Explore Your World
Our Explore Your World page features news and information on selected topics to those interested in the disciplines of both Geography and the Earth Science.
Urban Geography: Meeting the Urban Challenge
Urban populations continue to explode. The U.N. estimates that by about 2030 more than 5 billion people will reside in urban environments. What are the challenges for urban areas in the face of such daunting population growth and what can be done? Population Reports identifies and addresses the upcoming challenges facing our urban environments and suggests some potential solutions in their article Meeting the Urban Challenge.
Earth Science: Continental Crust
The outermost layer of our planet is the crust. This thin layer of rock is vital to our very existence. The crust is the primary source for our earth's soils, gases, oceans, atmosphere, and lands. Have you ever wondered about how the crust is formed? How the plate tectonics process works? To what processes granite owes its existence? What a tufa is? What the Moho is? Did you know that some of the oldest rocks in the world are found in Montana? These questions as well as the topics of subduction, rifts, underplating, and erosional forces are covered in this informative and educational one hour video produced by the USGS entitled The Living Rock: the Earth's Continental Crust. *not recommended for dial-up users
U.S. Energy Usage
Today, its difficult to pick up a newspaper or turn on the T.V. without seeing an energy related article or report. Energy is interwoven with almost every aspect of our everyday lives. Now, with energy prices soaring, it has also become a hot-button political topic as well. Simply put, its part of our environmental security, our economic security, and our national security.
So just how does Wisconsin stack up with the rest of the country when it comes to energy usage? What states use the most and which ones use the least? How are we doing with renewable energy sources? How much oil does our nation import and export?
The answers may surprise you. For all the talk of being "green" these days, did you know during the 1980's and 90's we consumed more energy from renewable sources than we have so far in any year this decade? Did you know our per capita energy consumption actually decreased by 1.8% between 2005 and 2006? Did you know Wisconsin used 1.9% of the total energy consumed in the U.S. in 2003.
Wisconsin's State Energy Office produces Wisconsin Energy Statistics each year and tracks our state energy consumption data. The portion of the report that contains the above information along with much more can be found here.