?  It probably comes as no surprise that various conflicts have occurred between religions and governments and between governments or ethnicity using religion as an excuse. We'll try to understand religious conflict with three examples:

1. Hinduism, the Caste System and social equality (tradition vs modernism);
2. The "Troubles" in Northern Ireland (sectarian violence Catholic vs Protestant); and
3. China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama (religion, culture, language, environment, oppression and control)

You have the rest of the block to work on your questions connected to this topic: 

 

1. What three religions are in constant conflict over land in the Middle East? (p.216) 

2. Complete the chart describing the three Abrahamic religions’ claim to this region. (p.220) 

3. What was the military campaign by the Christians to recapture their Holy Land from the Muslims?  What were the results? (p.216) 

4. Why would the Chinese Communists feel it important to dismantle the religious institutions of a poor remote country? 

5. Why is the Western Wall important in Judaism, and why is the Dome of the Rock important in Islam? (p.220) 

6. What are some similarities and differences in the reasons underlying construction of the West Bank separation barrier and the U.S.-Mexico border fence? (p.219) 

A Block Legal Studies - Today. you'll start with the Law and Order episode “Shotgun” (episode 10 from season 20. From TV Tropes:

Stan Harkovy (Elliott Gould), the elderly owner of a tax preparation business finds himself involved in a shooting of three armed robbers. Two are dead, one is wounded and Harkovy claims self-defense. He finds himself acclaimed as a hero but his story rings false to detectives Lupo and Bernard. They wonder why anybody would target a tax prep store, since they could not expect a lot of cash.

When you're finished, I'll have you start the following:

Questions 2, 3, & 4  p.265 AAL 

Questions 2 & 4  p.281 AAL 

Questions 3, 4, & 5  p.283 AAL 

D/C Blocks Social and Environmental Sciences - So you'll be in the learning commons / library today to continue researching the following topics to research for your Salish Sea poster project:

1. Commercial Shipping
2. Expansion (twinning) of the Trans Mountain Pipeline
3. Aquaculture (both shellfish and finfish)
4. Indigenous Territories, land claims and businesses
5. **Species at Risk (and legislation to protect them)
6. Eco - Tourism (including whale watching, sea kayaking, and boating)
7. Waste Management (Urban and Industrial)
8. Fisheries (fin fish commercial, sport, and Indigenous)
9. Population growth 

Remember that by the year 2025 (that would be just under two years from now), we can expect the population in the Salish Sea ecosystem to expand to over nine million people. Sustainability of the Salish Sea ecosystem is critical to our continued use and enjoyment of this place. From the State of the Salish Sea Report

The reasons why southern resident killer whales are at risk of extinction are multifold and intertwined with the cumulative effects of environmental harm wrought by 150 years of development since European settlement. Development has profoundly altered and harmed the resources the Southern Residents need to survive, especially abundant, quality salmon that is readily available to them year-round. The Southern Residents are challenged by at least three main threats: scarce food, pollutants, and marine noise

Your poster is going to be a small "snapshot" on the Health of the Salish Sea to help show progress in sustainably managing the Salish Sea ecosystem and its valuable resources, where conditions are declining, and where course corrections are needed. So for each topic we need:

• What's happening?
• Why is it important?
• Why is it happening?
• What are we doing about it?

In essence...what are the problems and what are the potential solutions. Look at the critical habitat of the southern resident Orca (Killer Whales) J, K, and L pods and overlay that with the navigational routes and volume of traffic for the Port of Vancouver and the Northwest Seaport Alliance. Notice anything?

In 2021 the Port of Vancouver (all 29 of them) saw 2683 foreign vessels arrive (with a two way trade value of $240 Billion CAD with cargo volumes through the Port of Vancouver increased to 146 million metric tonnes MMT) while the Northwest Seaport Alliance saw 1646 vessels foreign and domestic vessels arrive (with a two way trade value of $74.9 Billion USD). 

Of the 2021 Port of Vancouver vessel traffic for either import or export: 1477 ships arrived for bulk products (coal, grain, fertilizers, ores & minerals, forest products); 663 container ships arrived; 204 Ro-Ro ships arrived (meaning Roll on Roll Off - so mostly automobiles); 182 tankers arrived (diesel, gas, crude oil, petroleum); no cruise ships arrived as the 2021 cruise season was officially shut down in British Columbia; and there were 157 miscellaneous categorized ships arriving).  The maximum length of the vessels recorded to having entered this port is 363 meters. The maximum draught is 14.5 meters. The maximum Deadweight is 209090t.

In 2020, 

• 2730 ship calls visited the port
• $556 million of export and import cargo moved through the port each day
• 3.5 million containers (twenty-foot equivalent units) moved through the port
• 145.5 million tonnes of cargo valued at $240 billion were traded with nearly 170 world economies
• The top 5 trading partners were China, Japan, South Korea, India and United States
• Port of Vancouver-related activity generated $11.9 billion in GDP across Canada and
• Port of Vancouver-related activity generated $24.2 billion in economic output

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government prohibited cruise ships from docking at Canadian ports throughout the 2020 and 2021 season. 

So, a great deal of boat traffic plies the waters of the Salish Sea (I haven't even mentioned pleasure boats, the commercial fishing industry, BC Ferries & Washington State Ferries, the Royal Canadian Navy in Esquimalt and the US Navy in Kitsap). The bulk of this traffic goes through Boundary Pass and Haro Strait

Notice the map above? It's a map of Southern resident killer whale density (number of whales km2 ) based on effort-corrected data in the Salish Sea from 1976−2014. The red parts are not surprisingly Boundary Pass and Haro Strait.

Shipping noise has been identified as a concern for cetacean species in B.C. and Washington State because of its potential to mask their vocalizations or disrupt their behaviour. An increase in underwater noise has the potential to affect marine mammals through behavioural changes, range displacement, communication masking, decreased foraging efficiency, hearing damage, and physiological stress. Commercial shipping accounts for nearly 50% of the acoustic noise in the Salish Sea and this underwater noise may be impacting the population recovery of endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales (SRKW). 

From the Port of Vancouver ECHO (Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation) Program study Estimating the effects of noise from commercial vessels and whale watch boats on Southern Resident Killer Whales  

Study results indicate that noise from whale watch boats and commercial vessels in combination may result in a cumulative loss of time for foraging representing 20% to 23% (4.9-5.5 hours) of each day that SRKW are present in the study area during May to September...Approximately two thirds of those effects due to noise from large commercial vessels and one third due to whale watching boats. 

So why is this foraging thing important...it's eating and no eating means no living which means no SRKW. So a 1/5th reduction in foraging time due to ambient noise from shipping means less time to feed which puts stress on the J, K and L Pods of the SRKW in the Salish Sea. What is the staple diet of the Southern Resident Killer Whale? Chinook Salmon. From the Center for Whale Research, at least 80% of the SRKWs' diet consists of Chinook salmon. Based on estimates of their food requirements, the average Southern Resident killer whale must consume 18-25 adult salmon daily just to meet its energy requirements.

Killer whales, (Orcinus orca) commonly called orcas, are found in all the world’s oceans, but the best known and most studied populations are those of the Pacific Northwest. The Killer Whale is the largest member of the dolphin family, Delphinidae. Its size, striking black and white colouring and tall dorsal fin are the main identifying characteristics. Killer Whales are mainly black above and white below, with a white oval eye patch, and a grey saddle patch below the dorsal fin.

All orcas are top predators, with complex social structures. As a species, killer whales feed on a variety of fish and marine mammals, but individual populations have become specialized to feed on particular prey species. In the Pacific Northwest one group of killer whales feeds exclusively on salmon. These are referred to as “residents” because they remain in inland or nearby coastal waters.  A second group, known as “transients,” feeds only on marine mammals. Transient orcas move north and south along the coast from Southeast Alaska and British Columbia as far south as Southern California, but they frequently make forays into the Salish Sea. A third population, known as “offshore orcas” inhabits the water well beyond the coast. Far less is known about offshore orcas, but recent observations show that sharks are an important part of their diet. 

The Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW) community consists of three pods (J, K, and L) totaling 74 whales (2 births in 2020). They are social groups of whales that share a maternal ancestor. For tracking purposes, each animal is identified by a pod letter and number. Like humans, killer whales breathe air, produce milk, take naps (although with only one brain hemisphere asleep) and create their own patterns of communication from a large repertoire of sounds. Hold up your hand; you are looking at a killer whale’s front flipper, with some external modifications. The bone structure underneath is very similar. And like us, killer whales lead complex social lives.

The total southern resident killer whale population is at its lowest point since the 1970s. Just 44 orcas have been born since 1998, and within the same time frame, 81 have died or disappeared. One captured the world’s attention in 2018, J35 (also known as Tahlequah), when she gave birth, then carried her dead calf for 17 days and more than 1,000 miles.

From the Center for Whale Research, at least 80% of the SRKWs' diet consists of Chinook salmon. Based on estimates of their food requirements, the average Southern Resident killer whale must consume 18-25 adult salmon daily just to meet its energy requirements. 

For more on the J, K, and L Pods check out:

Orca Network Southern Resident Population
EPA Southern Resident Killer Whales
Marine Mammal Commission Southern Resident Killer Whale
Center for Whale Research Southern Resident Killer Whales
Georgia Strait Alliance Southern Resident Orcas
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Southern Resident Pod
Port of Vancouver Enhancing Cetacean Habitat and Observation (ECHO) Program

Today's Fit...